Do you consider your Lexus a gas guzzler?
Thread Starter
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,407
Likes: 1
From: Texas
Do you consider your Lexus a gas guzzler?
What model do you have and what is your AVERAGE MPG in the City?
I don't consider my LS430 a gas guzzler because when I drive like a grandma I can get 19-20mph city. I have to keep monitoring my speed and such, but I think that is decent gas mileage.
I don't consider my LS430 a gas guzzler because when I drive like a grandma I can get 19-20mph city. I have to keep monitoring my speed and such, but I think that is decent gas mileage.
92 SC4. I get around 21-22mpg mixed, though more city driving. Again Granny Footing it helps ALOT. As far as gas guzzler? I would have to disagree; any V8 that can get that type of gas mileage and a little better is doing pretty well in my book, especially being that old.
Pole Position
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 244
Likes: 0
From: NY
My '04 GS300 gets what I would consider terrible gas mileage. Most of my daily miles are highway and I do about 100 a day. I average about 15-17 mpg. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with the mileage of this car, especially when the only reason I opted for the I6 instead of the V8 was to get better gas mileage. Should have went with the GS430
I do have to say though that my 2000 LS400 got excellent gas mileage. I drove from New York to Phoenix and I averaged a whopping 29/mpg. So maybe it just depends on the model. Either way, I've already decided my next vehicle is going to be a hybrid - tired of going to the pump every day, every other day.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,630
Likes: 280
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
My 2001 IS300 got from 16-21 on the average between city and semi-highway driving.........not particularly good but not terribly out of line either considering the engine's torque and frequent use of A/C in this area. Average, stop-and-go driving in good weather usually gave about 17-18.
One also has to look at the actual price of the gas itself. Most Lexus products use premium...there are one or two exceptions. Premium 91-octane usually costs about 10% more than 87-octane. regular. That's like getting 10% better mileage free if you can use 87 octane (but DON'T do it in an engine that is not recommended for 87....some engines can use 87 octane for a limited amount of time).
One also has to look at the actual price of the gas itself. Most Lexus products use premium...there are one or two exceptions. Premium 91-octane usually costs about 10% more than 87-octane. regular. That's like getting 10% better mileage free if you can use 87 octane (but DON'T do it in an engine that is not recommended for 87....some engines can use 87 octane for a limited amount of time).
My modded GS400 was a gas hog. 
Maybe 15-16 city, 20 hwy? But a lot of fun. 
Now I have my Ford Explorer which gets expected but lame mileage, about 17 city, 21 hwy. My Miata gets about 30 no matter how I drive it!
Maybe 15-16 city, 20 hwy? But a lot of fun. Now I have my Ford Explorer which gets expected but lame mileage, about 17 city, 21 hwy. My Miata gets about 30 no matter how I drive it!
Lead Lap
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 740
Likes: 0
From: MA
I no longer own a Lexus but my 2006 Corvette gets horrible mileage in the city but excellent mileage on the highway. I can't believe the difference between city and highway mileage in this car, I've averaged about 11.5mpg in the city over the past 6 months, but I've driven the car on several 600+ mile road trips and averaged 28-29mpg every time. I know a lot of the great highway mileage has to do with gearing and aerodynamics, but a 17mpg DIFFERENCE in city and highway mpg is insane
My GS400 would get maybe 16mpg in the city and 22mpg on the highway so the difference there wasn't nearly as much
My GS400 would get maybe 16mpg in the city and 22mpg on the highway so the difference there wasn't nearly as much
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Pole Position
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 350
Likes: 0
From: AL
My 95 SC400 got around 17-18 average, & the most I ever got out of a highway trip was 23. I would think the 4-speed auto is mostly to blame, but yeah, it seems pretty crappy to me. I'm now driving a 98 Trans Am, and I get around 21 average and 30 highway. The 6-speed manual makes a huge difference, though I think an auto still beats the SC I had in that respect.
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. Combined i can get 18mpg.
If you talk pure city, my 99 LS400 gets about 12-13 MPG. Now, keep in mind both my wife and I work about 2.5-4 miles from home. The LS400 spends a lot of its time in morning and afternoon city traffic were it is stop and go. It takes about 30-40 minutes at times to travel that 2.5-4 miles. That said, it really does suck up the gas. On the LS400, one of the monitoring settings shows average MPH for the tank. Even during some mixed city/highway driving our average MPH is about 17MPH. That shows how much traffic we sit in most of the time. The few times I have been able to drive a lot of freeway driving on a given tank it usually averages out to just over 20 MPG. A normal 50/50 average is about 17/18 MPG.