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I keep telling him the same thing I'm going to write here:
You'll not make up the investment by trading to a different car in fuel cost alone. The only rational reason to switch cars is because you want a different car. At that point, the more fuel efficient one might save you money, but you aren't going to come out ahead vs. keeping a car you already own.
There is a reason for the phrase, "your mileage may vary." Hopefully the point is moot and fuel economy will improve for you.
My averages are way down (Sienna, Miata). It's also short drives in my case, but my averages are down 5-7mpg due to the frigid temps and engines that never fully warm up, it seems.
I understand completely. I've been there before, too.
Diesels work, SkyActiv works, and AWD doesn't seem to be as big of a penalty as the EPA thinks.
Honestly I think the bigger problem is people focus on the highway figures. Elantra's average 27 mpg on fuelly.com but that's nowhere near the 40 highway number. BTW the Impreza is about even with the Elantra.
I have a Mazda 3 that was listed at 38 MPG and I've had as high as 39 and a low of 31 and most tanks average 35-36 with similar driving as my wife. We both keep log books for each fill so these are real numbers, not an electronic average by the car's info panel.
It seems some owners say they get good mileage. I really wonder if they are accurate? We've had the car back to the dealer and are getting the same run around and excuses.
Thanks for your review, we share your frustration.
Before you believe your hand calculated numbers, check the odometer ... it is off by up to 10% (shows less than actual miles traveled). Thus, the info panel is closer than people realize.
It seems kind of coincidental that it wasn't on my list, primarily due to the MPG rating on the 2011, until the 2012 numbers were released. I've contact Subaru and my local dealer and so far have gotten canned answers. I'm curious, does anyone know if the testing standards have changed or given the automakers more room in reporting these numbers?
I just made a back-roads round trip from Chattanooga TN to Asheville NC and averaged right on 42 mpg for the trip (The display said 46 but real-world numbers corrected it down to 42), so I think I have figured out what works!
1. Tire inflation has been the largest single variable. The tires have a capacity of 51 psi but the dealership had only inflated to 32. Needless to say my first few tanks of gas didn't go far. Also the higher pressure tires seem to need topping off every month or so. I can drive around on a tank of gas with the tires at 35 and then inflate them to 45 for the next tank, and get 10% to 15% better mileage for the same type of trips.
2. Hills don't seem to make a difference, but out of habit I always slip out of gear going down. Staying in gear going downhill reduces mileage somewhat.
3. 45-55 mph seems ideal. Speeds over about 60 mph rapidly decrease efficiency.
4. Cold weather rapidly decreases efficiency, especially with short trips.
5. Oddly, running the AC in summer doesn't seem to be nearly as detrimental as driving in the cold winter air. That one surprised me.
6. Having the mileage display turned on actually results in getting better mileage; I probably am subconsciously adjusting my habits somewhat.
7. It doesn't seem like ethanol vs no-ethanol gas makes a difference. I have not tried anything other than 87octane, although I do notice some spark knock from time to time. In the coming months I may experiment with a mid-grade gasoline.
After taking these things into account I can usually average right on 30 mpg in mixed driving, 32-34 on 75 mph interstate driving in warm weather, and upwards of 40 mpg on long leisurely backroads trips. For cold weather (below 35F for us southerners!), everything takes a 5-10% hit.
I'd lower the tire pressure a bit. The higher pressures will make for a harser ride and possibly less traction even on dry roads. Keep in mind the tires are fairly different from the base model to the sport limited. I do try to keep mine about 35psi on a Sport Premium, which is more than the recomended (31psi ??)
I'd add a number 8 and 9 to your list.
8. Length of drive/commute. 20+ miles helps. As you point out the cold weather makes a big difference. Any commute less than maybe 10 miles doesn't get to bring the average back up from the first 4 or 5 miles of a cold engine, and drive train. Even my old 2001 OB was the same way. The first 4 or 5 miles on a cold day 20F or colder, I bet it barely averages 20mpg.
9. Winter gas blends. Its not always more ethanol. In many cases its more butane that is added during the winter. 10% ethanol is required in many places year round. While ethanol is probably a factor, I think other additves in the winter blend have a bigger factor.
Mileage wise, simply keep the rpms below 2000, top speed below 65 mph, and take the foot off the gas well in advance of a stop. The car will maximize with those conditions.
