Lexus RX 350 Real World MPG

stever

Please report on your RX 350 mileage in this discussion. Please include city/highway, odometer, driving style or similar comments that you think may be helpful. Thanks,

Steve, Host

beemertime

i averaged about 21 to 22 on highway mileage and about 18 to 19 on city driving. my RX 350 still under 500 mileage at this point.

I used the 93 gas.

rcf8000

I'm getting about 21 mpg in city street/suburban road driving, and 24 mpg on interstate highways, driving mostly at 75 or 80 mph. The highway mileage is a bit lower than I was expecting. However, I have seen evidence that the highway mpg is significantly higher if I drive 65-70 mph. My RX350 is fwd, and it now has 3000 miles on it. I have manually calculated the mpg numbers, and compared them to the trip computer values. I have had 8 fill-ups so far, and in each case the trip computer gave higher mpg than the calculations, by as little as 0.3 mpg and as high as 0.9 mpg. The average discrepancy is 0.5 mpg.

chea89

About 500 miles-all city driving-stoplight to stoplight--under 17 mpg, maybe should have gone for the 400h?

beemertime

how did u calculate it using the trip reader on the RX? is there a feature onboard of the RX350 that does the calculation automatically?

rcf8000

The trip information screen shows MPG since fill-up. Maybe the RX350s without NAV don't give this information, I don't know.

jthoeft

I've had my RX 350 FWD for about a month-- about 2000 miles on it now. Each weekend we drive about 90 miles each way to our weekend place. It's four lane all the way; starting out on a busy interstate and then open country. Setting the cruise control on 72 mph and using regular gas I've been getting anywhere from 27 to 31 mpg for the 90 mile trip--according to the on board computer. This mileage drops off fast once I start driving around in town, but I'm really pleased with the car's highway mileage performance. We don't drive that much in town, so on an overall basis, city driving and the weekly trips to the lake, we've been getting overall mileage around 24-25 mpg.

md_outback

Only have 1400 miles on my RX350 AWD and mileage is slowly improving. Averaged 18 mpg for first 500 miles, then up to 18.5 through 1000 miles, now about 20 mpg (real mileage calculations - not based on the computer, though that is pretty close). Have not taken any long trips, but I can average about 21 mpg during typical mixed city/highway drive to work if I keep speeds below 75 mph. Mileage drops quickly when I get more aggressive - which is often. Used premium (93 oct) for first 1000 miles, now alternating 93 and 89 octane to see if I notice a difference.

sorter

This new 350 engine supposed to be more powerful and yet have better mph than the RX300 or 330. My 2002 RX300 average 18.1-18.3 in winter, but summer I get 19.3 mpg. computer reading.
Driving mostly local freeway or local driving. Not city stop and go. I expected the 350 to be about 28 MPG for highway...
I think the Horse power for 300/330 is enough, Toyota should have keep same HP rating and enhance MPG more.

bburmeister

Does anyone know if Lexus plans to re-design the RX330 and when?

lvn098

I just read the Owner Manual, 91 octan gas is required, but some people here are using regular gas.

What do you think? I hate to put in Premium if I can fill it up with regular.

jthoeft

I've been using regular gas since I bought the car (it is now four months old and 3700 miles). It came with a full tank of gas which I imagine was premium. Since then I've used only regular i.e. 87 octane. I was assured by my dealer (Sewell in Dallas) that this would pose no problem for the engine and have no effect on the warranty, etc. They said it was up to me, depending on my driving style I might notice a reduction in performance. I've had no performance issues whatsoever.

I continue to get over 30 mpg, consistently when driving 70 mph on speed control using regular. This does not include any city driving.

I'd suggest you ask your dealer and see if you get the same answer.

maximafan

Wow! That's pretty awsome! That's even higher
than what the window sticker claims. I think
the sticker claims 20 in the city and 25
on the highway. I will be picking up my '07
Flint Mica RX350 tomorrow morning! I'm really
excited. I will be driving mostly in the city
though. But I look forward to my first road
trip in the RX which will probably be near the
end of October. I usually go up to the North
Georgia Mountains or North Carolina for fall
foliage season. Hope I get to see similar
mpg's such as yours.

