RX 450H The Hybrid that gets 20 MPG
#16
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I may have not been clear on my original post. I do not doubt that the RX 450h can get the 30 MPG as advertised. The issue is that my RX 450h does not. My wife and I are in our late 40's and are always driving in Eco mode and try to milk max MPG for the vehicle.
The primary issue is Lexus refuses to help in any manner. I am not saying other RX 450h do not perform on attacking other people’s experiences. Just sharing mine that the Lexus has no interest in helping having me jump from dealer to dealer to resolve a potential problem.
The primary issue is Lexus refuses to help in any manner. I am not saying other RX 450h do not perform on attacking other people’s experiences. Just sharing mine that the Lexus has no interest in helping having me jump from dealer to dealer to resolve a potential problem.
My service advisor goes the extra mile, but one issue he involved the "regional" service manager. He was helpful too and the issue was resolved between the three of us.
Last edited by DaveGS4; 07-12-11 at 07:13 AM. Reason: quoted personal comment that was removed
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After reading the original post I thought I would finally register and post something in here. I have regularly browsed for information but just had to add some comments on this particular thread. I'm just approaching 1 year owning my RX450h and I still just absolutely LOVE this car. I also have a lead foot and even though I have adjusted my driving a bit, I do still drive fast and I have never registered anything under 24mph on a tank of gas and I'm pushing 15,000 miles now. I regularly get 28mph while going as high as 31. In fact my low of 24 was driving through the mountains on vacation with a loaded car and three bikes hanging off the back hitch.
No, it's not a Prius... but for what it is and as amazing as it is to ride in, it gets impressive gas mileage no matter how aggressive you drive it! Dave
No, it's not a Prius... but for what it is and as amazing as it is to ride in, it gets impressive gas mileage no matter how aggressive you drive it! Dave
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What are your road conditions? Are there allot of hills, requiring you to always accelerate uphill? I was worried about my mpg when I first read your post, after getting my new 2011 RX450h, but after putting about 120 miles on it, I getting around 28.2 mpg.
#21
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kkaufman ... when/if you discover what is wrong with your car, please come back and post. I suspect it is something that would be nice to know for other 450h owners like myself. I would contact Lexus USA directly and see if you can get their help or a possible swap for your car. In addition to the 450h, I also own a Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited. A small number of 2010/2011 Outbacks developed a suspension shake. Initially Subaru was at a loss about the cause. Eventually they made progress on the problem. In the end, Subaru repaired or bought back (or exchanged) all of the defective cars. Mine was not one of them, but it is an example of how difficult to isolate problems can be handled. Subaru sent their own national level tech's to the individual dealerships to perform the repairs.
Last edited by UCSB; 07-26-11 at 04:36 PM.
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I was disappointed with mileage in my 450h when I first had it in 4/11, as it averaged about 21.5 MPG to begin with. As others have stated, the mileage should improve as the car breaks in. At about 1900 miles now, and averaged 26.5 on last tankful. Each tankful after the first two has shown improvement. I'm sure it would be even better, but I live in one of the highest points in my town, with long hills no matter which approach I take. No long trips yet, though I will be driving it to Florida in October, so I don't know what the long trip highway mileage will be. Try to hang in there, your mileage should improve. I use 89 octane gas all the time, and have set it to ECO mode for the last 3 tankfuls.
#23
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What really can the dealer do? The car seems to be working correctly (no lights or warning on your dash panel), so it would be reasonable to assume that it is your driving style. Maybe you are trying too hard to squeeze mileage out of a $60k luxury purchase. It just seems odd that people will pay this kind of money for a hybrid and then drive it in hypermileage mode to squeeze a little extra mileage out of a gallon. Boring. If a large portion of your enjoyment of this vehicle is tied up in how much milege you get you'll probably be disappointed and miss out on really enjoying the luxury aspects of your purchase. Relax and enjoy the experience and quit worrying about the mpg for awhile. A watched pot never boils.
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I have had my new rx450h for 3 days now and under city driving, econo mode, my average mpg went from 22 to 17.5. Odometer is at 125 mi. What's going on? Did I get a lemon? I plan to take it back to the dealer tomorrow!
#25
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Warm your car up. Then pull over and set your information display to AVERAGE. Press the information display toggle on steering wheel down until the AVERAGE resets to 0.0. Then drive around normally, using a light pressure on the gas pedal. You might want to drive in your socks for a light touch. Drive 10 or 15 miles carefully. You should see an average of 24 MPG or better. If not, take the car back to the dealer.
#26
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Did you just fill up your gas? For 3 days and 125 miles your car is TOO new. It will get much better. I have owned both the 350 and 450h and I think the 450h is truly getting it EPA numbers. For the last 4 tanks, each tank I average about 29-29.2 mpg in AWD.
