Lexus RX 400h - MPG-Real World Numbers

texamau1

after 2 tanks of gas, I'm avg 29.9 mpg (70% HWY with 60-70mph) I'm very happy with the gas mileage I'm guessing the RX350 would avg ~20-22 mpg at most 3.5L engine would get.

carquery

I've been reading these posts for a while and it seems like the majority of 400h owners are getting good mileage out of their vehicles (when compared to a non-hybrid SUV of the same size/weight). The NY Times just reviewed the Lexus 600 sedan hybrid and made mention of how poorly they thought the 400h performed mileage-wise. Their major issue seemed to be that the hybrid system was being used to give the car more horse-power vs. better mileage results. When the Times reviewed the 400h, they really took Lexus to task for making it seem like they had produced a fuel-efficient SUV, but contended that it was barely any better than the non-hybrid RX series and certainly not worth the extra cost.

I'm wondering if all the 400h owners out there are happy with the mileage that they are getting at this point. I realize that is completely subjective and also that no one is getting the mileage promised on the sticker. But, compared to having bought a RX330, would you still have purchased your 400h? I'm close to buying one, having trouble getting the price down to where I want it (@$45k-ish. Best offer so far is $47k) and wondering if it is worth the extra $$. I live near Hartford, CT for what it's worth.

Any input would be welcome.

wcook55

2800 miles on our 400h. 90 miles round trip to work. 2/3rds highway miles, but that is relative. The highways are the beltway and I66 in Virginia. Often the dirt roads move faster. In any case, 27.6 MPG using regular gas. We are very happy! The 400h replaced a 05 Niddas Mirano that on the same routes averaged 21.8mpg. There you have it. We love the 400h and would do it again!

nigh

We have owned our 400h for almost 2 years now..I had to wait one year for it since when they were promised to come out, they did not. Since I was on a waiting list, there were NO discounts. Also, I wanted a specific color and the Mark Levson sound system. Of course, that cost more. I also bought the extended warrenty b/c this was a very new concept and who knows what can go wrong. Over all, we paid over $50,000 for it. I do not regret one single dime spent on this luxury and performance for this vehicle. It has been such a joy to drive. We average about 26.5MPG. We have it serviced every 5000 miles. The sevice center in Annapolis, MD is supurb. They always give us a loaner and we have driven many different models of Lexus. Hope this information helps..Anne

kaperino

I paid $50,000 out the door 2 years ago in May. The 400h had just come out around March or April that year. Mine is the first level in black without the Mark Levinson or DVD player, but I have loved this car from the moment I drove it. It has the acceleration that I demand in driving. ( fast get away from drunk drivers and acceleration to get on Atlanta Hwy.) Also the gas mileage savings balances out the extra cost. I could have had a fully loaded 300, but it would not drive the same. Such a smooth drive. My husband does not get the same gas mileage, as you must adapt to the synergy drive. Hope this helps. At 44,000 miles I still average 27 mpg.

kyxydj

I drove past the Annapolis dealership last Labor Day while on vacation in the DC-MD-VA area! Of course then I was missing my RX 400h, as we were in a rental. I just had my 15K check, and I am still getting around 29 mpg on regular. I am fairly gentle with it - I don't "punch it" unless I have to really get around something/someone quickly. My dealer rep told me when I saw him last week, re: mpg "you've got to earn it." Meaning, keep it around 60-65 mph and you'll get great freeway mpg. If you're racing with BMWs then you're going to get more like 27mpg. But of course the gas guzzling BMW X-5 SUVs will only get around 11-15 mpg in that fast mode! I test drove one, and that's what the display said I was getting. I live in a hilly area in San Diego with a lot of canyons, and it's going up the hills that can really cut in to your fuel economy. One thing that's helping my mpg right now: It's warmer weather, and consequently the gas engine doesn't come on as frequently. I also paid around $50K for my RX 400h, and I bought it about 1 year ago, July 2006.

kaperino

I am really attached to the 400h. I asked for a vanity plate for my birthday. It came in two days ago. KIKNGAS :shades: Purchasing a hybrid was also a statement. I felt if one life could be changed or a step toward energy change be met, I might be a small part......I don't feel I gave up a thing. My "fun tickets" are well worth the experience with this car.

