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Comments
In CR this month they test a Legacy 2.5i and an Accord, the 177hp model.
Surprisingly, the Legacy used a little less gas, saving about $20/year in fuel costs.
TOTAL: 103.0 gallons for 2839 miles equals 27.56 mpg. Wouldn't be surprised to see it creep to 28+mpg by 20k miles.
City driving, even during breakin, has averaged 22-23 mpg, but my "city" includes a fair bit of freeway at 65-70 mph. YMMV.
The MPG indicator is about 10-15 % low; it read 25.2 mpg for the trip. At first I was pretty disappointed in "mileage" until I realized the trip MPG calculator was off. I assume the computer tries to estimate gallons from injector on time and fuel pressure, etc., so I shouldn't be surprised at 12% error. As always, actual fuel consumed and actual miles driven are the only way to get credible numbers; and trying to estimate mileage from 7 or 8 gallons in 150-200 miles is not very accurate either. If the pump shuts off 1/2 gallon earlier or later, you introduce +/- 1-1.5 mpg error.
It seems the new EPA test protocol (18 city, 24 highway) is pretty hostile to the turbo, as my real-world experience is far better than EPA estimate. I'm quite pleased; our '02 Legacy L wagon with standard engine and MT5 got 28.5 -29 on the same trip two years ago; and our 2000 Honda Accord V6 automatic got about the same (but was boring to drive!). The turbo/stick car gives excellent performance with very little fuel penalty unless you really USE the power.
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WOW! This is the first car since the SHO that makes me smile every time I get in and turn the key. Quiet, smooth, refined, luxurious, quick. Rides so soft you expect it to wallow on turns, but it really corners pretty flat. Plus it goes like stink when you nudge the gas pedal!
27.5 mpg highway ain't too shabby, either, for a car with that much performance. Well done, Subaru!
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host
I've had three tanks over 30 mpg, and three under 15 mpg, so I figure all of those are aberrations that cancel each other out.
I can see a slight trend for better mpg in the winter, likely because it has a black leather interior and 105°F isn't all that unusual here in Boise in high summer.
Most of those miles are interurban, and I'm a pretty relaxed driver usually, at least pulling away from the light.
Steve, visiting host
Mileage should improve as it breaks in.
It's early and I expect improvement down the road but I'm wondering if the trip computer is generally this overly optimistic or there might be some other factor involved.
Robert
Have filled it up three times now, and have calculated that I am averaging only 12.5 to 13 litres per 100k (that's 18.1 to 18.7 miles per gallon). Seems oftly low, especially when moving from my 87 Camry that was yielding me 29 miles to the gallon, even now at 22 years old).
Anyone suffer poor mileage on these? I know they're all-wheel drive, which consumes more, but this seems lower than normal. Will a full tune-up help? The tires are properly inflated.
Thanks,
DA
Toronto, ON
Robert
Thanks for the info on vaccuum system and O2 sensors. Will check it out.
On a similar note, my gas gauge is giving severely faulty readings. From a full tank, I'll get 200k (approx 125 miles) and it will register as only a quarter tank left. I go to fill up, expecting a hefty bill, only to get $18 worth.
Is this my fuel pump? I also get a 'whirring' noise somewhere in the back of the car when accelerating over certain rpms. First I thought it was something to do with the awd system. Now I'm wondering if it's the fuel pump doing strange things.
Any idea what this would cost to repair?
On my 1996 Outback, the fuel gauge would drop much faster from F to 1/2 than on the second "half" of the gauge. I estimate that a fill up at 1/2 on the gauge would result in about 5.5 gallons, whereas 1/2 to E would result in an additional 8 gallons. This is not as drastic as you state, but it may, in part, be due to tank shape, gauge calibration, or..... ?
Actually, it's also at about 45km/h (30mph). I think you're right though. Sounds like something in the drivetrain? Differential?
Mileage isn't exactly horrible, so I'll forgo any work now and will wait till spring.
Terrible.
Tires are balanced and inflated properly.
Maybe it's the cold weather, but wow, at that mixture of highway/city driving, my old 22 year old junk box of a Camry would yeild me double that mileage. I'm not kidding.
I know I've moved up to all-wheel drive, and a much heavier car and bigger 4cylinder engine, but I do believe even for the Subaru that something's wrong.
Wires, plugs etc were replaced a year ago by previous owner.
Any ideas? What are others getting out of their 97's? Maybe I should just take the thing to a Subaru dealer. I'm scared of getting screwed over in repairs that will get me little gains in mileage.
I guess I'll take it to a subaru dealer. :S
I understand it's a HEAVY car for a 4cyl. engine, and 12 years old, AND awd, but from the couple reports from others I've seen, my mileage seems poor.
