When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hybrid TechnologyUnique topics related to the 2016 up RX450h model hybrid drivetrain and other features/options found only on the RX450h. Please use the main forum for discussion about shared components with other fourth generation RX models.
I'm a new 2018 RX 450h owner and as many member saying here the gas mileage is nothing close to what I was expecting from the rated EPA mileage (28 to 31). I drive in local only , no highway, speed limit is normally below 40 miles/hour. I use ECO mode only and turned off seat warmer and AC. I'm using premium gas only (from Costco). There's no hills on my commute route and the traffic is always light except the normal few traffic lights. I even tried to accelerate less aggressively to the point the drivers behind me are getting annoyed. The current cumulative fuel display saying 26.6 mile/gallon. However, it's dropping about 0.1 every few days. Should I take the car to the dealer for a check up? Do they even consider this to be an issue?
You'll never drive the way they drive when obtaining the MPG. Drive normally and enjoy life.
You'll never drive the way they drive when obtaining the MPG. Drive normally and enjoy life.
In comparison to the RX 350 loaner I had, I was getting around 16 mpg in the city. My 450h gets about 24 mpg. This is a luxury SUV, not a crackerbox. Turn on your a/c & seat heaters & take your car out of ECO mode & just drive. None of these cars get the recommended mpg. Just enjoy the quiet comfortable ride & the fuel mileage that’s way better than the standard gas RX.
OK. Looks like this is the norm, not an exception. This is the first hybrid car I ever own. At least for every non-hybrid vehicle I owned so far, the EPA rated mileage actually came pretty close to what I got in real world driving. So gas mileage was a quick and easy early troubling detection for me to decide if I should go visit a mechanic. If the gas mileage fell out the normal range, it always turned out to be an actual issue like O2 sensor, etc.
Maybe newer hybrid is different from my old rule of thumb. I haven't bought a new car for quite a while, guess things and rules are changing. I'm more concerned about if my new car is having a real issue than anything else. From the reply so far, looks like at least the car itself is ok and my expectation is too optimistic. Kind of a good news, I guess.
OK. Looks like this is the norm, not an exception. This is the first hybrid car I ever own. At least for every non-hybrid vehicle I owned so far, the EPA rated mileage actually came pretty close to what I got in real world driving. So gas mileage was a quick and easy early troubling detection for me to decide if I should go visit a mechanic. If the gas mileage fell out the normal range, it always turned out to be an actual issue like O2 sensor, etc.
Maybe newer hybrid is different from my old rule of thumb. I haven't bought a new car for quite a while, guess things and rules are changing. I'm more concerned about if my new car is having a real issue than anything else. From the reply so far, looks like at least the car itself is ok and my expectation is too optimistic. Kind of a good news, I guess.
Here’s a challenge for you; I haven’t been able to put any science behind this, but the brand of gas seems to be very significant in getting better mileage on my 450h. If I use Sams Club Gas of any grade, I get terrible mpg. If I use Top Tier gas like Shell or QT, I get better mpg. Regular, mid grade or premium don’t seem to matter much. This is just what I’ve observed. My guess is the amount of ethanol present in the fuel directory affects the mpg.
OK. Looks like this is the norm, not an exception. This is the first hybrid car I ever own. At least for every non-hybrid vehicle I owned so far, the EPA rated mileage actually came pretty close to what I got in real world driving. So gas mileage was a quick and easy early troubling detection for me to decide if I should go visit a mechanic. If the gas mileage fell out the normal range, it always turned out to be an actual issue like O2 sensor, etc.
Maybe newer hybrid is different from my old rule of thumb. I haven't bought a new car for quite a while, guess things and rules are changing. I'm more concerned about if my new car is having a real issue than anything else. From the reply so far, looks like at least the car itself is ok and my expectation is too optimistic. Kind of a good news, I guess.
Your mileage sounds fairly normal for the car, especially in the dead of winter like now. The EPA mileage (and most of the better mileage reported here) is typically only achievable during the warm summer months when the engine doesn't need to warm up as much, and summer gas blend. Also, the traction battery is not as efficient in cold weather, and drains faster.
Turning off the AC and seat heaters will do jack squat for your gas mileage. They are all electrically operated, so, unless your commute + AC drains the traction battery, you won't be saving any gas by depriving yourself of those comforts. The climate heaters are another matter though. They do use heat captured from the engine running to warm the cabin, so if you really want to save gas, you can try to freeze yourself. Personally I don't think it's worth it.
A few factors to consider if you want to max out the mileage of the hybrid:
- If your commute is typically short (10-15 min or less), you won't see much benefit from the hybrid. The engine needs to warm up fully before you can take full advantage of the electric motors, My commute is usually anywhere between 35 min - 1 hr, so I'm still able to maintain my sub-8 L/100km (29.5+ mpg) mileage even during the colder weather.
