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Wow, 60 MPH, the engine must only be turning about 1750-1800.
I've done some trips in my wife's 04 Lexus RX330 and kept it below 65 and gotten above 30.
You're right about the aerodynamics, I swear the new Outback is the size of her Lexus.
I like that color too.
I've done two classic SF to LA trips on I5 in CA with the same load. The first trip we got an average of 27mpg doing 70-75mph the whole way thats both directions!
The second trip in order to avoid being tail gated - and the agressive drivers I set the cruise at 80mph and we got a rock solid 26.5mpg that happened to be both directions also same load.
Running north to Eugene Oregon we got a solid 28mpg there and 29mpg on the way back. Around town very flat - very limited traffic suburb type driving a solid 24mpg consistantly. In SF 21-22mpg solid. Towing our boat - 20-23mpg with no head wind 60-65mph with head wind its been as bad as 17mpg.
Only time we posted 30mpg for any distance was with nearly zero hills - traffic - cruise control set at 70mph and a very light on the throttle freeway approach. Yes you can get 30+mpg but your normal every day driver will never see that.
Actually I did recently get less than 30 on ONE tankful. Driving to Austin last week my wife got the gas while I hit the restroom on one stop. I got behind the wheel leaving the station and I noticed the needle wasn't all the way up. She calculated the mileage at 37 MPG. Uh, oh. The car had been on a slight angle and she pulled the nozzle when it cut off. At the next fill up it registered below 30.
The two tanks we drove back on got 31.5 and 32.4, about what we've averaged (highway) for the 14K miles we've put on the car.
Overall very pleased with this unit. Not sure why watkinst can't get above 30 MPG on the I5.
easypar
My last car only had about a 4-5 MPG swing between my everyday driving and highway driving. The Legacy seems to have a 7 or even 8 MPG swing. That seems to be the case with many new cars, which are designed to loaf on the highway for boosted highway mileage.
Very please with the numbers on this car. Makes my wife's RX330 (which we liked the mpg on) seem like a gas hog!
I travelled from Northern NJ to Virginia just outside of Washington DC last summer. I used my cruise control just about all the way averaging speeds of 65 -70 MPH. I also used the AC on and off just to cool off. I made it there, parked in a garage and back on a full tank of gas 36 MPG @ 575 miles with 60 mile to go so that was over 600 miles total. I get an average of 33 PMG on my way to work with about 90% highway.
Had about 525 miles on my tank before the light came on and filled it up. I have noticed a pretty big difference (as expected) if you stay closer to 55-65 rather than driving a lot faster than that. Trip computer seems to suggest that I could exceed 600 miles range if I drove highway at 55mph.
The computer also suggests that I break 30MPG highway, which is a few MPG higher than the window sticker suggests.
I fill the tank to the brim every time, so I know my calculations are correct. One of these days I will run out of luck, on three occasions I have put 18.7 plus gallons in, once I even squeezed 19 gallons (take supposed to be 18.5 gallons.
Also when you have approx 100 miles to go, seems like the minuted it drops down to 80 or 70 miles to go, that's when the idiot light comes on. But, don't plan on going 70 or 80 miles further as that number is optomistic.
More importantly, many Subie strong holds follow CARB: CT, ME, MA, VT, NY, RI, OR, WA all follow CARB.
That's the best and worst states for them, FWIW.
Those states include:
Arizona (2012 model year), Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.
Why would Suburu offer a vehicle that can't be sold in a vast market?
Also, dealers in states like NH sell pretty much only CARB rated vehicles because they don't want to lose sales to border dwellers in the CARB states that surround them. I'm sure northern VA dealers are the same way.
They still offer the Tribeca. :confuse:
I'm all for "clean cars." At some point, however, one has to recognize that there is a certain level of demonization occurring when it comes to diesel fuel, regardless of the fact that vastly better fuel economy can be achieved from a diesel engine with all other things being equal.
