IIRC most of the claims were based on Outback and Forester etc. experience.

My personal hypothesis with my biased samples is after the new wears off you drive nicer. New car, usually faster and more powerful than old car, you push the throttle to feel the acceleration more, then the new wears off and you drive like you used to.
I'd like to think we're getting better mileage now but I attribute it to the new wearing off. We're closing in on 5000 miles.

 

IIRC most of the claims were based on Outback and Forester etc. experience.

My personal hypothesis with my biased samples is after the new wears off you drive nicer. New car, usually faster and more powerful than old car, you push the throttle to feel the acceleration more, then the new wears off and you drive like you used to.
I'd like to think we're getting better mileage now but I attribute it to the new wearing off. We're closing in on 5000 miles.

I agree with this. For me in particular, it took me awhile to learn how to drive a turbo more fuel efficiently. I put the throttle % and instant MPG on the top dash display. Very subtle pressure changes on the accelerator translate to worlds of difference in the instant MPG, even though it doesn't necessarily effect the speed.I was getting 16mpg, but as soon as I started paying attention to my top display, my average mpg jumped to between 19 and 20 mpg, consistently in stop and go traffic. I have about 8500 miles on my Ascent.

 

I've read the anecdotes too but have not had that experience going on two Subarus.

My 2012 Outback got the same exact mileage from day 1. I averaged 24.8 when it was rated at 22/29.
My Ascent now has over 4000 miles and my average has always been about 20 (rated 20/26).

I really want to hit 22 but I'm not too hopeful. The Ascent takes a lot of energy to get moving and my drives are never much of a cruise.

 

I would like to see proof that the Ascent can average much over 22 mpg. Maybe in very flat parts of the country with no inclines of any sort and no traffic lights.


I was getting between 17-18 average. At 2500 miles, I changed the oil just to get rid of any break-in residue. Then my MPG has been around 21 but that includes more road miles than the previous tanks.


I calculate my MPG and the true calculations are ALWAYS worse than the AVG MPG displayed on the gauges.



They all have the same engine and transmission so tires, weight, and driving habits would seem to be the only variables. I have tried to squeeze the maximum MPG out of a tank or tow and, besides the extra horn honks because I'm not going fast enough, I don't see much difference.


Can anyone enlighten me on this? I sure would like to get close to the MPG claimed here.


My wife's 2014 Forester is an entirely different story. It consistently beats the EPA MPG.

 

I would like to see proof that the Ascent can average much over 22 mpg. Maybe in very flat parts of the country with no inclines of any sort and no traffic lights.


I was getting between 17-18 average. At 2500 miles, I changed the oil just to get rid of any break-in residue. Then my MPG has been around 21 but that includes more road miles than the previous tanks.


I calculate my MPG and the true calculations are ALWAYS worse than the AVG MPG displayed on the gauges.



They all have the same engine and transmission so tires, weight, and driving habits would seem to be the only variables. I have tried to squeeze the maximum MPG out of a tank or tow and, besides the extra horn honks because I'm not going fast enough, I don't see much difference.


Can anyone enlighten me on this? I sure would like to get close to the MPG claimed here.


My wife's 2014 Forester is an entirely different story. It consistently beats the EPA MPG.

My current MPG is 24.133 calculated over 8700 miles. I have 10200 on the car but didn't start recording data in an app until at 1500 miles. I live in Utah at 4800' and travel regularly across Idaho. I've also had trips over the Sierras and Cascades and eastern Oregon mountains. One trip up the Oregon coast at sea level but not exactly flat. Lots of road miles and not a lot of commuting (work from home) but plenty of local errand driving too. I'll be adding another almost 2000 road miles here in the next month and expect the mileage to climb back up a little. Recent tanks have included more local than road miles. I use adaptive cruise a lot and have it set on the ECO setting. I actually think my mileage would be higher except the speed limit in areas I regularly travel is 80mph. If I travel at 70mph, I see an improvement in mileage. It is nice to have a car that hits 80mph and feels like it is effortless! Just my experience.

 

I'm at 6,500 miles and average per tank sits right around 24 MPG and has since i took delivery in September. If anything the MPG might have gone down a little because i'm not driving as cautiously as when i first got it. I've flirted with 27 MPG and 21 MPG was probably my worst.

Usually the lower numbers coincide with me driving somewhere new where i'm not as familiar with the curves in the road or when i have to take routes that have heavier traffic.

I also use my Ascent to respond to emergencies as an EMT so a busy weekend will kill my MPG as i'm driving a little harder than i normally would.

 

Based on my own experience and people's posts, we've seen some pretty low mileage numbers for the first few hundred miles. Beyond that, I don't think we have the hard numbers about exactly when that break-in period ends. But at least in theory, there should be a slight mileage increase after the first oil change at 6000 miles; if there is any residue left from the break-in period, this will be removed. And I'm guessing right after that first oil change, the car will be performing optimally.

