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Originally Posted by MGBGT
....Third: the physics don't change, and people should not expect miracles. Mileage is still and will always be primarily a function of two parameters: mass of the vehicle, and drag (wind and rolling resistance).
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I was afraid there would be disappointment when hybrid SUVs came out for the reasons quoted above: larger mass and drag.
The hybrid engine is going to help the fuel economy because if recovers wasted kinetic energy.
The Honda Insight gets great fuel economy in part because of it's aluminum body. I suspect that either that or carbon-fibre would significantly help the RX400h.
The drag seems like the most obvious thing limiting better fuel economy for a vehicle like the RX400h, but it actually has a front that should slice the air pretty well.
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Things that can be controlled
It took several months before my fuel economy improved. It would seem like If I had been driving an RX400h rather than a Honda Insight, my improvement in fuel economy would be greater. Not in mpg, but percentage improvement and definitely in gallons saved.
I'll call it the "inertia penality" - stop-and-go will penalize larger vehicles more, so learning hypermiling techniques will probably make a more significant difference.
It's obvious that I'm not always easy on the gas pedal, as some Civics have better fuel economy, but suffice to say, there are driving techniques that will improve fuel economy even if driving is somewhat agressive.