P.S. I guess I'll be changing my Edmunds
screename soon.

sxylxy

I've used three tanks so far (including the 1st dealer tank which I assume was premium). I started out with 22 miles on the vehicle. I've been using premium gas. 90% around town with low but near-constant AC use. I got 12 MPG wtih the first tank and 12.8 MPG on my second tank. The third tank is running at 13.4 MPG and the NAV system reads about .4 higher MPG. I do spend more than a bit of time at stop lights, but wow! Much lower than expected. My tires are at 37...is that too low?

maximafan

I haven't had a chance to check the tire pressure requirements on the RX yet, but usually the normal pressure is 32 psi. If this
is what Lexus is recommending, you might be a
little over. I don't know if it's enough to
cause any problem, although it might affect
how smooth your ride might be. I know in my
2002 Maxima, if the tires were to get
over-inflated, I could definitely feel it in
the ride quality.
Usually, the psi requirement would be on the side of the driver's front door. I will be
checking this to see what the recommended amount is.

sxylxy

The inside of the door on the Lexus says 30 psi and the tires themselves say maximum 44 psi. Wide range! I'll go by 32 until I get a more difinitive answer from Lexus.

jthoeft

As I posted earlier, I've been getting 30 MPG on exclusive highway driving (70MPH on speed control) per the vehicle computer. When I look at overall mileage, with 70-80% highway, 20-30% city, I net out to 24 or 25 MPG. I'm pretty surprised that some are only getting 12 in the city and think it has to be how one drives. The RX 350 can really take off, but that has to eat into mileage. I get the best city mileage when I keep the RPMS below 2500, even when starting out from a stop light. It isn't as slow a take off as it might seem. On the highway I use the cruise control all the time. I also try to coast into stop lights as much as possible--I paid for the car's momentum, why waste it away as heat by braking if it can be used by coasting. It's kind of a game for me. I haven't looked at tire pressure since driving off the lot --4000 miles now.

831cruzer

I have 5K miles on a AWD. I drive about 70% freeway, 30% city with a daily commute over an 1800 ft mtn pass. The vehicle computer is consistent at 22-23mpg. My manual calculations average about 21-22 mpg. I use premium, have not experimented yet with regular gas. The car has plenty of power over the mountain to pass the slow trucks. I have had the car for 3 months with air conditioner running almost the entire summer.

maximafan

jthoeft, I read with interest about your mpg
ratings and how you get the use of the power
out of your RX. I've had mine for a week and
I'm still trying to adjust to the action of the
accelerator pedal. I'm coming from a Nissan
Maxima in which it feels as though I didn't
have to press as far down on the accelerator
to have good pick up and go. For instance,
at the stoplight, with the RX, while I know
there's power under the hood, it feels like
I have to push down pretty far on the pedal
to take off at a good clip, thus I'm rarely
able to shoot off as quick as I could in the
Maxima.
Any tips for a smooth and quick take off in
the RX, or do I just need time to adapt to a
slightly different feel on the accelerator
pedal? Or is it just the weight issue of the
RX certainly being heavier than a Maxima(mine was a 2002) or similar car?

P.S. I need to think of a different screen
name pretty soon! :shades:

jthoeft

My other car is a Boxster. I had just the opposite problem adjusting to the RX. The Boxster (mines a Tiptronic) has lots of peddle travel to get to the action, I feel the RX is very sensitive by comparison. I've squeeked the tires of the RX a few times when in a hurry to get out of someone's way. I really think it's just a matter of becoming used to the car. When I'm trying to drive for mileage, I am very gentle on the accelerator. A couple of more details about my mileage experience. The highway driving I've been describing is almost totally flat. I've been driving on cruise control; I'm using regular gas and the AC is on (we've had 41 days over 100 in Dallas this summer). By the way,is anyone kind of disappointed with the AC system? It seems to have to blow hard all the time and I don't feel it does a good job of keeping that big dash area cool. It's probably just the prolonged heat this summer.

maximafan

So far, my experience with the AC has been
positive. As a matter of fact, it seems to
get too cold too quick! And I've got the black
interior and I live in Florida! I have noticed
that even though the car has sat in the garage
overnight, when I first start it up and turn
on the AC, it still blows on the high setting
and I usually have to put it to the lowest
fan setting pretty quickly.

The mpg indicator still fluctuates quite a bit right now, so I'm not sure how I'm doing with the gas mileage. All I can say is on my first week with the RX, I've gone approximately 252 miles with about 20 miles remaining(according to the cruising range indicator) of gas.