John
Here is my MPG at present: 12.6!!!! This is a new tank of gas with about 40 miles on it. I also have reset both trips A and B, because the dealer said that I should do that as well.
I rarely have highway driving. Mostly all short spurts in city.
I've had my car since August, and did not have this kind of MPG then. It's been this winter.
I've also experienced a couple really hard starts that showed no computer codes when serviced.
I wish someone would come up with a solution.
Certainly is wrong of SUBARU to put the kind of MPG on the window sticker and commercials that they advertise when it is so NOT TRUE!
Subaru posts numbers on the sticker based on EPA tests. These tests are a standard that all manufacturer's are supposed to use. So unless Subaru faked the tests, they aren't lying about the MPG. Should the EPA have a wider range of tests? Certainly. Maybe 4 tests like "short trip", "city", "highway", "highspeed". That way they would fit a wider range of driving styles.
PS, I also did some awd driving in 8 inghes of snow in a Target parking lot and had a blast!
John
By comparison, my FWD cars tend to lose about 20% of fuel economy during the winter when used as commuters.
I've driven my 13 Sport Premium about 6000 miles now (mostly city) and have been averaging only 24.5mpg. However, I noticed that since I hit 5500 miles, my mpg has started inching upwards. The last two fill-ups have netted me 26 and 27.8 mpg. I have not changed anything except for adding 1psi to both front (33) and rear (31) tires.
Somewhere earlier on this thread, I think, somebody who complained to their Subaru dealer about poor mileage was told to wait until their car got to a certain mileage before their fuel economy started to improve.
So other than my experimentation with the increase in tire pressure, does anyone think there is something to what the Subaru dealer told the other guy? Has anyone had the same/similar experience? I find it a little difficult to believe that 1psi in tire pressure can make that much of a difference.
Tips:
Keep your revs below 3,000 with the CVT when accelerating. Use less throttle or suffer the consequences. This is a hard one to notice, there's no jerk from upshifts to clue you in how hard you are accelerating.
The CVT has a lot of oil in it, and it takes a long time to warm up. If you bought this car to make short trips, you made a mistake.
Small engines are NOT efficient at high speeds. You'll pay a big penalty for that extra 5 mph. If it's important enough for you to complain about, it's important enough for you to slow down for.
Comparing an AWD to FWD is foolish. I'm getting 9 mpg better than my 2000 Outback, and 6 better than my Audi A4. Both AWD with similar cabin space.
Hate to say it, but Subaru embellished a bit on this one. It's a good car, but I thought I was buying a great one. Hyndai and Kia tried that also, they got caught by the EPA.
If you think those 26-27 city were accurate, then that is excellent for this car.
Easy for us to get 38 mpg on the highway, and that's using California moonbeam Brown's 10% ethanol blend. It's all about keeping the car below 65mph, rpms at 2k, anticipating slow downs, and keeping the AC off as much as practical.
John
Rolling resistance drops in a linear fashion, but wind resistance increases with the square of speed (exponentially).
So your results are as expected. I think people getting under 30mpg and probably going 70+mph.
The EPA highway tests averages 48.3mph, with half the time at 55-60mph:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml
If you want to meet (or beat) EPA numbers, the answer is simple - slow down.
Wanna drive fast? OK, but you gotta pay to play.
The results gives me 26.5mpg combined 70/30 city/highway which brings me in alignment with the Consumer Reports real world testing of 26mpg combined for the '13 Impreza as opposed to the 24.5mpg I had been getting.
I'm sure that the warmer temps have also helped. I don't know if the switch to summer blend gas here in NY has happened yet but I am looking forward to that, too.
This is similar to my typical mpg in day to day driving.
On pure hway road trips, I can get it to about 33mpg as long as I don't go over 65. I get just under 30mpg if I drive 70 and above. These were on relatively hilly terrain. On flat terrain, I can actually come close to 35mpg, again doing 65 and below.
So, my opinion is that the car performs as advertised.
My '13 Sport Premium 5M, around 8,500 miles in ~5 months. Overall mpg=30; best=33; worst=28 (I've eliminated two anomalies: 48 miles @ 24mpg and 128 miles @ 39mpg.)
I agree w/ kading "the car performs as advertised".