Take your time and enjoy it.
#27
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Just for another data point - I am on my fourth tank of gas on a new 2012 450H, AWD and the successive MPG has been: 26.5, 27.4, 28,4, and now 29.5 all from the on board computer, and the first three tankfulls were all within .2 based on actual consumption.
I am in ECO mode, do keep an eye on the meter, and on the highway stay between 60 and 65, unless going downhill.
I am in ECO mode, do keep an eye on the meter, and on the highway stay between 60 and 65, unless going downhill.
#28
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I think kkaufman has a reasonable complaint if the vehicle he purchased is not living up to the advertised levels.
I don't care if I spend extra money to be economical on a luxury vehicle or not, I would expect, within a reasonable level, it to perform within those parameters. kkaufman reads what many of us are getting and looks at his driving style and his external issues that may affect MPGs and feels his is low because of some issue he may be having with his vehicle and was not satisfied with the responses he got from Lexus.
I think he was just looking to us for ideas and suggestions and many of the post are very useful information and ideas and kkaufman I hope you continue to seek answers from Lexus and let us know if or when you get satisfaction or find a solution.
Bob
I don't care if I spend extra money to be economical on a luxury vehicle or not, I would expect, within a reasonable level, it to perform within those parameters. kkaufman reads what many of us are getting and looks at his driving style and his external issues that may affect MPGs and feels his is low because of some issue he may be having with his vehicle and was not satisfied with the responses he got from Lexus.
I think he was just looking to us for ideas and suggestions and many of the post are very useful information and ideas and kkaufman I hope you continue to seek answers from Lexus and let us know if or when you get satisfaction or find a solution.
Bob
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kkaufman, did you try to borrow the other RX450h from your dealer? I did it, and I found the dealer's was better MPG and better-accelerated than mine, applying the same "my driving habit".
Second, I feel sorry that the dealer and the call center did not help you.
I've met the same situation after my trial, they couldn't specify the problem. What I did was getting TaSCAN computer (TOYOTA's vehicle testing tool) and check its status. I found the gravity sensor value was incorrect. The HV ECU (Hybrid Vehicle Computer) monitors road slope, to reduce power on downhill and to increase power on uphill, I believe. On the flat yard, it showed "downhill", and I additionally check the bank on a hill from both side, and the absolute values are not the same!. So that I initialized zero point of gravity using TaSCAN. After then, I've been getting 28-35MPG. Now easy to control running without using ICE.
I hope your dealer assists the process for you!!!
Second, I feel sorry that the dealer and the call center did not help you.
I've met the same situation after my trial, they couldn't specify the problem. What I did was getting TaSCAN computer (TOYOTA's vehicle testing tool) and check its status. I found the gravity sensor value was incorrect. The HV ECU (Hybrid Vehicle Computer) monitors road slope, to reduce power on downhill and to increase power on uphill, I believe. On the flat yard, it showed "downhill", and I additionally check the bank on a hill from both side, and the absolute values are not the same!. So that I initialized zero point of gravity using TaSCAN. After then, I've been getting 28-35MPG. Now easy to control running without using ICE.
I hope your dealer assists the process for you!!!
#30
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I'm not sure what the disposition with kkaufman was. He hasn't posted since last July so I'm giving thought to closing this thread unless he pops in. Any thoughts from the troops ???
kkaufman, did you try to borrow the other RX450h from your dealer? I did it, and I found the dealer's was better MPG and better-accelerated than mine, applying the same "my driving habit".
Second, I feel sorry that the dealer and the call center did not help you.
I've met the same situation after my trial, they couldn't specify the problem. What I did was getting TaSCAN computer (TOYOTA's vehicle testing tool) and check its status. I found the gravity sensor value was incorrect. The HV ECU (Hybrid Vehicle Computer) monitors road slope, to reduce power on downhill and to increase power on uphill, I believe. On the flat yard, it showed "downhill", and I additionally check the bank on a hill from both side, and the absolute values are not the same!. So that I initialized zero point of gravity using TaSCAN. After then, I've been getting 28-35MPG. Now easy to control running without using ICE.
I hope your dealer assists the process for you!!!
Second, I feel sorry that the dealer and the call center did not help you.
I've met the same situation after my trial, they couldn't specify the problem. What I did was getting TaSCAN computer (TOYOTA's vehicle testing tool) and check its status. I found the gravity sensor value was incorrect. The HV ECU (Hybrid Vehicle Computer) monitors road slope, to reduce power on downhill and to increase power on uphill, I believe. On the flat yard, it showed "downhill", and I additionally check the bank on a hill from both side, and the absolute values are not the same!. So that I initialized zero point of gravity using TaSCAN. After then, I've been getting 28-35MPG. Now easy to control running without using ICE.
I hope your dealer assists the process for you!!!