Rx Hybrid

[Barry1000]

I have recently bought an Ls 430 and have been so impressed that I am thinking if buying an Rx hybrid for my wife. The question that I have is that she extends to do mainly short journeys in town with the occasional long journey . Her total mileage is about 7,000 p.a..

The question I have is is it with buying a hybrid , because would the batteries get sufficiently charged up to drive round town or not,or does it not worth like this? If this is the case I might just as well pay less and buy a standard one.

I woudl be grateful for some advise.

Thanks

Barry

[Shepherd]

I don't own a hybrid so I am saying this from what I have read on the internet or in car magazines. Hybrid's mpg is better in town than on motorway. Its because every time you break you charge your batteries. And while travelling at 30 mph or under, you only use electric motor and not the petrol engine if there is any juice in the batteries.

[stringbender]

Make sure you have a thorough search of this forum about the problems there have been with the Battery on the RX400. I am delighted with the mpg I get from my 05 RX300 when you factor in the weight of the car and inherent safety not to mention the sheer luxury and pleasure of driving.

Surely no Battery powered car is going to take a 2 ton car very far without the petrol engine cutting in. In these days of solar panels on our roofs it would only make sense to me if I could use spare solar capacity to charge up my car. How long will it be before they market a "plug in " option is what I'd like to know.

Alan

[Woody123]

Hi,

Had our 2008 RX400 for 6 months and absolutly love it!

Regarding the fuel economy my personal experience is that until the engine reaches normal temp (approx 10-15 mins) it will not run on Battery power alone.

Ignore the previous post saying that they run on Battery power only under 30mph, the computer decides what power input to use, it can run on petrol only at 15mph and can also run on Battery only at 60mph.

My wife uses car during week for work commute which is a 25 min stop start drive and gets approx 26mpg,

Last weekend we drove from Sheffield to Alton Towers which is a 1.30 hr country drive each way and we averaged 37mpg (v happy).

We have only had our car through winter months and I have been told that the MPG should improve with warmer weather.

Not sure how these figures would compare with a non hybrid but I would highly recommend.

[ISJason]

hello.

I bought my RX400h last week and i am very happy with it. It's an 07 and in fantastic shape. I am overwhelmed by the fantasticness of the ride and luxury.

I get 26mpg to 31 mpg round town and 35 to 37 mpg on a motorway trip, which is mind-blowing, i think for such a big car.

Regarding the Battery. I only do small mileage these days, and i was a bit wary when i went out to start it in the snow this week (as i read those Battery stories, as you have done), but

it's started fine everytime so far! :hocus-pokus:

i would whole heartedly reccomend the RX400h

[DanD]

If you only do short journeys, you may be disappointed by the fuel consumption of the RX400h. This is on the basis that the car will not run on Battery power only until the petrol engine has reached its normal running temperature. The time it will take to do this will vary considerably depending on the outside temperature and the demands you place on the car (air con, heated seats, heated rear window, lights etc).

The car really comes into its own in town and on A/B roads once warmed up.

As an indication, my wife tends to use the car on a day to day basis, but only for short trips (less than 5 miles). She achieves betweeen 25 and 26.5 mpg. On a longer run, either of us will get between 27-29 mpg. You will find on this forum that other drivers achieve better figures, but I must say that we do not drive the car to beat records.

Given this, you may decide that the hybrid is not for you after all, but you also ought to take road tax, insurance costs and resale value into consideration. This may tip the balance back into the hybrid's favour,.

With regards to the Battery issues, you will find that they tend to affect cars that have an old(er) Battery, and/or cars that have left standing unused for a while. Depending on how the car you want to buy is, you could insist on having the Battery replaced.

[kalibur]

Hi

In winter Expect 0 degrees outside temp

10mpg first 5 min

20mpg 5-10min

30mpg 10+min

Good better mpg practices in order of importance

First keep tyre pressures equal across all wheels, manual says 32psi people here prefer 36psi, I have settled for 34psi comfy but not mushy ride.

Second coast, this car glides so well you can go for miles on Battery only on a level straight roads. I have averaged 45 mpg over 30mins continues periods

Third slow takeoff isn't always efficient unless its taking off on Battery only very slow. a better way is to accelerate at higher pace reach your cruise speed 1 sec of gas then back on cruise control or feather light foot. That way instead of staying on 20mpg for 30secs you do 10secs on 15mpg and then coast at 30+mpg 20secs sooner than a slow takeoff.

Motorway driving is all about drag,tire pressure and smooth speed and direction changes.

Lastly TIRE PRESSURE keep it balanced I have seen how you can easily be losing 10-15mpgs just because some tire is at 25psi!

[philthy]

You really have to weigh up the pros and cons. For mostly short journeys, the hybrid makes perfect sense over a diesel SUV with a DPF that will clog up in time, although you can get around this by ensuring you use it for a good length journey now and again. However, if the RX is left standing for any length of time you risk the dreaded flat Battery problem. The RX is also a bit wallowy on a ride when compared to the diesel SUVs which are more planted. The RX does tend to be better specced but is reflected in the price. Diesel is more expensive than petrol and unless you intend to be doing high mileages doesn't make economical sense. There isn't much in it as far as VEL costs go with some of the diesel SUVs coming in cheaper than the RX although they are poorly specced and lack power. The VW Toureg hybrid doesn't have anywhere near the same warranty benefits as the RX with regard to the hybrid batteries.