Droid13

There has of course been a lot of discussions about driving techniques for hybrids, all of them usually have merit in some way. Some are more complicated than others (pulse and glide, running as long as possible on electric only,etc). But IMO, it really comes down to the brake pedal. The brake pedal is a device designed to get rid of energy. The more you use it, the more energy you use/lose/waste. Even with regenerative braking, there is still loss and waste. For driving technique, pretend your brake pedal is made from paper mache and will break off unless you only use it very lightly. It's a challenge in traffic to drive let this, but unless you are towing inflated space capsule parachutes, you can't help but get more efficiency.

Droid13

Finally managed to get around to getting my winter tires off, only a couple months late but fortunately hasn't been particularly warm yet. But I noticed an immediate improvement in mpg. Has been getting around 26-27mpg last month or two and instantly started to get 29-30mpg. Even though just passed 100,000 miles it can still deliver decent numbers. I have fair opportunity to drive along at around 35-40mph, which I consider the sweet spot for getting the best numbers over a full tank. But I'm reminded again the difficulty of trying to get a full tank's worth of really good numbers. The problem is, when you have good numbers going, that tank of gas lasts that much longer, increasing the chance you'll get in a poor numbers situation which wrecks the chances of finishing a tank worthy of a high 5.

NateJG

That's why I reset the mileage (MPG) once per month.

After logging every ounce of fuel for the first 50K miles - and concluding that the onboard computer is incredibly accurate at calculating MPG - I stopped recording tankfulls. The cumulative MPG was 27.4. I'm now at 65K

A recent example of my "...poor numbers situation..." was returning from Florida with a loaded car (bike rack and roof rack) which netted me about 23.4 MPG for the month (2,300 miles).

Now that we're on Summer Blended Fuel, this month's outlook is much brighter.

I can only imagine what I'd have gotten were I to have been driving an RX-350.

snowman22

Your on the money. My 450h gets about the same mpg 26-27.5 on regular gasoline. Regular is recommended for my 2015 450h. I don't know what's recommended for older models. My previous 2013 RX 350 was abhorrent. Mpg was--- ready for this--- 8-11 city "trying to use pulse and glide" and 15mpg highway. Dealer,could never find anything wrong. As you can see I dumped that dog real quick fr the Hybrid. Only had 11k on the clock. Sad beyond sad. Three friends had RX's. All,had bad mpg. None as bad as mine. But-- they all traded them in because of mpg. I love my 2015 450. Will keep for several years. After that if Lexus doesn't change their idea of good looking vehicles,I'll have to change brands. The new RX's are butt ugly,cheap plastic grill,cheap interiors,harder seats and bum ride. I drove one for a day. Real crap.

kitlz

snowman22, premium, specifically 91 octane minimum, is required for the 450h. It's been that way since the RXh came out in 2010. 2010-11 RX350s also required premium but that was dropped with 2012 MY. It's outlined in this chart. I'm not trying to create another 'what gas to use' threads. We have those already. I just want to point out the requirements per Lexus. It's your choice.

BTW, my 'butt ugly' 450h is getting a few more MPGs than the old one. Same drive, same driving style. It also spends far more time in EV mode. And speaking of modes, eco is like power mode on the old 450h. Don't miss that heavy gas pedal a bit

MellonC00

I wish to understand a little bit better. I was under the assumption that the engine starts retards the timing so that it doesn't "blow up" the air before optimum timing if lower octane is used than prescribed. I didn't know that Atkinson cycle engine can actually change the compression ratio of the engine (I get that the expansion ratio is substantially higher on the Atkinson cycle........)
http://blog.caranddriver.com/what-is...-its-benefits/

MellonC00

How does your 'butt ugly' 450h getting few more MPGs and spending more time in EV mode than the previous generation? is the battery larger?

kitlz

Not sure about the battery. It's heavier and has more HPs than my '10. About the only similarity is the premium fuel requirement.

Let me not derail the thread by adding the overall average MPG on my '10 was around 26 with my short, hilly commute. That was something I was more than happy with coming from a non-hybrid RX. Plus it's a pretty awesome vehicle.

Droid13

It's probably not related to the battery, more likely engine improvements and system software tweaks. Our gen was 245HP (engine) + 50HP (battery), the new gen is rated 259HP (engine) + 49HP (battery). The compression ratio on the engine is higher too. In actuality, the mpg rating is not that much different between the gens, but tweaking always helps a little (and maybe more HP means less heavy foot might factor in a little too).

With each gen, I think Toyota gets a bit more comfortable relying on the battery incrementally more without reliability concerns. Loads of capacity has always existed, fear of reliability issues has kept the usage conservative.

magdalo

I just bought a USED (lease certified) 2015 RX 450h & disappointed that I'm only getting 24.5 MPG using regular gas at strictly city driving. The original sticker says 29 mpg for combine city/hwy, 30 city & 28 hwy. I accessed fueleconomy.gov & found out that their survey shows 25.1 mpg using premium gasoline. I don't wish to switch to premium gas.

salimshah

Try the info screen on consumption and see what is going on.
You can also switch to ECO mode [takes the fun out of driving]. This will throttle back some of the fast acceleration,

Salim

Droid13

IMO, you don't need premium to get good numbers. I've spent years experimenting with different fuel grades. In the end, I could never find any difference. I found the time of year and seasonal changes in fuel were the only changes I could notice.

RE: your city numbers. Keep in mind city driving means different things to different people. Extended cruising along at 35 to 40mph can yield absolutely excellent results. Heavy stop and go driving with make numbers suck, but they will be 10X better than the non-hybrid suckers trapped in the same traffic as you.

magdalo

Many thanks Ms Shah. I'll make my post for new MPG after next fill up.

salimshah

Please use the constant bar display to show you what is happening real time. You should see frequently the bar hitting 60 (max) and occasionally near 20. Then adjust your driving to reach the 60s without compromising safety.

Salim

MellonC00

25.1 sounds about right. That's what I get. I am using premium fuel and use the Sport mode 80% of the time (in regular mode only when I'm descending about 1500 ft from my house to the highway).

when Mrs. MellonC drives it, she gets only 23 mpg. Go figure. Car and Driver got the same 23 mpg in their aggressive driving while testing the car also. I guess she floors it.