lee789

RAV 4 Hybrid is a petrol. Wouldn't touch another diesel due to uncertainty over proposed tax increases, and on-going dpf issues due to ever more stringent EU emissions legislation.

The RAV 4 I have been loaned is an Excel 4WD with Toyota Safety Sense pack. According to the figures, it's slightly quicker than the NX to 60 too, but it's the 60% improvement over the NX's urban and extra urban figures I usually achieve that is so significant. Maybe Lexus ought to fit smaller wheels and tune the NX differently if it makes that much difference. I would give one serious thought if it weren't shaped like a brick, as the hybrid system works a lot better than in the Lexus. It is relatively easy to get up to A road speed without the engine cutting in, and the battery recharges much more quickly.

I've had a loan of a RAV 4 hybrid for a few days, which is similar in size to the NX, and a very similar power train as far as I am aware. I've been averaging between 57 and 62mpg on long runs, and 48 in town. That's massively better than the NX, so how come?? Pity it's so damn ugly!!

I think it's because he has a dog in a large dog carrier, so most of the space has gone before the luggage for the family of 5 can be loaded. Should've gone for a Sorento or Santa Fe if he needed a huge cargo area, but he's young, and I think he suffers from a bad case of badge snobbery.

My son in law gets 22 in town and 30 on a longer run from his 200T. He likes the car, but says he wished he had known how small the boot was before ordering it blind. I thought the boot on my 300H was OK, so expected the 200T would be considerably larger.

Nowhere near as bad as a cigarette, No tar or nasty chemicals, just propylene glycol, glycerine, flavourings (all found in foods, and harmless), and for those who want it, nicotine, which is addictive, but not dangerous,. Most e cigs have no smell at all, and if you can smell anything it is likely to be from an e liquid the user has added something to. Basically what users blow out is condensation/steam from the burning process (the battery heats a coil, which turns the liquid into vapour). I can understand why the tobacco industry is so keen to spread stories of e cigs being harmful, or of unknown risk, but they are a huge threat to their business, with millions giving up in favour of e cigs. So they are trying to get legislation passed to either restrict, or ban them. Pretty rich from an industry still peddling a product which is known for sure to have killed countless millions, and which has many of our own politicians either lobbying for them for back-handers, or sitting in their boardrooms.

Yes Steve, I'm sure the petroleum companies will be given the exclusive contracts for hydrogen supply, just as official approval, and the contracts for NHS supplied E Cigarettes has been given to British American Tobacco. That's our "honest" politicians for you.

i imagine hybrids will become obsolete when more hydrogen cell vehicles start appearing, and prices drop. That's really dependent on the govt ensuring the facilities are available at filling stations nationwide, instead of the two or three there are at the moment. They haven't been that quick with recharge points, and the petroleum industry will probably lobby for years, and pay off the right people to slow it right down, or kill it off completely.

I wonder how much of the mpg is actually down to electric power only. Probably minimal, and virtually cancelled out overall by having to lug the batteries around. That's why the similarly priced, but far less attractive top spec Outlander models outsell the NX by more than 3 to 1, Obviously fuel economy matters more to some than quality, reliability and looks. I agree with Jason, and I am usually happy to sacrifice fuel economy for other benefits, What's annoying is being totally misled by Lexus. There is no way they achieved those figures unless they were driving and coasting downhill on a very very long mountain road.

I think a lot of people go for the NX 300H knowing they are getting all those things, but also under the impression they will be getting the improved fuel economy of a hybrid as a bonus. There are many on this forum who are disappointed with the NX's fuel economy, and wondered if they were doing something wrong, The results of this survey indicate that it's not them, it's the official Lexus figures, which are wildly inaccurate. I know all manufacturer mpg figures are unachievable in the real world, but to miss them by nearly 54% is terrible.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/topten/top-25-the-worst-real-mpg-cars-of-2015/

If that's the XC90 Hybrid the figures may be misleading. The Volvo can accelerate up to approx 75mph on electric power alone, and drivers can select between electric only, engine only, and both power sources. I've driven the XC90 Hybrid and it is a phenomenally fast vehicle, as well as being much more fuel efficient than the Lexus or Porsche. I'm wondering if Autoexpress timed 50-70 on electric power only, as that is the default setting for the car. Engine power on the Lexus and Porsche comes in earlier, so might explain the poor 50-70 figure for the Volvo. With the POWER button selected on the XC90 it simply flies between 50 and 70, although I wouldn't buy one because it's far too boxy far my liking.

I have started doing a lot of short journeys, which doesn't really go well with the DPF's on diesels. Why would the battery on a petrol engined car go flat any quicker than a diesel? My petrol car pays maximum VED rate anyway, so how ever much they cheated it wouldn't make any difference!!

Rather glad I ditched diesel for a plug in and petrol engines.

I don't know about a drop in the ocean Phil. 482,000 cars to retrofit, and the EPA saying a maximum fine of $37,500 a car, which is $18 Biillion, if the Federal Government pushes for that. I understand that VW have said they have no intention of paying that kind of fine, but if that's what's decided, and they want to continue selling cars in the US, they won't have much choice. By the way, you say the cheat was done by fitting Adblue tanks to tested cars, and removing them from retail cars. I thought this was all about illegal software installed on the vehicles to produce false results??