erm... rav 4 is a compact SUV. Highlander doesn't seem to be a compact SUV. I wouldn't make a comparison like that

 

I'm at 5000 mi and my mileage hasn't really changed since I left the showroom. Maybe my first tank of gas was low - but I still didn't know how to drive for FE. Since about 500 mi. I've watched my speed/acceleration/conditions ahead/route, etc. I use cruise control as often as possible. I'm getting about 27/mpg and am pretty happy with that - but not expecting much more.

 

Why does Lexus not put in an economy/power switch?

 

I recently ordered my rx400h but after reading this thread, i am beginning to get second thought... i saw on the MPG comparison that the RX400h registered at 25mpg... what is the regular rx330's mpg? currently, my and my wife share a civic hybrid (we both love it) but it doesn't fair too well on our trips up to the cottage.

 

Well I can tell you that it is not as good as I expected. But that said the smooth power band and almost V8 type power makes it real nice to drive. I went with the Highlander Limited Vs the RX. It was 10K less and I didn't see a big enough difference to make me want to spend the extra 10K. Now if you have to have Bluetooth, backup camera and a little quieter ride it maybe worth the difference to you. Also my closest Lexus dealership is 75 miles away and we have two Toyota dealers right in town, so that also contributed to my decision.

If your looking for big mileage numbers the RX or HH is not the vehicle to get and you should look at another Civic or Prius, but if you are OK with mid to high 20's and a good ride and room they will suit you fine.

 

w16,

At fueleconomy.gov, the Highlander V6 2WD has owners who average 18.9mpg, the best one getting 20.3mpg average. We're getting 29.8 with our V6 Hybrid 2WD. That's a 58% increase in mpg over 18.9. It's not apples to apples to compare an SUV to your Civic Hybrid, but comparing vehicles that are alike, a 58% increase is significant.

Of course, your mileage may vary. Just check out the mileage database to see where you might land depending on driving style, load, and environment. We're fortunate to live in Southern California where the weather is a bit more consistent (fortunate for THIS purpose, anyway... lol). but the mpg is down over late summer when we bought the car, even though the temp is only down from 80 to 60. For us, the purchase was worthwhile. Hopefully it can be for you too.

Rick

 

wanting good MPG and decent size I would look into a NAH

looks nice , fast , 35 mpg and seats 5 and costs the same as a prius

 

Consumer Reports got 16mpg in their City Loop with the HH,and 28 hHghway loop.Their city loop must be pretty rugged with lots of traffic lights, lots of stop and go, lots of little trips with a cold engine.Most "normal/average" drivers will get about 10-25% better than CR in the city,and about dead on for the Highway Loop when they are on the interstate at 65mph or so.
Folks on this forum aren't "normal" drivers by any stretch of the imagination.They drive to get good to great mpg using many of the "tricks"-especially P&G(which can be done real world without pissing off your fellow drivers),and driving very,very SLOWLY-which can be a problem.
A normal driver will get about 14-15 mpg in heavy city driving with a V-6 Highlander or a 330 lex.They will get about 25 mpg in pure trip driving.Are you beating those numbers by about 3-4 mpg? If so you are getting about what the average driver will get.If you live in a suburb or city,and mainly drive there you should get about 20 mpg or so with your Lex hybrid.Lotta Hy driving-say a trip-expect about 26-28mpg on the interstate.
My guess is you are getting very low 20's and are pissed because you expected closer to the 30mpg of the old EPA sticker(I think the EPA #s have been changed).
The Prius set an awfully high mark-.26 drag coe and not an awful lot of frontal area to begin with,tiny motor,2900 lbs.You get about 1/2 the numbers that a Prius gets-but most SUVs get about 1/3-1/4 the MPG of a Prius.
Luck,
Charlie
PS-Our 1998 Suburban gets 13 mpg-the Prius get 42-43 in the same heavy city driving.-Roughly 3.5X despite being about 60% of the weight(5400 vs 2950).Hy is about 49 vs 18.Our Pilot-about the weight of your Lexus-got about 14mpg city,and 21-24mpg hy.These are about what the standard 330 would get(the 330 would get maybe 2mpg more hy).

 

The 400h will generally get 5-7mpg better than the gas-powered RX 350.

 

I am one of the ones that got suckered into buying a 2006 Highlander Hybrid. I say "suckered" because of the blantant mis-representation of 31MPG City advertised for these vehicles yet the BEST they seem to AVERAGE is around 25MPG (Note: AROUND 25 means 24.5 to 26.5...shesh I really didn't think this type of clarification was necessary) no matter HOW you drive them (All nay-sayers please look at the FE charts on THIS VERY SITE rather than reply that one day in october of 2007 you got 300+ MPG. We're not buying it any more). In any case, I too was (still am) disappointed in the VERY POOR (comparative to advertisement) Fuel Economy. I have been able to get AS HIGH as 27.2 MPG by (1) not running the A/C AT ALL. My driving techniques ALREADY mirro the BEST on this site. To top things off, the resale value of these is a JOKE!!! This car was retailing for $42,600. I was able to get about $3,500 off that figure but that still left a pretty big note. Now, in the aftermarket this EXACT POS is only bringing around $30K wholesale and (supposedly) $34,400 retail. That's a pretty significant hit considering the truck has less than 15K on it in a year. I continue to be disappointed. I wish I had the time to sue the sons-of-*****es!