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In the past I mentioned how in my daily commute I was averaging 32 to 33 mpg. A couple of days ago the traffic/weather conditions were just right and I hit an all time record of 39.9 mpg!
Granted, I was forcing the car as much as I could to make it go into EV mode while cruising at about 40 mph. This was possible because that was roughly the moving speed of the traffic.
It still blows my mind that a heavy 6 cylinder SUV can get that fuel milage. Why is this type of drive train not standard on all cars? Better performance, a lot better mpg for a very reasonable premium.
I really hope Acura doesn't drop the hybrid with the 4th Gen. It is really an amazing powertrain.
I'm still heavy on the "Sport" and light on the "Hybrid" parts. Best I've done was 25.95 mpg for 170 miles. My avg is 23.9 for 12,000 miles for my MDX hybrid according to my Road Trip smartphone app. I was able to get 34.22 mpgs for 243 miles traveled in my RLX Sport Hybrid.
I am taking delivery of a 2020 Volvo XC90T8 next month and I'm excited to see what I can produce in mpg. Two other people I know with the 2019 version with the smaller battery get ridiculous mpg. Apparently it is completely dependent on how you drive, how often you charge up and how little you can use the ICE engine at all. Both of these other drivers told me privately that they though the gas tank was outrageously large and they were lied to on it size. The reason is that they both got crazy range on their first tanks of fuel. One went a little over 2,000 miles on the first tank in the vehicle, But the second went 3,165 miles. You just read that right. On their 13 gal gas tanks, they got 153 mpg and 243 mpg respectively. Now here is how they did that. Most of their local trips are about 10 miles in any direction, so they would be charged up before they left and would charge up again when they returned, having never used a drop of gas. When they drove around 25 miles in one direction, they would charge on the other end of each trip, thus using very little to no gas on that 50 mile round trip. On longer trips they would alternate between pure EV and Hybrid mode which would charge the battery while they were driving, essentially making the ICE engine a mobile charging station. Once I saw how they drove, I understood how it was completely repeatable. Now that is amazing in my mind.
I have a BMW i3 EV and a MDX Hybrid. Perfect combo
i3 is used for most errands (small trips) and trips less than 120 mile round trip
Hybrid used for trips greater than 120 miles or when i3 in use by other family member
Also, I'm "all in". Have solar and backup batteries for the house. My annual electricity bill was zero even with charging the EV and AC for the house in 100 degree summers
I will be first in line if the 4th Gen MDX Hybrid has a plug-in option, larger battery capacity, extended pure EV mode up to 10-15 miles, and more hp/tq option in I.C.E and/or electric motors. About 75%-95% of the plug-in electric vehicle parking spots around town are empty because it is SUV/Truck country in NM. These are prime parking spots right next to handicapped spots and/or very close to the place of business. I can see doubling my 24 mpg avg with my MDX hybrid if it had a 10-15 miles pure EV mode.
Talking to a guy with a Porsche Panamera hybrid as his daily driver. He said he probably only fills up every 4-6 weeks because of the pure EV mode is within his range from home, work, and weekly errands. I would average 3-5 fill-ups per month with my 11 MDX at 17-20 gals a pop ($2500 in fuel per year avg).
My wife drives our MDX Sport Hybrid primarily and her average mpg is in the 26 range most of the time. When I drive it I see 29-30 mpg for a tank if we are taking a family trip in it. In the RLX Sport Hybrid I typically see 28-29 mpg in the winter and 30-32 mpg in the warmer months. Unfortunately my time with the RLX will be ending soon.
In the past I mentioned how in my daily commute I was averaging 32 to 33 mpg. A couple of days ago the traffic/weather conditions were just right and I hit an all time record of 39.9 mpg!
Granted, I was forcing the car as much as I could to make it go into EV mode while cruising at about 40 mph. This was possible because that was roughly the moving speed of the traffic.
It still blows my mind that a heavy 6 cylinder SUV can get that fuel milage. Why is this type of drive train not standard on all cars? Better performance, a lot better mpg for a very reasonable premium.
Yes, I have similar experience for city.suburb commute drive (mostly slower than 60mph) ; just like the above display showing 18.1 miles driving interval..
But for interstate high speed driving on the toll or highway above 85+ mph like what car and driver magazine tested.....I could only get 22 mpg.
