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What real world gas mileage does your Forester get?

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120K views 462 replies 293 participants last post by  Stonegroove 
#1 ·
I am interested in what mileage you find your getting in a variety of conditions... highway, city, combined, winter, summer, towing, hauling, pushing your vehicle to the limits, etc...


Just returned from around trip of 270 Km from Dawson Creek B.C. to Grand Prairie Alberta. My mileage was 7.2 liters per 100 km. (30.9 US mpg) (37.1 Imperial mpg). I traveled at the speed limit of 100 km per hr, with a little bit of city driving in GP. That is pretty darn good in my opinion. Near what the vehicle is rated for.

My mileage on a recent 1600+ km round trip through B.C. carrying two kayaks on top of the car. Made note of my mileage at the time although I can`t remember it precisely, I believe around 8.2 liters per 100 km.

This weekend I will be pulling a Coleman tent trailer down to Jasper Alta for the weekend. When I return I will make a note of how well the Forester did while towing a trailer a foot or two wider than itself.
 
#2 ·
Sounds like you did very well especially where you were driving. Your fuel economy is pretty close to what we got on our recent trip CT-PA-WV-NC-CT, which included mountains, flatlands, mostly highway but rural roads in the hills. A/c when really necessary and that was in the flatlands.
We have a new car with less than 2000 miles so it should get better as we get the car broken in.
We are very happy with our economy and the comfort of the car.
 
#409 ·
Sounds like you did very well especially where you were driving. Your fuel economy is pretty close to what we got on our recent trip CT-PA-WV-NC-CT, which included mountains, flatlands, mostly highway but rural roads in the hills. A/c when really necessary and that was in the flatlands.
We have a new car with less than 2000 miles so it should get better as we get the car broken in.
We are very happy with our economy and the comfort of the car.
IK have a 2020 Forester and my driving is 90% city, less than 10% freeway. On the freeway, I get 35 and over. City, I get 19, far less than Subaru advertises. And I know how to drive for good mileage. I think all car dealers are allowed to lie about mileage figures.
 
#5 ·
Today mine was only around 20 or so mpgs but it is new to me and needs some routine refresher stuff... Gaskets, plugs, wires, and whatnot! Plus I've been sitting a lot with A/C on at idle lately. & I've also been in more traffic than normal. Hopefully itll improve after timing belt/ water pump maintenance (possibly thermostat/housing), valve cover gaskets, plus plugs & wires & oil pan gasket. Anything else anyone can think of I should do with all that? I'm doing oil pump seal, cam and crank o rings, & oil cooler o ring...
 
#7 ·
Around town (some freeway, some city), I get about 23-24MPG.

For long trips, cruising at 75mph with the car packed, but not loaded down, I get around 27MPG.

I've gotten 372 miles in a full tank. I probably could have gone further, but I had my family in the car, and in 95-degree weather, so I wasn't going to chance it.
 
#10 ·
I just bought a brand new 2012 Forester and it is getting horrible milage. Is it true that it's because it's still new?

First filling was one of the best but only 22.2mpg. Then it went down to 17.5mpg!!! I drive like I have two little kids in car seats, so it's not like I'm drag racing this thing.

One one single long stretch the best it could do was 23.5mpg, the record. Then it went back down to 21mpg.

My average is 20mpg. This is not cool.

Anything I can do?
 
#104 · (Edited)
Depending on my driving style and city/hwy I can be any where from 24mpg to 33mpg.

That's about right for me, too, over 23,000 miles, and one Year come 12/21. Most often is just over 26. I reset the Trip A every day, every time I get home. So some days more than once. The lowest is always the short, steep trip up the hill to the Starbucks and back on my day off mornings. 3.1 miles, 15 mpg! It's 11 when I get there, 15 when I park it. I go slow up the hill just after the blue "Cold Engine" indicator turns off. Did very well on a couple long trips this Summer, up to 34 on some stretches in CA and NV. Over 30 overall, for almost 2,500 miles. I even get around 30 for the frequent 80 mile trip to North Seattle and back. That's mostly 4 lane or more, but some city and stop-and-go, too.
Doesn't even touch the '08 Civic LX 5a that I traded, but this is a LOT more vehicle!
(Quoting one of the first Posts on this thread)
 
#15 ·
It's a Touring Edition, 2.5X. I bought it because it was supposed to have better fuel economy...

No traffic where I am. I have hit it once when I had to drive down to L.A., but that was only once. I've filled my tank 8 times.

