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Hybrid TechnologyUnique topics related to the 2016 up RX450h model hybrid drivetrain and other features/options found only on the RX450h. Please use the main forum for discussion about shared components with other fourth generation RX models.
I'm a new 2018 RXL 450h owner and love everything about it but... the gas mileage is nothing close to what I was expecting or seeing others post, until your note. I'm in San Francisco and am averaging about 25 MPG. I'm trying so hard to drive in the 'ECO' zone, I'm using premium gas (per my dealers recommendation as the hybrid part of the engine requires it), I even tried turning off the AC to see if it made a difference. The only thing I can think of is that CA has reformulated gas and it's effecting our gas mileage.
I’m at 18,000 miles on my ‘16 450h. I’m getting between 24mpg-28mpg, depending on the wind.
Two year check-in on my 450h. I traveled almost exactly 10000mi/year. Disclaimer: I didn't buy the hybrid for just the gas savings and am very thankful I didn't get the regular RX with all the problems folks have been reporting...
Roadtrip - mostly freeway miles as 75mph
Commute - about 5mi in usually cold weather
Fuel - premium only, usually Costco
Diff - the difference in MPG between my 2010 RX350
At an average gas price of $2.83 premium (actual pump price average), this is $2227 in fuel. If I take 19,852mi and divide by 19.62 (assuming 19.62 average for a 2016 RX350 F Sport), a regular RX would consume 1,011.82 gallons or $2,509 at $2.48/gal regular. A cost savings of $282, or 10.5% towards the $2670 breakeven point...
I think I will switch to regular this year to see if there is any difference in MPG.
Last edited by ericsan13; 05-24-18 at 01:08 PM.
Reason: Copy and pasting images looks like it would work but does not
Orange County to San Francisco a little over 400 miles average 26MPG
San Francisco to Orange County a little over 29MPG
Mostly cruising at 80MPH.
Same driver, same environment, same gas (used Chevron).
I didn't notice any wind but even if it was 5MPH it probably could influence cars overall MPG by 10%
I have a 2018 450h bought last Feb. So far I have put on only 2500 miles and to the best of my ability I could only make the mpg on the dashboard to show 28.7 and I do 70% of my driving on highways.
I know a friend who bought a used 2015 450h (with very similar trim) with 32K miles. Last weekend I drove his when we went out to eat. The car felt very solid -- handling seems better than mine and a lot less bouncy than mine -- but I saw on the dashboard something like since last refuel 23.7 mpg.
I wonder why the mpg on this used car is so low. Is it possibly because the hybrid battery has become less efficient? Any idea?
The old one drove more solid and that make the mpg less than yours (similar when you put the new one in sport mode). They are all about eco throttle setup in the new one. Enjoy your car!
Have a 2017 RX450h and now a 2017 RX 450h. The 2015 averaged 28 with combined highway and city driving. On a pure highway trip once the hybrid battery drained down would get 23-24 mpg. The 17 has averaged 28.3 mpg in the six months that we have owned it. The difference is in highway mileage. The 17 gets 30 mpg on the highway. Must be the 8 speed transmission instead of the six.
Drove around 400 miles so far. We have RX450h F Sport. We are getting 25.6 mpg. 80% local/20% highway. I do see the average gets to climb up as I get cruising speed in highways. I will get pure highway mpg soon.
Have a 2017 RX450h and now a 2017 RX 450h. The 2015 averaged 28 with combined highway and city driving. On a pure highway trip once the hybrid battery drained down would get 23-24 mpg. The 17 has averaged 28.3 mpg in the six months that we have owned it. The difference is in highway mileage. The 17 gets 30 mpg on the highway. Must be the 8 speed transmission instead of the six.
negative, Lexus uses a CVT transmission with the RX 450h, rather than the 6 or 8 speed of the gas-only.
Yes.. .. Aware the cvt has planetary gears, changed the wording slightly
My 2017 gets anywhere from 26.8 to 31 MPG overall with summer gas, depending on where I buy the gas at. Depending on the mix in the tank at the station, I suspect I am getting zero to 20% ethanol in the 93 octane premium I buy. The Lexus CVT actually is a GEARED (planetary) transmission, no belts!
I'm a new 2018 RXL 450h owner and love everything about it but... the gas mileage is nothing close to what I was expecting or seeing others post, until your note. I'm in San Francisco and am averaging about 25 MPG. I'm trying so hard to drive in the 'ECO' zone, I'm using premium gas (per my dealers recommendation as the hybrid part of the engine requires it), I even tried turning off the AC to see if it made a difference. The only thing I can think of is that CA has reformulated gas and it's effecting our gas mileage.
Has anyone noticed a difference in your MPG in your 450h when you use top tier fuel? Here’s what I have noticed in 21,000 miles at approximately 1,500 ft above sea level:
1) MPG is lower when NOT using top tier fuel, regardless of fuel grade
2) MPG is slightly higher when using top tier regular fuel vs. premium non-top tier fuel
I’m talking 1-2 mpg per tank difference. I can’t tell any difference in driving performance between any grade or brand of fuel. Unfortunately, we don’t have very many top tier fuel stations & the ones we have are really proud of it. An example is Sam’s Club regular is about $2.50 per gallon. Shell regular is about $2.75 per gallon. My average fuel mileage is about 24-25 mpg in combined driving (mostly highway speeds above 45 mph). I have never hit 30 mpg city as the sticker shows.
