2006 Lexus RX 400h - How Green Is My Hybrid?

So what is the purpose of this "truck"? It's supposed to be an SUV but has little or none of the abilities of an SUV. It's interior is small compared to minivans of the same size and it gets unimpressive mileage.
 
All the negatives of a compromise with none of the benefits.

daytona_500, please see Kelly's (IL News Editor) comment at the link below.
 
http://66.160.188.111/roadtests/Comments/1092#cm
 
Off-Topic: JJ or JG for the Nextel/Sprint Cup?

Real drivers get 24 mpg with this 4WD hybrid.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Lexus&model=RX%20400h%204WD
 
Real drivers get 18 mpg with a 4WD minivan.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Toyota&model=Sienna%204WD
 
The extra electric motors have 2 uses: give you extra power, or relieve the gas engine of burden.
Seems like Edmunds choose to use the electric motors for extra power. Edmunds taps the gas engine to full use, and uses the electric motors on top of that.
 
So a hybrid's electric motors can be used to give you extra oomph as one of the fastest crossovers on the market, or to save you gas. Your choice.

Obviously the 2009 Honda Fit will make all crossovers obsolete.
Even folks who were dead set on buying a large CUV such as the Buick Enclave, or the Mazda CX-9, will be won over by the 2009 Honda Fit.
Hey, it's a Honda.

buying and driving a hybrid takes commitment, if you drive a hybrid you have to change your driving habits a bit to get maximum mileage
 
you don't necessarily need to drive slow, but you just accelerate slightly slower and need to use throttle control on the freeways

But the thing is.... if you have "commitment", you can get surprisingly good mileage out of any car or truck.
 
You don't need to pay huge bucks and live with the shortcomings of a hybrid.
 
I have no trouble getting 20 mpg on my 95 Grand Cherokee 4.0 in my daily commute and I've done better then 25 mpg on long trips. It can be pounded off road, will tow my travel trailer, doesn't have a high tech bone in it's body, has over 250K on the clock and I bought it 5 years ago for less then $5000.
 
Sure the Lexus is faster and a better luxury car but for the price I would expect that.
 
If I were going to pay all that money, I want something that is really good at least at one thing.

Suby, JG all the way! It werent for the chase, he would have won the championship at Texas itself with a 400 point margin over JJ. I can't believe the #48 guys have pulled 3 straight wins and have a 30 point lead over JG. Those 20 extra bonus points that JJ earned coming into the chase are really paying off. The way the chase is set up, whoever does best in the 10 races wins no matter how they did for the first 26, so Johnson has a very real shot to win despite me not thinking he deserves it.

nice, apples and oranges all over again

It's great that there are hybrid SUVs available for those who simply cannot do a Prius. Comparing a Prius to an SUV or truck, however, misses the point.

Our 400h gets around somewhere in the range of 25-27 mpg overall.

firstwagon... 1/2 of the savings from hybrids is with the driving mentality of the drivers.
 
but the other half is...when i'm stuck in stop and go traffic, i average 60+ MPG and i don't mind traffic as much as i know i'm not burning fuel for nothing

hybrid = Fuel Savings
Lexus = Conspicuous consumption
Lexus Hybrid = Non of the above

I achieved 33.2 mpg in this thing in stop-and-go highway traffic. So there.
 
http://66.160.188.111/roadtests/1108

Oh ya, well my Hummer gets 90 MPG, So there.

Ya, but are the emmisions improved over the regular RX? That alone could be a reason to buy.

The pathetic thing is, the RX isn't even a real SUV. It's a crossover. When you boil it down, its nothing more than a lifted Camry.

"real SUV's" are overrated. there are probably only 3% of people who buy and SUV and actually use the utility part of it.
 
crossovers are for people who want a better looking station wagon and maybe AWD

SubyTrojan
 
It should be Gordon. However, the Chase is set up to reward the driver who is hottest in the last 10 races. I understand rewarding winning, which is what Johnson has done, the last three. But Gordon, who has finished an average of 5.7 the last three races, not bad at all, is punished by the current set up.
 
The Chase needs to be overhauled again, just like the BCS(BS). When a driver has such a huge lead after the first 26 races(which shows winning and consistency) they should receive at least a bonus 50 points for each 100 points they are ahead. After all, under the old system, Gordon would have won it long ago.
 
What is the overall mileage of the Lexus during its time with Edmunds? Many don't like hybrids, but many of us with spouses will be dealing with a different issue now that diesels appear to be coming in the future. I asked my wife about a diesel, and she flat out said no. I asked about a hybrid, she said yes. Even if the diesel got better mileage, was quiet, etc.
 
I think each has its place, diesels and hybrids, in the forseeable future. I hope that Edmunds is able to test for the long term a hybrid Tahoe or Yukon.

BCS = Beyond Common Sense
 
Attached is "BCS" with University of Southern California-style lettering. :o)

Chase rules stink. Go back to the old formula. This is all Benny Parsons fault. If he wouldn't have won a championship by only winning one race that year they would have started fiddling with points! Ok I know that was over 30 years ago but Matt Kenseth did the same thing and then NASCAR decided that if 2 guys in 30 years did it then they had to change the rules. God Bless Benny Parsons. I miss his commentary on TV.

NASCAR talk in a Lexus thread, now THAT's ironic.
 
Back on topic, some people are mising the point of the 400h. It's not supposed to be a Prius, an 8-seat minivan, or an F250. It rides and drives like a luxury sedan/wagon. It will out-accelerate all but a few mid-size SUV's, all of which are V8's and gas hungry. It does this while getting gas mileage of a V6 or even some 4-cylinder crossovers depending on driving habits. Being shorter than most minivans means easier maneuvering and parking. And for those that say it has no utility, it can tow 3500 pounds which makes it usable to tow small boats and most popup campers, more than most hybrids until the full-size '08's coming out..
 
Every vehicle is a compromise. A luxurious 5-passenger vehicle that is reasonably fast, gets decent gas mileage for the performance, has the utility of a hatchback, and some towing capacity will do what 90% of people need it to do. Of course it's expensive and won't tow a horse trailer or 8 people or go 60 miles on a quart of fuel but it does what many people actually use a vehicle for.

Oh sure, USC fans are annoyed with BCS standings now that USC isn't automatically #1 every year. :-P Just pickin' on ya. Seriously though, BCS standards are contentious at best.
 
Since CUVs are car-based, don't they have to comply with car CAFE standards? If Lexus's best CUV gets 25mpg on the highway, they're way behind the margin.

estreka, CAFE calculations ignores 2008 EPA revised ratings.
CAFE uses 2007 EPA ratings for calculations.
At 31/27 mpg, this Lexus is above the mark.

Above it says 400H avg 19.3 mpg. On another entry it mentions the long term V6 RAV4 getting 26+ mpg avg? Am I missing something? Why would you ever get the Lexus when it's not much better than a Tahoe which is much bigger and heavier. Say you even averaged 25 mpg in the Lexus- the RAV4 is not that much smaller or lighter than the Lexus. Why would you ever get the Lexus even with pure electric mode which is suppoesedly great when the mpg's are not there?