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Subaru Legacy/Outback: MPG-Real World Numbers

130 messages,  Last post on May 04, 2012 at 4:49 PM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Outback, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 14 of 14

#122 of 130 Re: 2011 Legacy 2.5 MPG [easypar] by kombi

Aug 19, 2011 (1:37 pm)

Replying to: easypar (Jul 08, 2011 4:17 pm)
Is that with the Manual or the CVT?

#123 of 130 Re: 2011 Legacy 2.5 MPG [timadams] by almatti

Aug 30, 2011 (8:48 am)

Replying to: timadams (Jun 15, 2011 1:47 pm)
timadams, I disagree with your assessment of disappointing MPGs with the 2011 Legacy 2.5i. We have a 2010 2.5i CVT automatic, Premium, and although I haven't seen 33-34 mpg as some have posted even at higher speeds like 75 mph, I ususally consitently see on the car's computer 27.6 -27.8. The car now has 19,000 on the Clock, we bought it as a CPO in Feb 2011 with 7,400 miles it. And noticed that she settled in at that mpg level with 40% suburban/City and 60% Highway (with some traffic- NYC Metro area ) since we bought it. My 25 year son drives the car 95% of the time, and I know He's not practicing any "mileing techniques" [coasting, keep at 55MPH,no hard takeoffs] so compared to the 08.5 Mazda 3 s that we traded in, which would get overall average in similar driving conditions of 22-23mpg, The Subbie is Larger, it has AWD, a much better City riding car, than the Mazda, albeit, the Mazda does have sports car class type handling that the Subbie can't match, but we Love the Subbie much more than the Mazda - much more car for the money IMO...and overall very content with the mpgs. It's too bad that when we bought it that they didn't have a Limited on hand.

#124 of 130 Re: 2011 Legacy 2.5 MPG [almatti] by timadams

Aug 31, 2011 (5:03 am)

Replying to: almatti (Aug 30, 2011 8:48 am)
If you're getting 27 MPG with 40/60 city/highway, you're doing about like I am. I get better than 30 MPG all highway, but when I add in suburban/country driving, it drops considerably.
 
My MPG is much better this summer than last winter, which may be due to some combination of a) better efficiency in warmer temps; b) summer gasoline and c) more miles on the car. We'll see how it does this winter. Disappointment is too strong a word as of now, but last winter I was getting only 23-25 MPG with the same 30/70 country/highway driving. We'll see if it is better this winter with more miles on the car.
 
I really believe the winter gasoline was horrible last winter, as everyone I talked to complained about poor fuel mileage, as in substantially worse than during previous winters.

#125 of 130 Re: 2011 Legacy 2.5 MPG [timadams] by xwesx

Aug 31, 2011 (10:11 am)

Replying to: timadams (Aug 31, 2011 5:03 am)
Winter blends are killers on economy, as are the cold temperatures themselves. This is especially true for Subaru vehicles due to the extra differentials. Fuel economy on our Forester drops from about 27 combined during the summer to around 20 in the winter. Even during open highway driving, we won't break 25-26.

#126 of 130 Re: 2011 Legacy 2.5 MPG [xwesx] by timadams

Aug 31, 2011 (11:33 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Aug 31, 2011 10:11 am)
I suppose that makes sense about the two differentials and extra friction in an AWD system being more pronounced in cold temps. I know my MPG always went down in winter, but not to the extent as last year (in my Subaru and other vehicles). The MPG drop was significantly greater than usual last winter.

#128 of 130 Re: 2011 Legacy 2.5 MPG [timadams] by xwesx

Aug 31, 2011 (1:21 pm)

Replying to: timadams (Aug 31, 2011 11:33 am)
If the winter was not harsher, then it is highly likely that there was a new blend being used. In what part of the country do you live? If winter temps are significantly cold (less than +20F on a regular basis), you can improve winter economy by switching out the stock gear oil with a synthetic 75w-90. Replacing the power steering fluid with a synthetic can also help.

#129 of 130 2010 Outback = 29 MPG on the cheapest gas! by boxerpluscvt

May 04, 2012 (4:49 pm)

My 2010 Subaru Outback (4 Cyl AWD CVT) has been averaging 29.2 MPG for the last 9 weeks / 3,500 miles. This has been in 50 - 70 degree Spring weather with 80% - 85% highway driving through three northern NJ counties and one trip to midtown Manhattan.
I don't rely on the built-in computer for this data. I run out each tankful of the cheapest "no name" Regular gas and zero the trip odometer each time. I'm writing this entry after getting 31.16 MPG - 561 miles on 18 gallons of Delta Regular.
By the way, after these 561 miles the MPG mid-dashboard computer said I had averaged "33.0" miles per gallon for this tank of gas. Having tracked dozens of tankfuls, the Outback's MPG computer makes sense only if you subtract 6% from its number. ("33.0" x .94 = 31, the actual mileage I was getting.) For the Outback owners out there, after filling the tank the Range computer displayed 620 miles which computes to 33.5 mpg. (Maybe one of you wants to attempt that?)
I drove as conservatively as possible to get my 31 mpg. I also run on Mobil 1 Synthetic oil and had the emissions software update that came out last year. Though some bloggers said the update hurt fuel efficiency, it has had no effect on mine.
I've had some great cars in my life - at least a dozen - and this one is my favorite. I test-drove all the small SUVs and wagons - from Cayenne to TSX - and I made the right choice buying the Outback. At 35,000 miles it's been a pleasure to own and drive.

Messages Page 14 of 14

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