[whattablessing]

I'm looking into buying an XSE hybrid, but my commute is mostly freeway, little traffic. What kind of mpg should I expect?

 

[FKHeath]

I'm looking into buying an XSE hybrid, but my commute is mostly freeway, little traffic. What kind of mpg should I expect?

You should be able to get the rated gas mileage or a bit better. I have never gotten less than 39 MPG (rated 38 MPG highway) on my XLE Premium hybrid. With mixed driving, I always get 42 to 49 MPG.

To maximize MPG, you may want to drive a bit different: try to maximize the regenerative energy by coasting into stops with light braking.

 

[RobertB]

Our driving consists of 90% highway @ approx. 115KPH (71mph). Winter temperature average of - 15C fuel economy averages 7L100KM (34mpg US) and summer +20C averages 5.5L100KM (43MPG). If your average speed is 80 mph then mpg will be approx. 11% lower than this. These numbers are based on one month average each of coldest and warmest month of year. Cruise control and economy mode always used and usually two people and very little cargo in vehicle.

 

[TrueTexan]

I avg. around 40 mpg with freeway driving between 70 to 80 MPH

 

[seilersj]

Yeah, I have an XSE, and I’m in the mid/high-30s on the highway too. Gas efficiency is amazing, and you’ll LOVE the XSE trim. I absolutely love it - everything about it.

folks have provided some excellent points on this thread. It’s going to vary based upon your driving, outside temp, running AC/heat, et cetera.

 

[SocalRav4guy]

I recently drove from Southern California to Las Vegas, which is basically 100% freeway at speeds of around 80mph and I got 39mpg on the way out there and 40mpg on the way back.

 

[whattablessing]

I recently drove from Southern California to Las Vegas, which is basically 100% freeway at speeds of around 80mph and I got 39mpg on the way out there and 40mpg on the way back.

Were you using the A/C much?

 

[Mikeyppc]

I'm looking into buying an XSE hybrid, but my commute is mostly freeway, little traffic. What kind of mpg should I expect?

This isn't exactly a question that can reasonably be answered with so little information. What kind of winds do you face? What type of elevation gain / loss are you driving? What are the temperatures like typically? How fast do you plan to drive? How far is your trip?

At a steady 55mph, on level ground with no wind and moderate temperatures and a commute that is long enough for the car to get fully warmed up and then run at operating temps for most of the way, I would expect you to get somewhere around 55mpg in a Gen 5 hybrid. It just goes down from there. But in any event, under most driving conditions I would not expect you to average less than 30mpg on a freeway trip at the absolute lowest end. It's kind of a big range.

With a little more context, you might be able to get more dialed-in answers...

 

[AlexRav4xse]

I'm looking into buying an XSE hybrid, but my commute is mostly freeway, little traffic. What kind of mpg should I expect?

Based on my experience it depends. If you are heavy on the gas or go over 80 MPH you will get low 30's. If you take it a bit easy on the gas and don't go above 80 MPH then you can get close to 40. It's possible to get over 40 as well.

 

[Variman]

I'm looking into buying an XSE hybrid, but my commute is mostly freeway, little traffic. What kind of mpg should I expect?

I have an XSE. I live in Florida (flat roads) so the A/C is on all the time. I get about 38 on the highway. I have roof rails, carry about 200LB of tools, keep tire pressure at 35 PSI and speed is about 70 MPH. For me, I get better MPG on the highway even though I drive conservatively. I keep the car in Eco mode all the time.

While the XSE is a nice looking car, that drives nice, keep in mind it does have its shortcomings of potential leaking roof rails (all Ravs of this generation with roof rails), and potential rear wiring harness corrosion (only hybrid version). Both issues can be mitigated if you like to tinker with cars but for me, for close to $40K I don't think I should have to. As much as I like my XSE, if I were purchasing today, I would research a used Lexus lease turn in with a Lexus service agreement or perhaps a Highlander Hybrid to see if these issues or others exist on these cars. Presumably, the Highlander is a higher quality car with better materials, not sue if it shares this Generation Ravs shortcomings. The XES is a $25K car with $10K worth of options.

Again, the XSE looks nice, the engine is smooth and powerful, fun to drive for a CUV, functional, and comfortable. It just has two major flaws that can be very expensive to fix or perhaps total the car if not mitigated in advance of a potential failure with long term ownership.

 

[SocalRav4guy]

Were you using the A/C much?

Yes A/C was on 100% of the time as the temps were 90-100 degrees outside.

 

[lesz]

Yes A/C was on 100% of the time as the temps were 90-100 degrees outside.

My experience after driving my RAV4 Hybrid for 2 summers (and 2 winters) has been that using the air conditioning, even when temperatures are above 90 F, has only minimal effect on fuel economy. While very hot outdoor temperatures have minimal effect on fuel economy, it is the extreme winter cold temperatures, especially when temperatures are below 10 degrees F, that will have the biggest negative effect on fuel economy.

 

[SueM]

You will love it. I’ve only had my Rav since late May but love it. Better milage than my old gas car. It’s definitely a learning curve driving a hybrid. If you’re a lead foot gas mileage will suffer. I use normal mode around town and eco mode on freeway.

 

[lesz]

I use normal mode around town and eco mode on freeway.

However, use of ECO mode will have its biggest positive effect on fuel economy when you use it in town. When you use ECO mode on the freeway, its benefits will be minimal because ECO mode helps fuel economy the most when you are more likely to be changing speeds frequently, which is not as likely to be the case with freeway driving.

 

[SueM]

However, use of ECO mode will have its biggest positive effect on fuel economy when you use it in town. When you use ECO mode on the freeway, its benefits will be minimal because ECO mode helps fuel economy the most when you are more likely to be changing speeds frequently, which is not as likely to be the case with freeway driving.

I will experiment with it. I’m still learning about hybrid system. I was given that advice by the dealership. The guy who set up the car for me. And uTube video from Car Care Nut.

 

[tpitch14]

I'm 3 tanks in of mixed highway and back roads and averaging 45mpg. I definitely notice a decrease on highway and try to stay closer to 70 than 80 but that's not always possible. I concur with most stating ~40 would be the expectation if the majority of your driving is freeway

 

[Coupeman]

I have a 21 XSE which I brought home on January 7th. Currently have 15,000 miles on the odometer. Highway drives I average 40 to 42 mpg if I keep the speed at 70 or under. If I'm in the 80s then it would drop to 38mpg. Unless I'm in city traffic it's always on Normal and my AC is in the Eco mode. Traffic or stop and go I've seen as high as 52 mpg. I love my Rav.

 

[Mikeyppc]

y’all are definitely doing better than the 4th gen!!! Running at 70mph I tend to get somewhere between 32 - 34 mpg. 75 mph puts me closer to 30 mpg flat. So be thankful for the improvements they made over the generations!

 

[TxStVanWilder]

Took a roadtrip with out new hybrid a few weeks ago and crossed over the 1500 mile mark doing so. from 75-85mph on our roadtrip we averaged about 38.5 MPG. when i would go from areas around 80-95mph we would average about 36 MPG. Both speeds were with cruise set the majority of the trip. ONce we hit traffic and were in slower speeds we would easily get 40+ MPG.