anca

I just read the entire thread, and it seems to me that newer models ('07 and '08) get much better mileage than my '06. I'm at 38,000 miles, and I've never topped 25 mpg. I'm averaging just under 23 right now, which is an improvement over my 21 of the entire summer.

I live in Texas and run the A/C pretty much constantly, so that probably factors in, too. I'm not really upset about it; when I asked my service tech why I couldn't get 50 mpg like a Prius he told me that the car wouldn't be as zippy anymore. I like the zippiness too much to complain about a few miles.

Either way, this is the most fun car I've ever driven (my first Lexus), and I see myself only buying Lexuses in the future! We usually drive our cars for about 6 or 7 years, 150,000 miles or so, so I plan on getting whatever version of the Rx400h is available in 2012.

SLegacy99

I imagine that by 2012 fuel economy estimates for this thing will be up a few MPGs. And if they use Li-Ion batteries by then there could be some dramatic jumps.

It would be cool if you could choose to run it on 3 or 4 cylinders. You'd still have a decent amount of power given the two electric motors. Afterall, we lived with the RX300 for 8 years and that thing was slow!!!!

sts109

MPGs Temperature dependent:
Highway 28.5 MPG and city 33 MPG (!) in warm weather
drops to 25 and 28 MPG respectively once temp drops
below freezing.

What I found helpful were:
-cruise control whenever possible
-A/C off
-limit speed to 68MPH on highway
-easy on the gas and lots of gliding to stop
- mixed driving path (vs freeway) whenever possible

All of these pointers i picked up from this forum.
Thanks
sts109

SLegacy99

Thats pretty good city mileage. We have yet to see it that high in ours. Well the average of it anyway.

I filled my Legacy up the other day. 29 mpg with 80% hwy driving so I really have no room to complain, but its no RX400h.

Overclocker

anca's comment really intrigues me. Is it really true that 2007's and up get better MPG than the 2006's?

Over at www.fueleconomy.gov the 2006 has lower a lower "MPG Estimates from Drivers Like You" compared to the 2007, but the 2006 is based off of 20 submissions and the 2007 is only off of 8. Have any of you guys posted your results up there?

2006
2007

The only major difference I see is that the 2006 is listed as using Regular Gasoline, but the 2007 shows Premium Gasoline. Did the owners manual/sticker on the gas filler door change in 2007? I thought I had read changed to premium on the 2008's.

JimsGX

When I first bought my '07 400h brand new, I averaged 27 to 28mpg. By the time I traded it in a month ago with 21k miles on it, I was lucky to average 23... My average inexplicably went down over time. You can count me as one of the 8 reporting their average mileage as 27 on that website for an '07. It turned into an experience with diminishing returns. Always used 93 octane fuel from one of two sources, and always traveled the same route to and from work each day, which accounted for about 15k of the 21k miles over 14 months of ownership.

SLegacy99

Changes in temperatures would be my guess.

iKon_RX

i have a 330 but i want to post just for comparison.
mine has about 68k, average mpg is 22city/24hw. best was 26.7 running on 93 octane(which happened last week) temp that day was in 70s with 30% humidity.

JimsGX

Nope, I've got an engineering background. I'm much too analytical to overlook the temperature variations that accompany the mpg swings in the vehicle... Something changed other than the expected MPG variations with the swing in temperatures. I would run with the AC off much of the time as well in three of the four seasons.

JimsGX

One additional caveat... Over the last 6 months of ownership, the regenerative breaking was much less prevalent than it was over the previous 8 months from new. For the last 6 months, when I would first apply the breaks, it would typically regenerate for maybe a second and a half, then the regenerative breaks would cut out and it would be straight hydraulic. I was always very good at keeping the correct amount of pressure on the pedal to keep the regenerative function engaged (during the first 8 months I owned it anyways), but for the last 6 months they reacted differently. Anybody else notice a change in the way they are behaving?

LexRexBlue

Somehow I thought they tweaked how the brakes react. I've had my preferences reset. Anyway, for whatever it does, my car is usually all but one bar green most of the time. However, I can't say that I work on it. I drive faster than I should, go on a fair amount of hills up and down. I can't say that it brings me great gas mileage.

widebandph

I get 27-28 mpg using 87 octane. For people complaining about low mpg, check your oil level. Sometimes dealers put too much oil in the engine causing the mpg loss.

dudeman

I get 8.7 liters/100 kilometers .. can someone do the math ? I'm estimating that's just over 27mph. I'm in Hong Kong with my right hand drive version, where gas costs $6.75 per gallon converted.

davidsong

wow... you guys have better mpg than mine. i have a 06 400h awd and i average around 18.9mpg, partially because i have a heavy foot and partially becase i gun it whenever possible.

i feel that driving the hybrid just makes me gun it more often than when i am driving my lx470. the instant response is a major plus. but other than that the 400h sucks very bad... srry.

Kostyan

how do you guys manage to get such highway mileage?

On Prius, for example, the car runs on electric motor only on speeds below 12mph. Any higher than that, the electirc shuts off and it is pure gasoline motor power. I highly doubt RX400h electric engine continues to work on hwy, but otherwise the same engine as in RX350 non-hybrid version maxium you can get is on hwy is 23-25MPG, and only if you drive below speed limit.

How does 400h" powertrain exactly work?