Here is the comparison of Car and Driver highway test on Hybrid MDX vs standard SH-AWD..
I have spent almost 3 years in our MDX Sport Hybrid vs just 1 week for the C/D test. My long term results are 26.4 mpg with a 70/30 mix of city/highway miles. But the reason I bought it was not the economy but the performance and handling. Economy is the bonus.
I doubt if weight is that much of a factor at that speed. More wind resistance which would be the same.
There is a slight charge being applied to the hybrid battery at highway speed. Maybe that is the difference. That said, I do not see the same results as Car and Driver
I drove today in the MDX Sport Hybrid at 75 mph for 109 miles on mostly highway and returned 30.8 mpg for the round trip in the cold. Not bad. In the other seasons for the same trip I typically see around 33 mpg. I'm not complaining about that performance.
I drove today in the MDX Sport Hybrid at 75 mph for 109 miles on mostly highway and returned 30.8 mpg for the round trip in the cold. Not bad. In the other seasons for the same trip I typically see around 33 mpg. I'm not complaining about that performance.
I also notice a 3 mpg decline when it is cold. Is that a hybrid thing or regular MDX also drop in the cold?
I don’t remember this from my previous MDX.
I also notice a 3 mpg decline when it is cold. Is that a hybrid thing or regular MDX also drop in the cold?
I don’t remember this from my previous MDX.
Cold temps means batteries aren't as good at discharging and charging, plus some energy may be used to heat the batteries. Don't forget cold air is denser, requiring more fuel to burn! Last, but not least gasoline blends are different in winter vs. summer to help prevent freezing and moisture absorption.
Cold temps means batteries aren't as good at discharging and charging, plus some energy may be used to heat the batteries. Don't forget cold air is denser, requiring more fuel to burn! Last, but not least gasoline blends are different in winter vs. summer to help prevent freezing and moisture absorption.
Cold temps means batteries aren't as good at discharging and charging, plus some energy may be used to heat the batteries. Don't forget cold air is denser, requiring more fuel to burn! Last, but not least gasoline blends are different in winter vs. summer to help prevent freezing and moisture absorption.
In my case, the seasonal fuel blend is not part of the equation. Within the same tank on days that the temperature is in the 50’s, I consistently get 33 or better miles on my daily commute. However when the temperatures drop to the lower 20’s, I have a hard time climbing to 30 mpg with identical traffic conditions.
Terrain more than temperature affects my mileage. I live in an area with moderate hills and see the mileage dip into the low-mid teens when strictly driving in the hills. I average roughly 23-25 mpg mixed driving.
Terrain more than temperature affects my mileage. I live in an area with moderate hills and see the mileage dip into the low-mid teens when strictly driving in the hills. I average roughly 23-25 mpg mixed driving.
Same here. My area is somewhat hilly from 600ft to 2000ft in elevation. My hybrids I drove don't get great mileage (but still better than ICE cars). For example, the regular MDX in my area get only about 19 mpg combined. The Sport Hybrid get about 24mpg (with my two weeks of driving - I don't own the car yet). Even the plug-in's get only about 1/2 of stated electric only driving range in my area because the hills are quite steep (imagine going up the hill with extra 400 to 500 lbs).
I kinda wish Acura would have kept the 3.5L I.C.E. for the MDX hybrid because of the cold weather issues with the 3.0L hauling around +4500 lbs when EV mode isn't engaging like it does in warmer temps. I would gladly take and extra 30-50 hp/tq for -1 or -2 mpg combined.
If i keep my fwy speeds under 70mph I average 25-26+mpg. On average I drive 80mph+ on the fwy and street throttle is 70%+ plus all the time while still getting 23mpg. My Lexus IS-350 Fsport gets 20-23mpg with the same style of driving, not bad at all in book
I kinda wish Acura would have kept the 3.5L I.C.E. for the MDX hybrid because of the cold weather issues with the 3.0L hauling around +4500 lbs when EV mode isn't engaging like it does in warmer temps. I would gladly take and extra 30-50 hp/tq for -1 or -2 mpg combined.
I would trade-in my 19 MDX hybrid if the 4th gen MDX Sport Hybrid has +350 hp/tq. I would take a +350 hp/tq 4th Gen MDX hybrid over a +400 hp/tq twin turbo 4th Gen MDX Type-S (unless the Type-S is also a Sport Hybrid).
