George Knighton

1991 miles and 30.8 mpg

sooththetruth

I hope there is break in, I note you are on Fuelly, and the numbers so far are not impressive. Of course you have been out in the snow, as we saw on your video, and so it's too early to judge, but I considered your mileage disappointing.

George Knighton

3200 miles now, and slowly dropping. 30.5 mpg now.

woropallo

My wife has owned several hybrids over a number years and we found, and was told, that the more city driving than highway you results in higher gas mileage than driving more highway driving than city. This was due to the more stop and go driving in the city. I wonder if you are taking this factor into account.

neuronbob

The mileage sucks in my particular car. On no tank have I gotten even close to the EPA mileage. This is with premium fuel from various stations, so not bad gas. Lately, I've driven it like my V.....that is, as if I don't give a **** about mileage. If this persists, I will contact my dealer to have an Acura engineer look at my particular car.

Zoommer

My mileage in city going down as well. I must have done about 15 trips of 6 miles or less in city in the past 10 days. Getting about 21 mpg.

Zoommer

Oh yeah....I did that a few times...no one around--and you just let it go....12 mpg...what a blast!!! I am not counting these runs in mileage posts.

Zoommer

1450 miles

Last tank 30.8 mpg.

neuronbob

OK, now I'm jealous. Can't wait until the changeover to summer blend in March-April.

miner

I must admit I am a bit surprised at the mileage figures being stated here....for a hybrid. But, then again, it is a sport hybrid.

George Knighton

3450 miles now.

Still 30.5 mpg.

I think that's where it's going to stay unless somebody talks me into more track time.

fsmith

At just under 2,000 miles, I'm getting 29+ on the highway, but only 26 or so mixed, with maybe half of that mileage highway. Looks like I may need driving lessons.

Out of curiosity, do any of you Hybrid owners have their reactive force gas pedals (which I still do not care for) set to high? Low is still too high for me. Perhaps heavy foot is my mileage problem.

George Knighton

I'm set to low and don't mind it.

It goes even lower in Sport Mode, which can give people an impression that there's been an instant boost in power. It's not really a boost in power, but if that's what people perceive, I guess that's good.

:-)

Zoommer

Mine is set to high...it explains why my right calf is now bigger than my left calf muscle. Kidding aside the high setting does force you to think for a fraction of a second before you mash it down. At least for me....

fsmith

I guess that's what they intended (the thinking, not the calf muscle). My sense is that the gas pedal force is there to improve mileage, though the manual waffles on its purpose.

Zoommer

Impulse vs Warp....I like it

neuronbob

I have been on low since the beginning, and it feels like a normal accelerator pedal to me. I have already admitted to a heavy throttle foot. Still at 23 mpg lifetime, the same as my S2000, my "fuel saving" sports car (compared to the CTS-V, that is).

getakey

Bob - maybe you should check the polarity on your regen braking. Might be draining instead of charging

Malibu Flyer

I have just pasted the 2,000 mile mark. My second 1,000 miles were almost identical to the first 1,000 miles. My second 1,000 mileage is 27.6. About 25% is freeway driving while the remainder primarily City driving.

I am fairly satisfied with the MPG, although the City driving has never approached 28 MPG. My Freeway driving has averaged pretty close to the EPA 32 MPG. Better gas mileages is not the reason to spend this type on money for an RLXh.....it is a SPORTS hybrid, with emphasis on the Sports.

Part of the mileage probably has to do with the moderate climate. The electric motors don't perform nearly as well in the colder climes.... So far, I rarely have driven the car when the temp is below 60 degrees [or over 85].

neuronbob

You preach to the converted here. I've stopped watching the mileage closely and am concentrating on driving....and blame my wife for not letting me live someplace warmer, LOL!

*Bob's wife smacks him on the head for complaining*

hondamore

While the winter blend gas is responsible for a large part of the diminished fuel economy when it gets cold, there are other "minor" factors.
- The tires can lose pressure in the cold and that increases the rolling resistance.
- The engine has to operate a lot more often to offer cabin heating
- The tires pushing through snow or slipping on ice makes the whole power train less efficient at using energy to propel the vehicle forward.
- Idling times to pre-warm the car increase the colder it gets

Just trying to come up with other reasons that mileage sucks in the cold and as always, just my two cents.

TampaRLX-SH

Yes it is a Sport Hybrid. And I too am not looking at the car for Accord like mileage.

