Best MPG has been 20.5 mpg on 2013 2.5i premium

[bmobuell]

I started a thread about a month ago about my MPGs in my new 2013. I live in SE Michigan, so its cold but not too cold. I now have 3k miles and about 8 fillups. All have come in under 20.5 mpg. Mostly mixed driving. Some freeway with most suburban driving ( lights a mile apart 45-55mph speed limit). The last tank was all freeway 70-75mph with 4ppl and snowboards on the roof and got 18.9 MPG. Now......I have never hit 24...not even 23, or 21.....this makes me not very happy with my otherwise great car. 1 or 2 mpgs off I can see but 4 !!! CMON thats unacceptable !!!
What is the best avenue for my dissatisfaction ?

[upflying]

What calculation method are you using to determine the mpg?

[Jrocket]

Originally Posted by bmobuell

I started a thread about a month ago about my MPGs in my new 2013. I live in SE Michigan, so its cold but not too cold. I now have 3k miles and about 8 fillups. All have come in under 20.5 mpg. Mostly mixed driving. Some freeway with most suburban driving ( lights a mile apart 45-55mph speed limit). The last tank was all freeway 70-75mph with 4ppl and snowboards on the roof and got 18.9 MPG. Now......I have never hit 24...not even 23, or 21.....this makes me not very happy with my otherwise great car. 1 or 2 mpgs off I can see but 4 !!! CMON thats unacceptable !!!
What is the best avenue for my dissatisfaction ?

Sell the car and buy something else

I'm averaging 27 mpg mixed city and light hwy driving

when I have the paddle board on top im still getting around 25mpg.

Still haven't hit 30 mpg on a hwy trip yet. approx 3,600 miles on the car and only 1 hwy trip so far.

I don't think alot of 2013 owners with 2.5's have been that impressed overall w/ the mpgs

[AllWhiteOB]

Originally Posted by Jrocket

Sell the car and buy something else

I'm averaging 27 mpg mixed city and light hwy driving

when I have the paddle board on top im still getting around 25mpg.

Still haven't hit 30 mpg on a hwy trip yet. approx 3,600 miles on the car and only 1 hwy trip so far.

I don't think alot of 2013 owners with 2.5's have been that impressed overall w/ the mpgs

You got that right .... I'm hoping it is just the cold weather and CVT not liking it.

[Jrocket]

Originally Posted by AllWhiteOB

You got that right .... I'm hoping it is just the cold weather and CVT not liking it.

Yeah I've decided to keep mine till summer time and see how things go.. if I don't start seeing much better mpgs this thing is gone

I recalculated after realizing this thing has a 18.5 gallon tank and Im only avg 24 mpg

That is pathetic and unacceptable. IF thats the kind of mpg I'm going to get I'll start using my tacoma for more work related stuff again and buy something fun to replace the outback

[gls]

We're also in SE Michigan, averaging 22.5 on 80% highway @ 70-75, 15-20 mi trips + city errands. 2.5 CVT Outback too. That is about 4 mpg worse than our V6 Accord. Our neighbor with a 2011 2.5 CVT routinely gets better mileage.

[Soon2bSubaru]

It seems like most folks with the 2.5 experience better mpg's as the engine gets more broken in. I know on my '12 2.5 I was only getting 25 or so hwy when I bought it new with 11 miles on it. I now have 15k and never get below 28 hwy and in summer it's 30-31.

[BKGarrison]

I know my CVT hates the winter. City MPG has dropped 3-4 mpg due to warm up times. You can feel the difference in the CVT from when it is cold to when it is warm. When it is cold, I cannot get the MPG's into any kind of acceptable area, once it is warmed up It does well.

In the summer I could get between 22 and 26 mpg in all city driving depending on my habits, now it is more 19-22 depending on how I drive it.

The couple highway trips I have taken I have been impressed averaging near 30's in mountains.

[Milton]

I have had an 11 and a 13. The 13 does not change ratio to lower the RPMs for optimal fuel efficiency until it is much warmer that on my old 11. It holds about 2K RPM while the old one would drop way off to about 1300 RPM at 40 MPH. Driving the same section of road once it is up to full operating temp the 13 will drop down just like the 11 did. I think it is a performance this and a cold weather thing. I am waiting to see what it does over the summer. I think it will pick up a lot once it warms up.

[Novablue]

Originally Posted by bmobuell

I started a thread about a month ago about my MPGs in my new 2013. I live in SE Michigan, so its cold but not too cold. I now have 3k miles and about 8 fillups. All have come in under 20.5 mpg. Mostly mixed driving. Some freeway with most suburban driving ( lights a mile apart 45-55mph speed limit). The last tank was all freeway 70-75mph with 4ppl and snowboards on the roof and got 18.9 MPG. Now......I have never hit 24...not even 23, or 21.....this makes me not very happy with my otherwise great car. 1 or 2 mpgs off I can see but 4 !!! CMON thats unacceptable !!!
What is the best avenue for my dissatisfaction ?

You are not going to wasn't to hear this but that millage with that kind if driving sounds normal to me.

The hwy 30 mpg refers to freeway driving at a constant 60 mph imo. Anything outside of that will lower the number. Epa numbers needed to been seen for what they are.

Having said that, I'd be upset if i was seeing that too. It looks like this is just not the car for you.