My typical highway speed is 65, only because that's the speed limit, give or take 5 mph. I usually drive 5 above, but even when I stay in the slow lane and drive like a granny it doesn't seem to help at all.

I don't accelerate hard at all, especially since it would literally cost me $5 in fuel cost just to do it. I've never had to drive so lightly in my entire life.

Even if I fill up, then get straight on the freeway and drive until I need to fill up again, the mpg is still extremely low.

In terms of "city" driving, I have silky smooth roads all around me, and I live where the weather is literally "perfect" all the time. I'm new to the area so please don't hate me. Gas is $4.30 here!!! Central Coast.

I drive the speed limit and come to complete stops, and when I accelerate I do it gradually. The most I do is whenever I get on the freeway I need to accelerate up to speed, but I am even doing that slower than I've ever had to do before. I think it's kind of dangerous to get on the freeway so slow, but I'm going it just because I want to try increasing my mpg.

I have tried driving at 80, 70, 65, no apparent difference. It's all waaay too low.

The manual says use Regular Unleaded, and I read that if I used Mid or Premium it would actually be worse mpg. True? What about the fuel additive that "cleans" out the system? Seems stupid since it's a brand spankin' new car. I met it when it only had 9 miles on it.

I often have the AC on at the lowest or second lowest setting, only because I feel claustrophobic if there's no airflow. Where I am I can have the windows open all the time, and I often do, but when I get on the freeway I close them because it gets too windy for my kids. If I have the sunroof open all the way, it rattles at 60mph, so I don't ever do that. I've experimented with keeping all windows closed all the time and it hasn't improved anything.

I never need the defroster here.

Original tires, pressure looks fine and they were checked 2000 miles ago when it was driven off the lot. I have thought of checking them again though, but I don't think it's that.

I don't carry lots of cargo. Usually it's empty.

Hand brake is off!!! I use the handbrake to do awesome skids and turns... ;) (I'm 100% kidding, just in case I need to say.)

I use my right foot for both acceleration and breaking. I don't mean to brag, but I am a "perfect driver." If there was a way to drive this any better, I would be doing it. Of course, I do enjoy going from a full stop to whatever the speed limit is in as short of a time period as possible, but this is the first car where I take my time getting up to speed.

Haven't hit any potholes even though I know how well a Subaru can ride over them nicely. (I took one that I didn't end up buying over a road that should have been closed down - the sales guy told us to, and it was incredible!)

I calculate my fuel economy by keeping track of my mileage and how many gallons I need to use to fill the tank. I also note the brand and the location (and the price) and I have two different apps on my iPhone that I also enter that data into. I do not go by the reading on the dash, because that's really inaccurate. I was told by Subaru that doesn't start to get accurate for a while, and I am only at 2000 miles now.

Did I miss anything?

Thanks everyone for your help!
 
#39 ·
It's a Touring Edition, 2.5X. I bought it because it was supposed to have better fuel economy...
Not sure where you heard that, but it's not correct. You might get better economy with the base 5-speed, but only the base is available with a manual tranny. Technically though, all the non-turbo models are rated at 21/27 city/highway mpg.

No traffic where I am. I have hit it once when I had to drive down to L.A., but that was only once. I've filled my tank 8 times.

My typical highway speed is 65, only because that's the speed limit, give or take 5 mph. I usually drive 5 above, but even when I stay in the slow lane and drive like a granny it doesn't seem to help at all.

I don't accelerate hard at all, especially since it would literally cost me $5 in fuel cost just to do it. I've never had to drive so lightly in my entire life.

Even if I fill up, then get straight on the freeway and drive until I need to fill up again, the mpg is still extremely low.

In terms of "city" driving, I have silky smooth roads all around me, and I live where the weather is literally "perfect" all the time. I'm new to the area so please don't hate me. Gas is $4.30 here!!! Central Coast.

I drive the speed limit and come to complete stops, and when I accelerate I do it gradually. The most I do is whenever I get on the freeway I need to accelerate up to speed, but I am even doing that slower than I've ever had to do before. I think it's kind of dangerous to get on the freeway so slow, but I'm going it just because I want to try increasing my mpg.

I have tried driving at 80, 70, 65, no apparent difference. It's all waaay too low.

The manual says use Regular Unleaded, and I read that if I used Mid or Premium it would actually be worse mpg. True?
Not necessarily, but it definitely won't improve which means you'd simply be throwing money away.

