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Subaru Impreza Real World MPG Numbers

157 messages,  Last post on May 08, 2013 at 8:26 AM

You are in the Subaru Impreza Forum.

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

Messages Page 16 of 16

#148 of 157 Re: latest fuel economy has improved slightly [nippononly] by sgoldste01

Aug 08, 2012 (6:10 am)

Replying to: nippononly (Aug 07, 2012 8:53 pm)
I have a 2012 Impreza Sport Premium with 3k miles on it. It has no rattles yet (knock on wood).
 
The seat does creak when I get out of the car, but other than that, it's tight!

#149 of 157 Re: latest fuel economy has improved slightly [tinycadon] by ateixeira

Aug 09, 2012 (11:18 am)

Replying to: tinycadon (Aug 07, 2012 2:28 pm)
I felt the same way after a test drive.
 
I liked it more than the Mazda CX5 and Mazda3 2.5l we drove back-to-back-to-back.
 
Give the CVT a chance. I was pleasantly surprised.

#150 of 157 Re: Seeing an increase in mileage [galabar] by runnerdog

Feb 11, 2013 (12:37 pm)

Replying to: galabar (Jul 02, 2012 6:52 pm)
How many miles did you have on your 2012 Impreza when the mileage started to get better. I'm pretty unhappy with mine about now as the owner's manual indicated MPG would begin to approach the advertised MPG around 3,000 miles. It's there and I've seen no improvement, so I talked with the service people about it. They plugged it in, said everything is working exactly as it should, and that I should start to see some improvement by the time it hits 18,000 miles. That's just unacceptable. Is this REALLY normal for a Subaru, as the dealership is telling me? And if it is, shouldn't this be stated somewhere in the advertising that touts the (supposedly) great gas mileage these cars are supposed to get?

#151 of 157 Re: Seeing an increase in mileage [runnerdog] by sgoldste01

Feb 11, 2013 (1:03 pm)

Replying to: runnerdog (Feb 11, 2013 12:37 pm)
The dealer should have told you to see how your MPGs are this upcoming summer. Here are some factors that might be working against you right now:
  • Winter gas doesn't store as much energy as summer gas because of the winter additives, so your car consumes more winter gas.

  • Your car runs less efficiently when the engine is cold, and it takes more time for the engine to warm up when it's cold outside. Many short trips exasperate this problem.

  • Both of the Defrost modes on your climate control knob make use of the air conditioning compressor (even though the A/C light doesn't turn on). If you commonly drive in the winter time in one of the Defrost modes, then that will wack a couple of MPGs off of your calculation. Try driving without using one of the Defrost modes whenever possible.

  • In many areas of the country, the supplied gas is E10 (10% ethanol). This causes approximately a 10% reduction in MPGs when compared to E0 gas. If you can find a gas station that sells E0, give it a try. You can bet that Subaru was running E0 when they did their EPA tests.

 
Hope this helps.

#152 of 157 Re: Seeing an increase in mileage [sgoldste01] by kading

Feb 11, 2013 (2:06 pm)

Replying to: sgoldste01 (Feb 11, 2013 1:03 pm)
(new to this forum)
 
I researched on Consumer Reports and other sources before I bought my 2013 Impreza Sport Premium wagon in December so I knew that 26mpg was a more realistic number than the "ideal" 36mpg hway in the Subaru promotional literature.
 
I drive 60mi round trip work/home daily which is about 70% slow traffic/30% highway (NYC and suburbs). I can't say I'm thrilled that I'm averaging only 24.5mpg but I am already saving an average of 5gals/wk over the Toyota Sienna minivan that this car replaced. That's $850 annually assuming an avg of $3.40/gal by 50 weeks.
 
I also drove to Toronto and back two weeks ago and I averaged 27mpg on that mostly highway but very hilly route through upstate NY.
 
