Subaru AWD Fuel Consumption question

[Bond Trader Victor]

I am contenplating the purchase of a pre-owned (2002)
Forrester that my neighbor said I can have first dibbs
on. (He is retiring to Florida and wants to replace
his Subie with a VW Beetle as he'll be in an "over 55"
community in Fla with half the current real estate space)

I am wondering however, with gas prices going thru
the roof, will the required cost of fuel for an AWD
type vehicle be much higher than my current vehicle
which is a 93 Honda Accord V6?

The Subie has the 2.5L engine and almost a copy of this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31870&item=4534370355&rd=1

I like the Subaru alot, It only has 26K on the
clock, but if gas costs at the pump keep going up
thru the roof on a bi-weekly basis, I may want to
get a Toyota Echo instead ??

Suggestions? Comments?
What kind of mileage should a Subie like this one get?

 

[Fuzzy Logic]

I am contenplating the purchase of a pre-owned (2002)
Forrester that my neighbor said I can have first dibbs
on. (He is retiring to Florida and wants to replace
his Subie with a VW Beetle as he'll be in an "over 55"
community in Fla with half the current real estate space)

I am wondering however, with gas prices going thru
the roof, will the required cost of fuel for an AWD
type vehicle be much higher than my current vehicle
which is a 93 Honda Accord V6?

The Subie has the 2.5L engine and almost a copy of this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31870&i
tem=4534370355&rd=1

I like the Subaru alot, It only has 26K on the
clock, but if gas costs at the pump keep going up
thru the roof on a bi-weekly basis, I may want to
get a Toyota Echo instead ??

Suggestions? Comments?
What kind of mileage should a Subie like this one get?

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

 

[Al]

I am contenplating the purchase of a pre-owned (2002)
Forrester that my neighbor said I can have first dibbs
on. (He is retiring to Florida and wants to replace
his Subie with a VW Beetle as he'll be in an "over 55"
community in Fla with half the current real estate space)

I am wondering however, with gas prices going thru
the roof, will the required cost of fuel for an AWD
type vehicle be much higher than my current vehicle
which is a 93 Honda Accord V6?

The Subie has the 2.5L engine and almost a copy of this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31870&item=4
534370355&rd=1

I like the Subaru alot, It only has 26K on the
clock, but if gas costs at the pump keep going up
thru the roof on a bi-weekly basis, I may want to
get a Toyota Echo instead ??

Suggestions? Comments?
What kind of mileage should a Subie like this one get?

My wife is getting about 16mpg on her H6. Mostly driving around town.
Highway mileage is in the 22 - 26 mpg range, depending on traffic
conditions.

Oh, and it takes premium.

Posted gov't mileage is a joke.

Al

 

[David]

I am wondering however, with gas prices going thru
the roof, will the required cost of fuel for an AWD
type vehicle be much higher than my current vehicle
which is a 93 Honda Accord V6?

I'd guess the fuel consumption will be the about same. My '03 5-speed
2.5l H4 Forester gets about the same gas mileage as my '95 3.0l V6 Maxima
automatic, although the Maxima is more powerful and faster.

Normally I buy cars a little older, but with the Forester I thought the
improvements in the '03 model year would be worth the extra $$. Didn't drive
the older model though.

I love the Forester, but if you don't have a use for AWD, for the extra ground
clearance, or for the utility of the wagon, the Forester probably isn't the optimal
car for you.

 

[Dom]

I have an '03 (non turbo) 5 speed Forester. I drive mostly highway and
get in the neighborhood of 26 - 29 mpg based on how fast (or how slow
being here in NJ...) the traffic travels.
Once...I got just over 30 mpg.
The AT will get a couple mpg less than the 5 spd.
I also use regular...so its alot cheaper than the premium.
I know the turbo XT version prefers the premium.

 

[Mark H]

I get just under 10L / 100km on 98RON premium in Australia.

You guys must have gotten the down-spec Forester, mine will easily flog a
maxima or accord if you choose to.
5MT here, only use the low range on sloped dirt or gravel tracks, normal is
fine for most conditions.

-mark

 

[David]

I get just under 10L / 100km on 98RON premium in Australia.

You guys must have gotten the down-spec Forester, mine will easily flog a
maxima or accord if you choose to.

Yours is a turbo then?

