Bright1 Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 What kind of mileage / miles per gallon / MPG are others getting in Legacy L's with the standard 2.2 liter engine and automatic transmission? I don't think I've gotten more than 22 MPG with it, even on trips. I attributed its low mileage to the trans and the AWD, and I know I carry more weight (tools) in it than is good for mileage, but with gas prices over $3.00/gal, I'd really like to get more MPG. Is this typical? Besides having the tires fully pumped up, what other tinkering could I do to it to up the mileage? Thanks in advance, ~ Bright1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adwolf1 Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I just got 28 Mpg mixed on my 2.2 L auto ... best tank ever after 110k. The only difference was that i got the car seriously tuned up -- replaced plugs, PCV valve, etc. I also drive like a grandma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmm001 Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 I get about 24 in my '95 Legacy. I think it depends a lot on how you drive, where you drive, and the condition of the engine. I think the pre-solid lifters 2.2's (before 1997) don't get quite as good of mileage either. That's based on my experience in my own family. My mom's and dad's are '97 and '98 and their mileage is much higher, even if I drive their cars. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Clark Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 May be time for new plugs, filter, O2 sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 What kind of mileage / miles per gallon / MPG are others getting in Legacy L's with the standard 2.2 liter engine and automatic transmission? I don't think I've gotten more than 22 MPG with it, even on trips. I attributed its low mileage to the trans and the AWD, and I know I carry more weight (tools) in it than is good for mileage, but with gas prices over $3.00/gal, I'd really like to get more MPG. Is this typical? Besides having the tires fully pumped up, what other tinkering could I do to it to up the mileage? Thanks in advance, ~ Bright1 Ouch. My dad averages 27 in his '96 Outback, with the manual and the 2.2 and can get almost 31 on road trips. I though the automatic was similar for highway, but less in city. I know driving style affects it alot -- one of my friends could measure his stress level by the mileage in his '01 outback. It would drop a good 3 or 4 mpg when midterms or finals approached. Try driving like a grandma for one tank, and see if it improves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhrocker Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 I average about 26mpg in my 95 Legacy. Just changed all plugs, wires, filters and such. In pure city driving (NYC), I've gotten as low as low as 17-18mpg. In pure highway, I can get up to 28mpg. In my normal mixed driving (Jersey Suburb), I'm in the 25-26mpg. I guess I should be happy, but I'm always looking to gain that extra mile or 2 considering I have a 40 mile commute each way to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 5, 2005 Share Posted October 5, 2005 I would range from 21 (summer ac full blast) -34 in my 97 Legacy L with 180K and original drivetrain. Check your tire pressure... nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz Posted October 6, 2005 Share Posted October 6, 2005 24/30 in my 2.2 OBS 5-manual (2865 lbs.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted October 6, 2005 Share Posted October 6, 2005 Mine ranges from 18 (towing, carrying large boxes on top of the car causing drag, etc) to 27 (pure highway, set the cruise control at 85 and just steer for 6 hours. . .) Oh, and this is on a manual, though. . . The AT should get better milage on highway though, as under normal conditions, the rear wheels only get 10% power, while the front get 90% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 6, 2005 Share Posted October 6, 2005 The AT should get better milage on highway though, as under normal conditions, the rear wheels only get 10% power, while the front get 90% that actually depends on final gearing among other things. auto's are worse on mileage, more internal losses but can make that up depending on the gear ratio of the highest gear (particularly in highway miles). auto XT6's get the same mileage as manual XT6's because the gear ratios are better. at 75 they're doing about 750 or so lower rpm's for the same speed. complete tune ups are a good thing. some place just did a mileage comparison and showed that cruise control dramatically increased mileaged, someone just posted the link on the boards here recently. interesting article. showed also that driving with windows down instead of a/c didn't really hurt mileage any (as compared to running a/c). actually the mileage was an itsy bitsy bit better with windows down. in any event, tune up is in order if you're serious about gas mileage. the more thorough the better. have your brakes checked and the slides greased well on the caliper to make sure there's no dragging. my mileage went up in my auto AWD 2.2L OBS after i did the brakes....totally unexpected, everything was working fine i just installed new pads but i'm guessing the calipers were dragging a little bit but they worked perfectly fine, no malfunction at all. after replacing pads my mpg went up a few. i'm probably just lucky though. haven't done anything yet to my OBS, but the auto XT6's get better highway mileage with a better muffler. you can get 2 mpg better or so with a little muffler/intake action...if everything else is working right at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosDiosDeVerde86 Posted October 6, 2005 Share Posted October 6, 2005 What kind of mileage / miles per gallon / MPG are others getting in Legacy L's with the standard 2.2 liter engine and automatic transmission? I don't think I've gotten more than 22 MPG with it, even on trips. I attributed its low mileage to the trans and the AWD, and I know I carry more weight (tools) in it than is good for mileage, but with gas prices over $3.00/gal, I'd really like to get more MPG. Is this typical? Besides having the tires fully pumped up, what other tinkering could I do to it to up the mileage? Thanks in advance, ~ Bright1 96 ls 2.2 - 17.5mpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 6, 2005 Share Posted October 6, 2005 ACtually on the highway an auto and manual are very close, its around town where the differnce shows up. And in reality the differnce is usually within the +/- error of how one drives, so it doesnt mean much anymore within in the same car model with the same engines. That being said, gas milage is really a very personal thing, as it all comes down to habits, I first got the OBW i got 19, now i get 23 as the computer got used to me, and i got used to the car. if you are always the fastest one to leave a red light after it changes green, your gas milage will suffer, its that simple. Ideling parked will hurt it. A draging or lazy caliper will hurt, wheel alignmnet, junk