snowman22

Picked up our new RX350 about three weeks ago. Mpg is getting better every day. Started out at 13.5 now at 16.8. All city driving no highway to mention. But--- the overall satisfaction with this vehicle is above and beyond gas mileage. I think we all new that before buying.

snowman22

I have had four hybrids. Everyone has alway had a slight lag problem except my Prius. I gave up on hybrids because of that lag problem. The RX350 is a more enjoyable and engaging vehicle to,drive. Your second question about all wheel or not---- check your VIN number.

zmanRX350

now after 19,333 miles I average 20.1 mpg. Still poor compared to comparable SUVs.

ericsan13

12 Lexus RX350 3.5L V6 18/24
12 BMW X5 3.0L I6T 16/23
11 Audi Q5 3.2L V6 18/23
12 MB ML350 4MATIC 3.5L V6 17/22
11 Infiniti FX 3.5L V6 16/23

I did a lot of comparison shopping and RX does better than comparable SUVs. Not sure what you're comparing against?

snowman22

Same with me. But let me be clear---I don't think any of us bought the RX350 with gasoline mileage as a priority. We made our decision on style,function,engineering and enjoyment of the quiet and endearing comfort this vehicle provides.

ericsan13

Agree completely. Expectations of high gas mileage in a luxury SUV is only going to result in disappointment.

Even with the 450h the improved gas mileage is just to be more environmentally friendly than cost efficient.

CSSLDR

Actually, I went with the F Sport for the 8 speed trans rated at 26 HWY. Once broken in I hope to get a max of 29/30 on the hwy. I've been getting 29 w/my 6 cyl Outback.

shaolin

iTrader: (2)

i have my13 F-sport and drive 70 fwy and 30 short local. Currently i have about 8k miles on it and gas mileage on this ride still pretty bad from my perspective. We avg about 20 right now from the gauge avg (total range around 300 to 320 per tank). I've started using 87 gas for few month and later changed to 91 gas, which i feel the car ride better with 91 and also we get that extra 10 to 20 miles.

BarrettF77

Mileage seems to improve a bit around 3k on the odometer on most cars. Also helps to vary the driving some and romp on it from time to time and clean the cylinders out of the carbon deposits.

NorthGa

I just now took a look at this post. I am a recent purchaser of a 2013 RX, FWD. I was 'told' that I should only need to use/buy 87 octane gas? No need to buy anything higher? I have seen in a few of the posts that folks were putting in 89 and 'premium'. Is it that my 2013 had a redesign or something and so 87 is all that is recommended as compared to the past?

RX330inFL

The 3rd Generation RX forum comprises of model years 2010 to current (2014) -- at the moment.

For MY 2010 and 2011 Lexus recommended 91 octane or higher in the Owner's Manuals. Starting with 2012 to the current model the Owner's Manual states you need to use 87 octane or higher. So, what you are seeing here at CL could just be owners of different model years commenting on what they use.

IMO, if you are driving around town day-to-day with a mostly unloaded RX350 you can get away with using regular 87 octane and you would not notice much of a difference in performance or MPG over a higher grade. Should you be traveling heavy, cargo full of people and luggage, and/or a trip up into the hills then you might try a higher grade fuel of 89 or higher depending on what is available in your area.

8901alex

Sorry the same ?????again can u use regular gas or it have to be premium.....

2011RX350

You can use either but it won't change your mpg unless you happen on one with less ethanol in it. The ethanol lowers mpg by up to 10%. Sometimes you can luck into a blend with less ethanol. That is the only thing that will help mpg. We have all been had by the corn guys.

RX330inFL

Your profile, 8901alex, states that you have a 2011 RX450h. Your Owner's Manual, page 640, states that you should be using 91 or higher octane.

http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do.../sec_06-01.pdf

It further states:

Premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 (Research Octane Number 96) or higher required for optimum engine performance. If 91 octane cannot be obtained, you may use unleaded gasoline with an octane rating as low as 87 (Research Octane Number 91). Use of unleaded gasoline with an octane rating lower than 91 may result in engine knocking. Persistent knocking can lead to engine damage and should be corrected by refueling with higher octane unleaded gasoline.

This is different than what is stated for the RX350 of the same model year and even more so for model years 2012 and forward when Lexus made a change to the 3.5L engine in the RX350 to allow the use of lower octane fuel. There is even a change in engine specs between MY 2011 and 2012 RX vehicles. There was no such change for the RX450h. Now, the OM for MY 2012 and newer states to use 87 octane for the RX350 while the RX450h continues to state it requires 91 octane. Different engines with different needs. The hybrid's 3.5L engine while of the same displacement uses the Atkinson cycle:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkinso..._cycle_engines

Can you run 87 octane in your 2011 RX450h? Yes. However, you may find out, as noted in the Lexus quote above and in my comments from post #252, that your RX450h does not like running on 87 octane. The engine in your vehicle is more likely than the RX350 to perform poorly on that lower grade fuel and especially under heavier load conditions. Someone in Flatland, FL may never notice a difference while someone in the hills of Northern CA will.

CSSLDR

At 528 miles on my '13 RX F Sport I'm averaging 20.9.

The current tank average is at 26.2 mpg. This includes a trip to Atlantic City - for me this trip was about 200 miles.

I'm more concerned with highway mileage. In city driving if you try accelerate this 4300+ lb vehicle to aggressively from a stop you can forget about averaging over 20.

I'm really happy with the ride - Lexus added some chutzpah. ( nerve ) If I wanted a marshmallow ride I would get and restore a 1976 Cadillac El Dorado Biarritz

Charlie