katzjamr

The person who wrote the NYT origional 400h review was not fair to the vehicle and angry with Toyota that they wouldnt provide a second comparison car for him to drive. He went on to write the review anyway. Many of us complained to the NYT editorial board to no avail and im surprised Toyota didnt pull their advertising from this paper. These hybrids have great reliability and 85% of 400h owners would purchase their car over again. Many reviewers and people in general miss the fact that the toyota hybrids are always regenerating energy thru the brakes no matter what the mpg, and are always low in emissions. Yes you do have to drive in a hybrid style to get the best mpg, its not magic and requires some effort. Yes there is a winter mpg penalty, the batteries are more efficent in warmer weather. Premium fuel will result in higher mpg, you can use either grade.

The 400h has an extremely smooth CVT trans, electric ac compressor, and power steering, immediate power at any
speed range and to me is a better driving experience than an rx 330 or 350. Once i drove the hybrid would not go back to the others.

kaperino

Carguery, you said it very eloquently.

apg97

Rx400h is more or less my wife's car, but she is out of town so i have driven for last days.

In last 275 miles, i am getting 31.3mpg. This is mix of highway/city/country, fast/slow, traffic/free flow. Key appears to be keeping down G-forces when accelerating, but dont have to go slow. I was doing plenty of 70mph.

Wife, who likes to feel G-forces, tends to get 26-27.

richcbt

To be honest, I stopped paying much attention to the mileage a few months back, but according to the computer on board I'm currently getting 23.7 mpg. I'm using 91 octane gas. This is for the last 4755 miles.

I have never gotten much better than that.

Most of my driving is in the city, on relatively short trips around town, especially during the summer when I'm not taking certain trips I normally take on the freeway.

I believe my best sustained mileage was around 25.5. I guess you could say I'm not happy, at least with that aspect. I had an RX300 and I believe that car got close to 18-19 overall. It didn't have the power, but it rode better, was much better in terms of driver vision, and the Levinson sound system sounded better to my ears than the new one. Lexus didn't recommend premium fuel, either. I drove my RX400h for a while on regular and it runs fine, but to me it runs a little better on the 91 octane.

But it's hard not to like the vehicle, overall. I must say, I don't have a fetish about getting extremely high mileage, and wouldn't drive differently just to get better mileage. If I need to accelerate, I do. But I don't have a leadfoot, and don't see why my mileage would be much different than anybody's. Out in traffic there are always situations in which stepping on it might help, as for instance at a light in order to get past a slower vehicle, and change lanes. If I need it to go, I do step on it. If I'm in a hurry, or want to make a light, or whatever, I do give it the gas.

My guess is that I drive pretty much like most people, at least most who don't have a hybrid. I'm 55 and haven't gotten a ticket in about 15 years.

grallaj

I just purchased a 2006 RX400h yesterday. It was a corporate car previously, had less than 20,000 mi, and got the certified used warranty extended to 5 yr/100,000 mi.

I wanted a hybrid vehicle for some time, but I am a little concerned over getting the best mileage... Any tips?

If the mileage is not working out well, can Lexus do anything? Like check the batteries, etc.? :confuse:

Thanks!

avery1

Congratulations. Do you mind telling what you paid?

PF_Flyer

If you are a long-term hybrid owner, our Senior Editor, John O'Dell, would love to hear from you! A short email with your maintenance experiences and concerns would be great. Please send to John at jodell@edmunds.com by close of business Wednesday, August 22, 2007. Be sure and include your Forums username.

chadx

>>> I drove my RX400h for a while on regular and it runs fine, but to me it runs a little better on the 91 octane. >>>

On these vehicles, as with non-hybrids rated for 87 octane, there is no mileage or performance benefits to running high octane gas. You simply pay $.20 extra with no benefit. The engine is designed with a low enough compression ratio for low octane. High octane gas resists self-detination at higher pressures, but unless your engine is designed to take advantage of this, there can be no benefit.

