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How many gallons does the 2012 Subaru Forester 2.5X hold?
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?
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?
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http://www.cars101.com/subaru/forester/forester2012.html#dimensions
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.
You don't want to run out of gas because the liquid itself cools the fuel pump.
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.
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.
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.
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!
And they also make running changes and may or may not document them.