[MNK]

I have a 2014 QX60 Hybrid bought new last month (so it had been sitting on the dealer's lot for quite some time with no takers - the deal I got was irresistible). All has been well in the 1000+ miles I've done so far but there is one thing that is giving me mild anxiety. The traction battery gauge/meter only gets to four bars, indicating that the battery pack is not reaching a full charge (truth be told, I did see it briefly reach five bars just after I pulled off the freeway on two occasions but only for a couple of seconds each time). I've driven the car under many different conditions (city, highway, mixed, long trips, short trips,...) and four bars is pretty much all I can muster. I've asked the dealer about this issue but I'm still waiting for a solid reply. Any ideas? Is this normal behavior for this car?

I should say that the fuel consumption has been excellent, with 29 MPG on my 17 mile commute with a 7 mile freeway stretch and around 25 MPG running errands around town (with AC running), so I don't think the hybrid system has been fried by sitting idle in the sun for many months.

 

[bsnguy]

This is normal. It will rarely show "full" and then only briefly. Your mileage is impressive... If you rack miles driven and fuel used when filling up, however, I bet it's at least 10% lower, however. Let us know! I get about 21 mpg, overall, in 22k miles driven.

 

[Paradox]

It's not unlike a Prius; Don't worry what the battery icon shows for the hybrid, the vehicle will manage the traction battery, just drive the vehicle. This is one helluva mild hybrid so even when the battery does go full on a long downhill for example it will not stay full for long at all once you resume normal driving. Heck, even a Prius doesn't.

 

[Sinecure]

This is fairly normal. I've had clients who were anxious about it, but stopped worrying once we checked everything out.

 

[MNK]

Thank you to all for your sage advice! This makes me feel a lot better. I also have a 2014 Prius C and it is very easy to get a "full" reading on the traction battery charge, hence my concern with my new Q60 (even though I realize the Q60 is a milder version of a hybrid).

Thanks also for the comments on the gas mileage. I consistently get an "indicated" 29 MPG on my commute to work but it definitely is lower on my way from work as I have to fight traffic. When I do the calculation at the gas pump it seems that I'm getting about 25 MPG overall with AC on and in normal or sport driving mode. I'm using premium fuel so that might be helping(?). I also get up to speed quickly and then let the car "cruise" - I found that this is the best way to drive the Prius so it might also be contributing to the excellent mileage on the Q60.

 

[bsnguy]

First, premium fuel is a waste of your cash on this thing. It's rated for regular and that's all it needs... And it will not help fuel economy in any noticeable way.

Second, driving like you do your prius will help (I have a ct200h, too). But I've never seen 25 mpg with climate control on unless it's cool out and the a.c. can actually turn off for a time. But great if you can keep that up!

Third, we are told, by the dealers and the manual, I think, that mpg will be quite variable for the first 5k miles or so. I sure saw that, but who knows if that's real or not.

Enjoy the ride.

 

[Paradox]

Yeah, do not run premium in the hybrid qx60, it's a waste of your money.

 

[MNK]

Thank you all once again! I'll happily switch to regular fuel (even though Premium is fairly cheap in our area right now!) and carefully track mileage and performance out of curiosity.

Given all the mileage comments I've seen on the forum, I'm still puzzling over why my gas mileage appears to be so good. I suspect it could be largely due to my average speed on my outward commute - nice open streets, few lights, and a stretch of freeway allow me to attain >47 MPH. Could that be a sweet spot for gas consumption on the QX60H? For sure it drops to 24 MPG indicated (so probably more like 22 MPG in reality?) on the way home as I'm now below 45 MPH as an average. No matter what, I'm still very happy, especially since my previous commuter was an M45x (awesome performance but lots of visits to Costco's gas pumps!).

 

[bsnguy]

Yeah, I think if you can do 45-50 mpg on a flat, that's about the perfect spot. What are your rpms? I bet around 1500 so that's the reason. I get about 25 mpg with the a/c on when cruising about 50 mph.

 

[Ark]

Finally, first time after one year of using MY 2014 Hybrid I sow battery fully charged for a few moments (but have enough time to capture it)