Note that on modern vehicles where premium (high octane) is recommended, you can run low octane without damage to the engine. The vehicle will compensate for the low octane by tweaking the timing, ignition, etc. (Note: older vehicles do not account for this and detination, and engine damage, can occur). When running low octane in modern premium-recommended vehicles, an associated decrease in performance and mileage will occur. But for an engine desinged for low octane, no performance or mileage increase can be realized by running premium.

On a related note, for an accurate 'operating cost' and mileage comparison, a person should consider the manufactures recommended octane when choosing a vehicle. For example, if a vehicle, where premium is recommended, gets 20mpg and another vehicle gets 20mpg with regular octane, and there is a $.20/gal price difference, over 20,000 miles, 1,000 gallons of gas is used. For that 1,000 gallons, a $.20/gal difference amounts to $200 extra for fuel costs from two vehicles that get the exact same mileage. (Your savings may vary if your area does not have a $.20/gal priced difference between Premium and regular).

So, not only does the RX hybrid get much better mileage, but it does so on $.20/gal cheaper regular gas rather than using premium gas like the RX330 non-hybrid.

lansdownemike

Unless I've misread your note, it seems that there's a contradiction, and I look forward to understanding it better. You seem to agree that where premium is recommended, a decrease in mileage will occur when you use regular gas. Then you say that "On these vehicles [the RX hybrid] there is no mileage benefit." Is it your understanding that the manufacturer does not recommend premium? My owner's manual as well as the website require premium fuel. The website (footnote 3) says: "Ratings achieved using the required premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher. If premium fuel is not used, performance will decrease."

Can you help with my confusion here?

gog8rsz

I've had the '07 RX 400h for 4 months and have 6200 on the odometer. The computer shows that I'm getting 25.6 in town and 26 on the road. This is in flat Florida. In the montains of NC the computer says I was averaging 29. I'm a conservative driver and strive for maximum MPG. To check the accuracy of the computer around town, I did a manual check on the MPG, dividing the miles travelled by the number of gallons to fill-up. My calculation revealed actual MPG of 22.3 against the computer average of 25.6. Has anyone else done a similar validation? I really enjoy the car, but would be very disappointed if the computer actually overstates the MPG.

kyxydj

I've found that the MPG computer in my 2006 RX 400h is fairly accurate, although I have a friend who says the one in his Prius is "optimistic." I find that a "manual check" of my miles per gallon can be an inexact science, depending on which pump, at which gas, station I am using. They all seem to shut off at different times when they think my gas tank is full. But when I've worked out the MPG "manually" I've found numbers higher and lower than what the Lexus computer says, so I'd say it's pretty good. BTW, I stopped resetting my MPG computer at each fill up; I now have driven almost 3000 miles since my last reset, and the average MPG is holding at 29.0.

kaperino

Curious on the manual calculation. Do you include the two extra spare gallons in reserve when you caluclate?

gog8rsz

In doing the calculation, I determined the number of gallons to fill-up. When the automatic pump cuts off, I can usually get in about 2 more gallons. It is a max fill,just before overflow.

sdk43

Our 400h is almost two and half years old.
In the NY-CT area on 87 octane we average 26-27 mpg, and 28 mpg if we take hour-plus trips and stay below 70 mph. I tried one tank of 91 octane last spring and mileage seemed to be 1-2 mpg higher, but that doesn't do more than pay for the higher price so we use 87 octane.
Speed makes a big difference--even if our mileage indicator has not been reset for over 200 miles, if we get up to 75 mph you can see the integrated mileage number drop in a matter of minutes.

scarfoot

Had the rx400h for 6 months and very pleased. I can get 30 mpg on the computer driving carefully with a mix of highway and city driving in warm weather here at 6000 feet elevation using premium fuel. My wife likes higher g forces and gets closer to 27. Anyone else have experience at altitude? An earlier post on this forum describes it as effective to accelerate quickly to speed and then take the foot off the accelerator quickly to engage the electric motor and that this strategy enhances fuel efficiency. Physics seems counterintuitive, but maybe that's the way the car's computer is programmed. I should think that it would be easy enough to "tune" the software for better performance or better fuel economy. I'm a little surprised that this is not possible for the driver to do as a matter of individual preference. Maybe next year.

