2013 gas mileage way less than expected

[fleuger99]

I do mostly highway driving and I'm usually cruising around 80Mph and my average, calcualted myself not relying on the computer is between 25Mpg and 26Mpg which I think is good for the speed and AWD vehicle of this size with regular gas.

[subiesailor]

Originally Posted by Fellglenn

Good responses. So We are back on the road again from GA to Florida. We are sitting at 13000 miles now. We are getting 17mpg driving on average between 65 and 70 on the interstate. This time we are carrying two kayaks on top. I was not expecting to get anywhere close to 27-30, but are seeing a 37% reduction in the economy. In my boxy 4.0l cherokee, when I carry the same kayaks, I get about 16-17 mpg Winter blend or summer blend at 75 mpg. I was really hoping to get about 22-23 at the worst.

What type of mileage do you typically get with two boats on the top in Yakima j cradles.

Needless to say, I have still yet to see anywhere close to 30mpg on a tank even with 60 mpg driving in interstate in Atlanta through the city. The best I have seen was 28mpg and that was N Georgia mountain driving. We have changed a lot of our driving habits and are frequently passed by grandma. I have a friend who has a 2010 outback and is frequently getting 30+mpg and she drives more aggressive than my wife or I. This is just really disappointing and I am just not getting it how every other car we have and have had, we get close to or better than estimated and do not have the fluctuations in gas mileage like we have had with this outback. We both still love the car, but the MPG is really ruining it. We made some sacrifices in room to get a smaller, yet capable car for our activities with the hope of getting "decent" mpg when compared to a v6 SUV. Alternatively we elected to not go with a toyota or honda CUV to go with the Subee. I am not yet regretting our decision, with the "hope" that it will get better and based off other experiences.

Windage / drag caused by your roof gear is the largest mileage hit most people will see. Highway speeds 60+mph will make that mileage hit even bigger. Trucks/ suvs have lousy drag numbers to start with so two kayaks on the lid isnt going to change much.

Enclosing the hulls can make a big difference. The open seat in the hull acts like a parachute and can easily double the drag load knocking your mileage down. Hauling the hulls inverted and flat can make a difference. The j style racks are the worst for drag given they make the load stick up and create lots of drag. Get longer cross bars lay the hulls flat cover the seating area this will dramatically improve your mileage.

I get 16-17mpg towing my 21ft long 8.5ft wide 1700lb racing sailboat at 70mph. It sticks up about a foot above the ob roof line but is quite sleek. Your kayak set up is generating nearly the same windage my 21ft sailboat generates. At 60-65mph I get around 21-23mpg with the boat. Our tent trailer is 4ft wide 12ft long and even with the bottom of the rear window in height. We get 21-25mpg towing that.

[Subatrout]

Wow, I wish i got the MPG that you guys are getting. I am very disappointed in the MPG of the Outback. I am only getting an average of 17 to 20. The highest I have seen my average is 21.4 and that was driving into the mountains. I do mostly city neighborhood driving so that has a lot to do with the low mpg but I still think I should be getting better than that and I am over the 1,000 mile marker. Originally I was going to buy the new Impreza but got a better deal on the Outback. If I would have known the MPG was going to be so bad I would have stuck with the Impreza.

[G-Omaha]

My old Impreza ('08 OBS) got less mileage than the '10 OB. The new 2013 OB gets bit less mileage in the city than the '10 OB; however, the new '12 Impreza Limited gets less than expected MPG. Overall, with the "Duty Cycles" and weight differences, I think that the '13 OB gets better mileage per "performance" than the Impreza.

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by Subatrout

Wow, I wish i got the MPG that you guys are getting. I am very disappointed in the MPG of the Outback. I am only getting an average of 17 to 20. The highest I have seen my average is 21.4 and that was driving into the mountains. I do mostly city neighborhood driving so that has a lot to do with the low mpg but I still think I should be getting better than that and I am over the 1,000 mile marker. Originally I was going to buy the new Impreza but got a better deal on the Outback. If I would have known the MPG was going to be so bad I would have stuck with the Impreza.

Don't sweat it. I had 16 MPG in my display until I took my car out on the highway... Now it is up to 19 MPG. A very short commute, cold weather, and remote start are to blame in my case.

Before I moved so close to work, I was getting 28 MPG.

[billmang]

The MPG ratings are correct for my '13 Outback, unlike my '12 Impreza.

This weekend driving to the mountains with a ski carrier on top of factory cross bars and I was seeing about 17-18MPG. When I take those off and drive 65MPH, I get 30. My impreza NEVER saw more than 32MPG with no racks, doing 65MPH, and summer gas.

Some people are ridiculous. If you're driving with equipment on your roof, going way faster than the speed limit, driving around in winter, then you're not going to see anywhere near 30. Keep in mind 30MPG is in ideal conditions doing the speed limit (or less).

[topcat77]

We purchased a 2013 Outback 2.5i limited with Eyesight in October 2012 and were not getting anywhere near the fuel economy we expected. Our primary reason for replacing our 2000 Subaru Forester 2.5 base model, which we purchased new in December 1999, was to get better gas mileage. We drive round trip from the Boston area to Southwest Florida two or three times a year. Were getting an average of 22.8 MPG for highway driving which is 30% less than expected. This is for 99.9% highway driving, with city driving limited to refueling stops along the interstate and an overnight stay within a ¼ mile of a highway exit.
Our combined highway city driving in Florida and Massachusetts averages 19.x MPG which is about 35% less than the 26MPG expected.
We have taken it to the dealer a number of times and they say if there is no check engine light on then there is nothing wrong. They also indicted they have other customers that have reported the same mileage problems.
What is particularly disappointing is that we have made the exact same round trip from Massachusetts to Florida in our 2000 Subaru Forester 2.5L engine with a 3 speed automatic transmission many times prior to purchasing the 2013 outback. Were driving the same route on the same highway with the same weight, under the same driving conditions. We averaged 24 MPG with our Forester, which is about what the EPA sticker said when we purchased it as I recall. So our former 2000 Forester gets better MPG than our 2013 Outback that is 13 years newer and has a CVT.
Were wondering if our vehicle is defective or perhaps Subaru has incorrectly performed and reported their fuel economy testing results to the EPA and that’s just the way it is. You would think with 13 years of product development it would actually get better mileage.

[imwjl]

Both of break in and warm weather made a significant difference. No alcohol gas helps too.

My frequent metro area driving is up 2 - 6 MPG.

Highway mileage has to be close to 60 MPH and without the roof box to be 30 MPG or better.

Yeah, the car's fuel consumption is not as good in cold weather relative to my last one or our minivan, but I'm getting 4 - 9 MPG better than the 6 cyl SUV it replaced. Add good initial quality and the whole family liking it and it becomes good enough.

Good enough changes to awesome when I do my trail work and bad winter weather work service calls.

[Gibe54]

Something wrong with your car for sure.

Last week-end, we made a trip to Ogunquit, Maine (2012 OB, 12 500 miles) Averaging 30 mpg for 800 mile journey. 4 people inside and a full stuffed cargo area. I'm very satisfied !

[dons1040]

25-26 at 75mph. Not to shabby. My GUESS is if you drop to 60 you may have got closer to 30mpg.