- Tire pressure plays quite a big role in our cars. I noticed my mileage dipping to 8.2L/100km (28 mpg) lately and attributed that to winter weather. Then I noticed that the onboard TPMS said my cold start pressure was only at 31 psi (up to 33 psi warm). Pumped them up to 35 psi cold, which meant 36-37 psi warmed up like in the summer, and my mileage instantly went to 7.6L/100km (30.9 mpg) for the week.
- Contrary to what you may think, slow acceleration off the line may actually cause your mileage to go down. Unless you're accelerating on battery alone, you will be lugging the engine and making it less efficient. I'm not advocating WOT acceleration, but a brisk punch to keep up with traffic and then using the electric motors to coast and maintain speed is your best bet to achieve better mileage.
And oh yes, ECO mode is useless. I run Normal 99% of the time, and turn to Sport mode for a little fun every once in a while. Enjoy your car, and don't worry about the numbers too much at this point.
2018 450h, 6 months old, 2700 miles. Lots of short hops. Averaging 30-31 mpg and happy, but hoping perhaps to see better with time. Have had one amazing trip so far...
What is the average gas mileage you get driving your RX450? I have a new 2018 RX 450h, first hybrid, and it is not getting anywhere close to the advertised / estimate MPG of 29/30. I believe something must be wrong with the engine. I am only getting 24-25 at the most and it does not seem to matter if I'm driving around town, on the highway, up a mtn, etc. etc. The car rarely goes into EV mode, even if I drive in ECO. Anyone else experiencing this?
What mileage do you get on your 2018 RX450 Hybrid? I am only getting 24-25 at the most under all different types of driving conditions.
I just got a 2016 450h - had it just over a month and the first tank was 31.5 and second was 30.7. My routes are mixed city and highway.
I haven't read much of this thread yet so I'm not sure if "high efficiency driving" techniques have been discussed. I owned a 2002 Civic Hybrid back when hybrids were pretty new - spent 5 years really working out how to maximize the mpg without being a road hazard. I will say this - most people are not aware of now naturally inefficient our average driving habits are. I don't think it's possible to get any car's stated MPG without a bit of work and focus on driving technique. I've been tempted to write it up - I'm learning a lot of tricks with the 450h that maximize the use of EV driving. If these aren't written down already somewhere, I can offer some suggestions and lessons learned. BTW, when my wife borrowed my car for a trip she got about 24-25 too, so I think driving style can play a big role.
It’s a little slow tonight so I thought I’d write it down. I realize some of these suggestions are obvious, but I’m just going to be complete. It’s a mix of general suggestions and some specific to the 450h.
In general, average driving technique for most is to accelerate fast and stop fast. Also, if you use the mpg meter and experiment a little, most will realize we hold the accelerator farther down than needed to maintain a constant speed. First stop is to undo those habits.
Accelerate at a modest pace when you can. Realize traffic conditions will dictate, so “when you can” also means “when it’s safe to do so”.
Take longer to decelerate – again as condition dictate and if it’s safe. If I see a red light a quarter mile ahead and I’m by myself, I start coasting very early. Just let the regenerative braking slow you down. Also, you can practice applying just enough brake to more aggressively engage the regenerative braking too when needing to slow down faster. This is a great way to extend the life of your brake pads, and keep more charge on your battery.
Put the MPG meter on the display. When you are cruising to hold speed, back the accelerator down until you hit that sweet spot where you are using the minimum pedal pressure to hold speed. Eco mode will help you do this. This takes some training with your right foot, but you can see the difference in the meter easily. You’ll notice that cruising at 20 mpg and 40 mpg both hold speed in most cases if the road is level.
Resist the temptation to go fast/slow/fast/slow with traffic. If it’s safe, I try to extend my following distance so those speed changes happen in front of me and I can keep my speed more constant. But it’s important not to become a hazard either.
Use premium fuel. Lower octane saps horsepower. Keep tires at recommended pressure or slightly better.
As for the 450h itself, I’ve found that if I’m on a relatively flat road and traffic is moving at a somewhat constant speed (and around 30-35 mph or less), I know the car shuts the engine off if I’m coasting. I’ve found that if you apply just the smallest amount of pressure to the pedal while the engine is off and you are moving, it will run in EV mode without having to use the button. The trick here is once you try to accelerate more aggressively the engine will turn on. But very, very gentle pressure can actually accelerate the car (slowly) on electric and it will certainly hold speed on electric. So long as the battery is up for it. This is all while you are moving, not from a dead stop. If you are stopped, EV mode is required or the engine will run. I’ve driven a couple miles this way, and also the last mile all the way into my garage just doing this without having to use EV mode.