dorenescar

We were worried that our 400h might never consistently do it, but after 6k it all of a sudden jumped to 29-30.5 mpg with mainly stop and go city driving. Interestingly, it was our first tank of mid octane; we had always used premium before. It definitely declined during cold and rainy weather, but that may be because we were driving differently. We love the car in all ways, except I can't wait until it becomes a 7 seater ('10, I believe). :shades:

gog8rsz

I had the same experience. About the same mileage as you, my MPG in town went from 25 to average 28.8 and has stayed the same for the last 2600 miles. I live in Florida and use premium fuel in the '07 model I bought last summer.

sjamar

Just picked up my 2008 RX 400h -- love it. Mileage will improve after a few thousand -- as happened with the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Prius, I'm sure. But already getting 25-28 on various trips around suburbia and commuting into DC. I brought it in for a day for XM and hitch installation -- and had an RX 350 loaner -- and it had 19.5 mpg over 13,000 miles and I just got about that for the day, I think. Anyway that is some 25% bonus for hybrid.

Will by trying regular fuel next tank. $.30 differential doesn't seem worth it if no engine damage from 87 octane. Manual says it will run on it. And even says to use 87 octane with ethonal blends. Can't claim to understand it all.

Like the car. First car I've owned all tricked out like this.

cabbell

I live at 7,000 feet and have had a 2007 Lexus 400h for 11 months.
For the first nine months I averaged between 28 and 30 mpg on regular gas. For some reason, I've been averaging only 22 to 23 mpg
for the last two months. Still buying gas at the same place and no change in driving habits. The dealer says nothing is wrong and refuses to do anything. Have you heard of any problems like this?

cabbell

I have exactly the same problem you mentioned.

I live at 7,000 feet and have had a 2007 Lexus 400h for 11 months.
Current mileage is 9,500.

For the first nine months I averaged between 28 and 30 mpg on regular gas. For some reason, I've been averaging only 22 to 23 mpg
for the last two months. Still buying gas at the same place and no change in driving habits. It's impossible to drive even 4 mph without the engine turning on. But for the first 9 months I could drive 20 to 30 mph on electric power alone.

The dealer says nothing is wrong and refuses to do anything. Have you heard of any problems like this?

Incidentally, it is winter here and I thought perhaps using the heater would require the engine to stay on. So I turned off the heater for about 20 miles and started monitoring mpg from zero. I ended up with 22.4 mpg.

jsobecki

Hi,

I'm guessing the Toyota firmware is the same in your RX400h as it is in my Prius.

1) The heater does want to be ready to serve and hence the motor runs all the time during cold weather, particularly at stop lights and any acceleration at all.

2) Ethanol blends here in Colorado during the winter months at 10% lower my mileage by *exactly* 10%. So that's 2.8mpg less for you plus the heater...

Try taking a road trip to boost your mileage.. Seems to help over the city driving in the winter.

Good Day, John

kyxydj

Yes, with the heater on, it makes your gas engine fire up immediately upon starting the RX 400h. And keeping the heater on for your trip will also keep the gas engine operating, when it might otherwise turn off. I've also noticed lower gas mileage on my 2006 RX 400h in the winter months, basically anytime it's under 65 degrees F. outside (I live in San Diego). If you live at 7,000 feet, your winter is probably much colder than here in San Diego, so you are going to see a bigger drop-off in mpg. The gas engine just seems to operate a lot more when it's cold outside. I am sure your mpg will go back up to previous levels once the outside temp. warms up!

brent99

I get up to 20MPG driving city and 23.5 on long trips (AWD). Car is over 20,000 miles, this has been pretty consistent during my ownership.

debbieandjon

Are these people talking about the same car? Could my results be lower because
of California's emission standards? The AWD feature uses electric motors on the rear wheels.

At 6000 miles, my overall average is 21 mpg according to the car's computer.