My US spec Maxima was 190hp. Newer ones are heavier, and IIRC 265hp.
US NA Forester is 168 hp (California models maybe 165). Turbo is estimated
at 240hp.

5MT here, only use the low range on sloped dirt or gravel tracks, normal is
fine for most conditions.

Only have I wanted a granny gear or low range. Nothing a little clutch smoke wouldn't solve...

 

[David]

Only have I wanted a granny gear or low range. Nothing a little clutch smoke wouldn't solve...

Oops. Should be "Only once..."

 

[Bond Trader Victor]

Thanks for all the comments an links guys (and gals too!)
I'm leaning to buying the car from him, as it is in great
shape plus he's the original owner and from what I can
see from the EPA website, the Subaru does not qualify
as being a 'gas hog". Thanks again. : ) Vic in W. PA

 

[Mark H]

Yours is a turbo then?

No, 2.5XS.

You do have to give it a gutful if you want to beat someone, but it's quite
feasible most of the time.
112KW from memory. More than enough, really.

Certainly does a good job against the kiddies in dad's old car.

-mark

 

[Bruce Hoult]

Yours is a turbo then?

No, 2.5XS.

You do have to give it a gutful if you want to beat someone, but it's quite
feasible most of the time.
112KW from memory. More than enough, really.[/QUOTE]

I find that my Subie (2.5l auto "250T" wagon, 123 KW) *really* gets up
and goes immediately off the mark, just by stomping on the gas with no
advance preparation, and that makes all the difference. Many other cars
don't start going until they get over 3000 rpm or so (and there's no
point if they're FWD anyway...). A friend has the twin turbo 2.0
version with 70% more maximum power but he can't beat me to 80 or 100
km/h unless he is prepared and really abuses his clutch.

In overtaking *starting* from that sort of open road speed though there
is no comparison. The turbo walks away from me.

 

[Mark H]

I find that my Subie (2.5l auto "250T" wagon, 123 KW) *really* gets up

and goes immediately off the mark, just by stomping on the gas with no
advance preparation, and that makes all the difference. Many other cars
don't start going until they get over 3000 rpm or so (and there's no
point if they're FWD anyway...). A friend has the twin turbo 2.0
version with 70% more maximum power but he can't beat me to 80 or 100
km/h unless he is prepared and really abuses his clutch.

In overtaking *starting* from that sort of open road speed though there
is no comparison. The turbo walks away from me.

True.
It's got the get up and go from idle, no point trying to dump the clutch. I
tend to start off as usual then hold it in gear higher than usual for 'drag'
starts.

-mark

 

[Tom Reingold]

My wife is getting about 16mpg on her H6. Mostly driving around town.
Highway mileage is in the 22 - 26 mpg range, depending on traffic
conditions.

Sad that we tolerate worse mileage than we used to!

Oh, and it takes premium.
Ouch!


Posted gov't mileage is a joke.

Well, they do say, "your mileage may vary". Maybe they should list
standard deviation and certainty probabilities. But they would be hard
to measure, and few people understand those statistics.

Interestingly, I do get their estimated ratings! Maybe I drive more
gently than others do. In fact, I probably do.

 

[Tom Reingold]

I'd guess the fuel consumption will be the about same. My '03 5-speed
2.5l H4 Forester gets about the same gas mileage as my '95 3.0l V6 Maxima
automatic, although the Maxima is more powerful and faster.

Normally I buy cars a little older, but with the Forester I thought the
improvements in the '03 model year would be worth the extra $$. Didn't drive
the older model though.

I love the Forester, but if you don't have a use for AWD, for the extra ground
clearance, or for the utility of the wagon, the Forester probably isn't the optimal
car for you.

I hope I don't offend anyone, but what is the point of a Forrester? The
ground clearance seems to be very very slightly higher than a Legacy.
The Forester has less room and costs more. So what's the deal? I'm sure
I'm missing something.

Aren't you disappointed that you put more fuel in and get less out of
the Forester, compared with the Maxima?

 

[Richard Chang]

I hope I don't offend anyone, but what is the point of a Forrester? The
ground clearance seems to be very very slightly higher than a Legacy.
The Forester has less room and costs more. So what's the deal? I'm sure
I'm missing something.