Also, don't forget that this is an extremely fun car to drive which, when coupled with my $$$ savings, is a win-win in my book. I drove home in the driving snow from the blizzard called "Nemo" last Friday night and it ate up the slippery mess on the Palisades Pkwy with no problems.
 
Ownership 6 weeks
Total mileage 4125.3
Total gallons fuel 179.87
Total fuel cost $519.00
Avg cost per gallon $3.408
Avg mileage per gallon 24.584
Avg # gallons per fill-up 12.63
Avg # of days between fill-ups 3.77
Avg # of miles between fill-ups 313.95
# of fill-ups 16
 
Looking forward to the warmer months if it is true that the summer blend gas will net me more mpg.
 
Hope this is helpful to others.

#153 of 157 Re: Seeing an increase in mileage [kading] by xwesx

Feb 11, 2013 (5:47 pm)

Replying to: kading (Feb 11, 2013 2:06 pm)
It looks like you're taking a realistic approach to the mileage expectations. Note also that the 36 rating is pure highway. In that sense, I would expect that your real world experience for pure highway should be much higher than 26 unless you have exterior drag (roof rack, etc) that will knock that down.
 
For winter driving, extra friction such as wind, slush, water, or snow on the road can have a dramatic impact on fuel economy.
 
As an example, I drove my Fiesta from Fairbanks to Palmer (330 miles one way) and back this weekend. Prior to the trip, I have averaged around 30 mpg mixed local driving since the weather cooled down a few months ago. Prior to that, it was about 36. For this trip, I was hoping for 36-37.
 
On the way down, the weather was pretty calm, with only a short distance of head wind, and about 80 miles of moderate snow with an inch or two on the road surface. I thought that would hit my fuel economy pretty hard, but I still managed 39 mpg on the trip down. On the way home, however, everything else being equal, I only managed a little over 37 due to warm temperatures (32-36F) that caused the ice pack on the road to break up over a distance of more than 100 miles.
 
Speeds were mostly ~60-70 mph both directions, with some bouts of slower speeds due to conditions.
 
I expect the same trip during summer months to exceed 40 mpg, assuming I can ever make such a trip solo in the summer!
 
So, depending on what conditions you hit, you could have lost several miles per gallon just overcoming the environmental obstacles.

#154 of 157 Re: Seeing an increase in mileage [xwesx] by kading

Feb 11, 2013 (6:15 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Feb 11, 2013 5:47 pm)
Yes, from where I'm standing now, there's probably no way to go but (incrementally) up in terms of mpg, that is unless my NYC commute gets worse than it already is!
 
The only other thing that would probably help improve things a bit will be to learn and use some reasonable hypermiling techniques.

#155 of 157 Re: Seeing an increase in mileage [xwesx] by tinycadon

Feb 12, 2013 (7:20 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Feb 11, 2013 5:47 pm)
Another thing people forget about in MPG reduction is interior weight. How much you weigh, your passenger/s and any cargo, these all add to a reduction in MPGs, especially in a small 4cyl engine, it has to work harder to move, even at HWY speeds.

#156 of 157 Re: Seeing an increase in mileage [tinycadon] by kading

Feb 12, 2013 (10:43 am)

Replying to: tinycadon (Feb 12, 2013 7:20 am)
Aha, another good incentive to lose the 20-30lbs I've been needing to drop! Who knew buying a Subaru would lead me to better health!?! My doctor will be happy.

#157 of 157 Re: Seeing an increase in mileage [sgoldste01] by riko2

May 08, 2013 (8:26 am)

Replying to: sgoldste01 (Feb 11, 2013 1:03 pm)
Why don't you get a Prius next time? I have had mine for two years now and driven 41K miles. Best car I have ever owned and absolutely, problem free. My best gas mileage on a 250 mile trip was 53.8 mpg. Overall mileage including hard city driving is still over 45 mpg without even trying. One of best things about the car is the factory bumper to bumper 125K/6year warranty which was an option when I bought the car new.

Messages Page 16 of 16

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