RX400h (AWD) 2007 :confuse:

lansdownemike

I don't mean to criticize anyone's driving habits, but for me, my average mileage can vary up to 3-4 mpg over a few hundred miles depending on the weight of my right foot. If I drive with my accustomed quick starts and quick moves into open spots on the lanes around me, I'll get 21 mpg routinely. If I take it easier, remember to feather the throttle more, and keep an eye on keeping the electric power engaged, I'll get 24-25 in suburban driving. For me it's usually a mix, so 23.5 over 14K miles is representative. It also is affected by how many short trips I take as the first 10-15 minutes of driving from a cold engine is rarely better than 20-22 mpg no matter how hard I try.

debbieandjon

The "warm up" might be the factor here. (Yearly average outside temps 60° - 75°) My commute is six miles each way, about 15 - 20 minutes. Toyota does not explain this adequately and therefore is misleading the public with the mileage expectations. :mad: Nice car but it's not worth the additional cost in dollars
for pollutant and gas savings. :lemon:

kaperino

This car will not get greta milage on short commutes. But I am now going for my 55,000 mile this next week and I am still getting 26mpg. It's not the 28-29 once had, but I swithched from premium gas. I still love this car, the peformance the handling and it's ability to keep the pace. This is no Prius, but was not advertised to be.

nigh

My husband and I recently made a trip from Asheville, NC to Richmond,VA using I40. We used cruise control and averaged (by computer) 30.1-30.5 mpg. The outside temperature was 70-73F. We use regular gas. Our Lexus 400h is 2 years old. LOVE our Lexus. It is quiet, comfortable and is perfect for long trips.

dmbflorida

I only have 20,000 miles in the three years since I bought the Lexus 400h 2006, forward wheel drive. I alternate the 400h with another smaller hybrid car. I love this car. I have gotten about 26 mpg in city and a bit more on the highway. I live in deep SW Florida and run the A/C almost all the time so that cuts down on the fuel economy. I use procedures I learned with my Prius to save gas and this helps.
I sometimes use premium regular gas and sometimes use less octane but never lower than 87%. The car still looks fab and it is so much more comfortable and safer than the smaller hybrid SUVs and Prius. I plan to keep this SUV for a long time. I will never buy any car unless it is a hybrid. I just bought a hybrid Tribute Grand Touring 2008 for a relative and this is a great car, too but smaller. The dealer I use in Fort Myers provides excellent service, free car washes, car loans and a genuine "white glove" experience.

karens2008

Can you please explain to a person who has no brain power for actually figuring out MPG manually how to do it exactly? Do you need to use up a full tank of gas and see how many miles you get out of it and then calculate? or just refuel after a trip and see how many gallons are used up?

if using the whole tank of gas then you run the risk of running out to deplete the gas tank don't you? Am i making sense??????
I really would like an accurate read of my gas mileage -- thinking of switching to this car -as my Acura MDX 2005 is a gas hog -- think i get 17 average, not awful but not good in this economy.

karens2008

Would you say that this dealer is selling this car at a good price? Do you know what a new one is selling for there? Do you know the invoice price of the car, just curious as I haven't figured out how to find that out yet.

your note makes the car sound wonderful and I am achieving an average of 17 mpg with my Acura mdx.

lansdownemike

You really don't need to use an entire tank! First fill the tank up and write down the mileage (or hit RESET on the trip info screen). Then drive until you care to refill the tank. When you refill the tank, you will have used exactly (+ or -) the number of gallons it takes to refill. Subtract the prior mileage from the mileage at the time of the refill for the total number of miles used, and divide that by the number of gallons it took to refill, for your actual miles per gallon. That is usually pretty close to what the trip information screen (if you have one) says (so close that I don't bother with the manual calculation any more).

