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Subaru Outback 2008 MPG

49 messages,  Last post on Aug 18, 2008 at 7:25 PM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

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

Messages Page 3 of 5

#19 of 49 Re: Subaru Outback 2008 MPG [nukala] by paisan

May 06, 2008 (9:16 pm)

Replying to: nukala (May 06, 2008 8:16 pm)
After reading this thread I did a little experiement on my last tank of gas.
 
I drove it in a more sane manner than I normally drive (being a race car driver I tend to be a bit hard on the pedals) and was able to get 25mpg in mixed city/highway with my 05 Legacy GT Turbo w/5MT wagon. I am also running 235 width tires v. 215s which are stock and these are also heavy heavy tires and rims. With stockers im sure I'd get at least 2mpg higher.
 
-mike

#20 of 49 Re: Subaru Outback 2008 MPG [nukala] by ateixeira

May 07, 2008 (10:47 am)

Replying to: nukala (May 06, 2008 8:16 pm)
Look no further than the post prior to yours. YMMV, as they say. 16.5 to 30+.

#21 of 49 mileage by cptplt

May 11, 2008 (3:29 pm)

my 2.5i ltd gets 25mpg (calculated, it displays 26) on mixed driving, if I go into downtown Chicago and crawl in the traffic its more like 20. haven't really taken out on a long distance freeway drive yet but for the 41 mile one way drive into the Loop on the tollway and back if there is no traffic I can get even higher than 25.

#22 of 49 Hardly woth the change by sequoyah101

May 17, 2008 (1:56 pm)

I wanted to buy an Outback but after reading all this discussion of mileage in the mid teens decided against it. They need another gear, it revs too high at 70 mph.
 
My 04 Dodge Cummins 4WD gets right at 19.7 mpg on my 28 mile commute of mixed rural and freeway driving rain or shine stop and go or not.
 
The change just doesn't make sense even with diesel as high as it is.

#23 of 49 2001 Outback Limited 2.5L H4 by musicmanmu

Jun 05, 2008 (7:09 am)

I've been driving my dad's Subie Outback just to test the waters on it. I have a 130 mile roundtrip commute that is 98% interstate. This week, driving it pretty conservatively (no more than 70 MPH, easy on the steep grades). I got an average of just under 28 MPG. This thing has 125k on it. So as folks say, I guess it depends on a variety of factors, but I have a feeling driving habits play the largest part in MPGs. It's no fun having a light foot, but the times are a'changin'.... and we have to do what we can to make due.

#24 of 49 Re: 2001 Outback Limited 2.5L H4 [musicmanmu] by paisan

Jun 05, 2008 (4:55 pm)

Replying to: musicmanmu (Jun 05, 2008 7:09 am)
Just did a 100 mile drive back from Pocono Raceway at >80mph and yieled 26mpg on my LGT 5MT.
 
-mike

#25 of 49 2007 2.5 base automatic, 34 mpg. by peralta

Jun 05, 2008 (5:47 pm)

This is my wife's car. She averages 21 mpg on day to day drive to work 7mile one way mixed city highway. I drove it from my work place 35 miles one way and got 34 mpg. I made a conscius effort to keep it in fourth gear at all times even at speeds below 40 mph.
 
Subarus are among the most fuel efficient AWD in the market. Much more fuel efficient than CRv's, RAV4, Rogue. The outback is even more silent and relaxed on the highway despite the short gearing. 2450 rpm at 60 mph seems steep but that is the most efficient rpm for a gas engine.

#26 of 49 Re: 2007 2.5 base automatic, 34 mpg. [peralta] by ateixeira

Jun 10, 2008 (8:13 am)

Replying to: peralta (Jun 05, 2008 5:47 pm)
With a 7 mile commute one of the issues is that the engine isn't really operating at full temp for long, so she would do far better if her commute were longer.
 
It takes about 2 miles are so just for the engine to warm up and reach peak efficiency.

#27 of 49 Re: 2001 Outback Limited 2.5L H4 [paisan] by pathtomax

Jun 10, 2008 (7:46 pm)

Replying to: paisan (Jun 05, 2008 4:55 pm)
I have the same 2001 with 120k miles. I just recently had the complete 120k service and have been overly faithful with the recommended services. I just recently got about 21/22 mpg in mixed city/backroad driving. NH does not really have big cities I usually run about 26/27 on with highway driving. Not too bad for a 7 year old car I would think.

#28 of 49 Re: Subaru Outback 2008 MPG [julecat] by pilot1226

Jun 18, 2008 (6:00 pm)

Replying to: julecat (May 04, 2008 3:07 pm)
A lot will depend on your driving style. Certain weeks at a time I drive more... aggressively... both on the highway (NJ GSP/TP) and in the city (Newark, NJ). If I am in a rush and I'm tach'ing at 4.5k-5k RPMs when I shift, I will get noticably lower economy compared to, say, being gentle and shifting between 2.5k-3k RPMs.
 
Another big thing too is inertia. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Rather than accelerating into a red light, a prolonged brake which slows you from 50mph to say 20mph, then have it turn green and reaccelerating is better than 50mph to 0, waiting 10 seconds, then reaccelerating back again.
 
Another thing - highway speeds deteriorate due to parasitic drag (roofracks, too) which also includes the skin of the automobile (wash your car more often, wax it.) etc. This parasitic drag increases with speed exponentially - just like on an airplane (I'm a pilot, had to study this crap) - and you'll really notice beyond 55mph you start getting around a 10% loss in fuel every 10 mph you go - maybe more, if you have accessories like A/C running.
 
I noticed on a trip from NJ to FL, I had amazing mileage through NJ, MD, and DE where the speed limits are lower - 55 mph in some parts - compared to VA, SC, NC where the speed limits are 70. It made the difference between 450 miles per tank (11.9 gal tank on my Civic) and 350.
 
Keep in mind that your sticker rating on the side of your car is based on a highway speed test at 55mph for the highway rating. If you have a lead foot, like my wife, then you really may want to consciously try slowing it down - just 5 mph or 10 mph for a week - and see if there's a difference.
 
Typically, on my average commute of 10 miles, with an average speed limit of 55, it takes me about 20 minutes. Going 5mph faster would only get me there about a minute or two faster, but I don't feel like getting pulled over by the cops that wait in the bushes (they're in the same spot every day, haha!)
 
Ethanol does NOT have as much bang for the buck compared to gasoline, and by that, I mean energy measured in joules per given volume of liquid. In addition, lower octane fuel doesn't give as much energy per joule compared to plus or premium.
 
I'm not recommending you go and buy plus or premium unless you do some quick math to find if the extra mileage you're getting (say 50 more miles to a tank with premium, but you're spending an extra 10 bucks at the pump), is worth it.
 
So, if it's 25 cents more per gallon to run premium, and you get 15 gallons, thats 3.75 more for premium gas.
 
That's a little under what a gallon of regular goes for around these parts in NJ, so you'd have to figure you'd need to get at least 25ish miles per tank in order to justify paying the initial premium.
 
This takes a little investigation on your part, but you may want to look into it. I found by running Plus Test (91) in my tank, it costs me an extra 1.00 or so at the pump when I fill up, but I end up walking away with another 50 miles. That makes up for the extra gallon and a half of regular I'd need for my Civic - so I've started filling it with Plus.
 
I knew math would come in handy some day.

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