We can cut off our nose to spite our face, but that sure makes it difficult to tell when something stinks.... And, I'm not talking about diesel fumes! :P
AFAIK, other than new model rollouts, no manufacturer is selling particular engine models in only specific states. It's an all or nothing propostition. Further, I believe a new engine/model combination would require complete EPA and NHTSA testing before going on sale. Spending that money to sell a vehicle to less than half the population of the market doesn't make sense.
easypar
If Subaru is willing to sell a car like the Tribeca, which has been a bomb since day one and was built primarily for the NA market, then surely they can take a chance on the Forester diesel, which would NOT be a bomb (even if they had only 2/3 of their potential market).
I think they're more likely worried that it would cannibalize their gasoline-engined sales, and it would, but not to an extreme level. For example, I'd buy one in a heartbeat but am otherwise not likely to purchase a Subaru for my next vehicle.
It would be a pretty big gamble, and Subaru is ultra-conservative.
Don't get me wrong, I'd *LIKE* to see one, but given their track record it's soooo not happening it's not even funny.
There's no doubt about that at all. Knowing Subaru, they'll probably wait until the market is already doused with diesels, and then it will be just another contender.
Right now, they could really make an impact. You say markets like Florida are not Subaru strongholds, but put a >40mpg car into the mix, and I don't think having AWD would even be a factor any more. It certainly wouldn't detract from it. Really, the uptake rate is going to depend on the premium associated with the engine. If they can keep it as a sub-$30K offering at MSRP, it'll be a hit (and not just in the northern climates).
Forester diesel, right now, for $25-28k. Hire extra accountants to count the money.
1. Not very many miles yet, probably haven't had your first oil change, right?
IIRC it took me until about 8,000 miles to start getting pretty good mileage.
2. All town driving will definitley kill the average.
3. The computer seems to recalculte almost every mile so don't go by the onboard DTE numbers.
If I spend a week or so driving around town and then fill up for a trip to Vail mine will say mayber 300 miles DTE when I get on the interstate highway. By the time I've driven the 50 or so miles down to Denver it will read 380 DTE, by the time I've driven to Vail (all uphill) it may still say 280-300 DTE.
Usually my car doesn't move once I've parked it at a ski area. When I drive back to Denver (all downhill) it may read 350 DTE and then back around 300 when I get home.
If it's really bad on actual (you calculate) mileage then maybe check to make sure there isn't a loose connection around the air cleaner. Not sure why there would be but on my wife's Lexus they used to always lose one of the screws when they would check the filter at oil changes. The first time I realized they were doing this was when we had the oil changed the night before a trip from Austin to Denver. I could almost see the fuel gauge moving and had to buy gas before we got to Abilene!
easypar
I had my first oil changed 3 months after I purchased this car at 1000 miles which is suggested by Subaru owner's manual. Now it is about 7.5 months and I will do the second oil change next week and see if the MPG can be improved. I will ask the dealer to check the air cleaner too.
I just don't get it why so many people have such great MPG in both city and highway. As I see, most of them can gain from 23-27 MPG. Now I can only have 16.2, which is too abnormal.
It is my first outback and everybody told me it is a very reliable car before I bought it. I was very happy with it until last week. I got two recall letters from Subaru America regarding windshield wipe motor and moonroof. Although they are just small problems, I still feel uncomfortable. :sick:
Subaru had issues with head gaskets and extended warranty coverage on those to 100k miles, too.
That's why it's a good idea to combine errands - the engine's already warm.
Yes, I do have a lot of stop/go on the way to work and back to home in my city. The weather here is nice but I still warm up my car every morning (until the blue light off) and remind my wife to do so as well. I believe the MPG on highway is much better than the city roads with a lot of traffic lights and stop signs. Anyway, I will keep watching my MPG.
THAT is what's killing your gas mileage. Modern cars do not need to be "warmed" up before driving off. Start the car and drive "sensible" until it's warm.
You should give it enough time to establish oil pressure and flow before driving off, but that's a matter of seconds, not minutes.
I don' think it relates to the warm-up engine issue. It'd never happened before I drove extra 15 miles when the low fuel light was on last week. I think the poor MPG may be the consequence of potential gas pump damage. Is that possible?
Remember, when you're sitting still, idling, you are getting 0 mpg. Enough of that will bring your average down no matter what kind of roads you drive on.