Hope that helps.

dmb12

The Lexus dealer I use in Fort Myers is highly-rated in the U.S. and offers a true "white glove" experience in follow-ups. This is the first dealership that I have used that made me feel like I was getting luxury service. Of course, the car is more expensive than any other I ever bought. Re: price... I negotiated a price that gave me free window tinting, a pin stripe design and a free three year maintenance period..I just had (early) the 25,000 and 30,000 maintenance although I am at 21,000 miles and almost the three year deadline for freebies..
I bought when the 400h first came out in 2005 and I had a reduction in pricing also by negotiating. The prices seem different now but I have not checked into them. The best approach is to use the Edmunds.com procedure to calculate what people are paying for the new Lexus 400h with references to invoice and MSRP.
Note: when I bought the hybrid Lexus, the twin non-hybrid RX330 was getting about half the fuel economy as the 400h.
Yes, I like the Lexus 400h...I also bought one for my daughter when I bought mine.

karens2008

I haven't had a chance to research the prices on the 400h but sounds to me like you really enjoyed this car. Would you buy a recent version of it - changed any?
And if you could tell me - what would the car sell for in your area? FL correct? I am sure that the prices in my are are much higher- the Northeast (i live in CT).
Also recently drove and loved the EX Infiniti but for the price - it's an awfully small SUV (hard to even consider it one) it's more like a high stationwagon version of their G.

I am still very unsure of a good choice for my next car. (have a 2005 MDX now) I may have to wait for decent model to come out.

dmbflorida

I have not looked at prices for the Lexus 400h since I bought the hybrid first models came out. My daughter bought one like mine at the same time so we have two to compare.
The MSRP at that time was about $50,000 plus she added over $2,000 for an upgraded audio system. We did not actually pay full MSRP because we negotiated from invoice with some extras to be thrown in and free maintenance for several years.
I also traded in a car for which I was given a "good" price and this lowered my sales tax on the new 400h. I usually do not trade in cars.. I sell them or give them to a close relative after buying a new car and using it for many years. I had never bought an "expensive car" before the Lexus and I am reminded many times of the value I received for the higher price. For example, the original Michelin tires on our 400h cars were of higher quality than the original tires provided by less-expensive cars. I was surprised recently when my daughter had a "cut" tire and needed a new tire. She was told she could put on the spare and use it. the spare tire was the same size and quality as the four originals. The Ft Myers dealership offers good service and always washes the cars whenever an owner wants it done either dropping by or with a service appt so that adds value to the purchase.
I like the 400h because it is larger, heavier, more comfortable and, IMO, more safe
when compared to the less-expensive hybrids.
I believe the new 400h cars offer a different pricing...use of a lower base price with additional charges for some things that were considered as part of the base price when we bought. So, the current base prices are lower in comparison to what we bought.
Frankly, when I bought my 400h, I was looking for a better fuel economy in a more "luxury" car and the Toyota hybrid Highlander was the only similar car. I did not realize that I would be getting much better performance using a hybrid Lexus . I did not mind getting lower mpg because the Lexus was so much larger than other hybrid SUVs/midSUVs My mpg ranges about 27 in city and higher on the highway but I almost always have the A/C on. Anyway, I only think that there are two hybrid models now in the Lexus.. the SUV and a car.

It is a good idea to look at the IRS.gov fuel economy list for seeing the hybrid models that still give you a tax credit. I just bought a mid-sized hybrid SUV for my granddaughter because I will get a tax credit of $3,000 on that model. This is a Mazda Grand Touring Tribute FWD, automatic, with upgrades. I had to buy this in California and spend $1,036 to put it on a car carrier to ship to my home in deep SW Florida. I bought in CA because the hybrid Tributes are only available there on a 350 total car production on a limited basis for sale in CA. I titled the Tribute in FL as a "new" car.
I had shopped in Florida using Internet Depts and the similar to Mazda hybrid mid-sized SUVs of Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner were not available much at all in Florida AND the prices for the hybrids were actually higher than the Mazda Tribute.
Since the Mazda Tribute hybrid had much better interior quality, IMO, we did not really like the Escape and Mariner although the Mariner looked better inside than the Escape. Her Tribute, with extras on it, gets about 36 mpg in city and perhaps a few miles lower on the highway (reverse of my Lexus).
I recommend like the Mazda Tribute hybrid for someone who does a lot of city driving and does not mind a smaller SUV than the Lexus.

