How many gallons does the 2012 Subaru Forester 2.5X hold?

dalon

I just bought a 2012 Subaru Forester 2.5X about 3 1/2 weeks ago and was interested to see how the fuel mileage would work. Knowing that it is colder and a newer car, the fuel mileage will initially be so-so. Initially, I thought it was 16-17 gallons in the fuel tank.

So, I left the tank nearly empty(below the 1/4 line, so there was probably about 15% left in the tank). So, I thought it would be well above $50, probably in the $55-$57 dollar range at $3.62 per gallon.

I ended up pumping only 12.2 or close to 12.3 gallons of gas and spent only $44 at $3.62 per gallon. This would lead me to believe that there is around 13 gallons or less in my fuel tank. I ended up getting 19 miles per gallon after I calculated how many miles I had driven divided by the amount of gallons I pumped.

Is this some kind of illusion or is this true?

aatherton

The fuel capacity of the 2012 Forester according to your Owners Manual and this site is 16.9 US gals:
http://www.cars101.com/subaru/forester/forester2012.html#dimensions

xwesx

The amount you pumped sounds about right. If you let it get to 1/8 of a tank, the low fuel light should come on, and at that point you'd likely pump close to 14.0 gallons. If you were under a quarter but no light yet, 12.3 is about right. I find that the gauge drops quicker over the first half tank than second. In other words, if you fill up when the gauge is showing a half-tank, you'll probably put 6-7 gallons in it, not 8.5.

I live in a very cold climate (Fairbanks, AK),and fuel economy can be as low as 18 mpg during cold snaps (-20F and lower), and has high as 25 mpg when hovering around freezing. Total average over 36,000 miles is 23.6 (this is for a 2010 with manual transmission), and I don't baby it.

ateixeira

A while ago I had read that the low fuel light goes on when there are 2.3 gallons remaining in the tank, but that was an earlier Forester. That should give you an idea, though.

You don't want to run out of gas because the liquid itself cools the fuel pump.

dalon

Yea, that's what I thought, 16 or 17 gallons but compared to what I pumped, that makes no sense.

For example, I had an old Ford Windstar and if I left it around 1/4 full, I usually pumped around $51-$53 with these high gas prices. So, I would've expected similar results with the Forester.

But, that did not happen.

Something tells me that whatever the owners manual says is not exactly true. I will fill it up when I get to 3/4 of a full tank in the next day or two and see how many gallons I pump, then multiply that by 4 to determine the amount of gallons that the car approximately takes.

tinycadon

Just wait till the needle hits E then fill up, whatever the amount of gas you put in is the "useable" size of the tank. No car can use the full amount that the manufacturer claims.

xwesx

That sounds about right. dalon, if you fill at 3/4 of a tank, you'll likely put near 11 gallons in it. Strictly running the numbers, you might expect closer to 12.5, but that won't be the case. As I stated before, the gauge does not drop in a linear fashion. When the gauge shows half, you'll still have more than half of your tank's total capacity on board.

aatherton

"... Something tells me that whatever the owners manual says is not exactly true. I will fill it up when I get to 3/4 of a full tank in the next day or two and see how many gallons I pump, then multiply that by 4 to determine the amount of gallons that the car approximately takes."

As for filling up at the 3/4 mark and multiplying by 4, I do that, too, often going 150 miles to the 3/4 mark cruising steadily at 60 mph. From fill ups after 300 miles, I know that 150 miles at the 3/4 mark means that my Forester is getting 30 mpg.

Therefore 150 miles has used 5 gallons. Since the tank reads 3/4 at that point, I multiply by 4 like you, and that determines that my Forester holds 20 gallons. Which is a lot more than the Owners Manual says.

But, as someone pointed out, the gauge is far from linear, and 3/4 is far from 3/4.

xwesx

Oh, sorry, I said 3/4 of a tank and meant 3/4 of a tank used, so the gauge would be at the 1/4 mark.

p0926

Something tells me that whatever the owners manual says is not exactly true

And why exactly would the manufacturer list a false number :confuse:

I can assure you that the capacity listed is correct. I can also assure you that the gas guage is far from linear. I can go 200 miles and the gauge is still at the halfway mark but the low fuel light will come on before I hit 300 miles.

I've also gotten to within a 1/2 gallon of running out in my Forester (listed capacity minus gallons pumped) and you could tell is was starting to run on fumes. BTW, this is not a recommended practice for most people

Frank P.

ateixeira

And why exactly ...

Incompetence!

Seriously, automakers make mistakes all the time in brochures. Toyota lists 2 different figures for my Sienna.

Welcome back, Frank! Long time no see!

saedave

Seriously, automakers make mistakes all the time in brochures. Toyota lists 2 different figures for my Sienna.

And they also make running changes and may or may not document them.