I have spent almost 3 years in our MDX Sport Hybrid vs just 1 week for the C/D test. My long term results are 26.4 mpg with a 70/30 mix of city/highway miles. But the reason I bought it was not the economy but the performance and handling. Economy is the bonus.
I share the same thinking , the power delivery and driving experience first, then fuel economy.
I have access to race track , at higher speed (>95 mph), the sustained mpg is worse than V10 M5.
For example, at 105mph, MDX mpg drops to 14mpg whereas the M5 can cruise 120mph at 20mpg but in the city the M5 is only getting 10mpg.
I know it is apple and orange comparison but I find it interesting so wanted to share.
Did anyone calculate how much $$$ they save driving Hybrid vs non Hybrid per year? Trying to calculate MDX price difference and when you are really start saving...
as people have stated, most MDX hybrid buyers aren't looking for the savings. It is the icing. That said, an easy calc, but depends on your driving situation
Did anyone calculate how much $$$ they save driving Hybrid vs non Hybrid per year? Trying to calculate MDX price difference and when you are really start saving...
It really comes down to your driving habits to get to the break even point sooner or later with the hybrid MDX if you lean toward mpg than sport. Looking at my iPhone Road Trip app, I did 18,270 miles in my 11 MDX in 2018 at $2,850 spent for gas with a 18.76 mpg avg (gas at $2.901 per gal avg in 2018). The same mileage would only cost me $2,208 ($642 savings) in my 19 MDX at 24 mpg avg or $2000 ($850 savings) for my 18 RLX Hybrid with my 26.5 mpg avg. More hp/tq, better handling, improved mpgs, and I can still drive mild-to-wild anytime checks all my boxes to switch to the MDX and RLX hybrids compared to my 08 RDX and 11 MDX.
The differences would be smaller with the +14 MDX since that gets much better mpgs compared to the previous gen MDX.
Did anyone calculate how much $$$ they save driving Hybrid vs non Hybrid per year? Trying to calculate MDX price difference and when you are really start saving...
In my case the difference are very big.
On my 2013 I averaged 19 mpg so on a 15K typical year I would spend $2,131 in fuel (789 gallons x $2.70).
On my 2019 Hybrid I am averaging 31 mpg so that means $1,307 in fuel (484 gallons x $2.70).
Savings are $824 per year. Granted with the Hybrid I am driving a bit slower than previously because I try to be in EV mode as much as I can when circumstances permit it. I really get a kick out it when sometimes I can do my daily commute averaging between 33 mpg with peaks of 40 mpg as my opening post showed.
Considering that the MSRP is $1500 difference which by the time you negotiate a decent price it would be about 1200 to 1300, I call it a bargain!
Lets not forget that in addition to the fuel savings you get better acceleration, better gear box, less brake wear and tear, and standard adjustable shocks with the tech package.
I am taking delivery of a 2020 Volvo XC90T8 next month and I'm excited to see what I can produce in mpg. Two other people I know with the 2019 version with the smaller battery get ridiculous mpg. Apparently it is completely dependent on how you drive, how often you charge up and how little you can use the ICE engine at all. Both of these other drivers told me privately that they though the gas tank was outrageously large and they were lied to on it size. The reason is that they both got crazy range on their first tanks of fuel. One went a little over 2,000 miles on the first tank in the vehicle, But the second went 3,165 miles. You just read that right. On their 13 gal gas tanks, they got 153 mpg and 243 mpg respectively. Now here is how they did that. Most of their local trips are about 10 miles in any direction, so they would be charged up before they left and would charge up again when they returned, having never used a drop of gas. When they drove around 25 miles in one direction, they would charge on the other end of each trip, thus using very little to no gas on that 50 mile round trip. On longer trips they would alternate between pure EV and Hybrid mode which would charge the battery while they were driving, essentially making the ICE engine a mobile charging station. Once I saw how they drove, I understood how it was completely repeatable. Now that is amazing in my mind.
I'm on my first tank with the new Volvo hybrid and am at 230 miles at the moment. Just moved off the full mark on the gas gauge. 190 miles have been in 100% EV mode.