What about the fuel additive that "cleans" out the system? Seems stupid since it's a brand spankin' new car. I met it when it only had 9 miles on it.
I've never put much stock in additives or even oil company claims about special additives in their gas. I've never done a long-term test on any one brand, but if any one of them hit on a magic additive they'd all have it.

I often have the AC on at the lowest or second lowest setting, only because I feel claustrophobic if there's no airflow. Where I am I can have the windows open all the time, and I often do, but when I get on the freeway I close them because it gets too windy for my kids. If I have the sunroof open all the way, it rattles at 60mph, so I don't ever do that. I've experimented with keeping all windows closed all the time and it hasn't improved anything.

I never need the defroster here.

Original tires, pressure looks fine and they were checked 2000 miles ago when it was driven off the lot. I have thought of checking them again though, but I don't think it's that.

I don't carry lots of cargo. Usually it's empty.

Hand brake is off!!! I use the handbrake to do awesome skids and turns... ;) (I'm 100% kidding, just in case I need to say.)

I use my right foot for both acceleration and breaking. I don't mean to brag, but I am a "perfect driver." If there was a way to drive this any better, I would be doing it. Of course, I do enjoy going from a full stop to whatever the speed limit is in as short of a time period as possible, but this is the first car where I take my time getting up to speed.

Haven't hit any potholes even though I know how well a Subaru can ride over them nicely. (I took one that I didn't end up buying over a road that should have been closed down - the sales guy told us to, and it was incredible!)

I calculate my fuel economy by keeping track of my mileage and how many gallons I need to use to fill the tank. I also note the brand and the location (and the price) and I have two different apps on my iPhone that I also enter that data into. I do not go by the reading on the dash, because that's really inaccurate. I was told by Subaru that doesn't start to get accurate for a while, and I am only at 2000 miles now.

Did I miss anything?

Thanks everyone for your help!
Don't think you missed anything, but it should be higher. Mine did improve over time; I can get close to 30mpg but only on extended trips with the cruise set to 65 or less. If I do any city/town driving the best I can get is around 26. Cold weather brings it down as well.
 
#16 ·
VitaminD

Only being at 2,000 miles, give it until about 10-15K to see if the mileage gets better. There is a lot of still new parts that need to loosen up and as they do so the mileage should improve.

That doesn't mean I don't think what you are getting is low. It is, for how you describe your driving, personally I think you should be about 3-7mpg higher then the 22 you reported.

I would continue to document it. If you do not see it gradually improving I would get in touch with SOA(Subaru of America) via their customer service number(1-800-SUBARU-3) or your local dealer to express the concerns.

We really don't have a solid trend yet to compare the FB25 engine in the 2011+ non-turbo to.
 
#18 ·
Since completing my mods (hybrid TD04-19T, full de-cat and Zerosports 3" system with custom made baffles, Gizzmo EBCS sytem and remapped to around 270/270) my mileage has actually improved. When I got the car three years ago I was averaging (measured by the full tank, over a few months) 25-27 mpg on the OEM setup (tiny turbo). These days I'm on 30-31. With the bigger compressor setup, the power delivery is a lot less frantic and I've adopted an easier, more relaxed approach although I doubt I'm going any slower. I don't break speed limits but waste no time getting there and overtaking is done swiftly (I HATE poeple who crawl past you at +1mph). Bear in mind too that I'm in a 2 liter S turbo whereas a good few of you here are in 2.5s, and, I'm using Imp gallons as a measurement.

I think this kind of fuel return is more than acceptable for a car of this power output but anyone concerned about economy or who has it as a priority on their list really shouldn't consider a Subaru. Even if the Foz was gobbling it up in the lower to mid 20's, I would still be ok with this particular car as these figures are (to quote Pleaid 7), "smiles per gallon" and it's not a daily driver, nor do I venture into the city much.
 
#19 ·
2012 2.5X MT over the first 5,000 miles has been 24.9 mpg with mainly city driving (not too many freeways to get around Tucson). Stop and go driving, AC use, and using the Forester's potential acceleration all hurt the mpg, but that is common sense.

* I have learned to drive like a grandpa 90% of the time and like a teenager 10% of the time when needed or wanted.:biggrin:

*It gets hot in my Forester during the summer, but I re-learned to deal with it :huh: and turn on the AC usually when I have someone else in the car, when it is 100+ outside , or when I am on an open stretch of road (usually the highway)). Also - I drive my old Nissan pickup more often during the hot summer for stop and go city driving, that tiny cab cools down very quickly and puts less miles on my Forester's 6 year 60,000 mile extended warranty ;-) This has also helped the mpg on my Forester.

