Most SUV hybrids have a higher city rating than highway, unless Im mistaken. I know my Rxh is rated at 30 city and 28 highway. At some point, the wind resistance takes over.

 

Toyota's hybrids typically have greater city fuel efficiency than highway fuel efficiency. This is because of how the hybrid system works.

At highway speeds, the gasoline engine is constantly running because the electric motor and battery are not powerful enough to drive the car.

In slower, stop-and-go city driving, the gasoline engine does not have to run when the vehicle is stopped (idle-stop), or if the electric motor can provide enough power to drive the car.

If the engine is running less, it uses less fuel; the engine runs less in the city than the highway in hybrid vehicles. That is the simple reason that Toyota's hybrids use less fuel in city driving than highway driving.

 

literally this was always the case with Toyota hybrids. You will find this in almost every review where they mention hybrids are more suited for cities vs highway.

New ones have increased usability on the highways, with electric motors now being to work alone at some 70 mph or so, and now they are doing really great in both situations (well i guess germany at 100 mph wont be greatest).

 

RXSF, Sulu, and spwolf are all correct.

Here is a breakdown: Lexus is a mixed bag

CITY HIGHER THAN HIGHWAY
HS250h 35 city / 34 highway
CT200h 43 city / 40 highway / 42 combined
NX300h 33 city / 30 highway / 31 combined
RX450h 31 city / 28 highway / 30 combined
UX250h 41 city / 38 highway / 39 combined

HIGHWAY HIGHER THAN CITY
ES300h 43 city / 45 highway / 44 combined
GS450h 29 city / 34 highway / 31 combined
LS500h 25 city / 33 highway / 28 combined
LC500h 26 city / 35 highway / 30 combined

 

Outstanding info all. Thanks for the hybrid mpg breakdown. Still astonished at the ES's numbers for what it is. UX pretty darn good too.

 

I averaged 50 mpg with the CT 90% city driving but on the highway it dropped significantly to about 42 mpg. I made a lot of use of the "pulse and glide" technique to maximize battery usage and staying under about 45 mph whenever possible.

In short, the UX rated at 41 mpg city vs the CT's 43, with some careful driving, 50 mpg is probably attainable on the UX with some careful driving!

 

Hi, Hoovey!
You must have attended the same Lexus event that I did, although, mine was in Florida. We drove the same cars on an extremely tight, extremely slow, course. Of course, the UX was the only one that could complete the course without backing up or hitting any cones. For the record, I did not like the UX at all, but then again, I am not a CUV/SUV kind of guy.

 

 

Not to hijack this thread as I will create another one, but I ended up leasing the X1 a few days ago. No longer a Lexus owner...

 

Congrats on the X1. As a previous X1 owner, I'll keep an eye out for your thread.

 

Likes: extremely maneuverable in tight spaces. Very small turning circle, even for a CUV. Standard features are quite extensive for the price. Interior is laid out very nicely.
Dislikes: anemic, weak, noisy engine. The suspension is soft and very flappable on the road. Railroad tracks shudder into the cabin pretty severely. Now, I now this is a small vehicle, but the BMW had no such issues.

 

 

Lexus themselves call it a crossover. UX = Urban Crossover.

 

if you dont care about speed, which is likely most of the market, it is a lot cheaper than competition while having a lot more equipment.

Its main competitor in the US is NX though... which is why Lexus thinks they can sell 1500 per month only... rest of the world there is much higher price difference between these two classes, so it makes a lot more sense.

 

the UX is updated on the Lexus website. I think a 4 thousand delta is a pretty good discount over the NX....