I have to say as a 30 year Acura fan, this Volvo XC90T8 is at another level completely over my MDX Sport Hybrid. I don't like the exhaust sound at all of the Volvo, but considering how little the engine is running for me, who cares. There is plenty of thrust if you light it all up as I understand it can accelerate to 60mph in 5.1 seconds (however I have not gone past 2,000 rpm yet), but the EV acceleration is enough for everyday driving. It is a much heavier vehicle, but it rides "heavy" and there isn't a suspension sound to hear at all. The air suspension I'm sure is to be credited, but when I drive both of these vehicles back to back, it isn't even a close competition as to which is more desirable. The EV drive distance is much less than 20 miles when the heat is on, electric heated seats, heated steering wheel, and driving on hills. In those situations so far I have been lucky to get 10 miles of range. However I just discovered that it has a "b" mode which drastically increased the power regeneration, and slows the vehicle down to a stop if you let it, which all but eliminates the use of the brakes being used in most situations until about 4 mph. It captures way more energy than the standard drive mode. When I use that methodology of driving, all things being equal I can get about 15 miles of continuous range in the winter. I am told that in the other three seasons, I should have no problem getting 20+ miles on a full charge. However there are other techniques I am experimenting with where I manually charge in hybrid mode, allow more regen to occur going down hills, and using other aspects of the drive system to expand my mpg without changing the speed in which I drive. I understand there are other ways to maximize efficiency that I have not tried yet which uses GPS and other things. Cool stuff. Acura is light-years behind when I compare these two against each other. Lastly when the Volvo is in crouch mode it looks bad ass as the large wheels/tires get sucked into the wheel wells a little. My neighbor thinks it looks a little gangster in this mode. The off road suspension mode feels taller than it actually is. Did I mention the active headlights and off the charts audio system? I think I may have bought my last Acura unless they do something really special in the years to come. My wife has only been a passenger in the Volvo and she is already thinking we should trade the MDX in for another XC90T8 for her, and she isn't a car person.
I have to say as a 30 year Acura fan, this Volvo XC90T8 is at another level completely over my MDX Sport Hybrid. I don't like the exhaust sound at all of the Volvo, but considering how little the engine is running for me, who cares. There is plenty of thrust if you light it all up as I understand it can accelerate to 60mph in 5.1 seconds (however I have not gone past 2,000 rpm yet), but the EV acceleration is enough for everyday driving. It is a much heavier vehicle, but it rides "heavy" and there isn't a suspension sound to hear at all. The air suspension I'm sure is to be credited, but when I drive both of these vehicles back to back, it isn't even a close competition as to which is more desirable. The EV drive distance is much less than 20 miles when the heat is on, electric heated seats, heated steering wheel, and driving on hills. In those situations so far I have been lucky to get 10 miles of range. However I just discovered that it has a "b" mode which drastically increased the power regeneration, and slows the vehicle down to a stop if you let it, which all but eliminates the use of the brakes being used in most situations until about 4 mph. It captures way more energy than the standard drive mode. When I use that methodology of driving, all things being equal I can get about 15 miles of continuous range in the winter. I am told that in the other three seasons, I should have no problem getting 20+ miles on a full charge. However there are other techniques I am experimenting with where I manually charge in hybrid mode, allow more regen to occur going down hills, and using other aspects of the drive system to expand my mpg without changing the speed in which I drive. I understand there are other ways to maximize efficiency that I have not tried yet which uses GPS and other things. Cool stuff. Acura is light-years behind when I compare these two against each other. Lastly when the Volvo is in crouch mode it looks bad ass as the large wheels/tires get sucked into the wheel wells a little. My neighbor thinks it looks a little gangster in this mode. The off road suspension mode feels taller than it actually is. Did I mention the active headlights and off the charts audio system? I think I may have bought my last Acura unless they do something really special in the years to come. My wife has only been a passenger in the Volvo and she is already thinking we should trade the MDX in for another XC90T8 for her, and she isn't a car person.
Volvo is certainly on another class, more so a T8 and even more so an Inscription.
However keep in mind that it costs probably 20K more than an MDX Hybrid with tech and have very similar amenities (not finishes).
