I drive a 2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i with manual. Back in June while being serviced, the dealer reset the computer, per a factory update. Ever since, the gas mileage has suffered. I used to routinely get 32mpg during the summer months, but now I get around 30.6. My driving hasn’t changed a bit.
I’m curious if other Subaru drivers had the computer update and whether or not you’re seeing a mileage drop?
Hmmm … I need to get my '08 Forester in for it’s 60k service & the computer reset. I’ll take notes & watch this thread.
I have an '08 Outback, manual, 2.5i. I think I’m getting around 23-26 mpg. Nearly all of it city driving. Mine is due for service so I will try to get back and update you after that.
I drive an '09 Impreza WRX, manual, with just under 30k miles on it. I get about 18 mpg in the city and 22-24 mpg on the highway (awful, I know, the area I live in is all stop-and-go, and I’m not too proficient with the manual tranny, so that may have something to do with it). I need to take mine in for a service too, so will update you if anything changes after that. I never kept track of my mileage until the last few months, so I don’t know how it’s changed over the last 2.5 years since I got the car.
Slight hijack: I’m in love with Subarus. My last car was a 2006 Outback and I swore I’d never again own anything other than a Subaru. That said, I kind of regret switching to the WRX and will probably switch back to the Outback (or Outback Sport, since the new Outbacks are too SUV-ey for me) next year when their production starts back up. Okay, done now.
I’ve owned 5 Subarus and never got good mileage. I don’t know anything about the computer re-set so obvioiusly I don’t go to the dealer and follow recommended maintenance. They are so damn heavy and then there’s the all wheel drive. I was in a horrible accident in my last one (an Outback) and I survived with only whiplash and bruising all over my left side since I was thrown against the inside of the car. That was the year I got to got to Coachella Music Festival in a wheelchair with a “Weezer Geezer on board” sign on my back. I was too sore to walk from the parking lot so we rented a WC. Anyway, my current Legacy gets 20 MPG in town (stop and go) and up to 28 MPG on the freeway on long trips (not LA, more like Phoenix and Vegas). Subarus rock and so do their owners!
Another '08 Outback, automatic
I get 25-29mpg, depending if I am going home or to work. It is free flowing highway, mountain roads and a bit of stop and go in the town. I have a service comming up , so I will keep an eye out.
I’ve got an 05 wrx automatic. I average about 24 mpg in mixed driving. A little over 100K on the odo. I’m slightly modified though; Cobb Access Port, TurboXS turbo back exhaust (1 cat) and a JDM catless up-pipe. SPT silcone Y pipe. Hotchkis competition swaybars with Kartboy endlinks.
The Cobb is running stage 2, mapped for 91 octane although I run 93 octane. I’ve also got a bit more negative camber than the factory wheel alignment. Most everything else is still the original factory install - plugs, timing belt, inter cooler, etc. Probably about time time for plugs and a new timing belt. A couple of mods to the brakes too, but I don’t think they affect gas mileage. New plugs may get me another mgp or two for a while.
My next car will be a Subaru.
Thanks everyone.
I just don’t get it: everything is the same except the computer. ???
This is my third Subaru, and I love them to death (good steering feel, AWD, power to get out of its way).
I had a 2001 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RX back in the day. I added a cold air intake, short shifter, exhaust manifold and pipes to the rear, and anti-sway bar in back. She was such a damn fun car to drive, but I sold it for a pick-up and I regret that. :mad:
Have you rigorously gauged your mileage manually over several fill ups to see what you real average mpg has been over the past few months?
Since almost all the engine parameters are governed by the computer, a software change certainly could affect your mileage. I don’t know what was changed, but you might check one of the Subaru boards like NASIOC to see if anyone has info on the update.
And yeah, the RS has always been one of my favorites.
I noticed a drop in mileage on my Prius about 2 months ago, too. I was getting 48-50 MPG and now I get 44 to 45 MPG.
I thought it was the heat and that I’m running my a/c so much more. My husband thinks it’s the ‘summer blend’ gasoline. I just talked to a mechanic yesterday who recommended changing the air filters (already done) and fuel filter. I believe the fuel filter is not changeable, so he recommended a chemical cleaner and an alignment (which seems to be OK as well).
Now, we took a long road trip two months ago and my husband ran the car out of gas on that trip, so I’ve been thinking that maybe those things had something to do with the mileage drop, but the car runs well.
So, maybe it’s not just your Subaru.
Anybody else notice a mileage drop?
I live in the Northeast and see a mileage drop late fall that lasts into Spring (not a huge drop, maybe 1 or 2 mpg).
I want to say my normal summer mpg is around 32.1, while winter is 30.9. However, since the computer reboot, I now only get 30.6. I use my car basically just for commuting about 50 miles each way, and about 95% of it on a highway with my cruise control set to 67.
On my second Subaru, a 2005 Outback. I have averaged 25.7 mpg since I bought the car new 115,000 miles ago. I have experimented with the mileage a lot, seeing how different driving styles affect it. I can, if I am careful, get about 27.5 mpg, but if I don’t pay attention it goes down to 25.7.
2000 Forester with 162K miles. I get about 20-22 MPG in mixed city/beltway driving, maybe 26+ MPG on long trips. This is somewhat lower than a few years ago. I just figured it was due to age. Never had a computer reset.
All the gas is now 10% ethanol. Does ethanol give the same milage as gas?
Nope. I find it drops the milage by 1-1.5 mpg.
Here’s an actual data point:
Got my '08 Forester done last week. Did a day on the road yesterday, of the sort of mostly freeway driving where I expect mileage in the 28-29 range. Actual mileage: 28.8. So, the computer update did not affect my mileage.