in the trunk, how many people you carry, anything on the roof, headwinds, windows open .... Anything within 5mpg of the epa rating is good, as long as you realize the epa ratings are done in a lab on a short loop of a few miles, no ac, no radio, no heater, airconditioned building. Basically ideal labratory conditions. And als the max speed for highway driving on that test is 35mph, not 55. the are also propsing doing the new test at 55 with burtst to 80mph. nipper nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soobyfan Posted October 6, 2005 Share Posted October 6, 2005 I have a '96 OBW 2.2l 5 SP, I get 22-28mpg. Another thing to check is tire pressure, if you do a search on this site you can get many differet opinions on tire pressure, I like to run at 36-38 psi. This is more than Subaru recommends, but seems to provide better feel, better tire wear and better mileage. If I recall correctly Subaru recommends 28 psi. Many people have low tire pressure and are not aware of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 I have a '96 OBW 2.2l 5 SP, I get 22-28mpg. Another thing to check is tire pressure, if you do a search on this site you can get many differet opinions on tire pressure, I like to run at 36-38 psi. This is more than Subaru recommends, but seems to provide better feel, better tire wear and better mileage. If I recall correctly Subaru recommends 28 psi. Many people have low tire pressure and are not aware of it. 28psi is way too low for todays tires. the pressure that Subaru recomends is for 20 year old tires that are no longer sold. Your pressure of 35-38psi is about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabo Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 ... as long as you realize the epa ratings are done in a lab on a short loop of a few miles, no ac, no radio, no heater, airconditioned building. Basically ideal labratory conditions. And als the max speed for highway driving on that test is 35mph, not 55. the are also propsing doing the new test at 55 with burtst to 80mph. Actually, the EPA estimates are done completely indoors, on a dynanometer. The driver runs through a "course", and the exhaust is captured and tested for emissions. Depending on the amount of carbon in the emissions, the EPA estimates the gas mileage. It's been a big issue recently, because hybrid cars have such low emissions the EPA estimages have turned out to be far too high, and people are seeing 30% less MPG than estimates. I have a 95 Legacy Wagon MT, with a roof rack, back full of junk, and I average 26 driving around NYC and the suburbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 Actually, the EPA estimates are done completely indoors, on a dynanometer. The driver runs through a "course", and the exhaust is captured and tested for emissions. Depending on the amount of carbon in the emissions, the EPA estimates the gas mileage. It's been a big issue recently, because hybrid cars have such low emissions the EPA estimages have turned out to be far too high, and people are seeing 30% less MPG than estimates. I have a 95 Legacy Wagon MT, with a roof rack, back full of junk, and I average 26 driving around NYC and the suburbs. Sorry thats what I meant. Its an interesting machine, as thats when they also take the samples foremissions certification. The machine hasnt changed since iI graduated college, they collect emissions in 7 or 14 bags during the test, then analyze them.The loops is a printed graph on a chart recorder that they must follow using a manual interface (read foot). The EPA is going to change its profiles in the next year or so to refelct real world driving, whic in effect wil raise CAFE ratings all by itself, without a specific request from congress. It seems the ony Hybrid that is getting what it has advertised is the ford escape (toyota hybrid parts) as ford decided to knock 30% off the epa ratings. on the lables. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfg9k Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 22 mpg highway, '98 2.2L auto, 112.5k miles. I have had a tranny rebuild, new O2 sensor, new plugs & wires, new air & fuel filters, new PCV valve, new engine temp sensor (that got me 2 mpg). I also have synth oil (royal purple 75w90) in front & rear diffs, and synth oil (Pennzoil Platinum 5w30) in the engine. I am currently doing an Auto-RX cycle (http://www.auto-rx.com) to try to improve things. Yes the stuff works, go to http://www.bobistheoilguy.com for info. My next step will be a set of rebuilt, cleaned fuel injectors serviced by http://www.rceng.com or someplace similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9098 Posted October 7, 2005 Share Posted October 7, 2005 My '90 Legacy Auto 4wd gets 22 around Seattle and 27 on the highway if I keep the speed under 70 mph. However, I've found that the type of gas makes a large difference. The Oxygenated-tree hugger fuel on the west coast is terrible. When I'm in parts of the midwest that have non-oxygenated premium, I can get over 30 mpg. The best I ever had was in Minnesota @ 37 mpg. What good is cleaner burning fuel when you have to burn 25% more of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlpineRaven Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 The worst was 20mpg(trailer), best was 28mpg (98% Hwy) but average 25mpg, Not complaining. Thats from 5MT AWD Liberty. Cheers AP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 20mpg on a trailer? next time try shutting the car off while its on the trailer hehehe nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trxeslr66 Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 I get 23 with lots of stop and go in a 99 Legacy 2.2l. At 68k miles I have recently replaced plugs, pvc valve, fuel filter, cleaned throttle body, added Fram AirHog(same as K&N) filter, replaced started contacts, transmission filter/fluid change(every 30k), and I have ran Mobil 1 since new. Prior to these tune up measures I got 18-19 city. I am very happy with the improvment. Hiway now can get over 30 compared to my previous 24-26. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Another thought ... tires. Generally Tires guarnteed for high miles are of a harder rubber. They offer less rolling reistance, but the trade off is in handling. this may not be an issue if you dont drive aggressivly. more sticky tires have softer rubber and less gas milage. Not alking a big number here but who knows. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aja573 Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 I dumped some Lucas fuel treatment in my 93 legacy l (180,000K) and got 29 mpg... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlpineRaven Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 20mpg on a trailer? next time try shutting the car off while its on the trailer hehehe nipper Hehh I wish... but these damn hills where I live! Couldn't get full power to reach 120kmh as I remembered. Cheers AP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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