Just returned from a round trip between Austin and Houston,TX. My 2 week old 330 got 23.8 MPG over the roughly 500 mile trip.

 

wow - pretty good - I have FWD and I'm consistently between 19.8 - 20.9 and I do a lot of highway driving

 

Jeff,

Is yours a FWD ir an AWD? The FWD is more fuel efficient then the AWD model. Lexus lists the FWD at 20/26 and the AWD at 20/24.

 

We averaged about 22 1/2 mpg on a recent 5k trip using 91 premium gas in our AWD 330. The computer constantly showed about 1&1/2 miles higher than the actual mileage, figured the old fashioned way. The service guy thought there was about a 5-10% variance built into the computer. If so, it was a constant variable and not a random one. later, ldf

 

Anyone here a "lead-foot"? I find the RX330 gas mileage acceptable when I tread lightly. However, I for the time being, I'm kind of enjoying the thrills of returning to the days when I had a 5-speed (manual) sports sedan (straight-line acceleration anyways); i.e. hot-footing around town at stop lights sometimes, blowing past slow-pokes on hills [never driving dangerously though!]. ...and thus gas mileage sucks...

Anyone else experiencing low mileage due to aggressive driving?

Why I say this is I had a Honda Civic once. And NO AMOUNT of racing around town produced anywhere near poor gas mileage. Red-line shifts many times a day, EVERY DAY, and the thing still sipped gas! Boy was it a blast! [Keeping in mind that the Civic was a 67Hp 1.3 litre 4-banger that the 330 could blow away with 2-cylinders tied behind its back].

 

occasionally I'll get "aggressive" and play with the E-shift. I'll keep it in 4th often to increase it's responsiveness - that seems to lower my mileage significantly - but the thrill far outweighs the downside.

 

My MPG on the first tank was hovering around 16. I hope it improves. I. too, have been tempted to redline the V6, but was told to hold off for the first 1000 miles. FWD.

 

On my second tank, i got about 22mpg, and being very careful during the breakin period. Almost at 1000 miles, can't wait.

 

I have about 2300 miles on my FWD RX330 and I get about 20-21 MPG using 92 octane with about 60-65% city driving.

 

I have just ordered my RX330. In aussie our minimum octane rating is 92, will be interesting to see what mileage I will be able to get when I use 98 octane (premium unleaded). 16mpg = 14.7ltr/100kms. I would be happy with that around town, anything better would be a bonus.

 

I seem to be getting about 18l/100 km and it's mostly city driving.

Being someone that switch from a 5 speed standard Audi A4 1.8l turbo with a chip, I'm having a real hard-time getting used to the 330, it cannot be compare with the audi, but the transition is a real nightmare 4 me, hopefuly I will eventually manage to forget the audi and get use to the 330 and enjoy it more!

Anyways I just got my 330 2 weeks ago, will give it more time, maybe it will wake up after the break in!

 

Is it a perception thing or what? Unless the chip did wonders your ex-Audi couldn't have been that fast, manual or not. Your new RX would have given the Audi a good run for its money at 0-60 if not actually beating it out. Imagine that, an SUV beating out a turbo-charged sports sedan in acceleration.

Handling and driving characteristics are of course a different matter. You really can't compare the two. Nor should you. (e.g. Should I compare my RX330 to a Mack truck in handling?)

 

Unfortunatly there is a huges diff between the 2, the accelaration on the A4 is by far much better than the RX, but it's to be expected, one is a sport car and the other one is a SUV. I really wish that the RX would give my A4 some competition, but there is no chance that will happen!!! I will bring that issue up when I bring it for my 1st service inspection to the dealer, I do think that it should move a bit quicker that it is now.

But like I said b4 I not comparing, I just trying to adapt to the RX, but it remains my 1st official dissapointment!!

 

I know how you feel in a way. I bought the RX330 for my wife, but I drive it a lot as well as we use it most of the time when we are together. However, my car is an Acura NSX and it is nearly the exact polar opposite from the RX330. The good thing is the two car are so different that I didn't find it too hard to adapt. It took me about a two weeks to learn to tone down the speed when corning in the RX and breaking earlier to slow down. I'd say in about a week or two you will get used to the drivability of the RX330. Just take the RX for what it is and you will be fine. To me, the RX330 is just a cruisemobile and I don't really expect it to perform anywhere close to any sporty Sedan or sports car anyway.

 

I didn't mean to sound harsh in my previous post to you. I myself had a 5-speed manual sports sedan but "fortunately", in between I had a sluggish "sport-cute"/mini-SUV (kids came along). So the RX330 was a big improvemet over what I had in my most recent car and brought back the decent acceleration I had before in the early 90's.

However, I'm still curious to hear that acceleration was far better in the Audi. A stock 1.8T and its 170 horses should go 0-60 in like 8.0 to 8.5 seconds maybe. Lexus says my RX330 goes 0-60 in 7.6. That feels about right. If all you did was a chip upgrade to your 1.8T, I don't think that would have bought you more a second off the 0-60, which would have gotten you maybe half-second (at best) over the RX.

That's why I was asking if it was a "perception" thing. My first car, a 67-hp 1300cc manual-trans econobox sure "felt" fast when I wailed it to the redline in every gear (getting 1st and 2nd gear "rubber"). But I suspect that in the cold light of the day, 0-60 was probably like 13 seconds...

(No offence to your Audi, probably one of the best looking and driving German sports sedans ever.)