Not getting Estimated MPG

[Skippybingo]

I have a 2013 Impreza Sport and I am under the estimated mpg (27-36 )of what I should be getting. I drive a lot of hwy milage and I would expect to be closer to the middle of the est mpg, however I am barely at the beginning.
My question is if anyone else is having this issue? Of course I am using fuelly with the true milage between tanks and not what my car computer states, although it seems to be close.

[dtwjr]

Very few cars get the EPA estimated MPG. Those tests are not real world tests. My, new to me, 2006 Accord is 1.5 under the overall EPA average. But I'm seeing improvement after 4 fill ups. Highway driving helps get it up. I'm hoping for more improvement after I replace the cat conv this week, but I'm not holding my breath.

[BDC]

Gaming the EPA ratings is a recent occurrence for most OEMs. Subaru has only recently gotten into the practice pioneered by GM, Ford, and Hyundai. Personally I would never have expected a Subaru to be able to average 36mpg on the highway, and it appears my expectations weren't far off.

If we've learned anything from the Fuelly forums (or Consumer Reports) over the past 1-2 years, it's that new car buyers need to approach EPA ratings with extreme pessimism, and then do the slightest bit of research to find out if the car they're looking at has any hope of meeting the estimates.

[zippylip]

Originally Posted by BDC

If we've learned anything from the Fuelly forums (or Consumer Reports) over the past 1-2 years, it's that new car buyers need to approach EPA ratings with extreme pessimism, and then do the slightest bit of research to find out if the car they're looking at has any hope of meeting the estimates.

I find that odd as I've always been under the impression that the EPA ratings undershoot the mileage; of course this is only in my own personal experience without the benefit of any research & prior to stumbling upon fuelly.com to see what others are getting. For as long as I've tracked mileage in any car I've driven I've exceeded the EPA ratings stated on the sticker. My most recent purchase was a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek which is rated at 25/33. Granted I've only filled the tank twice so far but tank one (80% city) was about 30mpg and tank two (50% city) was 33mpg. I'm looking forward to getting it out for a full highway run to see what it can do. This follows 10 years in a Honda Accord where I routinely exceeded the EPA ratings by an average of 5-7mpg in both city & highway. I have every confidence that once this vehicle is broken in I will be returning similar numbers over the EPA ratings.

I can only speculate that so many cars fall short of the EPA estimates as a direct result of driving habits. We all see what others are doing on the road 24/7 - I for one find myself surrounded nearly at all times by drivers that are either standing on the gas pedal or the brake pedal, there's rarely any observable coasting or other distinguishable attempt to get good mileage. Why these same people will then complain about how their car is terrible on gas is a mystery to me.

Seems to me if people would simply stop fueling their cars with anger and comprehend that their their cars are fueled with gas they would get better mileage, and they'd certainly do more of this

[litesong]

Originally Posted by zippylip

Why these same people will then complain about how their car is terrible on gas is a mystery to me.

Hyundai & Kia drivers get free checks because the hard, low mpg drivers & whiners complained about poor mpg. Meanwhile, our 2008 Accent, 2013 Elantra & 2016 Elantra have highs of 45+mpg, using 100% ethanol-free gasoline(E0), mostly avoiding stop & go traffic, & easy driving. Matter of fact, the 2013 auto Elantra averaged 39mpg with E0.

[Skippybingo]

Thanks guys.

dtwjr

My last 2 cars were a Honda Civics, a 06 and 10.

They got great mileage, 33-34 per tank.

They EPA ratings were about the same as my new Suby, but I am not getting close to that. I am kind of upset with that too. I expect it to be at least 30-32. I'm lucky if I hit 28.

I would really like to know if this is just me or if other new Suby owners are getting the same. :\

[dtwjr]

You can check here on this site. I compare all the time.

[dtwjr]

http://www.fuelly.com/car/subaru/impreza/2013

[MatrixDom]

Typically a vehicle in a break-in period shouldn't be driving at constant speeds so if you drive on the highway a lot you should always change your driving speed. This behavior is bad for MPGs but later on after 6000-8000 miles you should see better.

Also, driving close to the speed limit should help... driving at 60-65mph will return up to 30% better mileage than driving at 75-80mph.

[BDC]

You can blame break-in or driving habits or whatever you want, but many new cars (mostly from certain manufacturers) will just plain fail to reach the same MPG in relation to their EPA estimates than cars did just a few years ago.

The EPA changed their ratings in 2008 specifically to lower their estimates so that they would be more realistic for the majority of people who could not meet them at the time. Now only 5 years later, some OEMs have inflated their numbers under the new standard so much that even fewer people can meet the estimates for their new car.

For example: Only seven out of 43, or 16%, of 2013 Imprezas on Fuelly have met the EPA combined average (30mpg).

Compare that to, say, a 2012 Corolla. 37 out of 48 cars on Fuelly meet the EPA combined estimate of 29mpg, or 81%.

2012 Honda Civic: 93 out of 105 cars on Fuelly meet the EPA combined estimate of 31mpg, or 89%.

2012 Hyundai Elantra: Only 62 out of 176 2012 Elantras on Fuelly, or 35%, meet the EPA combined estimate of 32mpg -- and what's terrible is that the 32mpg figure is the new, lower estimate that Hyundai revised after everybody complained so much.