*I also run the tires about 34-35 psi.
 
#20 ·
vitaminD,

the mileage should go up. i had my forester for about a month and a half with just over 2000 miles. i'm currently getting between 20-22 miles to the gallon. i'm expecting it to go up to about 23-24 mpg with my driving habits, and where i currently drive in the LA area. when we got our outback originally, the low mpg happened too, until about 7000 miles. your mpg should go up in time.

out of curiousity, where in central ca do you live. i lived in salinas for a little bit...the strong cross winds and head winds drive my mpg down too

joseph
 
#24 · (Edited)
Vitamin D,

Thanks for providing so much useful info! At first glance, the only thing missing is an idea about your typical trip length: Lots of short trips (less than 10 miles), or? The car's cold-engine fuel economy is pretty bad, IMHO.

I avoid city driving (including suburban rush hour traffic) if at all possible, and, if I'm running errands that require many stops, I try to do hit the most distant destination first, as this will help warm up the engine to normal operating temperature.

For comparison purposes, my '12 Forester averaged 25.75 mpg through its first 2,096 miles. All 2K miles were in the winter, which tends to reduce fuel economy. The first ~1,000 miles was a mix of country roads and varied speeds purposely selected to follow Subaru's break in guideline. My car is now approaching 10K miles on the odometer, and lifetime fuel economy is a tad over 27 mpg.

Your location may have an effect. Specifically, low humidity and low elevation (i.e., Sacramento is only ~25 feet elevation, and Fresno is only ~300 ft) means relatively high air density, and that, because of the Forester's boxy shape, may contribute to poor fuel economy.

It might be worth increasing the tire pressure to ~34 psi cold. I doubt the tires are too far below Subaru's nominal spec of ~30 psi, as that would trigger the TPMS (at ~26 psi) indicator in the instrument panel.

Finally, it might also be worth trying a couple of tanks of brand name mid-grade fuel, such as Chevron 89. I appreciate that this stuff costs more than regular (87 AKI), but the nominal extra cost per gallon might be worthwhile investment in this experiment.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer
 
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#25 ·
I picked up my 2013 XT on the 17th. My travels around MT and even going to the lake and some gravel roads driven while using the auto climate control the whole time totaled 1552 miles by the time when I returned to CO yesterday. I drove the first 1000+ miles with out using the cruise. I noticed the best was the last 200 miles from fuel I get in Casper, WY. The on board MPG computer has me at 19.8MPG but when I calculate the total 75.607 gallons I fueled up with I get 20.53MPG. I'm happy so far and believe it will increase with time.


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#26 ·
Just returned from a 1300 km round trip to Jasper National Park from Dawson Creek, pulling a 1992 Coleman Tent Trailer loaded with camping equipment.

Averaged 9.4 l per 100 km, or 25.02 mpg U.S., This also equals 30.05 mpg (Imperial gallon). Average speed, 63mph (100 km/hr)

Pretty darn good for pulling a trailer. :rock:

Mind you , travelling to Jasper I averaged only 9.8 l per 100km or 23.99 mpg U.S.. Lots of wind and lots of long steep climbs.

I have not reset the "Trip B" odometer for the past 10,000 km. In a combination of highway and city over that distance I have averaged 8.8 l per 100 km, or 26.72 mpg U.S., This also equals 32.1 mpg (Imperial gallons)/ Although I do drive a fair amount of highway this also includes short trips around the city, trips with 2 kayaks attached, and of course the recent trip towing the tent trailer.

I have now seen a few of the new Subaru XV's, and I understand their gas milage is impressive. However it would not be able to tow the '92 Coleman tent trailer. I prefer the Forester for its versatility.
 
#28 ·
I am reading it rather than calculating it. Have done the calculations in the past with other vehicles.

Although the milage indicator does rounds off to the nearest .2 of a litre (in Canadian models) and could be a little more precise, I find this system is a significant improvement over the calculation route.

This leads me to wonder, how accurate is the system in the American models with the calculation in miles/gallon?
 
#30 ·
On my 2001 Forester L, I've recently been getting very high 20s, and even over 30 my last tank! It's a 5 speed, and that almost all highway driving. It used to stay under 25 mpg, but I've since removed the roof-mount bike racks and the air deflector broke off. I've also probably been driving a little more efficiently, since I recently got an ultragauge.

I'm impressed with what this car is able to do, considering it's an AWD wagon. My BMW 318i I used to have only got slightly better gas mileage, and that was with a 1.8 liter engine and rear wheel drive!
 
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