 

FWIW, I got my first oil change at about 2200 miles, and did not notice an increase in performance afterwards. I'll be getting my second next week. I'll obviously let people know if I see any noticeable difference after that one.

 

Haha, your Ascents are all getting the same mileage more or less that my 11 Outback is getting. Props to Subaru for making such an efficient engine, turbo nonetheless.

I noticed that my Outback steadily increased in mileage, significantly at first, and then tapered off and has been more or less constant since somewhere between the 6000 mile mark and 10,000 mile mark.

I think there could have been some observer bias for this, as well, since this was my first CVT and I was probably driving it a little too aggressively, especially tip-in from a stop.

 

Perhaps it's the nature of the beast. Similar sized and powered SUVs are all rated about the same, whether they're turbo 4s or V6s. If you look at the Fuelly data they all seem to be averaging 20-22. Moving a large mass from a standstill is going to take more fuel than a smaller Forest/Outback, which are about 1000 lbs less than the Ascent.

 

I pick up Ascent Limited from Colorado, pass by Arches NP, back to LA. Round trip between San Gabriel and LAX each day, around total 50 miles, local,I-10,I-110,local. According Robert said 60+ is gas saving point. I always use ACC, set in 65. Had a second trip to Sequoia NP, Kings NP, SF and 3rd trip to LV, Death Valley NP, Grand Canyon NP, Antelope NP.

Oil Change in 3333miles, 6000miles now. MPG keep in 21.8 to 21.9.

 

I'm also in California but have only taken one mountain trip so far. I also got 21-22 during that run. After driving 200 miles it was great to see 400+ miles of range left after coming back down the mountain. Of course, that all got averaged out on the open highway. I tend to stay around 70MPH with occasional bursts up to 85.

 

On a side note, rockthebeef, I adjusted my mirrors according to the link in your signature and I love it!

 

In 3,300 miles I avg 18.4. Recently with the switch to winter blend I am down to 17-18 depending on the tank. My typical trip to and from work 3 times a week is only 14 miles each way. And it is lots of stop and go. On top of that everything we need is within 5-10 min of the house so all our trips are short. When I go up to my parents house 45 miles away even at 80mph I start to see MPG in the 20-22 range. The best I've seen is 24-25 on a 3 hour drive to Michigan, but that was once.

Overall if you do short trips and lots of stop and go. Hitting that 20mpg mark is tough. It takes more fuel to get that 4 cylinder to move the weight even with the turbo plus the idling doesn't help.

 

In 3,300 miles I avg 18.4. Recently with the switch to winter blend I am down to 17-18 depending on the tank. My typical trip to and from work 3 times a week is only 14 miles each way. And it is lots of stop and go. On top of that everything we need is within 5-10 min of the house so all our trips are short. When I go up to my parents house 45 miles away even at 80mph I start to see MPG in the 20-22 range. The best I've seen is 24-25 on a 3 hour drive to Michigan, but that was once.

Overall if you do short trips and lots of stop and go. Hitting that 20mpg mark is tough. It takes more fuel to get that 4 cylinder to move the weight even with the turbo plus the idling doesn't help.

Don't know if this is true with Subarus, but have always understood that short trips on a cold engine where the vehicle doesn't really get to an optimum running temperature during the drive also decrease MPG significantly. Would think that it would be true on Subaru as well. This may be what you are seeing, in addition to the other factors of stop & go, etc.



I'm not the one who drives our Ascent regularly, so not really sure what MPG my wife is getting in hers, other than what MySubaru reports. I know that on every vehicle we have ever had, I do much better on MPG than my wife does. Her driving style is significantly different than mine.

 

I have been wondering the same thing. It is colder here in the Midwest now so I am actually getting worse gas mileage (around 18/19.5mpg) now versus 21/22mpg this past summer when I first got it. I have over 8K miles on my car.

 

When the drive train is new, it literally has sharp edges and tight parts. Everything needs to create and use proper wear patterns. It literally will shave grams of metal off engines, transmission, axles, breaks, ect... Once the wear breaks in, fluid changes remove the metal pieces. All new cars while improve somewhat over time.

But if you drive conservatively from the start, you may not see a increase at all. Simply getting used to the car will change the gas mileage.

But yes, new cars need a break improve gas.

 

I understand what you are saying from a conceptual standpoint... but there isn't a single person here who has commented, saying that they are getting better mileage after the break-in period...