Not sure I believe that a Forester is more expensive than a Legacy
*Wagon*. Last I checked the Legacy wagons were $1000+ more. If you are
shopping for a Subaru station wagon, you have several choices:

Impreza-based wagon

Forester

Legacy wagon

Outback wagon

The Outback you might eliminate due to cost. The Forester might come out
ahead following this rationale: it has more cargo room than the Impreza
wagon due to height & square shape. The Forester is faster than a Legacy
wagon with the same 2.5L H4 engine, because it is lighter --- not by
much, but the 2.5 in the Forester can be described as "adequate" where
as a Legacy wagon begs for the H6. You can pay for the H6, but there
goes your gas mileage and a couple more thousand dollars.

So, if you don't need a big car (we take my wife's minivan when we need
room) and want a bit more cargo room than the Impreza wagon, you might
pick the Forester. Other considerations are standard equipment on the
Forester compared to the Impreza and the fact that Foresters are made in
Japan.

-R.

 

[Dom]

I can answer this question.
Before the forestor, I owned a 2002 Passat. Nice car (same class as a
maxima).
I loved the passat. I too, love my Forester.
They are 2 completely different cars.

My passat was a nice highway cruiser.
My forester is much more fun in the twisties.

My passat had nice big back seats.
My forester, though will smaller back seat accomdatations has much more
space for hauling things...especially odd sizes (like lawn mowers and
such).

My passat was a great dry pavement car - but was not so hot in bad
weather - especially snow.
My forester with AWD is awesome in all weather conditions.

My passat cost me $28,000 (loaded V6).
My forester XS cost me $22,000 (loaded XS).

My passat car insurance ran $1200 per/yr.
My forester car insurance costs $1000 per/yr.

The routine maintenance on the forester has also been quite a bit
cheaper.

I wont even go into the reliability differences between the passat and
forester ...forester wins this one
hands down. However, a maxima probably doesn't have much (if anything)
on the forester reliability wise.
They have a good track record.

So...there are my reasons for liking the forester more than a sport
sedan.
Granted, its not a sport sedan - but it is definitely a fun car to
drive none the less.

Dom

 

[David]

Aren't you disappointed that you put more fuel in and get less out of
the Forester, compared with the Maxima?

Uh, that's less output on the same amount of fuel.

Anyway the Forester works well for me. We have excessivly conservative
chain controls in my state (they're often required on 2WD vehicles when
they're not at all useful). I've been exempt from every chain control I've
encountered in the Forester. I occasionally camp in the back (which I
couldn't do in the Max). Inside I carry snowboards, and sometimes bikes, and
I've even carried plywood. The Max could deal with some dirt roads, but
it was tricky. The Forester handles dirt & mud much better. And unlike
any truck/SUV I've driven, the Forester is agile and pleasant to drive.

 

[tom klein]

what kind of mileage do you do in a year? any car's already costing
you a couple of grand a year in depreciation, maintenance, insurance
and licensing. unless you're driving for a living, fuel costs are the
least of your problems - plus or minus 5 mpg won't add up to $50 a
month. a blown head gasket is much more of a worry than $10 a week at
the pumps.



my idea of "going through the roof" isn't 10-20%, but 200%, like what
they're paying in europe.



........ tom klein

ps. just be grateful that your neighbour actually BELIEVES that trading
down to a beetle will save him "space".

 

[Al]

Sad that we tolerate worse mileage than we used to!


Well, they do say, "your mileage may vary". Maybe they should list
standard deviation and certainty probabilities. But they would be hard
to measure, and few people understand those statistics.

Interestingly, I do get their estimated ratings! Maybe I drive more
gently than others do. In fact, I probably do.

The gov't readings do not take into account weather, windage, altitude
and the like. They are done on a dynometer in a nice lab. In the late
'60s, a friend of mine had a Porsche. His gas mileage dropped
dramatically when he put the ski rack on it and we went skiing.

I once drafted a semi for about a hundred miles in my '66 Corvair out in
Montana. I got 26 mpg that day. I bet the semi driver was fuming.

Al

 

[Hi]

Yours is a turbo then?

My US spec Maxima was 190hp. Newer ones are heavier, and IIRC 265hp.
US NA Forester is 168 hp (California models maybe 165). Turbo is estimated
at 240hp.




Only have I wanted a granny gear or low range. Nothing a little clutch smoke wouldn't solve...

My Forester Turbo, the very first version back in 1998, has constantly
making a mileage of 11L/100KM record.