It’s Official — LC gets So So MPG

[HeyChris]

@TrailWhale .... Maybe a 'Post your crap mileage here' thread.....

 

[dchilder]

I’ve got about 8,500 miles on my LC/LC.

I’ve gotten up to maybe 24+ with highway driving (cleared the history), and am getting around 18ish with my regular driving. I’ve noted two things that seem to have the biggest impact for me:

1. The more I use the “auto driving” mode and let it drive for me (setting max speed, etc), the better the gas mileage tends to be. I have a pretty heavy foot, so this wasn’t surprising, other than how much it can improve my mpg.

2. Driving mode impacts it for me for sure - I’ve done Eco and saw slightly better mpg results, but normally drive in Normal, with occasional bump to Sport, especially when I’m getting in the highway.

 

[Bigfoot]

HammerTheWall--We are just having fun here. No Land Cruiser owner actually cares about their MPG.

I care because of the tiny gas tank and often traveling in rural areas with few stations. I do as much hypermiling as possible.

 

[PACruiser]

Let's not confuse gas mileage with range. The LC 250 is currently best in class based on EPA ratings. Although flawed, it is the only benchmark we have in controlled parameters and across a lot of vehicles.. Combined ratings are between 65% to 35% better than the previous generations of LC or new GX 550.

If you want 400 - 500 mile range get a Chevy or Ford but the mileage will still be a lot worse.

 

[W K Foster]

After driving my LC about 2,500 miles. Some hwy, most city.
I have come to the conclusion our LCs avg 13 mpg overall.
They are quick and drive exceptionally well. So that works for me.

After 4,000 miles I am averaging 18.9 mpg with a mix of driving type.

 

[monikersupreme]

I'm at 13 MPG. Come hell or highwater. However, I do have a factory roof rack.

I'm getting ~18 mpg once I've factored in the 275s I'm currently driving on - and I've got an extremely light foot (long ingrained hypermile-ing habits).

I've got a 2025 LC250/1958 with Nitto 275/70r18s (SL) and an OEM roof rack - also rock rails but I doubt that matters much.

Eco mode most of the time for me.

I've had a couple people (on FB/Meta LC250 groups) saying that the factory roof rack takes 2-3 mpg off of your mileage - is this anecdotal or has anyone actually tested this?

...and if so, would a lower profile rack (such as the Westcott roof rack) potentially mitigate this?

 

[advcyclist]

13mpg is abysmal and would seem to be a statistical outlier. While I admit that my 1958 is only slightly improved mpg from my 2017 Taco M6, I also take into account that the LC is full time 4WD, and heavier than my Tacoma, yet still gets better fuel efficiency. I do gripe about the tank size though... Toyota should have given the LC a 20 gallon tank, same as Tacoma.

It's definitely not getting the advertised MPG from the factory.

This is averaged with 18" Nitto Ridge Grapplers, and a 2 bike rack that lives on the hitch. That last mpg was from driving in snow and ice.

 

[Jayhawk78]

5,000 miles, almost all "Normal" zero time driving in Eco and typically driving slightly aggressively mixed MPG is 18-19.

I will say the most surprising MPG issue is that it seems like >75mph the fuel efficiency is really hurt by the aerodynamics, longer highway trips in western KS where you can drive 85mph have produced some pretty low numbers, but nowhere close to 13.

 

[Skidaddl]

After driving my LC about 2,500 miles. Some hwy, most city.
I have come to the conclusion our LCs avg 13 mpg overall.
They are quick and drive exceptionally well. So that works for me.

I'm getting significantly better than that on average. My vehicle is only a few weeks old, so it's a bit early to tell, but I seem to be averaging around 19 mpg at the moment.

The other evening, I went for a spin just outside town to get an idea for what I can get for economy:

• Single lane, secondary paved roads with 80 kph (50 mph) speed limit.
• I locked cruise at about 87 to make it realistic.
• Mostly straight west to east (same direction of predominant winds here), rolling foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
• Had a slight headwind going out, slight tailwind coming back.
• Stock size brand new Toyo Gi6 winters (softer compound, more aggressive tread than stock tires).
• Temp was around 6 degrees celsius (43 F).
• Drive mode set to Normal.
• Mid grade (base trim) with 18" wheels and roof rails, but no rack or crossbars.

Round trip was approximately 60 km (40 miles), I clocked in at an impressive 8.5 l/100kmh which translates to just under 28 mpg!

While not scientific over the long haul, it's definitely encouraging. If you drive it for fuel economy, it IS economical. That's just not how most of us drive.

 

[HammerTheWall]

After driving my LC about 2,500 miles. Some hwy, most city.
I have come to the conclusion our LCs avg 13 mpg overall.
They are quick and drive exceptionally well. So that works for me.

Just over 7000 miles, averaging 21 overall this winter, 24 in the fall. Edit update: normal driving mode, stock tires, roof rack, skid plates, sliders, etc. all stock and on the vehicle.

 

[Esquire]

Just over 7000 miles, averaging 21 overall this winter, 24 in the fall. Edit update: normal driving mode, stock tires, roof rack, skid plates, sliders, etc. all stock and on the vehicle.

Very peculiar. I never drive it hard. Most of my trips are very short in distance. Sans a few road trips. More this Summer.
Likely my short trips (2 miles or less) that are decaying my MPG's a bit. As it has been doin 22 MPG on Hwy.

 

[Altitude]

I’m at 20-21 overall. I have no idea what you’d have to do to be getting 13.

I do find, curiously, that I get much better mileage in town than on the highway. Clearly an impact of the hybrid system but counterintuitive and interesting.

 

[APIOQM]

A few important things people should know about EPA fuel economy ratings:

1) Testing is done in summer temperatures, with the stock tires, not winter tires.
2) City test is 30 minutes long with one cold start.
3) Highway test does not include any cold start.

With that said, nobody should be expecting to see the EPA rating this time of year, especially if you do any short trips where the car hardly gets to operating temperature. Personally, I was averaging around 24 in the summer, now I'm around 21.

 

[HarvLC]

I care because of the tiny gas tank and often traveling in rural areas with few stations. I do as much hypermiling as possible.

It’s not as if my old 100 series had much range. It had a larger tank and a more realistic gauge, but its abysmal mileage yielded frequent stops.

 

[monikersupreme]

What mode (Eco, Normal, Sport) are y'all using when you drive?

What is the size/make if your tires - and if you have larger tires, what calculation are you using (stock vs current size) to compensate for the speed/mileage?

Do you have a roof rack (or anything else that might increase drag)?

I've been in my 2025 LC250/1958 for the past couple weeks (500 miles) primarily city driving in Eco mode.

I'm at around 17-18 mpg (~16 mpg * 1.08; going from the stock Yoko 245s to Nitto Terra G3 275/70r18 SL) and I've got the OEM roof rack installed as well.

 

[HammerTheWall]

Very peculiar. I never drive it hard. Most of my trips are very short in distance. Sans a few road trips. More this Summer.
Likely my short trips (2 miles or less) that are decaying my MPG's a bit. As it has been doin 22 MPG on Hwy.

I will say on the 4 lanes my cruise is set between 75-80 mph for as long as possible too, with shorter, less frequent "bursts" to 85-90 to pass. It's been a champ!

 

[Skidaddl]

Very peculiar. I never drive it hard. Most of my trips are very short in distance. Sans a few road trips. More this Summer.
Likely my short trips (2 miles or less) that are decaying my MPG's a bit. As it has been doin 22 MPG on Hwy.

You're probably right. My hybrid never usually takes over from ICE until I've been driving at least 10 or 15 minutes. I suspect this will improve somewhat with warmer weather.