Stumble It!
Hybrids can produce headline grabbing economy
I find out how to do 57.6 mpg in a
4.7-metre long off-roader (with a little practice and some help
from downhill gradients!).
Out of curiosity I reset the fuel consumption in the queue into town on my morning commute. Reaching the office, I glanced at the display. It read 40.6 mpg.
That would be surprising for rush hour even in an economy car. But, for a big, 4.7-metre-long off-roader it was amazing.
Wondering if it was a fluke, I did the same over the next four days and was staggered to see the figure rise each day to finish at an astounding 57.6 mpg!
Drivers of big off-roaders have attracted the unwelcome attention of environmental campaigners. They have taken to stopping the owners of so-called “Chelsea tractors” as they use their off-road vehicles to drop their kids at school in central London – with not a green lane or muddy field in sight.
Quite what they would make of my road test car, the Lexus RX400h SE-L, I’m not sure. They would probably (wrongly) attack my selfish disregard for the environment, because this Lexus RX looks very much like any other. Would they see that discreet litle “h” that gives the clue?
The ”h” stands for hybrid. In other words this vehicle uses two forms of motive power. There is a conventional petrol engine of 3.3 litres, which puts out 208 bhp. There are also two electric motors driving the front and rear wheels that, between them, muster a further 230 bhp.
The off-roader that sips fuel the Lexus RX400h
Many manufacturers believe that hybrids are the medium-term solution to greener motoring, while new low or zero-emission technology is perfected. Toyota (which owns the Lexus brand) is more advanced in hybrid technology than most.
You may recall in this column last year I tested the Toyota Prius. The Lexus RX400h uses very much the same technology, but with a much bigger engine and four-wheel-drive.
As with the Prius when you turn the ignition there is no sound of an engine bursting into life, just a little light on the dash to tell you the car is ready. Press the throttle lightly and it moves forward, almost silently, on its electric motors. Accelerate harder and the petrol engine cuts in seamlessly. Lift off and the petrol engine shuts down and the car returns to electric power. The particularly clever bit is, when you coast, the wheels start generating electricity to store for the electric motors.
Mention electric motors and you may imagine this off-roader struggling to keep up with traffic. Far from it. Throw away your green mantle for a few minutes, tramp on the accelerator and this big vehicle will focus all three motors on the job of shifting its bulk from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.6 seconds. That is actually quicker than the conventional Lexus RX.
My attention-grabbing 57.6 mpg was no doubt helped by the number of downhill sections on my route. But, driving in busy traffic in and around Aberdeen produced a figure of 27mpg. That is a whole lot better than the conventionally powered Lexus RX300, which like others in this class struggled to top 16 mpg around town.
So what are the downsides? Very few indeed. The RX 400h is a thoroughly practical motor. You have no clue to the fuel saving wizardry that happens entirely automatically, unless you choose to view the fascinating graphic display on the central sat-nav screen.
Being a Lexus, comfort and refinement are first class and the car is luxuriously equipped. So there are no sacrifices in that department.
The only quibble for an enthusiastic driver is when you want to make good progress on twisty roads. Just as I noted with the Prius, this bigger hybrid comes with no manual holds on its automatic gearbox (except a low ratio for off-road use). That means it is impossible to manually select a lower gear to settle the car on sweeping bends. It also does feel a little bit more ponderous than the lighter conventional car and the load floor is high to allow space for the extra technology.
But these are probably small prices to pay for this car’s green credentials. On the subject of price, the Lexus 400h SE-L is £44,350 with the base hybrid model coming in at £35,485. That’s actually remarkably competitive against the conventional vehicles in this class, especially when you consider the innovative hybrid technology.
Out of curiosity I reset the fuel consumption in the queue into town on my morning commute. Reaching the office, I glanced at the display. It read 40.6 mpg.
That would be surprising for rush hour even in an economy car. But, for a big, 4.7-metre-long off-roader it was amazing.
Wondering if it was a fluke, I did the same over the next four days and was staggered to see the figure rise each day to finish at an astounding 57.6 mpg!
Drivers of big off-roaders have attracted the unwelcome attention of environmental campaigners. They have taken to stopping the owners of so-called “Chelsea tractors” as they use their off-road vehicles to drop their kids at school in central London – with not a green lane or muddy field in sight.
Quite what they would make of my road test car, the Lexus RX400h SE-L, I’m not sure. They would probably (wrongly) attack my selfish disregard for the environment, because this Lexus RX looks very much like any other. Would they see that discreet litle “h” that gives the clue?
The ”h” stands for hybrid. In other words this vehicle uses two forms of motive power. There is a conventional petrol engine of 3.3 litres, which puts out 208 bhp. There are also two electric motors driving the front and rear wheels that, between them, muster a further 230 bhp.
The off-roader that sips fuel the Lexus RX400h
Many manufacturers believe that hybrids are the medium-term solution to greener motoring, while new low or zero-emission technology is perfected. Toyota (which owns the Lexus brand) is more advanced in hybrid technology than most.
You may recall in this column last year I tested the Toyota Prius. The Lexus RX400h uses very much the same technology, but with a much bigger engine and four-wheel-drive.
As with the Prius when you turn the ignition there is no sound of an engine bursting into life, just a little light on the dash to tell you the car is ready. Press the throttle lightly and it moves forward, almost silently, on its electric motors. Accelerate harder and the petrol engine cuts in seamlessly. Lift off and the petrol engine shuts down and the car returns to electric power. The particularly clever bit is, when you coast, the wheels start generating electricity to store for the electric motors.
Mention electric motors and you may imagine this off-roader struggling to keep up with traffic. Far from it. Throw away your green mantle for a few minutes, tramp on the accelerator and this big vehicle will focus all three motors on the job of shifting its bulk from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.6 seconds. That is actually quicker than the conventional Lexus RX.
My attention-grabbing 57.6 mpg was no doubt helped by the number of downhill sections on my route. But, driving in busy traffic in and around Aberdeen produced a figure of 27mpg. That is a whole lot better than the conventionally powered Lexus RX300, which like others in this class struggled to top 16 mpg around town.
So what are the downsides? Very few indeed. The RX 400h is a thoroughly practical motor. You have no clue to the fuel saving wizardry that happens entirely automatically, unless you choose to view the fascinating graphic display on the central sat-nav screen.
Being a Lexus, comfort and refinement are first class and the car is luxuriously equipped. So there are no sacrifices in that department.
The only quibble for an enthusiastic driver is when you want to make good progress on twisty roads. Just as I noted with the Prius, this bigger hybrid comes with no manual holds on its automatic gearbox (except a low ratio for off-road use). That means it is impossible to manually select a lower gear to settle the car on sweeping bends. It also does feel a little bit more ponderous than the lighter conventional car and the load floor is high to allow space for the extra technology.
But these are probably small prices to pay for this car’s green credentials. On the subject of price, the Lexus 400h SE-L is £44,350 with the base hybrid model coming in at £35,485. That’s actually remarkably competitive against the conventional vehicles in this class, especially when you consider the innovative hybrid technology.
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