Hi everyone I'm new to this. I just received a new 2009 IS 250 AWD with the luxury package and nav system. I have some questions about the mileage though. The EPA on the sticker is 20 city and 26 hwy I believe, but I am not receiving anything close to this mileage. I'm averaging about 14-15mpg every time I drive. I was wondering if there is an overdrive that is on this car that I may need to turn off or something else. Also if someone could explain the S mode driving with the shift paddles on the steering wheel and the shift that would be great. If you guys want to know what I paid and see some pics just let me know. Thanks!

 

a light right foot would help you get closer to the EPA ratings.

 

I also noticed the mileage gets better the more miles you put on it. I started out at 20 when it was brand new and now about 26.

S mode if you want to shift on your own. Doesnt do anything beyond that neither will the ECT power mode. It is for more spirited driving.

 

hey there, and wbelcome to clublexus forums

the winter weather makes gas mileage suffer, even if you drive very lightly (slow acceleration, speeds, etc)

On my AWD, I average about 14 MPG city and 28 or so highway in the winter, but around 18-20 city int he summer

Well, that's how i've justified my MPG. doesn't really bother me, but if anyone has further light to shed - much appreciated

 

Here in Cali we have a winterblend of gasohol that makes the mileage lower but better on the emissions. That might be the same thing happening to some states. But we have more stringent air quality then the rest of the US .

 

As slee18 stated, the more broken in the engine an mileage, the better the fuel economy. Also, different regions of the country utilize different fuel mixtures with ethanol etc. Typically, the concentration is not to exceed 10%. Furthermore, colder weather makes the engine work harder via ecm to maintain operating temp and thus consume more fuel. No worries, it will improve.

 

quality of gas, motor oil weight, outside temperature, break in period and speed you drive are driving are the factors.....

YMMV

 

Yeah mpg sucks in the winter, From going 26-27mpg to only 23-24mpg now.

 

MPG sucks during the break in period, mine was like 15 mpg when I first got it, now I average about 27 to 30 mpg.

 

are you actually calculating by hand (miles driven/ gallons put in), or just going off the dash display?

 

I've consistenlty recieved 25-26mpg since my car was new(34miles when bought). This is hand caluculated as my display registers closer to 28 mpg. Avg since new is around 27 according to the display.

I have an AWD and drive about 70% hwy, 30% city.

 

damn that's pretty much the same thing or a little worse actually than what I average in my 350.

 

Yeah, AWD (or 4WD) are terrible for mileage (and performance, but that's not much issue on a 250 anyway) compared to RWD...

To answer the original post on the paddles and S mode-

S mode gives you the option to give the ECU a top gear limit. Normally you have 6 forward gears, 5th and 6th being overdrive gears, and 4th being your 1:1 gear.

When you put it in S mode it'll default to 4th as the top gear (ie it'll work just like a normal automatic, shifting on its own, but it won't ever go higher than 4th gear).

You can use the paddle shifters (or the stick itself) to change the top gear limit higher or lower than 4th, and it won't go higher than that gear (but will use that gear and all the lower ones normally on its own).

I rarely bother with S mode at all unless I'm driving in the mountains or something- it's kinda useless for most performance purposes, and the ECU is pretty good at picking the right gear to be in anyway.

 

Thanks for all the info. you guys. So I guess I'll get better mileage during the summer and after my engine breaks in. Any tips on helping the engine break in so I don't do anything that I can't reverse later on.
And as far the S mode goes, it seems like I won't be using this much, only for situations that require a stronger breaking force like driving in mountains mentioned earlier.

Thanks guys

 

I've had my IS 250 AWD for about 6 weeks, with three or four fill-ups. I have calculated my mileage, which is a mix of highway and city, to be right around 20-21. My first tank was with 91, then 89, then 91 octane, and I have seen no difference.