I've got to say I'm very impressed with how
this SUV rides. It truly is just like a car.
It's smooth, quiet, and even in curves and turns there's hardly a hint of any lean or body roll. Everything is so well executed inside and out on this car. Lexus really knows their stuff.
Oh, and the service at Lexus is A-plus!!!

mss443

I have a little more than 2500 miles on my RX350. With full A/C and using the mid grade gasoline (89 octane rating), I consistently get 26 miles and without A/C I get about 2.5 MPG. With 91 Octane, I got about a mile more than the above. The figures are based on a round trip of a total of 450 miles on the same day in I-80 (NJ-Pa.) (i.e., the route was not a flat one.) [I did not have to fill up the tank in between – NJ is a mandatory full service state and the gas is cheaper in NJ than in Pa.] For most part, the car was on cruise control at 69-70 MPH. Except for a couple of toll stops, the car was on full cruise throughout the trip. The usage information on the vehicle computer does not appear to be reliable – the vehicle computer indicated about 1.5 to 2.0 MPH higher than what was really achievable. In the combined city/highway driving, I get anywhere between 18 to 21 MPH depending on the drive segments. I am reasonably happy with the gas mileage I am getting from this car. To this date, not a single problem that I could think of.

davesuv

Our RX350 AWD has about 7000 miles. Around town with all city driving we usually get between 18 and 19 mpg. With a light foot, you can stretch this to almost 20. We just came back from a trip. On expressway, we were getting 29 to 30 at 65 mph. (Highest sustained mpg on the computer was 30.6). At 70 mph, we got 28.5 to 29. Always use 89 octane fuel.

Have not done any real world calculations yet. All above mpg are from the trip computer with the Nav system.

md_outback

Update at 5000 miles: Overall average has been 20.5 mpg. During typical daily 18 mile commute of 60% highway and 40% local roads or jammed highways, I get very close to that overall average. On longer, highway-only trips (typically avg 70 mph), I get 24 to 25 mpg. Just around town brings mileage down very quickly to around 17-18 mpg. This data is based upon manual calculations after fuel fill-ups. Computer reading (with Nav system) is pessimistic up to 20 mpg (true mileage is better than computer), but then the computer is optimistic above a reading of 22 mpg (true mileage is lower than computer). Just drove another RX350 as a loaner during service call and that vehicle had a wildly optimistic computer reading of nearly 28 mpg for mixed driving. So don't always believe the on board computer - measure it yourself after each fuel stop. After using all grades of gasoline I have settled with 89 octane mid-grade as the best compromise, getting slightly better mpg than with 87 octane and with no noticeable difference in mpg or performance compared with premium. Great vehicle thus far!

MD

maximafan

In regard to the mpg on the trip computer, I
try to go by the the second number that says
"average", the one that doesn't jump up and down so easily. I took a trip from Tampa,FL
to Blairsville, GA this past week and my highway mileage averaged around 28 mpg. One time it even went up to 31 mpg for about five
minutes. I didn't expect to get as good of
gas mileage driving through the mountains.
I guess with all the coasting and usually going
at a speed less than 55 mph made a big difference. I was very pleased with the gas
mileage on this trip. Unfortunately, in-town
driving at home in the city goes down quite a bit.

Before I left for my trip I was averaging around 17.5 mpg's driving around town. As of
today, since I've been back, the computer has
dropped down to 24 mpg. I expect this to drop
some more as I get back into the routine of
driving around town.

wcclee

I've had my 350 for over 4 months now and get pretty close to the posted mpg ratings. For straight highway driving at ~70mph, I get 21mpg. The trip computer is consistently 0.5mpg more than what I calculate.

I don't see how people are getting 30mpg on the AWD model. At best, I will get 22mpg on flat highways with no traffic.

maximafan

Mine isn't all-wheel drive. It's a two-wheel
drive.

charles12

I got my RX350 2 months ago and had the first chance to test the MPG on highway last week.

From Buffalo to State College, PA thourgh 219 highway with speed between 55 - 65 MPH, the computer showed 28.5 MPG and the real milage calculated by fill-ups was 27.4. Return trip through I-80 -> I-79 -> I-90 at speed around 75 MPH. The computer showed 25.5 MPG. Calcuating from fill-ups, the real MPG is 24.

I got 22 MPG in the highway/city mix communting from home to work.

Use 92-93 gas.

Not too bad for a suv.

