Subaru Impreza Real World MPG Numbers

PF_Flyer

Report your real world mileage performance here.

rsholland

So far I'm getting:

Stop-and-go: 21.5 mph

Highway (~ 70 – 75 mph average to NC and back): 25 – 26 mpg

Bob

ateixeira

That's great for a green engine. Of course you're keeping it under 4000rpm, right?

-juice

rsholland

Yes, under 4K, with only a couple of quick bursts to redline in gears 1–3.

Bob

ateixeira

OK, I'm getting jealous, tell me about the road noise issue again?

-juice

rsholland

He he. I'll have to swing by your place so you can get a quick "fix."

Bob

andmoon

Finally did it. 404.5 miles and filled w/ 15.4 gallons. Spent the last tankful in my wrx wagon (Cobb stage 2) driving w/ a speed limit of 70 mph and max revs of 3200 rpm.
Now that I know it can be done i will be back to enjoying my wrx and filling every 300 miles or so.
I drive a used cooking oil burning diesel to work and keep the wagon for 'fun' drives.

ateixeira

I've done it once in my Forester, pretty cool feeling. Though I was running on fumes!

-juice

dstew1

15.4 gallons? Wow. Was it sputtering?

A few days ago I coasted my FXT into the gas station and put 15.1 gallons in. The last two miles of driving, it almost died on me more times than I care to count, what with the few cupfulls of gas sloshing around in the bottom of the tank.

ateixeira

Capacity is 15.9 gallons, but who knows how much of that is useable. I'm sure the last couple of gallons are sloshing around, so hope you don't get air in the fuel lines, that can burn out the fuel pump.

The low fuel light does on with 2.3 gallons left for that reason.

-juice

andmoon

yes it was sputtering

dstew1

I doubt that the top half gallon or so of the tank is useable space.

So, given I was sputtering, how would I know if I got air in the fuel lines, and how much does it take to burn out the fuel pump?

Doug

andmoon

The sputtering is the air.
If your fuel pump still works and isn't making unusual noises, I wouldn't worry about it.
Aftermarket pumps that fit the wrx are plentiful and not too costly.

Now how about 1600 miles for single fill range?

ateixeira

If you wanna test it, just turn the key to the On position, but don't start it. You'll hear a "whirr". Subaru fuel pumps are easily audible. See if it sounds healthy to you. Usually it either works, or it doesn't, though.

-juice

aarbee

I am thinking of buying an older Impreza for better fuel economy. I would have thought that the 2.2l Impreza would have better gas mileage than the 2.5l. However the government fuel economy numbers (5spd, highway) show almost no difference in mpg between these two cars. Does this make sense? Does this correspond to your own experience? How many mpg do you get in your 2.5l/2.2l Impreza?

Thanks a lot for your help.

RB
1999 Impreza 2.2l (30mpg) http://www.cars101.com/impreza_archive99_01.html#99 impreza
2005 Impreza 2.5l (29mpg) http://www.cars101.com/subaru/impreza/impreza2006.html#std features

ateixeira

I'd expect the 2.2l to do slightly better, but a much more important factor is that the EJ22 from that year is far and above more reliable than the EJ25.

Go for the 2.2l all the way, when taken care of they last forever and are bullet proof. A friend of my brother is doing driver's Ed in a 2.2l with 220k miles, and think about it, DRIVER'S ED! Those cars are abused by novice 16 year olds that don't know how to drive!

-juice

aarbee

ateixeira,

thank for your reply. Any mpg numbers from current owners of 2.2l Imprezas?

Thanks.
Ritwik

anythngbutgm

Is the 2.5 unreliable? I am looking to buy a brand new 2.5i wagon this weekend and would appreciate any feedback from the Subaru Crew.

Thanks

ateixeira

Those has issues with the head gaskets.

Of course if they haven't failed in 8 years they probably never will. Check for oil stains on the bottom of the block.

-juice

kyfdx

5 tanks so far...

26.1 mpg -- low
28.2 mpg -- high

kyfdx

29.5 mpg..

tinycadon

What was your speed and distance?

kyfdx

Suburban commuting....

21 miles each way to work.... 30 minute drive... 17-18 miles of suburban/urban freeway and the rest is 25 mph roads.. Plus weekend errand running...

