Or did it? That's a 33.2" diameter which, depending on your OEM setup, is larger than stock, and therefore the odometer/speedometer will read lower.
GX550 Real World MPG
- Thread starter supersix
- Start date
Or did it? That's a 33.2" diameter which, depending on your OEM setup, is larger than stock, and therefore the odometer/speedometer will read lower.
SandMonster
New member
I'm about 4k miles with the OT+ and gas mileage is at 13.2miles per gallon. But didn't buy this vehicle for the driving efficiency....
Just returned from a 2,500 (2,498) mile trip through western states. Went from basically sea level to over 8k feet. GX preformed superbly. We managed to eke out 20.9 MPG (hand calculated based on miles and gallons using Google Maps for miles). The GX showed 20.2 on the in car computer, so we are quite pleased. Would have gotten better mileage but we were bucking some really series headwinds all the way from Burley ID to Pendleton OR. Loved the Utah and ID speed limits of 80+. Once back in WA, we got a "power wash" coming down Stevens Pass. One suggestion is that should you do long distance travel, have a good window cleaner handy, the upright windshield in the GX is an absolute bug magnet...
16-17 mpg around town. OT, rack removed, tires 38 psig when warmed up.
Eco mode I assume? I can't get anywhere near that in normal mode, even if only at 70-75 mph.
Nope, just ran in Normal mode all the way. We've been averaging in the 19's around home. And I'm absolutely NOT a hypermiler, I drive fairly fast.
My average is 14 but I'm lifted and running 35" tires.
I'm in a LUX+ as well that's lifted and on 35" tires getting 14. Try a reset on the avg mpg and it may show you better numbers.
Wow, stock OT+ here and barely averaging over 17. Only 1200 miles , hoping to see some of your numbers once she’s broken in. I also drive gingerly and mostly country roads with not much stop and go.
We have just over 5k miles on ours, so I suspect that she is well broken in. Especially after this last trip, we were "cruising" at 85 MPH with jaunts at 90 in the flat open areas on west I84.
Assuming the speedos are calibrated the same across the three trims it'd only be a 3-4% difference in MPG, which, would be around a 1 MPG difference, not a huge deal and doesn't explain the large variances people are reporting.
I'm skeptical that all three trims have the same speedo calibration. Laws/regulations vary globally around speedo accuracy. USA is +/- 5MPH at 50, EU I believe are stricter, not sure about Japan but I'd guess they're even stricter. The net is that Toyota being global would likely snap to the strictest market they sell to which would likely have then recalibrating the speedo for each tire size..
Even using the USA regulations, Toyota would likely run into trouble using the the +/- 5MPH rule at 50 considering they'd start a few MPH conservative on the OT trim to start.
Little over 2200 mile round trip from Houston to the Smoky's last week and according GX we averaged 19.6mpg (20.73 mpg calcuated with actual miles and gallons). GX just turned 8k miles on this trip. This includes the tank we went through up there cruising around back roads up some pretty steep and twisty roads to our rental. We were in "normal" mode for most of the trip except when in the mountains were we used "comfort" which my wife says she could feel keeping it more level in the twists and turns on the Blue Ridge Parkway and through the "hollers". On the highways cruise was set at 76-81 mph most of the time except the 30 mins we enjoyed standstill traffic coming back through Baton Rouge. We saw 375 miles from a tank twice before it would display "low fuel" and was sure I could have got to 400 easy but my wife does not enjoy that game on trips with the dog. I was using the 5 second x3 refueling method when filling up. This is far better than our trip home to PA over Christmas where we were lucky to see 16mpg.
I imagine these large differences between individuals comes down to the variety of small differences that add up. Tire size, design and pressure can make a big difference. Driving style also makes a big difference, some slow, conservative drivers still have habits that reduce their mpg quite a bit compared to a faster but smoother and more situationally aware driver that utilizes coasting and getting off the gas early vs more brakes and staying on the gas longer. Remote starting and AC/windows down also bring down mpg, anything impacting aerodynamics or added weight makes a difference. Average elevation as well as how hilly the roads are and how you manage throttle on hills and leaving stops contribute a lot as well. Aside from major vehicle differences, it’s mostly the driver and their right foot. I’ve seen the same variation being discussed across forums for many different brands and vehicle types over the years.
Honestly, aside from range which is not really that bad, if mpg is that important then this isn’t an appropriate vehicle choice. These are big, heavy, capable bricks that push a lot of air around, they’re never going to be that efficient. A turbo 4 hybrid Land Cruiser will get you quite a bit better mpg but won’t tow or haul as much and won’t sound as good doing it. Way back when, I had a Trailblazer SS that was lucky to average in the 12-13mpg range and the reality is that fuel costs never really added up to anything worth being concerned about.
Honestly, aside from range which is not really that bad, if mpg is that important then this isn’t an appropriate vehicle choice. These are big, heavy, capable bricks that push a lot of air around, they’re never going to be that efficient. A turbo 4 hybrid Land Cruiser will get you quite a bit better mpg but won’t tow or haul as much and won’t sound as good doing it. Way back when, I had a Trailblazer SS that was lucky to average in the 12-13mpg range and the reality is that fuel costs never really added up to anything worth being concerned about.
OT+ with 275/70/18s at about 3k miles.
I frequently reset my mpg tracker but we average out to about 15mpg around town. We can get a touch over 19mpg on long highway trips.
I am sure it’s slightly better hand calculated.
I personally think thats fine for me and what my expectations were going into this. The range in the highway is just right as we like to stop every 4 hours anyways to stretch our legs and let the dogs out.
I frequently reset my mpg tracker but we average out to about 15mpg around town. We can get a touch over 19mpg on long highway trips.
I am sure it’s slightly better hand calculated.
I personally think thats fine for me and what my expectations were going into this. The range in the highway is just right as we like to stop every 4 hours anyways to stretch our legs and let the dogs out.
For a vehicle design to also tow up to 9000 lbs, the design decision to utilize a 21.1 gallon tank was a very, very stupid one. Even not towing, a 300 mile range (more or less) is on the low end. I've also noticed that only in Eco mode can I get even marginally decent fuel economy. To me, MPG is not the issue - I accept that a 5500 lb vehicle shaped like a brick and with full time 4WD will not do well - but range is a genuine issue. We carry two 5 gallon/20L jerry cans on trips.
7,000 miles and averaging 14.5 but admittedly, I have a very heavy foot. I had a BMW X5 and still drive like that! One finding is that I believe the 0-60 times are much faster than the original testing numbers. Most of the reviews have it 6.2-6.5 but in my testing done with a timer on an Iphone I'm getting 5.8 to 5.9 without breaking at launch. For this heavy a vehicle that's nearly BMW X-5 results and while the handling isn't sports car like it sure is tons better than my old Land Cruiser which on sudden high speed lane changes had my wheels come off the pavement. Not even a hint of that on my GX.
I am mixed on the handling. My F-150 actually cornered better in my opinion. The GX is heavier and feels like it has a good bit of understeer. It also feels like it can get easily unsettled if encountering uneven pavement in a higher speed turn.
GX550 Forum Photos
GX550 Forum Photos