I’ve found in drive throughs or very dense stop and go traffic that’s basically crawling, when the engine cuts off when I stop, if I just release the brake the car will roll forward on electric only. No accelerator required. I just let it do it, and the engine won’t come on.
I actively engage EV mode in parking lots, and sometimes in stop and go traffic (if the traffic is crawling and doesn’t require fast starts).
All that works pretty consistently for me. But things you can’t control include winter gas (usually a 2-3 mpg drop in my experience), bad weather, and extreme cold make it hard to get the most out of the hybrid system. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, other things prevent you from getting there.
Accelerate as needed with traffic. Then step off the pedal and slowly apply pressure to maintain speed. This will keep it in EV mode formspeeds under 45MPH.
it helps to have a HUD and see MPG bar on the windshield. Keeping the acceleration if traffic allows under the middle tick will keep the car in EV mode. if need to accelerate, do so, reach the appropriate traffic speed, then momentarily step off pedal to get the car in EV mode. I find if I momentarily step off the pedal it goes into EV mode much quicker than waiting for the car to figure it out.
In cold weather, heat up the cabin to warm up the batteries quicker. In cold weather, cool the cabin to cool the batteries.
Keep your our tires properly inflated and aligned. Rotate them every 5K for even wear all around.
Force the car car into EV mode by pressing the button on the center console. That EV mode will let you accelerate a little more aggressive than in normal mode. I am still not sure why many times I cannot invoke EV mode when driving in slow areas like school zones, parking lots, or residential neighborhood.
If going to climb a hill accelerate before the hill to build speed then back off acceleration, letting the previously built momentum help the car climb the hill.
Force the car car into EV mode by pressing the button on the center console. That EV mode will let you accelerate a little more aggressive than in normal mode. I am still not sure why many times I cannot invoke EV mode when driving in slow areas like school zones, parking lots, or residential neighborhood.
The biggest factor I've noticed with the EV mode button is the climate control. If I have the fan off, I almost always have been able to invoke EV mode (assuming enough battery juice, and engine warmed up). With the fan on, it's the inevitable "EV Mode Not Available" message. If you have your climate control set to Auto, it's possible that the times when the fan/heater is not needed is when you can enable the EV mode.
What is the average gas mileage you get driving your RX450? I have a new 2018 RX 450h, first hybrid, and it is not getting anywhere close to the advertised / estimate MPG of 29/30. I believe something must be wrong with the engine. I am only getting 24-25 at the most and it does not seem to matter if I'm driving around town, on the highway, up a mtn, etc. etc. The car rarely goes into EV mode, even if I drive in ECO. Anyone else experiencing this?
I had this same issue shortly after I bought mine. I tried premium gasoline and it didn't improve much. I now use top tier Regular gas from Exxon or Conoco. There are other top tier gasolines out there. You just need to do your research and find which one gets the best mileage for you. My mileage has now increased anywhere from 2 to 3 MPG. There's also the issue of using 'winter mix' fuel. Do you live in an area that has colder weather? Winter mix will cause your mileage to decrease by a couple of MPG. I make sure I reset BOTH of my settings after filling up---the odometer Trip meter setting and the reset on the steering wheel. Make sure that your display is on the 'screen' that shows 'After Refuel'. I also do a little hyper-miling. When I see a car hit its brakes or slowing in front of me or when I'm approaching a yellow traffic light, I take my foot off the gas and slow naturally rather than hitting my brakes and then having to hit the gas to speed back up. I do the same when coming to a stop sign, gradually slowing rather than keeping my foot on the gas and braking in the last couple hundred feet.
Just got my brand new 2019 RX450h not long ago, very happy about the mpg I got. Much better than my 2001 RX300 which lasted over 280k miles.
This is my first hybrid car and I am still learning about hybrid driving. I have tried different driving condition and different driving techniques . So far averaged about 37 mpg for last month. Mostly back roads driving without traffic. My recent two weeks average around 39 mpg on dash display, but the real mpg during fill ups for the past two weeks is around 44 mpg. Unbelievable! For freeway driving is around 31 mpg at 65 mph. I use regular gas only.
Very impressed with my RX450h. Utilize that hybrid battery can make a huge difference in mpg.
12-22-18, 09:15 AM
I will say this - most people are not aware of now naturally inefficient our average driving habits are. I don't think it's possible to get any car's stated MPG without a bit of work and focus on driving technique. I've been tempted to write it up - I'm learning a lot of tricks with the 450h that maximize the use of EV driving. If these aren't written down already somewhere, I can offer some suggestions and lessons learned. BTW, when my wife borrowed my car for a trip she got about 24-25 too, so I think driving style can play a big role.
