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12.5 MPG - Is this possible?

4945 Views 17 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  MassSubie
Just got a new '19 forester touring. have put about 150miles on it mainly in LA city. According to the info readout i'm getting 12.5MPG. Is this possible? I have heard about 'engine break in' but there doesn't seem to be a consensus if that is real or not as far as affecting MPG.
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Seems rather low. You might want to do a manual calculation after your next two fill-ups. On the last two Foresters that I have owned (2010 & 2018) there was no change in fuel economy after the "break-in" period which is pretty much a thing of the past.
I think I would reset all three of the guages that show MPH and see if that helps.
If you are looking at an instant read of mpg (averaged over recent) sure.
Sitting in traffic at idle you are actually getting zero mpg, and if you wait long enough....

As time approaches infinity, distance travelled is null, mileage approaches zero.

In LA traffic, most of your fuel is spent moving your ton and a half car up to 5 mph so you can start braking.
If you would not expect that to affect your mileage, I'd suggest remedial a remedial physics class.
Most cars that are not electric will also suck at mileage in LA traffic.
Thanks for reminding me why I moved...
Our 2019 Sport has improved on the mileage in the few weeks we've owned it. About 650 miles in and feel like it is going to be okay. Unlike others, I've experienced break-in issues where earlier in the engine life it is not so great but after reaching 1K miles it starts to really level out.

I'm old school so I do baby the engine some during the break in period, exercising it as needed to get everything sealed.
If the traffic is still anything like it was when I went to school in the early 90s, I could see it as possible.

I didn't last two weeks before I bought a motorcycle so I could lane split.
Just got a new '19 forester touring. have put about 150miles on it mainly in LA city. According to the info readout i'm getting 12.5MPG. Is this possible? I have heard about 'engine break in' but there doesn't seem to be a consensus if that is real or not as far as affecting MPG.
It is a reality, take a few moments and read your manual.

Laughing at oneself and with others is good for the Soul
Just got a new '19 forester touring. have put about 150miles on it mainly in LA city. According to the info readout i'm getting 12.5MPG. Is this possible? I have heard about 'engine break in' but there doesn't seem to be a consensus if that is real or not as far as affecting MPG.
No, not possible unless you had a fault.

Last time I was in LA, I hired a Corvette. In traffic in the city, it did double what your Forester is doing and flat out across the desert it wouldn't go below 7 mpg on the realtime readout. Oh, and it didn't have many miles on it either (Sorry Hertz :frown2: )
Reset your trip meter.
Sitting in traffic at idle you are actually getting zero mpg, and if you wait long enough....
As time approaches infinity, distance travelled is null, mileage approaches zero.
The OP has a 2019 with Auto Stop/Start, so there should be little or no fuel consumption when stopped in traffic (unless he/she has defeated AS/S).
I haven't reset and generally in commuter traffic as opposed to downtown. Right about 29 mpg in the second tank.
The OP has a 2019 with Auto Stop/Start, so there should be little or no fuel consumption when stopped in traffic (unless he/she has defeated AS/S).
True.. But (auto) starting the engine and accelerating your 1.5 tons to 6.5 mph traveling 37 feet until the brakes are applied.. and repeating that 142 times to go a mile won't result in great mileage either...
I miss city traffic - NOT.
12.5 sounds pretty good in that kind of environment.
I wonder how long a car's starter will last and the battery drain must be pretty significant too.

It will be interesting to hear how long '19 owners go before starter replacement, considering their cars in the city may be started thousands of times more often than a comparable vehicle with the same mileage.
Cars that have auto stop/start don't have traditional starters. They have specially designed starters for that purpose, which are built to withstand many many more cycles, as well as start the car way faster. The engines typically also have internal upgrades to withstand the extra wear as well.
I live in OC and drive into la for work often... used to live in hollyweed, very familiar with la traffic.

This seems totally reasonable to me. I have a bit of a “heavy right foot”. I see single Digit mgh numbers commonly when frustrated and in traffic...
Every time you touch the brakes, the fuel mileage will drop. Some drivers are more skilled than others in anticipation and avoiding braking. When it's cold out, the fuel mileage nosedives. Hills kill it too. My Scangauge trip mileage is well below 10 with a sub freezing start and brake and gas it driving. On the highway at a steady 45 to 70 mph speed (no brake use), and after 190 engine degrees and 20 minutes drive train warming is achieved, I often see 30 mpg (2015 XT), and that can be on regular 87 octane 90% gas 10% junk fuel. Turbo use will drop mpg's fast, but you 2019 model drivers don't have to worry about that.>:)

My XT's initial 40 mile drive home from new delivery at Gateway Subaru on 45 mph rural roads showed over 40 mpg on the Subaru gauge, 75 degrees out, no A/C use, windows and sunroof wide open. I avoided the brake and gas it OC (Ocean City, MD) traffic. No break in needed for that car to show good fuel mileage.

If I drove mostly in an urban brake and gas it again environment, I'd buy a hybrid, equipped with a block heater if you park outside in the cold. Look at what is commonly used for DC & NYC taxi's. You see a lot of Prius and Camry hybrids. Can't beat them for brake and gas it driving.
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Cars that have auto stop/start don't have traditional starters. They have specially designed starters for that purpose, which are built to withstand many many more cycles, as well as start the car way faster. The engines typically also have internal upgrades to withstand the extra wear as well.
There are several different scenarios for starters used with auto/start systems, but that doesn't mean they are going to last as long in heavy use compared with a traditional starter that isn't repeatedly cycled in traffic.
As far as the "engine upgrades"... it sounds like a dealer fairy tale to me... Is that how you formed your opinion?
Just got a new '19 forester touring. have put about 150miles on it mainly in LA city. According to the info readout i'm getting 12.5MPG. Is this possible? I have heard about 'engine break in' but there doesn't seem to be a consensus if that is real or not as far as affecting MPG.
I also just got a 2019 Forester Sport and I'm getting the same average fuel economy (11-13 mpg). I have 400 miles on it and I've had to fill it twice already. It's Boston so the weather has been extremely cold but I let it warm with the remote start. I do a lot of short trips but I don't have a heavy foot, never drive it in SI Mode, X-Mode, never with a full load and rarely with passengers. No matter how mindful I am with the accelerator I can't get better than 14.2 avg mpg. I'm bringing it back to the dealer tomorrow to see if there's something I'm missing. Otherwise I have no real issues. Doesn't ride poorly or anything, just worse gas mileage than most V8 pick up trucks...
Just got a new '19 forester touring. have put about 150miles on it mainly in LA city. According to the info readout i'm getting 12.5MPG. Is this possible? I have heard about 'engine break in' but there doesn't seem to be a consensus if that is real or not as far as affecting MPG.
From what I was seeing in Boston/Cambridge, yes, I think that's accurate, if you're driving through a lot of congestion, as I was. I too was surprised, as the EPA city rating is 27mpg. I think what's going on is that (A) just stopping for red lights and accelerating up to boulevard speed will hit your MPGs, but (B) if you add in creeping through bumper to bumper traffic - your MPGs can be almost arbitrarily bad through that. I am guessing that the EPA protocol for "city" mileage testing is designed to model the first situation, but not the second.
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