402 miles on that tankful...

kyfdx

Gee.. this discussion has become my own personal blog..

Last tank was 31 mpg.. Almost all commuting.. I attribute the increase to my wife being on crutches.. Easier for her to get in and out of her SUV, so less errand running for the Impreza.

nippononly

was 13.7 gallons, 390 miles, looks like 28.5 mpg on my calculator. Better than expected, and I am hoping as I get more used to it I can improve that.

The fuel light was already on, so I guess that is a very healthy remainder when the warning light hits, something like 2.5 gallons.

Mine is a 2009 OBS 5-speed.

xwesx

The fuel lights on my Outbacks were very consistent. They came on with ~13.5 gallons used. Unless there was a need to fill prior to seeing the light, I did not do it. Both my Caravan and Escort are not nearly so reliable; I tend to fill them up at a quarter tank just because I am never sure how much fuel actually remains.

28.5 is great for a first tank! I think that is actually about the same as our first tank on our '08 Outback. But, most of that tank was my wife driving I-5 from Seattle to Salem at 65 mph. So, it was steady, mostly flat highway miles, and very little weight in the car. The trip computer read 33 mpg when we arrived in Salem, but, after loading the car and putting on another 50 or so miles, we were down to 29ish on the computer by fill-up.

nippononly

I like that the gauge also seems very reliable. It doesn't stay on full for the first 100 miles, then drop like a rock down to the last quarter tank, than have 3 gallons left below the 'E' line, as my Toyotas do.

Half a tank remaining really is half a tank, 1/8 (when the fuel light comes on) really is 1/8, etc.

ateixeira

The low-fuel warning used to come on with 2.3 gallons left, per Subaru, on my 1998 with the 15.9 gallon tank.

I wouldn't assume it's 3 gallons, though.

Both now have 16.9 gallon tanks. Funny thing is all Subaru's have the same fuel capacity, from the Impreze 2.5i all the way up to the Tribeca 3.6 H6!

nippononly

Are you sure? The owner's manual says 15.9 gallons for my car.

Which would jibe with the fuel light coming on at 13.3 gallons consumed, as it has been.

Oh, and the "3 gallon" reference was to my old Toyota, not to the new car. :-)

ateixeira

The Forester's tank grew, to be honest I'm not sure about the Impreza. Anyone know for sure? It might be in the owner's manual under capacities.

nippononly

My tank is 15.9 gallons, checked the manual again.

And I refilled it last night, 14.0 gallons, 385 miles, for a lower average than last time, 27.5 mpg.

The trip computer on the dash is about 1 mpg too optimistic.

I will be working on getting my averages to 30.....

kyfdx

My mpg gauge tends to be 1-1.5 mpg optimistic...

Filled up today... gauge read 30.6, with actual being 29.8..

I think the warmer weather, but not so warm that I use the A/C, is resulting in the good numbers... ..

nippononly

So did you notice that your mileage rose a bit after the first few thousand miles?

kyfdx

Not necessarily..

I think it seems more seasonal.. and being more cognizant of the mpg gauge.. :P

nippononly

Well in that case I am just going to have to try harder. Most of the time my gauge ran 28.5-29.1, and that resulted in 27.5 mpg, so I need that thing to read 31! Must. Drive. More. Slowly. :-P

kyfdx

Try driving down big hills! (then push it back up.. :surprise: )

ateixeira

Go to Pikes Peak and only measure on the way back.

nippononly

Filled up tonight, 3rd fill so far (second if I exclude the suspect dealer fill when new ;-)), 348 miles, 12.9 gallons, 27 mpg right on the nose. I want it higher! I guess I need to slow down even more. Not yet though, I'm enjoying the new ride too much right now! :-)

Once again the trip computer on the dash was optimistic, read 28.2 when I filled up.

kyfdx

29.5 on my last tank..

I give lessons... for a fee..

nippononly

Is most of your driving suburban? Or is it mostly highway? Me, I'm suburban. I felt confident of pulling 29-30 mpg when I bought this thing, based on my experiences in other cars. The '97 OBS I had in the past pulled better mpgs than I am getting in the new one so far.

xwesx

I felt the same way about my '07 Outback. I kept pulling 27s, quite consistently, but really hoped for a couple more miles per gallon. My friend with the '08 Impreza manual got 31.5 on his last tank, primarily "suburban" driving. He tends to get a solid 30 most tanks during the summer, except when they have heavy city driving (which is rare). He and his wife split the driving about 50/50.

