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2017 Forester 2.5i MPG

('14-'18) 
14K views 25 replies 23 participants last post by  Phat Possum 
#1 ·
I have 8803 on my 2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i a mixture of highway and city miles on it. My trip B is my mpg for the entire amount of miles on it, I reset A when I get gas. My trip B is getting 24.3mpg, I feel that is very low for what it is rated. Per tank of gas I get between 23-25mpg normally. Even on highway trips. I drove to PA for Christmas and used Midgrade and got worse mileage than what I was getting before, grant it I did have presents and stuff in the car. On the way back I put 87 in and set the cruise to 76 and I was getting 25.8-26.1 on that tank of gas. But overall I just feel like the 24.3 is low. We test drove a 2016 and took it out to PA and got 26-27mpg so I was expecting to get at least that if not more since the 2017 was supposed to even get better mileage than the 2016. I do have a Touring model so I'm not sure if that really matters or not. I don't want to take it in and have them look at it if there is really nothing wrong with it and that is what others are also seeing. But if others are seeing more then I'm going to be concerned and probably take it in.
 
#2 ·
I have found the quality of gasoline (unleaded regular only for the non turbo Foresters) is very important deciding what mpg you get. I have gotten lower mpg with certain gas stations fuel than with others. This was true with my other Forester as well. Along with that is road conditions (flat/hilly) and driving habits. The CVT is a different animal and will provide good mileage if you research the proper way to drive one.
 
#3 ·
What gas stations do you tend to get better mpg with? What are some tips on how to drive a CVT? This is my first Subaru and I guess first CVT. I really just drive and am not usually big on the mpg's I'm getting except that was one of the selling points on the Forester to me so I'm slightly concerned.
 
#5 ·
Many factors will impact mileage: stop-and-go vs highway miles, cruising speed, tire pressure, fuel composition, and elevation changes for a trip.

Winter fuels, or ethanol-containing fuels, will have less heat content than summer fuel or ethanol-free gasoline per gallon. Also elevation changes during a trip can be dramatic, and are easily observed with your fuel computer. I make a 55 mile round trip several times a week. One way is downhill (about a 700 foot elevation change) and the return trip uphill. The downhill trip gets about 31-32 mpg and the uphill return trip gets about 28-29 mpg. My mixed driving average (in-town and on the highway) is typically 24-26 mpg, and that has been similar for all the Foresters I have owned since 2004. The 2017 I now have is maybe a little better than the previous ones, probably due to the CVT.
 
#6 ·
This link for outbacks has some good CVT driving points. Be sure to put your center dash display on a MPG slider setting and drive to keep it in the higher mpg areas. Stay in the 1200 to 1500 rpm zones mostly. See your manual for CVT passing mode when you need to move quickly.

I use Sunoco, Texaco, Shell and Mobil unleaded regular while avoiding the off brand stations since I have noticed worse mpg with them. If you purchase a brand tankful locally and do not get "standard" mpg with them for the brand, stay away since they may not be filling their tanks with quality fuel. When on the road, use a brand station that looks nicely kept, looks newer, and has in-state plate cars if you have time to check. I have gotten better mpg results with those stations rather than run-down ones.

Think reputable station owners.
 
#10 ·
+1 on that..

The winter mix definitely caused my MPG to go down. I've also found that I get about the same gas milage as you because of driving so fast. I commute 80 miles every day round trip. If I speed and do 70-80mph I'll get 21-24 MPG.

Now that being said I've also been able to drive this thing on back roads and get 30-35+ MPG during the summer time.

My lifetime average was at 30 MPG for several months but since the winter weather has rolled around it dropped down to 28MPG. I'm at 9,000 miles now.
 
#12 ·
That's amazing. I have a 6MT 2017 Forester and have gotten nearly 27 mpg average over the past 1000 miles, including mostly cold winter driving with snow on the roads.

In addition to what others have stated, mpg tends to be worse in the winter. Firstly, because your engine has to work harder (against viscosity) when warming up. Secondly, any snow will lower your mpg. And finally, the (cold) winter air tends to be more dense than (warm) summer air, thereby making your engine work much harder to maintain a similar speed. Like someone else stated earlier, mpg will suffer quite a bit at 76 mph in the wintertime. Ooh, one last thing: low elevations (e.g., Ohio and Pennsylvainia) have denser air than higher elevations (e.g., Colorado and New Mexico), thereby making the engine work a little bit harder to maintain a similar speed. If you really want to optimize mpg, drive 65 mph and don't accelerate fast.
 
#13 ·
The big mpg killer for me in highway driving is headwind. The Forester is tall and boxy, and headwinds can literally make the difference between getting 35 and 45 (Canadian) mpg on a highway trip.

And, yeah, cold weather is an mpg killer around town. I get about 30 town mpg on my summer commute, but closer to 20 in the depths of winter (like today at 20-something below zero).
 
#14 ·
We get about 29 at best pure highway keeping it at 70 or below. If moving with traffic at 75-80 will dip to 25-26. Winter doesn't help and with winter tires we are getting in the lower 20s. Definitely not impressed with real world mileage. Subaru's 32 mpg rating isn't realistic IMO. Should be rated at 23/29/25

We have gorilla mudflaps and rain deflectors that don't help aerodynamics.


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#17 ·
Hi to all,
Filled the tank before snow Thursday and when I drove the Forester during snow the gas from trip A went from 29.4 to 23.
After roads were cleared slowly is going up again.
As today with 2100 miles it is 27.3
I am sure it will go up in the next few days to 29+. Display shows that I have 360 miles left with 87 miles driven.
I use Speedway (formerly Hess) 93 octane every other tank and Costco 87 octane in between.
Very happy using both brands. With my previous vehicles never any problem.
My 2017 Forester is a 2.5 base - 6 m/t.


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#24 ·
Similar comparison of Display MPG vs Calc MPG

First tank of dealer supplied gas in our 17 2.5 Prem was indication an efficiency of 33.1 MPG.

Just filled up with 14.3 gals after the fuel light went on and had 454 miles on the ODO so 31.7 MPG calulated.

Of that probably 60% was interstate at 70 mph plus, and the rest was secondary roads at 45-55.

Pleased with the CVT and seems to spool similar to our 07 Camry CVT although the Camry with hybrid get has averaged 40 MPG plus for its 150,000 miles.:smile2:
 
#25 ·
Just got through my first tank of fuel in the new Forester w/ CVT. Overall I averaged 30.3 mpg by calculation (32.5 via computer) with about 80% highway at ~65 mph 20% city (nothing like a big city, but still quite a bit of stop and go). On the highway alone on a ~140 mile round trip, the average was 40 mpg via the display, so realistically ~38 mpg.

I couldn't be happier with the new car and definitely a good decision to go with the Forester over the Crosstrek.
 
#26 ·
Nobody has mentioned the effect of the AC compressor...it's ON when the defroster is running. In my '15 2.5i MT it robs about 1.5 -2 mpg. I try to remember to switch to basic heat halfway through my 50-mile commute. Once the interior is warm and dry, the dash/floor setting will push soggy breath out the vents and the glass usually stays clear. Also: Cold tires are soft tires...soft tires kill mpg and hydroplane/skid more. Fuel brand does make a difference. Mine likes regular or mid-grade and stumbles on premium (and all grades of 76, and bootleg gas) I run a bottle of Gummout Complete before every oil change and can feel improved throttle response and realize a small improvement in mpg (<1mpg) that gradually diminishes. My mpg and throttle response deteriorate after ~4k miles on the oil.
 
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