However, not meeting the EPA benchmark is an issue.

I speculate this may be part of the reason so few were built and a skip of the 2015MY SH RLX.

1) So few built will result in less negative vocalization on the car.
2) Skipping 2015 may be the attempt to refine, reprogram and raise the efficiency mark, OR reset the EPA numbers with a 2016 re-launch.

hondamore

I still suspect the largest factor in the current owners reporting slightly less than EPA numbers are the cold and the drivers having too much fun driving a car that is so much fun and so easy to drive fast.

If they all did 55 mph on the highway, the numbers would likely surpass the EPA estimates. If they all very slowly accelerated to just below the posted speed limits and then slowly coasted up to each red light in the city, I believe the mileage would surpass the EPA estimate (adjusted for the cold weather factors mentioned earlier).

My guess is that this is a usage issue and not an engineering issue. I base this on my own experience driving my RL - I sometimes have fun and get below "expected" mileage or sometimes I'm in no hurry to get anywhere and I can easily exceed the mileage estimates for the RL. Again, just my guess.

fsmith

Data point: Boston - NY (200 miles each way) at a pretty constant 75-80 MPH = exactly 30.0 mpg. This is pretty much what I am getting on all my highway driving. City not so good with lots of short trips and an impatient foot on the throttle - about 26 mpg or so. Not as good as advertised but I don't care and I know that the way I drive I will never get the best mileage out of a car.

2012wagon

Have any of you driven a Lexus LS600hL? I have 52k miles on it, and I am curious how it compares with the RLX hybrid.

For some reason the rear tails on the RLX really irk me..I like the previous gen more.

BUt I would be curious to anyone's thoughts who can compare it to an LS.

George Knighton

That's Brian Cooley's review of the LS600HL.

I don't think that most of us would have considered that car, for one reason or another.

For one thing, it's considerably beyond the price range of the RLX Sport Hybrid. ($135,000 v. $66,000)

For another thing, there's so much less sporting presence to the Lexus that I don't think it'd be attractive to most of us.

I've driven several LS460 and they're very nicely put together cars. So nicely manufactured and optioned that I'd venture to say you'd have a hard time finding a better car this side of a quarter million. I like it more than an A8.

But they're not exactly sporty or engaging. They're more cruisers.

And like Brian said, the numbers don't quite add up for the LS600. Not for us Honda people, anyway.

Interestingly, the rear seat controls you see in the LS600 are similar to the media and HVAC controls that are to be used for the 2015 New Legend. Less complicated, of course, because there's no rear seat adjustment or massage.

:-)

George Knighton

What's your real world fuel mileage in the LS600?

2012wagon

Thank you. I don't need the review for the LS600h, as I have one in the garage.

However, mine isn't the fancy 2013 model. I have a almost 5 year old 2010 model.

I have been thinking of something to replace it with, and this RLX thread got me thinking....

2012wagon

When I am stuck in the 405 with it, I have seen as high as 31mpg.

In my mixed highway/city driving (60/40) with speeds of 80mph at the highest, I get about 28MPG.

Mileage has remain constant for the 52k miles we have put on it. Lowest I have ever seen is 21mpg.

Much better than our previous LS.

I realize (as previous poster put it), the LS isn't "sporty" but I don't consider the RLX that sporty either (haven't driven it, just talking marketing wise). THey are large cars. These aren't M5 or E65AMG we are talking about it.

I realize they are sports hybrid, and there isn't really a competitor to the LSh in the Japanese category.

I would like to try something new, thus was asking your opinions on this matter.

George Knighton

:-)

"Sport" Hybrid with the accent on Sport.

If you can find one, you'll be surprised!

It doesn't really compete with the LS, not the gas or hybrid versions, IMHO.

neuronbob

I love the Big Lex (as I call the LS series). That car epitomizes luxury to me, and I love the way it looks. However, oddly enough, I've never driven one, so I can't give you a direct comparison. The LS and RLX are in totally different classes, as well, so maybe not a fair comparison.

On topic, Seems your mileage in the LS hybrid is the same as most of the Sport Hybrid owners achieve. (My low mileage is an aberration and likely referable to awful winter blend we use here in the Midwest.) I know it's not a sports car, but the handling is better than adequate; SH-AWD. At least you'll save money in the actual purchase/lease compared to the Big Lex!

I think the n of people who have driven a LS600HL is small, and the number who've driven that and an RLX Sport Hybrid is vanishingly small.