Well not necessarily from a cost stand point. Let me give you my math and you can judge:
MDX Sport Hybrid
MSRP: $60,775 (est)
Potential Deal Price: $54,000 (est)
Gas annual cost per year assuming 15,000 miles at $3.50 per gal and expected 26 average mpg: $2,019
Volvo XC90T8 Inscription 7 seat
MSRP: $87,500 (est)
Potential Deal Price: $78,000 (est)
Combination of Federal and State Tax Credit: $6,000 (est)
Gas annual cost per year assuming 15,000 miles at $3.50 per gal and expected 50 average mpg: $1,050 (This assumption is likely extraordinarily conservative)
The MDX Sport Hybrid (Advance) over a 6 year period including the gas costs are $54,000 + (6x$2,019=$12,114) = $66,114
The Volvo XC90T8 Inscription over a 6 year period including the gas costs are $72,000 + (6x$1,050=$6,300) = $78,300
The differential is $169 per month between them over a 72 month period which is an average car loan term today for many people. If a person could afford comfortably an MDX Sport Hybrid, an extra $169 per month should not pose a financial strain to enjoy a step up. I am making a number of assumptions here, but you can get the point. I'm also not including state taxes as they vary widely across the country.
Comments?
Last edited by RLX-Sport Hybrid; 02-16-2020 at 09:34 PM.
Well not necessarily from a cost stand point. Let me give you my math and you can judge:
MDX Sport Hybrid
MSRP: $60,775 (est)
Potential Deal Price: $54,000 (est)
Gas annual cost per year assuming 15,000 miles at $3.50 per gal and expected 26 average mpg: $2,019
Volvo XC90T8 Inscription 7 seat
MSRP: $87,500 (est)
Potential Deal Price: $78,000 (est)
Combination of Federal and State Tax Credit: $6,000 (est)
Gas annual cost per year assuming 15,000 miles at $3.50 per gal and expected 50 average mpg: $1,050 (This assumption is likely extraordinarily conservative)
The MDX Sport Hybrid (Advance) over a 6 year period including the gas costs are $54,000 + (6x$2,019=$12,114) = $66,114
The Volvo XC90T8 Inscription over a 6 year period including the gas costs are $72,000 + (6x$1,050=$6,300) = $78,300
The differential is $169 per month between them over a 72 month period which is an average car loan term today for many people. If a person could afford comfortably an MDX Sport Hybrid, an extra $169 per month should not pose a financial strain to enjoy a step up. I am making a number of assumptions here, but you can get the point. I'm also not including state taxes as they vary widely across the country.
Comments?
I was doing the comparison with the tech package which has an msrp of 53K; probably discounted in upper 40’s o low 50s. Except for the heated steering wheel and 360 backup camera, it pretty much has the same bells and whistles as the Inscription.
Factors that you are not considering are insurance and maintenance after the warranty is over. I dont have exact numbers but I can guarantee that Volvo insurance is substantially more and its depreciation bigger as well.
From my experience owning 2 MDX (one hybrid), 1 RDX and 1 XC60 Inscription loaded, I can tell you that from the reliability point of view the Acuras , or most Japanese cars run circles around Volvo. So for maintenance, it is another win for Acura and the the sky is the limit for Volvo.
I will tell you that there are way more things on the cool list in the Volvo Inscription with all of the options packages selected as I did, that when you compare them side by side as I can in my driveway, the Volvo is a hands down winner in every way. Actually my insurance is less in the Volvo slightly (few hundred dollars per year). Depreciation is horrible in most cars these days, and repairs may or may not be a sizable difference 80,000 miles out. Time will tell.
I would love for Acura to take the next step and offer a same hybrid powertrain with a plug-in option with the 4th gen MDX. Even if the EV range is only 10-15 miles, that would take care of about 70%-85% of my standard work/errand runs. I see A LOT of EV charging stations in prime parking spot going unused close to front of work or businesses around town. I really like to see a company like Volvo is becoming the standard for any vehicle to strive for in the luxury EV/hybrid/plug-in market.
I might be looking at Volvo if the 4th Gen MDX hybrid doesn't improve range/power or the RLX hybrid is discontinued.
I would be interested to hear your mpg experiences with the Volvo with extreme weather like wind and cold compared to MDX/RLX hybrids. It suck the Acura hybrids can drop 6-10 mpg depending on the weather.
01-17-2020, 04:20 PM