I've used fuel injector cleaners and have used gold (Shell 91 octane) gas to see if things improved, and they have, as I was near 14L/100k before (16.8 mpg US), but still not good in my estimation. I'm delaying looking at the O2 sensor or PCV valve cause I'm not sure what those repairs would cost.
(Oh. And I would estimate this this is 70% highway and 30% city useage <rarely travelling over 105kph {65mph} ).
you seem to know your stuff.
You recommend a Subaru dealer, or should any decent mechanic be able to identify and replace whatever is needed?
I'll be taking it in once the weather starts warming up a bit (and my wallet is a little more full
According to the trip meter, which I reset after a short warm-up, the mileage averaged around 17.5-18 MPG. Both test drives were around 10 miles long, with the Normal (Sport) setting on the SI-Drive. Both test drives were about half highway and half local traffic.
I personally would not recommend the 3.0.
When considering how much money to throw at this problem, take a look at your driving, estimated fuel economy if running well, and mileage, then compare that to what you currently pay, and consider the difference between the two. Also consider that if the car is running more efficient, the engine will likely last you longer.
HTH
Robert
28+ is sweet given the size of the vehicle. Never mind that it's AWD.
I also have a 2003 VDC Outback wagon (3.0 engine) that gets 19/26 dead on.
Kinda makes me wonder why I didn't go for the 3.0 R.
I have no complaints about the 2.5, except you can hear the engine a bit more. I just expected better mpg.
Do you reset the display after filling with gas?
She does mixed driving, mostly around town. Our record is 33mpg on the highway but we usually see around 30.
I do reset the trip computer for each tank, actually that's how our Subaru is - each trip computer has it's own average.
My Sienna is different - you have to manually reset the trip computer, and it's just one average.
My Miata doesn't have one, that feature was new for 2009 and I have a 2008 model, so I just divide the miles driven by the actual gallons used.
I love it, but it makes a terribly unpractical "only car". I could never do it if I didn't have the van.
I have a 1996 Outback wagon with the 2.2l engine, 5-speed transmission, and quickly approaching 200,000 miles. The last 21,000 miles I have averaged 28.2 MPG.
We also have a 1995 Impreza wagon with the 1.8l engine, auto trans, awd and about 185,000 miles. I don't drive it very often so the records aren't as detailed due to my wife and daughter sharing the care. Teenagers never fill the tank, lol. However, when I do drive it on long trips it averages 1-2 MPG less then the bigger Outback.
Very pleased considering my lead foot.
I always watch my mileage, and last week gave me one of my worst ever, so I was wondering if something has got worse. (O2 sensor?)
Last week I got 13.5km/100l (if you're in the states, it's less than 17.5 miles to the gallon) but that particular week was nearly ALL city stop-and-go driving.
When I do week's with 80% highway, I nearly always hover around 10l/100k - a lot better (23.5).
The specs for the car new were 21mpg city (I'm getting 17) and 26 hwy (23.5). I realize with age mileage will worsen. Since you've changed all those items with no change in results, maybe you've save my pocket book some trouble.
I still like how it runs, but am having some torque issues. Some days I can press on the gas and have almost NO response, and others, it responds but feels gruff and sluggish. Only on Some days does it feel like I would say 'nimble' or 'more like it should'. Also, I've noticed when the AC runs, I hear a 'switching' noise in my dash - somewhere to the left, when the condenser turns on, and each time it does that, the car's torque responds differently (so in a 20 minute trip, I feel like I'm driving 2 cars every 4 minutes - a slow one, and a normal one). I suspect there's a central computer issue. I don't know if they can just replace a mainboard or something.
As for the mileage, I'm content to deal with it. Even if I did all that work and met the companies claimed specs, I'd only save about 8 litres or 8 dollars a week. It'd take me over a year, I figure, to pay off the labour and parts of having those items replaced.
My average week is somewhere around 11l/100k. (about 21.3 mpg).
I've been vigilant about putting in a good fram air filter.
I recently decided to try a synthetic oil to help both my gas mileage, and engine knock that I've been getting. It's helped with neither. (Castrol edge).
On weeks that I put in higher grade gas (91 octane), I get better mileage than weeks where I put in a lower grade (87), but then the trade off is the higher gas price, so there are no savings.
The car seems to like travelling best and runs smoothest at about 95k/hr (about 59 miles an hour). Deviate from this, and it affects mileage.
If I usually drive between 105 and 120 (65 - 74mph), I still usually average somewhere between 19 and 21mpg if I'm doing 70 to 80 % highway driving.