You can do it!!

kyfdx

I would characterize it as suburban/highway...

I have a 21 mile commute each way... About 17-18 miles of it is urban/suburban interstate.. I'm mostly going opposite the major traffic flow, but still come to a standstill at a couple spots..

Don't really have any true highway driving to speak of... and.. when I do, I actually get worse mileage! I think that's because my highway speed on a trip is generally 72-78 mph, and the speed limit on the section of interstate that I drive to work is 55 mph, which generally keeps me around 60-68 mph for most of the trip to work..

You can see a definite improvement if you can keep it to 65 mph or less..

Maybe all that plastic cladding is causing drag..

Also... are your tires 205/50-17 or 225/45-17? Mine are 205/55-16.. if yours are wider, you'll have more friction/drag and frontal area to overcome..

nippononly

it's just a matter of shaking my habits from the Matrix, in which I had to rev like crazy to get any power. The Sube 2.5 has lots of power down low, so if I short-shift it at 2500 rpm or so I should see an improvement, and really why do I want to go shooting around the suburbs anyway? There's always another red light not too far off.

If xwesx can pull 27 mpg in an Outback, which is higher and 200-300 pounds heavier, I HAVE to be able to get to 30 mpg if I try.

I find myself at 4000 rpm very regularly, which I am sure is why 27 mpg is all I have been achieving.

kyfdx: my tires are 205/50-17s, not the wider tires that the WRX gets. I shouldn't have a lot more rolling resistance than you do.

xwesx

That's probably it. I was never all that sedate, per se, when driving my manual Outback, but it was a rare that I ever hit 4K on the tach. I tend to start from lights casually then stretch out a bit at speed.

Right now, after replacing my ball joints (steering is much more stable now!), I am experimenting a bit with the fuel economy on my Escort. I have averaged about 33 mpg this last month of driving. However, on this current tank subject to the experimentation, I suspect I am running (very) high 30's. I am getting such good economy, in fact, I likely will not refuel until Friday when I get ready to leave town. I usually fill the car every Monday morning with about 3/16 of a tank according to the gauge, but the last time I filled it was on 5/25 and I still have 3/8 of a tank.

ateixeira

Set your cruise at a speed around 55-60, with little traffic, and zero out one of the odometers. I've hit 33+ mpg that way on our Forester, though that's with the advantage of a rolling start.

Best trip, with no rolling start, was just over 30mpg. Had to keep speeds way down, though, it drops past 60mph.

xwesx

I usually fill the car every Monday morning with about 3/16 of a tank according to the gauge, but the last time I filled it was on 5/25 and I still have 3/8 of a tank.

The car is doing well so far! I am up to 320 miles at 3/16 of a tank... usually I am at 270 to 280 come this point. So, I estimate I am at around 37.5 mpg, about 4-5 mpg above average for a commute/town only tank.

nippononly

Got my first 30 mpg tank, 370 miles, 12.4 gallons, 29.839 mpg technically, but I'm going to call it 30, so there! :-P

I have begun almost short shifting it around town when I am not in a hurry - you can be in 3rd gear at 25 mph quite comfortably, and in 5th at 45 if you're just moseying around. I am also realizing that when you do want to accelerate quickly, the gears are closely-enough spaced and the engine strong enough at 2500 rpm that one doesn't really need to rev it to 4000 and beyond (as fun as that can be!). It's really a very versatile engine.

So I don't know what my next goal will be - I guess I will shoot for a few tanks in a row at 30, and then head for 31! :-)

('09 Impreza Outback 5-speed)

kyfdx

That's great!

I filled up yesterday.. 30.5 mpg on that tank... (looks like you have some more work to do.. ).

We've got plenty of hills around here.... I do a lot of coasting... lol..

xwesx

hahahah.... way to help him keep his accomplishment in perspective! :P

I ended up at 36.3 on that tank I was tracking earlier, but that was a little better than the all-highway tanks on a recent trip to Palmer and back. So, I suppose I was better than it *could* have been.

nippononly

And there I was all proud of myself and stuff! :-P

ateixeira

Sweet.