Has anyone noticed a difference in your MPG in your 450h when you use top tier fuel? Here’s what I have noticed in 21,000 miles at approximately 1,500 ft above sea level:
1) MPG is lower when NOT using top tier fuel, regardless of fuel grade
2) MPG is slightly higher when using top tier regular fuel vs. premium non-top tier fuel
I’m talking 1-2 mpg per tank difference. I can’t tell any difference in driving performance between any grade or brand of fuel. Unfortunately, we don’t have very many top tier fuel stations & the ones we have are really proud of it. An example is Sam’s Club regular is about $2.50 per gallon. Shell regular is about $2.75 per gallon. My average fuel mileage is about 24-25 mpg in combined driving (mostly highway speeds above 45 mph). I have never hit 30 mpg city as the sticker shows.
I suspect the mpg difference is caused more by the amount of ethanol in the blend rather than a Top-tier vs Non-top-tier brand. The more ethanol in the gas, the less energy it produces, and it means your car has to burn more fuel to get the same amount of energy required. Different fuel vendors have different mixes in their fuel, and I seem to recall reading somewhere that Shell is one of those with the least amount of ethanol in their blend, so that could account for the difference in mileage when using Shell, even compared against other Top-tier fuel companies.
When I had my RX350, I did notice that Shell regular would give me a slightly better mileage compared to the other top-tier rated stations like Esso and Chevron. We have lots of top-tier stations here in Vancouver area, so I've never had to use a non-top-tiered station to compare. We are driving premium cars after all; so it makes more sense to go for the 'better' fuel.
As for my new RX450h, I finally filled up after my first tank. 7.1L/100km (33.1 mpg according to the trip computer in mostly city driving) on whatever gas the dealer gave. I suspect it's some generic regular gas. As soon as I filled up with Chevron 91, engine felt like it ran smoother, and the droning felt more muted when the ICE does kick in. Performance wise, can't really tell as it's still the same electric motors doing a big part of the pushing in town. Trip computer is showing 6.4 L/100km (36.7 mpg) since I filled up over the first 50km of mostly city driving so far, but it's still too early to compare with my regular commute. As a comparison, my average with the '16 RX350 as per the trip computer is typically 12.8L/100km (18.3mpg) on a really good week per tank, to a more typical 13.8L/100km (17 mpg) per tank with the same commute. I'm so glad I did the switch.
I suspect the mpg difference is caused more by the amount of ethanol in the blend rather than a Top-tier vs Non-top-tier brand. The more ethanol in the gas, the less energy it produces, and it means your car has to burn more fuel to get the same amount of energy required. Different fuel vendors have different mixes in their fuel, and I seem to recall reading somewhere that Shell is one of those with the least amount of ethanol in their blend, so that could account for the difference in mileage when using Shell, even compared against other Top-tier fuel companies.
When I had my RX350, I did notice that Shell regular would give me a slightly better mileage compared to the other top-tier rated stations like Esso and Chevron. We have lots of top-tier stations here in Vancouver area, so I've never had to use a non-top-tiered station to compare. We are driving premium cars after all; so it makes more sense to go for the 'better' fuel.
As for my new RX450h, I finally filled up after my first tank. 7.1L/100km (33.1 mpg according to the trip computer in mostly city driving) on whatever gas the dealer gave. I suspect it's some generic regular gas. As soon as I filled up with Chevron 91, engine felt like it ran smoother, and the droning felt more muted when the ICE does kick in. Performance wise, can't really tell as it's still the same electric motors doing a big part of the pushing in town. Trip computer is showing 6.4 L/100km (36.7 mpg) since I filled up over the first 50km of mostly city driving so far, but it's still too early to compare with my regular commute. As a comparison, my average with the '16 RX350 as per the trip computer is typically 12.8L/100km (18.3mpg) on a really good week per tank, to a more typical 13.8L/100km (17 mpg) per tank with the same commute. I'm so glad I did the switch.
That does make sense about the ethanol, however I only use Shell once in a blue moon because it’s so much more. I use Chevron for top tier. We don’t have any others here. I do know the ethanol here is regulated to 10%, but who knows what is really in each brand.
I'm a new 2018 RX 450h owner and as many member saying here the gas mileage is nothing close to what I was expecting from the rated EPA mileage (28 to 31). I drive in local only , no highway, speed limit is normally below 40 miles/hour. I use ECO mode only and turned off seat warmer and AC. I'm using premium gas only (from Costco). There's no hills on my commute route and the traffic is always light except the normal few traffic lights. I even tried to accelerate less aggressively to the point the drivers behind me are getting annoyed. The current cumulative fuel display saying 26.6 mile/gallon. However, it's dropping about 0.1 every few days. Should I take the car to the dealer for a check up? Do they even consider this to be an issue?
05-23-18, 08:50 PM