150mphclub

The door gives the recommended inflation for the car you are driving. The tire gives the maximum inflation to avoid blow out for any car the tire is mounted on.

gulfa

I am willing to buy RX 350 now, but i feel that the new RX 2009 is coming next year. Once the new model arrived your car become old. I do not know to wait or buy now.I would apprecaiteany recomendations.

maximafan

I was just reading on AOL this morning a clip from Car and Driver
naming the top most fuel efficient Luxury SUV's. Of course, they
quickly eliminated the RX350 from the group by trying to limit the
top tier price of the cars. They said that the car had to be over
$46,000 for the top of the line model and the RX400h came in only at $43,000. I had to laugh at this one since we all know this car can climb over $43,000. But I think they did this 'cause they
know the RX would have beaten all the listed Luxury SUV's, Mercedes, Infiniti, Cadillac and such when it comes to overall
fuel mileage. I guess they're tired of the same old broken record, so they had to skew the results somehow.

rviradia

I would guess new model will be released in approx 7 months as 2010 model, so you should wait.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=134853#2

sxylxy

I owned a 2007 RX350 for 3 years and never went below 16 mpg around town. My 2010 is only getting 14.5 around town, same driving style, and I'm on my 3rd tank. Any ideas? I know this model is heavier, but it's rated HIGHER on the city mileage than my old 2007. Anyone else experiencing this during "break-in" and does it get better?

ds456

This is my 4th Lexus. I've had a hybrid and an RX 300. My new FWD 350 is 3 months old and I can't get more than 11 or 12 mpg with city driving. I take off slow, keep my speed down, etc. It's the worst mileage I've had with a Lexus. My '06 rx300 used to get 17 or 18 city. I'm trying premium gas and it's still low. Anyone else having this experience?

cecarter

Real World mileage 96 RX330 @ 70,000 miles. I use nothing but regular grade 10% ethanol here in Florida. I drive 80% of my trips at less than 50mph. This truck? gets 19-22.5 in town. When I drive to Orlando a trip of 60 miles, at 70-75 mpg I get 25-28 mpg. If I drive 80+, the mileage drops to 22.5-24 mpg. I check the computer readout against the measured mileage and gallons to refuel. The computer is less than .5 mpg off in either direction. I did try premium on a trip this past summer, and saw little difference. It has been my experience (300,000 miles of driving newer model cars) the if you want full power for passing and off the line then you need the premium for max engine power. The knock sensor will drop effective hp by 5-20 hp.
So around town all I need is 200 hp to get the vehicle moving from a light. IN flat land (Florida has few hills) Regular gets me across the state easily.
Sorry for the long winded answer, but hope the extra info helps.

cecarter

I don't know what your speed limits are, but I do my best to rapidly get into 5th gear at 40 MPH. Then Watching the mpg readout, I can see 3-5-7-13-to 28 mpg. I don't floor it to get there, just 2500-3000 RPM shifts. Top gear is most economical, so get there quickly, dont spend a lot of time in lower gears.
Tire pressures at 30psi? Check every 2 weeks. I run mine at 33psi.
If you are still getting lousy gas mileage, take it to dealer and get diagnostic check. Maybe the catalytic converter is clogged. I haven't seen 11 mpg since I sold my 71 500 HP Ford Country Squire wagon. I could pass anything on the road except a fuel tanker truck. My RX 330 gets 19 - 20 mpg local driving. 24+ on highway as long as I keep it under 80 MPH.

billdav

I've had mine for over a year and I get 19 city and 28.5 hwy on average with 91 oct.

maximafan

I have been disappointed with the gas mileage in my 2010 RX. For instance, in the
'07 RX, just going back and forth to work, 6 miles each way with some errands thrown in, I would fill up the tank every 7 to 9 days with a quarter of a tank left or a little bit less. With the 2010 doing the same type of every day driving, I'm only getting 6 or 7 days out of my tank.

I do make three or four trips a year to visit my family, a brother in Marathon, FL(Fl Keys) and my mom in Homestead, Fl. With the '07 RX, I could go all the way from Tampa to Marathon on one tank of gas with about 35 to 40 miles to empty. With the 2010, I could only make it to Mom's house in Homestead(about an hour-and-a-half time between Homestead and Marathon) with 50 miles to empty. So I definitely cannot make it to Marathon on one tank in the 2010.

When I fill up the tank every week, the 2010 shows my cruising range to be between 302 miles to 317 miles. In the '07, my cruising range after a fill-up would be anywhere from 316 to 345 miles to empty.

propwash49

Have you ever actually calculated the mileage by dividing the number of miles you drove by the number of gallons you purchased? Your post just seemed to be talking about range--how far you drove on a tank. I'm not sure, but it might be the case that the 2010 tank is smaller than the tank on the 2007. If that is the case, then your range would be less due to a smaller tank capacity. It is also possible that your new vehicle's engine isn't quite broken in yet. How many miles are on the 2020? It might start to deliver better mileage with a few more miles on the odometer.

toutankhamon

I got 24.5 - 25 mpg on a trip recently (filled twice, 850-900 miles, 3 adults + one 5 years' child + luggages, almost 90% nonstop highway).