 

I wonder if a simple ecu reset after your car is fully broken in can help remedy bad fuel mileage for those getting numbers under 20mpg. Even tho I've done lots of testing on how to improve gas mileage, I have reset my ecu about 3 times so far. Maybe people can just disconnect their neg battery terminal for 10-20 mins and then see what gas mileage is like for about a 2 tanks.

 

I'm wondering if the "break in" has more to do with people adjusting to the car and the newness wearing off? I'm on my 5th Subaru and have never had the MPG increase on me. But I actually always start out higher. Maybe people let the "new" wear off a bit and then drive a bit more conservatively?

If you want EPA mileage, you have to drive like an EPA test. They don't exceed 65mph, they don't accelerate hard (just average) and they don't leave it idling. They are also not stuck in really slow traffic.

In fact I've exceeded the rated MPG ratings on all my Subarus, even my WRX, and now even on my Ascent (when I want to).

During break-in I'm always very cautious. Don't exceed 2,500 rpm and keep speed under 60mph. On my 2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i CVT I did a 320mi journey during the break-in period and got 40mpg for the trip. After breakin, I wasn't speeding or accelerating hard and would regularly get 34-36mpg. After I bought my radar detector and started speeding again and driving aggressively, my mpg dropped to 26-28mpg!

Even with my 2009 WRX, I would accelerate hard but stay at or under the speed limit and still get 25mpg! I loved the acceleration, but at that time didn't speed either, so got pretty good mpg for a 265hp car!

Now with the Ascent I did the same slow breakin and doing the same 320mi road trip as my 2017 Outback I got 36mpg! But as soon as it was broken in and I started dipping into the turbo and speeding, that dropped to 22-24mpg. Now if I play nicer and stay under 75mph and accelerate slower, I can get 25-27mpg. If I drive like a hypermiler I can still get up around 30mpg.

Another thing with the Outback and even more so the Ascent is the larger frontal area increases the drop in MPG as you exceed 65mph. Sleeker cars don't feel it as much, but the Ascent is almost as tall as my old GMC Canyon mid-sized truck and I think it is at least as wide, if not wider.

So now it comes down to what is more important to me (and to you). If you drive aggressively, you'll have more smiles but pay more at the pump. If you do want to baby it and pretend it isn't a 260hp beast, you can eek out quite a bit more mileage.

 

I'm wondering if the "break in" has more to do with people adjusting to the car and the newness wearing off? I'm on my 5th Subaru and have never had the MPG increase on me. But I actually always start out higher. Maybe people let the "new" wear off a bit and then drive a bit more conservatively?
...

I have had similar experiences with my Subaru's as well. They all started out higher and dropped after break in. Mostly likely due to driving style changes. My ascent peaked at 26 avg. mpg under 1000mi. and is currently getting ~22-23 avg. with 5700mi. on the clock. I made sure to really seal up that engine block by pounding the car on the highway with full throttle roll-ons from 60 mph with 1200mi. on the car.

This is great mpg to me considering my 2015 2.5i legacy was only getting 26 mpg average.

 

We received our Premium Ascent in mid August.
Every time I fill it up I calculate mpg by dividing the trip meter mileage by the gallons purchased. I log the result and date into a note taking app. I reset the trip meter.

Out of the gate we were getting 22 mpg to 27 mpg. Highway driving was kept to ~ 68mph during the first 1K miles.

There have been times when its mpg has gone down to 20 mpg, but mostly it stays between 22 and 24 mpg.

We really pushed it on the way back from Tucson to ABQ this past weekend, going into the high 80s mph and even into the 90s mph.
Our mpg yesterday was 22.48 mpg. This was the 17th time we have put gasoline into the Ascent since mid August.
Way back at the beginning, the second time we put gas in it, we got 22.47 mpg.

In all, it seems pretty consistent with better mpg the less we do in town driving, as one would expect.

 

After 6k miles with a mix of driving, including trailering, it seems the initial break-in is well over. Before I towed 2600 lb, I followed the 1k initial period sans trailer use. During that period, the milage for highway driving continually rose from the low 20's to around 27. When trailer towing, I started with 12 or so. As the trip continued, the average milage continued to rise over the next 1500 miles to over 15. The non-trailer milage is now over 27 for freeway runs and the low 20's for mixed town and highway. I don't expect much improvement from here. It's meeting the EPA ratings. I do anticipate smoother running after 10k or more as I've experienced in other vehicles. All's well.

 

Several folks on here have said that the engine needs a significant break-in period to start seeing any kind of MPG performance. This claim has always fascinated me (being new to Subaru). Most of these claims were made back when people were first getting their Ascents, and few (if any) people had any real-life data to back up these claims.

Now that the Ascent has been out for 5-6 months... does anyone have any empirical data to back this up?

My personal experience, with around 6800 miles on my Ascent... is that I see no difference in MPG performance.

