Have an Infiniti addict friend who couldn't believe that, even with premium gas, city driving fuel costs are actually cheaper for the RX 450h than the 350. (I do 99% of my driving in the city except for trips to & from the airport).

So I showed him that I did the math before I traded a 350 for the 450h...and now he's a believer. Here's a screen grab (you may need to click it to enlarge):



[I've tried to attach the Excel file -- it uploads but the link to the attachment doesn't work. I'll research that.]

I have not factored-in the additional cost of the 450h over a 350. I really don't care, since I crunched those numbers for my 3 previous hybrids (ES 300h, HS 250, Prius), and know that it would take many years to even begin to justify THAT add'l cost. I'm just very happy that the premium gas requirement is not more expen$ive in the long run compared to the 350 I just traded-in.

Cheers...and Happy 4th to everybody!

 

Must be the worst screen shot picture I have ever seen like ever! Unreadable due to blur. Lol, its 2016 for crying out loud and these problems shouldn't happen.

 

I see the attachment clearly by either hovering the mouse cursor over it or clicking. Using a Windows 10 laptop.

Thanks for providing the detailed calculation. Not having to go to the gas station as often is also worth a lot to me in terms of time saved.

 

You're only seeing the thumbnail image for some reason. The full image is perfectly clear.


Also good info OP. Since you do so much city driving it might not be applicable for all, but it's still good to see numbers.

 

The image looks fine to me too.

It would be interesting to see the results if the cost of charging the batteries was factored in.

 

You have to factor in the additional costs of a hybrid over a conventional car!
Unless they cost identical at the start the math is just wrong regardless if you care about it or not!

 

$29.02 savings over 1000 miles.
If I drive 100,000 miles, that's $2902 saving.
The website MSRP cost difference is $15,000 between a standard 350 vs 450h.

You are not saving money by driving a hybrid, I'm sorry. You're doing it because you love the environment and want to reduce the emissions. Or maybe you want the extra 13 HP and the blue Lexus emblem. =)

 

When I click on the image all i get is an enlarged version of that thumbnail pic. My other phone shows the same thing, unreadable. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Galaxy S 7 Edge

 

Nowhere in the OP do they claim that total cost is cheaper. All it says is comparing FUEL costs, which is what is shown... which is a common question. I've seen several people ask if the FUEL costs are going to be break even since you're supposed to run premium in the hybrid. The OP shows that for city driving, the hybrid is still so efficient that money spent on gas will be lower with a premium hybrid than a minimum octane 350. They never


The OP did a good job of answering that question for his own personal drive, and I appreciate it. Why certain users are complaining that other costs aren't being considered is beyond me. All that's being tested is fuel costs of premium in a hybrid vs. regular in a non-hybrid, which isn't something I get to see that often.

 

Yes, the OP did a great job on the fuel cost comparison using their own driving experience. No argument there or complain to the OP. However, the fuel cost savings is not the primary reason to go trade your vehicle for a hybrid. The cost savings is minuscule and needs to be stretched over long miles to capture benefit. Simply adding ingredient to the thread. No harm here.

 

Comparing MSRP to MSRP is not an apples to apples comparison. The 450h comes with many more packages and features standard.

There is a good thread about the benefits of the hybrid in the 450h forum. I may be biased but I am glad to be unaffected by the gurgling A/C and hesitation/shifting problems of the 350.

 

I pay around 26% more for Premium; and I have averaged 27.4 MPG for the first 50K miles.

Based on what I believe the 350's average, I figure that I'm slightly ahead of the game - fuel mileage wise.

 

The "cost of charging the batteries" is only a factor with fully electric cars. Hybrids charge their own batteries. There is no add'l cost, nothing to plug in etc.

But you ARE on the right track: Everybody seems to think that fully electric cars are somehow perfect and "green" when in fact they don't stop to think about the coal or natural gas or nuclear fuel that is needed to provide the electricity to recharge those batteries.

 

With all due respect, I guess you missed this is my original post: "I have not factored-in the additional cost of the 450h over a 350. I really don't care, since I crunched those numbers for my 3 previous hybrids (ES 300h, HS 250, Prius), and know that it would take many years to even begin to justify THAT add'l cost."

 

I'm also biased. After owning an RXh I can't bring myself to buy a RX350. There are too many advantages to the Hybrid.

I've owned Hybrids since 2005 when we purchased a 2005 Prius. My Brother-in-Law is still driving it with 120,000 miles on it and the total spent on Repairs to date is less than $600. That was for a out of warranty cooling pump for the hybrid battery.

We sold the Prius to him and bought a Lexus CT200h which was problem free.

Here we go about TRUE COST to own. True cost is not the MSRP or the initial price paid. True cost is the sum total of Depreciation, Fuel, Maintenance, Finance charge if financed, Taxes, Insurance and any repairs.

On the plus side, RXh Gas savings is only about 3 cents/mile or over 3yrs/36000 miles about $1,000.
On the minus side depreciation difference after 3 years is about $1,000 more for a similar equipped RX450h vs RX350

Sure a similar equipped RXh may cost $3,000 more initially but when you trade in 3 years an RXh will be worth almost $2k more. . So factoring in fuel savings and additional depreciation it's pretty much a wash.

What you get is a SMOOOTH acceleration, No transmission hunting, no hesitation, Instant torque when you hit the go pedal, a quiet and nicer riding SUV.

All the above is comparing a 2015 RX vs RXh with
Luxury package
Levinson Radio
Navigation
towing Package
Moon Roof
Blind spot monitor