2012wagon

^^
Thanks guys for the info. My 600h, great car, but is getting old, and I am looking for a replacement (albeit not looking very hard).


We are off to Raleigh for 2 weeks, I will see if the dealer there has any RLX Hybrid to test drive. If not, when I come back to LA, I am sure I can find one. I will post my thoughts.


My issue is that the RLX tails look very similar to an American car, I don't like. So dropping 60K on a car, that the tails bother me is a big deal.


The next LS body style (coming) not sure if it will have a 600hL to it, at all.


My neighbor just got a new XJ Jag. Huge car, but he got it only with a 3.0, which t me is disappointing.


Thank you for the info.


B0B-if you are ever in NC, take a drive of my 600h. It sits 11 months of the year these days.

George Knighton

None within 50 miles of 27609, says cars.com

hondamore

2012Wagon, I think the RLX Sport Hybrid will surprise you in a few ways:
- It is probably a lot quieter than you may have expected, possibly as quiet or quieter than your LS
- It is a lot faster than you were expecting, certainly faster than your LS
- It is a lot sportier and handles a lot better than you may have thought, no comparison here as the LS is designed for luxury cruising and not sporty handling
- At half the price of your LS, the interior will surprise you, it may be a slight step below the fit and finish of the LS, but it is every bit a true luxury car.
- It is a sleeper, both in performance and in luxury, you can expected a lot of "Wow, what car is this?" inquiries from onlookers and passengers.

Just my two cents based on PAWS RLX seat time, Sport Hybrid reviews and plenty of time spent in a friends LS.

ptbarnett

My wife and I made a trip of about 100 miles each way last weekend. It was our first "road trip" in the RLXh. I got 31.0 mpg outbound, and 30.5 mpg on the return.

I did a bit of experimenting with the "Sport" mode: it appears the instantaneous mpg drops about 5 mpg when I enable it. We were doing about 70 at the time, on flat ground, with the cruise control turned on. I flipped it back and forth several times, but it's only a few data points. I don't think the transmission shifted into a lower gear, but I think I remember reading that the "3 cylinder" mode is disabled in "sport" mode.

This result is consistent with my 2005 RL: I got 26-27 mpg under the same circumstances, with almost the same engine and vehicle weight.

I have the B trip odometer reset automatically each time I start the car, and I'm getting 23-26 mpg on each trip "around town". If I do a bit more highway driving, it will reach up to 30 mpg. Since most of my driving is around town, I'm averaging about 25 mpg at 864 miles, after having the car for 1 month.

ptbarnett

Maybe too quiet. I was cruising through a shopping district near my house.... It's like an open air mall, but there are streets running through it and parking in front of the stores.

I was only driving 10-15 mph, in EV mode. I had to watch the pedestrians very carefully, as a pair of women were engrossed in conversation and walked out right in front of me.

My wife's Prius makes an electronic "growling" noise when the car is in EV mode and it is in motion. This is her second one: a previous 2007 model didn't have that "feature".

TampaRLX-SH

Maybe EV cars should have a recording that blasts: "Hey pedestrian, pay attention when walking around a parking lot, get off your cellphone and hold the hands of your young children. Use the crosswalks and maybe you won't be able to blame a quiet vehicle for running down your self absorbed ass." Every time I am in a parking lot and some ass is walking down the middle of the aisle way on the cell phone while toddlers are running like cats I just wish I could creep up on them and lean on the horn. The brown stain in their pants might then become a priority over the bubble they have retreated within.

As much as I think drivers have lost all self control, there is responsibility upon pedestrians as well. Both parties CHOOSE to defer their safety to the acts of others. Darwinism should win.

Stupid is as Stupid does.

hondamore

This just in... the 2016 RLX Sport Hybrid will feature a Mad Max style spiked cow catcher.

Zoommer

Tried and tried but the car will not drop below 22 mpg in a comprehensive city/hwy driving loop. Meaning that unless you always mash the accelerator all the time for no good reason this car will give a VERY good all around mileage. That is what I am experiencing and ANOTHER way to think about mileage. I was trying the get the MIN to understand what would happen if I drove the car for my particular errands in a normal manner. My old car gave me 16. I am going to try comprehensive hypermiling next for MAX.

neuronbob

I'm having way too much fun with the car to hypermile it. LOL!

Going to road trip in the Hybrid to Detroit in a couple of weeks for NAIAS. That will be the first sustained highway mileage I'll be able to sample.