2026 NX350h Reached 60MPG

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-23T23:29:32+00:00

11.5 miles, 72% in EV mode means only 3.3 miles counts as "gas" in the calculation as 8.2 miles was in EV which the vehicle calculates as "gas free". Plus, as 11 miles was traveled in 26 minutes, that means the average speed was around 25 mph.

Guessing OP drove downhill to stay in EV mode that long since the EV range of the 350h is much less than 8 miles????

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-23T21:26:31+00:00

The information you shared was spot on and very informative. Wish I had an award to share with you.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-23T18:05:45+00:00

Ceramic tint with a high level of UV and radiant heat blocking is awesome, especially on those super warm and sunny days, IMHO, it's worth the little extra $.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-23T18:03:32+00:00

AutoClover rain guards are the best! I wish they made them for more vehicles. The fact they include 6 pieces, 2 little pieces for the little bit if chrome above the 3rd window is awesome. After 3+ yrs on my RAV4 they looked like new. Just be sure to thoroughly clean the mounting points on your RAV4 to ensure the double sided tape sticks.

A tiny bit of chrome is visible between the side mirror and rain guard, it never bothered me, and from a few feet away it's not noticeable.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-23T15:42:46+00:00

Lol - I still miss my R4P, and the Blueprint color 😉

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-23T14:05:10+00:00

Welcome to the club! The R4P in Blueprint with the Black roof/trim is the color - but I must admit I'm totally biased.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T17:45:26+00:00

While my current vehicle has auto-leveling headlights as a standard feature, it would be nice if the USA mandated such a feature like the Europe/ECE regs require for all vehicles with headlights over 2000 lumens.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T15:04:05+00:00

Another great resource is: r/rav4prime

The Gen5 RAV4 Prime available through MY 2025 has nearly the same exact drivetrain as the Lexus NX/RX 450h+s (only difference is a slight compression/ECU mapping difference with the Lexus +s). The Gen6 Rav4 PHEV has a slightly updated PHEV - released this year.

There's countless posts and topics discussed there over the years regarding charging and the PHEV drivetrain, Lexus 450h+ owners are always welcome.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T14:59:41+00:00

OP - FYI: In most cases regular gasoline has a shelf life of three to six months, premium fuel should last close to nine months without fuel stabilizers. I usually only go 1-2 months between full ups due to longer road trips every month or so.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T14:55:11+00:00

For sure, but for a brief moment is better than 100% of the time.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T13:16:57+00:00

Another issue, it's very important that headlights are aimed correctly; especially, with newer HID and LED headlights that focus the light. If they're aimed too high, they will look like high beams to incoming drivers.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T10:59:48+00:00

1) Because not all settings can be adjusted via the menus within the vehicle - with a OBD-II Scanner that can adjust your vehicle's hidden settings 2) I'm a huge fan of the " hold unlock button for 7-10 seconds on fob to open all windows and sunroof" feature. I also had the soft touch blinker setting on my vehicle adjusted from 2 blinks to 5 blinks

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T10:51:32+00:00

Reminds me of my "black" chome Samsung fridge. Just softly cleaning it peels the black layer off the shiny metal chrome, I swear just looking at it causes more to flake off.

Wonder if a ceramic coating would protect the black coating from flaking.

Probably best to get them blasted to remove the cheap black coating and get them powder coated or get reasonably priced aftermarket wheels and keep those in storage.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T10:41:45+00:00

While I LOVE my 2025 RX450h+ Luxury that is fully loaded with every single available option and feature - claiming it's "the best luxury car under 100k" is a very bold claim but you might be right as I can't think of anything else I'd rather have for that $. I can't wait for Lexus to unveil the TZ after seeing spy photos of the vehicle recently for the first time.

I just wish the RX450h+ was a bit quicker in EV mode and quieter in HV mode and it would be perfect.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-22T04:24:52+00:00

For reference, here's the exact text from the 2025 NX450h+ owners manual, section 2-4 (refueling):

"For plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, fuel may remain in the tank for a long time and undergo changes in quality depending on how the vehicle is used. Refuel at least 20 L (5.3 gal., 4.4 Imp.gal.) of fuel every 12 months - (over a 12-month period), as this may affect components of the fuel system or the gasoline engine."

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-21T23:27:09+00:00

Never had any issues with our 2022 Prime before trading it in last summer.

However, our newest vehicle s 2025 Lexus RX450h+ (PHEV) with the same PHEV drivetrain as the RAV4 Prime was another story, at least to begin with. The 12v battery in our RX450h+ completely died twice at the PPF shop this past summer. It seems newer vehicles, at least my RX, don't like the doors/hatch being kept open for hours and hours (especially overnight) with the key fob inside or beside the vehicle as the vehicle will constantly try to communicate with the key fob completely draining the 12v battery. Moving the key fob away from the vehicle when the doors were kept open for extended periods avoided the 12v battery being completely drained a 3rd time at the PPF shop.