bishoppair

...according to the trip computer, based on last 3000 miles or so of driving (2006 AWD model with 18k miles total). Last time I checked manually and compared to the trip computer, it seemed the trip computer was overstating the mpg by about 1 mpg, so I would say my actual mpg is right at 28. Was up over 30mpg till I had to start using the A/C again (central FL). My comute is not heavy traffic, with speed limit of 45 most of the way. Also, I found the 400h gets well over 30 mpg at speeds between 35-40 mph. Over 40 mph, it seems the electric motor does less of the work, and the mileage drops by about 10% at 45 mpg. On the highway, driving at 70 mph, mileage is about 27 mpg (based on the trip computer).
I am very satisfied with my 400h. I could not justify an SUV without the mileage boost from the hybrid.

morna1953

I bought the hybrid 400 to replace a five year old 330 that I absolutely loved, and I love this vehicle even more. I love the constant feedback on gas mileage that I get from the computer, as it is teaching me to drive more efficiently to save fuel. Most (about 90%) of my driving is in town, and so far I am averaging 28.4 mpg overall. I can't think of anything I would change in this vehicle. My husband and I and two dogs went on a 3 week, 4500 mile road trip in the 330 this past summer and got about 27 mpg, and we can hardly wait to do a road trip in the 400h.

junkss00

Hey all,

So i'm thinking of getting a used hybrid and I heard that you can go on battery alone up to 30mph. So if my work commute is less than 2 miles local on relatively flat road, does that mean i can run on electric forever???

Probably not because I guess the battery will eventually drain. But i figure with some regenerative braking, it can go for awhile w/o filling up. I have no experience with hybrids, so I'm clueless.

What kind of MPG can I expect if I use the hybrid solely for work commute and keep it under 30mph?

Also, are the maintenance cost higher than a regular 350? Wouldn't the battery die eventually and have to be replaced? I would expect this to be quite expensive.

thanks

lansdownemike

I think your biggest problem would be that during the warm-up period, 3-8 minutes in my part of the US (Northern VA), only the engine is used for propulsion and it sounds like you'd already be at work when the electric motor(s) kicked in. You'd get worse mileage than specified if that is your typical usage pattern. Sorry 'bout that.

likemycars

I just purchased an RX 400h off lease with very low miles, and I'm really pleased so far with the car, and the mileage.
I'm averaging about 27 mpg in very mixed driving, about 20% slow city driving, 40% 30-50mph urban, and 40% highway at 65mph. Per other posts here, a couple of very short trips to the store, where the car didn't get a chance to warm up, has pulled the mileage down. I've had some 30 mpg days when I didn't get on the highway at all. Highway driving seems to yield about 27-28 mpg. It's an awesome car considering all it can do and still pull that kind of mileage.

dmbflorida

I am glad you like the 400h 2006. Both my daughter and I have these SUVs and average in town, about 27 mpg....she often gets worse fuel economy than I do because she runs the air conditioning while the car is stopped in the driveway for a while....We live in deep SW Florida where it is hot and she does not want to get too hot. We get better mileage on the highway. Neither of us have had any significant problems with these cars although maintenance and a few repairs are more expensive than at the dealerships of cheaper cars. So far, we use the Lexus dealership service dept where we bought the cars and it is excellent. I changed from a 2004 Prius because I wanted a bigger, heavier car that was a hybrid. Of course, the Prius was excellent, too, for its features and tremendously good fuel economy. I am proud of my 400h...it still looks great. btw, the RX330 that is the non-hybrid version, 2006, by comparison was getting only about 12 mpg average in town driving. I compared notes with a few other owners.

alexfe

I've got my RX-400h 2006 just a month ago, and have got 23.5 MPG average for a long trip (Seattle->San Francisco->San Diego->Las Vegas->Yellowstone->Seattle).
Before Lexus, I had Prius 2007, and for the first few months I had pretty good MPG about 45-50 average. but then I went to 40, or even 38.
I understand that my driving habits were changed significantly over the time, and the car itself is getting older and not so performant as before.
Anyway, my question is: does someone experience the same MPG degradation over the time?

nigh

There are many factors influencing the mpg on the 400h, ie, weather, terrain, temperature, etc. There have been times that we got 31.3 mpg on a long trip and other times 25. We average about 26mpg most of the time now in Maryland. I usually do not do as well as my husband but for the most part am satisfied with the 26. It is still a pleasure to drive and we still LOVE it.