My first half-dozen fillups thru August and September netted me anywhere between 22-25mpg.

Then I had a couple of great tanks that included a lot of long distance driving, and I hit 27mpg a couple times.

Then since mid-October, I'm ranging anywhere between 20-24mpg. Considering the drop in temperature and changeover to "winter mix" gasoline... I'd say that this mileage loosely equates to the same 22-25 I got when I first purchased my Ascent. So, in reality, almost 7000 miles in... I'm not seeing any of the improvement people are claiming.

Now, don't get me wrong... I'm perfect happy getting this kind of performance out of a vehicle this size. I'm NOT complaining about the fuel efficiency.

I'm wondering if the bump in fuel economy that Subarus are supposed to have is a real-life thing? Or is it maybe due to a change in behavior from how people take care of and/or drive their vehicles?

I'd love to hear other experiences from folks with their Ascents. I dont know what the claimed break-in period is... maybe feedback from people with 5k+ miles would be most valuable?

agree with totally. It’s BS. The Ascent is good to avg 19/20 and maybe 21 on it best day in mostly easy city driving with minimum idling/stop go driving. That the best we have seen in our 2020 Limited since March. I don’t care with you have 500 or. 5000 miles. This break in crap is just that empirallt proven by most owners saying the same thing. If you stand on the throttle and blast the turbo which is highly sensitive, you’re looking at 16/18 max in city. Baby the car rarely reaching 2000rpm, and you can see 27 maybe 28 on long hwy trips uninterrupted and staying under 70 mph. Put some 18” wheels on - and the game will change fast.

 

Put some 18” wheels on - and the game will change fast.

The size of the wheels is immaterial. The weight of the wheels/tires combined is. So if you go to 18s (that are rated to carry at least 1800 lbs per the Subaru specification) and opt for tires that are lighter in weight, you have potential fuel savings if the combination weighs less than OEM. If you go to an appropriate 18" wheel but opt for a heavier tire, your fuel economy will likely go down.

I'm personally happy with my fuel economy...23 over 22K miles overall and about 21 in general rural driving. 28+ high for highway travel.

 

If your getting avg 23 combined and steady 28 Hwy congratulations. We didn’t weigh the new 18” wheel set- seen about a 2-3 mpg increase in city driving so far. That’s significant

 

You can probably look up the weights online. If you share what you're running, I would have no problems looking them up on my next break.

 

We will see what it is at 22k if in fact Subaru’s get better with age.

 

The only way I get 28 Hwy if I am going 68 or less , or get 20+mpg tail wind ..

 

I never exceed 70 unless I'm in a passing situation that requires it. ACC at 65 or 70, depending on the limit is my habit. Any time you get above 70 with most vehicles these days, the fuel consumption starts to deteriorate.

 

My 2 cents...If I really wanted to have great mpg vehicle I would go with different car. But I love my Ascent! Great power and decent mpg on road trips. Enough said.

 

I do understand and "not getting run over" is a good thing. But that's going to affect fuel economy "just because". Here in the eastern US, 70 is pretty much the top limit on Interstate and in many areas, 65 remains the top legal speed.

 

And 55mph for all of Metro NY, 50mph max for NYC.

 

And almost everyone obeys those signs, too. ROFLOL!

 

Subaru Ascent MPG - Actual MPG from 699 Subaru Ascent owners

The most accurate Subaru Ascent MPG estimates based on real world results of 18.1 million miles driven in 699 Subaru Ascents

www.fuelly.com

Link above: Fuelly

20 mpg

That is were I am going to set my expectations. Whenever I look for a new vehicle - "Fuelly" is my friend. I forget what is advertised. Fuelly gives real world results driven by real people.

 

That is were I am going to set my expectations. Whenever I look for a new vehicle - "Fuelly" is my friend. I forget what is advertised. Fuelly gives real world results driven by real people.

That's where I track my fill-ups too. Lifetime average on my MY19 is 20.4. Lifetime low of 16.1 on leap day this year, lifetime high of 24.3 a year ago.

 

Pre-COVID when I actually drove to work, I would average 28-29 winter and 29-31 summer with my '18 Outback (2.5i). This was calculated - not via the computer. Granted, my route is 2/3 highway and hence the highway driving would keep the averages up I imagine. With the super short trips I do now, computer says 23-24. I also am not an aggressive driver - I live my EyeSight adaptive cruise for street driving and highway.

Fuelly has the Ascent average at 20. I know with our Yukon (6.2l), when my wife drove it, she would average 12. When I drove it, I would average 15. The Ascent is going to be my wife's vehicle. I anticipate 18 mpg'ish with her driving it.

At the end of the day, on winter roads, and I just go ... passing abandoned vehicles in the ditch ... I don't care about what I get for mpg.