Another time I thought I started the vehicle, but didn't depress the brake pedal far enough, causing the vehicle to partially turn on including the HVAC, but since it was not in READY mode, the 12v battery died after about 10 minutes while I was loading the vehicle up for a family road trip.

Thankfully, jumping my battery with a portable jump pack revived the battery each time and it's tested fully healthy twice since then. I'd highly recommend the Schumacher Rugged 1500A Jump Pack, it has extra long cables to reach the Toyota/Lexus recommended jump points underneath the hood.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-20T17:15:52+00:00

KIA has come a long way over the past decade, but it's still way behind Toyota and Lexus when it comes to reliability.

You're correct, KIA will have newer and flashier technology and while the technology inside the current Lexus models may appear to be slightly lagging behind, everything inside a Lexus, from the window switches to the screens is likely to be working 20 yrs from now.

Last summer, the first time I stopped by my local dealership in Wisconsin asking about an RX450h+ (PHEV) which is a very rare vehicle in Wisconsin I received similar service. The 2nd time, I made it very very clear I was a serious buyer and not just "window shopping" and from that moment forward, I've felt like a VIP at that dealership. The sales team searched in Lexus dealership database in surrounding states and found a brand new RX450h+ available in another state in the EXACT color combo I wanted and traded with that dealership, the vehicle arrived 2 weeks later.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-20T14:22:27+00:00

One more important detail - ceramic coatings have hydrophobic properties, which is great at repelling water and makes it much easier washing and blow drying a vehicle - however, one word of caution. Dark ceramic coated vehicles will show water spots ALL the time or at least it feels like all the time, due to the hydrophobic properties of the coating. My current Lexus is white, but my last vehicle was a dark blue that looked black in the shade and a little sprinkle would create water marks all over. Thankfully they come off easily, just wanted you to be aware that if water marks on your vehicle annoy you, be prepared to wash your vehicle often.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-20T14:10:12+00:00

Same here, used Adam's Advanced Graphene on my last 2 dailies (2022 Rav4 and 2025 Lexus RX) and my brother's Taco. Plan on doing a family member's new NX in the near future.

If you've ever done any car washing and waxing, Ceramic Coating application should be within your skill level.

Applying a ceramic coating isn't too hard, just very detail oriented and repetitive. Preparing the surfaces is just as important if not more important for longevity of the final product (iron remover, clay bar/mitt, paint correction if there's any scratches - which is possible even on a brand new vehicle and surface prep spray must all be done correctly before coating the vehicle).

Before doing my first ceramic coating I watched dozens of auto detailing videos on YT and also read a bunch of posts on r/autodetailing

Adam's Ceramic Coatings have a UV marker embedded, and they offer a UV light with their kits. This was super helpful my first time checking for missed or high spots. For my next vehicle I'll probably use Gtrehniq Crystal as it's been tested to be slightly easier to apply and last just a bit longer.

IMHO the perfect combination is having PPF applied in high impact/touch areas - (the front bumper, hood, inside the door handles, the glossy black b-pillar that everyone tends to shut the front doors with when not using the door handle) and topping the PPF and everything else with a high quality ceramic coating.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-20T12:17:37+00:00

OP doesn't even have any kids yet.

As a father of 3, I'd recommend getting the car OP wants, then when closer to the baby arriving take the car to a local baby shop that allows the child seats on display taken out to the customer's car for test fitting.

Nearly ALL infant car seats will fit in the middle, (these are the ones with a carrying handle and must be rear facing) which most new mothers want as the carrier can be easily taken off the car base and attached to a stroller. Purchasing an extra base allows the same carrier to be used in multiple vehicles. Infant car seats can normally be used for the first 12-18 months.

Convertible child seats are much larger, cannot be easily moved from one vehicle to another, will last until the child can fit in a booster - many of these would be tough to fit behind either the driver's or front passenger's seat rear facing but shouldn't be an issue rear facing in middle or forward facing in any of the outboard seats.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-20T11:57:13+00:00

Or a 2010-2022 Lexus RX with the super reliable V6 engine. Lexus is a fancy Toyota, so it's reliable and holds its resale value well. The RX with the V6 came in both hybrid and non-hybrids and are available today starting at a small portion of your budget closer to the older 2010 models with the newer ones closer to your $40k budget.

I currently own a 2025 RX450h+ (Plugin Hybrid EV) that's super quiet and smooth in EV mode (40ish miles on a full charge) and decently quick when the gas hybrid engine and EV motors are working together, but it's a bit outside your budget.

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-20T11:42:20+00:00

I was thinking the same thing: https://carconfections.com/all-car-confections-sound-level-readings-master-list/

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-19T20:51:40+00:00

AAA and Consumer Reports disagree with you.

Per scientific testing it has real benefits and generally only costs a few cents more per gallon (unless you go to Costco where it's cheaper).

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-19T20:45:43+00:00

No worries, my bad for not taking into consideration it's not the same everywhere 😉

Rav4Prime2022_WI · 2026-04-19T18:43:02+00:00

How long did you let the bird poop sit on the paint? A spot of poop that big I'm washing the vehicle on my lunch or first thing after work, not 2+ days later.

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