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!)....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!...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. ...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. ...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 a whole lot better than the conventionally powered Lexus RX300, which like others in this class struggled to top 16 mpg around town....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....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). ... 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.
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Hybrids can produce headline grabbing economy 