Actually, around 21 - 21.5 mpg, 70% highway but it's more 30% since there's lot of traffic and I'm jammed most of the time.

Still, pretty good numbers here, so I'm very pleased Better than my Highlander LTD 2002 (V6)

+/- 41500 miles, RX350 2008 Premium + 18"

wcs1885

How do I find out the exact mpg on my RX? Is there a way to look it up? I just got this car a week ago w/ 8 miles on it. In a week I've got ~200 miles on it. I bought it from the dealer w/ a full tank of regular unleaded & now I'm at 1/4 left in the tank. If I'm not mistaken there's 19 gallons in it & Imust be getting terrible mileage at this rate...? I drive to/from work, 80% highway & 20% city, so I "should" be getting better mpg(?). I dont drive crazy... I accerlerate & stop gradually, but I do go 70-80mph on the highway which (lets just say isnt the speed limit). Does that make THAT big of a difference? I thought I should be getting at least 300-400 on a full tank of gas. Please let me know what I'm doing wrong or what to do.

kyfdx

You can't figure MPG by looking at your gas gauge.... We don't even know if the dealer filled it all the way up.. just that the needle was on F.

Fill up your car....re-set the trip odometer.. drive it until it is near empty... then re-fill it, noting the number of gallons... Miles/gallons = MPG.

That is the only reliable way to check your fuel usage..

Also, if your vehicle recommends premium, then use it!

regards,
kyfdx

wcs1885

Is there a way to see what the car is calculating my average speed or mpg is? My husband's Honda Odyssey does that and I've been trying to figure out the gizmos in mine to see if it will too.

With gas prices the way they are now, I doubt they'll be going down anytime soon so I guess I'll fill 'er up and see how much the car gets. I'm hoping for 400miles per tank to average out at 20mpg. Anyways, what's everyone's opinon on using which type of gas (87, 91, or 93) and how has it affected your mpg?

used2ovelexus

I too have had 4 previous Lexus SUVs. My wife just bought a new 350RX and, like you, cannot get any better than 10-12 driving around the area (city). When we take it on the highway, the best was 15 miles per gallon. But we have an even stranger problem. If she does not drive the car for 5 days (which sometimes is the case when we go away), the car does not start. Anyone ever hear of this? Bottom line, they are advertising falsely (no surprise there).

wcs1885

I put 1000 miles on my 2011 RX350 since Feb 26th. So far my average gas consumption is 18.4. For every refuel at the pump... I get 270 miles before I have to visit the gas station and I average about 20 miles per gallon and so far I've only put 13 gallons everytime I refuel and I let it get down to about 1/8th of a tank. I dont see how anyone can get over 20 between city & highway.

cecarter

I have a 2006 RX 330. I average less then 10,000 miles/year. most of my driving is local, less than 12 miles, and as short as 1 mile 6 X/week. I have tracked my mileage since i purchased my car and the average has been 19 local, and as high as 25 on a 400 mile trip.
the car has a fairly high battery drain because of accessories. have the battery checked, and upgrade to a higher capacity or get a plug-in trickle charger.

The computer mileage is very close to the logged mileage.

ferns

I have a 2010 RX 350 and get 18 MPG City and 26 MPG on High way. Filled gas full and started the calculation with coninuous 3 times filling gas full to empty and dividing the total Miles travelled by the gas quanitity and get this average. One point to note is that you need to ensure that the ECO light is maintained ON to get the best mileage. I have tried with premium 91 and regular 87. There was not much difference in MPG.

ferns

One more note to add: Premium Gasoline can be 'Required' or 'Recommended'. For 2010 RX 350 Premium is 'recommended'. There is no difference in gas mileage hence no need to use it.
Only difference will be that you will lose half a second while take off from zero to 60 miles in 7 seconds. So, if you are on the race track then you will need Premium.

cecarter

Since you have a 2010, what does the ECO mode do? What I wqould like is the capability to upshift at lower speeds like I had in my Mercedes 230 Compressor. I could select 5th gear at 20 mph.
Is ECO just a light or a switch?

kwbuggy

It is just a light which illuminates when you are driving economically. If you try to keep it lit up at all times you will improve your fuel economy significantly.

sltpigsfly

I recently purchased my fourth Lexus RX. Previously owned a 2000, 2004 & 2006 hybrid. While the mpg for my new car is not quite as impressive as with the hybrid, overall I get 22-23 mpg with a mix of city and highway driving in mountainous terrain. The car has about 2000 miles on it right now. What I lost in gas savings I gained in insurance premiums savings, as my annual premium has decreased by about $500!