[Jhoo]

I just completed a 200 mile round trip for our Thanksgiving dinner and was impressed to see I still had a little over half a tank of petrol leftover. I've never seen my trip computer read 29.1 mpg.:icon_eek: That doing 65 mph with cruise control set. I miss my previous diesel's 42-44 mpg's on the highway, but 29 out of a full time all wheel drive non-hybrid suv is not too shabby. I'm surprised to see Subaru states 22-27 mpg in all their sales literature on the 09-13 FB series. I'm curious as to what the 14+ 6 speed owners are seeing out there on the highways.

 

[Avatar]

LOL. Get ready for class action sue. I haven't actually got a chance to verify the mpg rating but it's definitely better than my 03 Forester as I fill up less often than required. Also the gauge mpg info is for reference only. I had one time with an empty tank signal lit up and still telling me I got enough gas for another 100km.

 

[slowhatch]

Driving at 65 is gonna get that mileage up there. Also no a/c and having the windows up. Although, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I'm fairly sure you're not getting quite that high fuel mileage. The readout on mine always reads approximately 1.6mpg better then actual. I would fill it up now in order to see the actual mileage. Then you can be sure. I have gotten 413 miles out of a tank and had a little cushion left. Good mileage though considering AWD and an antiquated 4 speed auto.

 

[wr moore]

When the Guberment set requirements for fleet fuel consumption for manufacturers, they had to develop a standardized test protocol for city and highway driving. This may or may not compare favorably with actual real world fuel use, depending upon your driving conditions, habits and the mechanical condition of your vehicle.

As noted in another thread, weather is going to affect the fuel consumption too. In addition to special 'winter blend' fuels, you have increased rolling resistance from softer tires (unless you adjust tire pressures), wind resistance (denser air), the colder temperatures/denser air both requiring richer fuel mixes along with longer warmups/open loop fuel mixes and finally, more fuel BTUs going to maintain proper engine temperatures.

 

[Bulkley]

For many years I drove a company car and was privileged to see the annual computer reports. None of the company cars achieved anywhere near the fuel economy that the drivers believed. Filling the tank, driving for a measured distance at highway speeds, refilling and doing the math is a poor way to judge fuel economy. One has to keep accurate records for at least a year to get a true picture. Remember, weather can affect fuel economy so all seasons have to be taken in account.

Basically, you can assume that people who brag about their car's mpg's generally have no idea.

 

[Jhoo]

For many years I drove a company car and was privileged to see the annual computer reports. None of the company cars achieved anywhere near the fuel economy that the drivers believed. Filling the tank, driving for a measured distance at highway speeds, refilling and doing the math is a poor way to judge fuel economy. One has to keep accurate records for at least a year to get a true picture. Remember, weather can affect fuel economy so all seasons have to be taken in account.

Basically, you can assume that people who brag about their car's mpg's generally have no idea.

I have kept records for a year, have done the math, and yes I have a pretty good idea what I'm seeing in true mpg's. I was merely pointing out my recent observation. :N_poke:

 

[VirginiaFrank]

I've never seen my trip computer read 29.1 .

I have seen my 2013 2.5X with 4 speed A/T hit 31 MPG briefly on the mileage computer on a few occasions of highway driving. That was driving 65 on cruise, tire pressure 32psi all around, windows up, no A/C on, no cross-bars on the roof rack. It was never quite that high by the end of the trip.

But I have also learned that my trip computer is consistently about .8 mpg higher in it's mpg reading compared to the gas pump refill calculations after each trip. I use the same pump at the same station 95% of the time. If my trip meter says 30 mpg after 300 miles, my refill calculations will come out to about 29.2. This .8 difference is pretty consistent after 2-3 dozen refills, whether it is mostly highway on that tank or combined.

The refill math may not be an accurate method for an individual tank of gas, but after several refills at the same pump it should be fairly accurate, since any variations in pump shut-off will impact the next tank in a way that self-corrects for average accuracy over a period of several refills. At least in my brain, that makes sense. This assumes an accurately calibrated gas pump of course, which is not guaranteed, I suppose. I should probably check the date on the pump calibration sticker next time I use the pump. Sucker could be cheating me a bit.

Either way, I am happy with my (optimum) 29+ on highway trips and 25.5 combined over 11k miles. I didn't see highway numbers that good until about 3,000-3,500 on the odometer. The official break in may be 1000 miles, but there was definitely an extended performance/mileage break-in on mine that lasted at least 3,000+, where mpg and throttle smoothness/responsiveness kept gradually improving.

Putting my 17 foot long sea kayak on the roof knocks roughly 3mpg off the highway efficiency in summer, and I'm sure the bars and kayak saddles alone have a slight negative impact if I leave them up there. The wind noise from them tells the tale. I saw a drop of about 2mpg on a highway trip when temps were in the 30's vs. the same trip when it was 60-70, all other factors being the same, so weather does matter.

 

[ateday]

289000 kms
8.9 litres/100 kms
MY03 Forester manual.
No complaints.

 

[Icejon]

I usually get around 375 miles per tank but then I drive 80 on the highway sometimes. Forester isn't aerodynamic so I doubt we can do any better than 26 MPG.

 

[samo975]

I know this thread is "dead" and i am in the wrong year for my car. But, i was looking for data regarding fuel economy and this seems to the the closest one. I have an '07 Forester that combined City/highway it regularly gets about 22-23 mpg. I feel like it should be able to do better! When i am coming to a stop i will generally put the clutch in and move into neutral. However, i feel like the car has a lot of rolling resistance. it's not the hill assist (I can feel when that kicks in). I do have aggressive tires on it right now. but i feel the same thing even with my summer tires.
don't know if this is related but this winter i got stuck in some snow and while i was rocking the car to get out my wife noticed that only the rear passenger tire was spinning. I always thought 1) all wheel drive meant that all wheel would at least try to spin (maybe at different rates) and 2) the rear has a LSD, so shouldn't that lock up eventually?
like i said could be two different issues. just wondering what other people have seen.

 

[wrblue]

08 Sports, I get anywhere between 21-23 MPG mixed driving. On long hauls with cruise control on 65 mph, I can get 26 MPG, no better. 19/26 is mfg estimate

 

[Majorlk]

For those who don't know ...

- manufacturers do not set the fuel consumption figures, the EPA does.

- the figures are estimates, not guarantees.

- the figures are generated on dynamometers, for the most part, not actual street driving.

- highways milage figures are generated at 56-60 mph, not 75-80.

- figures are generated during the summer months, with summer blend gasoline.

- if some salesperson guaranteed you'd get some specific milage, they are lying!

 

[ryan_calif]

I get about 32-33 MPG on the highway.

 

[tonyford]

I have 9550 miles on my Trip A odometer. These miles include some summer driving and some winter driving, probable a tad more winter driving than summer, but not too much.

EPA says for the 2.5i 24 city 32 highway 27 combined


Well looks like they are right on. My AVG MPG after 9550 miles is 27.1 MPG when I looked the other day.

I'll take it.