[Peteus]

We have our 1st Suburu. We have 2020 Ascent. Gas mileage is so bad. Is this normal for Suburu? This will be my last one.

No. We have a 2020 Ascent also and we are averaging 28 mpg. Try using the cruise more. Lay off the gass😀

 

[RsquaredO]

The Ascent's throttle (and Subaru's in general) are a lot more sensitive than most other vehicles. It takes less pedal input to get the same acceleration. I did the test numbers and with 12% throttle input I could out accelerate most econbox cars at full throttle to 60mph. It's still fairly smooth with the CVT so it may not feel like it, but you're probably accelerating a lot faster than in your Chevy. I know the difference between my GMC Canyon (basically a Chevy) and the Ascent was night and day for throttle response. If I push down on the Ascent like I did in the GMC, I'd be racing off the line!

If you "baby" the throttle, I bet you'll see a 2-3mpg improvement without losing drivability.

I completely agree with this. I came from a Buick Enclave (which got 18mpg) and this is my first Subaru as well. It took me a bit to get use to the throttle but it’s been amazing! The Ascent is the best! We have gotten 26mpg at a high and usually average 23mpg. I have 24k miles on it and the car is just a year old this month. We have the 2020 Touring.

 

[snowsurferxl]

We have our 1st Suburu. We have 2020 Ascent. Gas mileage is so bad. Is this normal for Suburu? This will be my last one.

Ive gotten as low as 14 mpgs on a tank in the winter with almost all stop/start driving averaging about 20 mph overall. Not driving too fast, just a lot of hills, cooler temps and stop/go. I live at 400 ft in elevation and am constantly going down to sea level (Portland, OR) a mile away, so it’s to be expected. It was a bit of a shock initially. Trade off is that highway mileage phenomenal for a 4,500 lb behemoth. I’ve gotten 26-27 mpgs routinely on highway over rolling/flat terrain with the Limited Ascent. Mileage is def better (slightly) on Base/Premium sans moonroof and big tires. Next car will be a hybrid or electric for sure. Former Prius driver here...

 

[iH8RICERZ]

I have a 2019 Touring and just got back from a trip to/from Tahoe. 3 adults, 2 kids, a dog and luggage in any available space left... going up, I averaged 21mpg but I was also cruising at 76'ish mph and half of that tank was going uphill. Heading home going downhill, I was averaging 27mpg until I hit traffic back in the bay area and it dropped down to 21mpg. When my wife drives, which is 80% city / 20% hwy, she's averaging 18-19mpg.

Driving styles, seasons, traffic, road conditions, etc all play a factor... my wife also has a heavier foot than I do so she sees worst gas mileage than I do.

 

[Mcausttin60]

I get about 18 in town and 28 on the highway. I'm a very smooth, light footed driver as well. For a vehicle this large, that's not bad. But I agree that it doesn't match EPA sticker at all. My Outback got much better mileage, but was much smaller and lighter

 

[Simonontherock]

We have our 1st Suburu. We have 2020 Ascent. Gas mileage is so bad. Is this normal for Suburu? This will be my last one.

Well, it’s to be expected.this is my first Subaru, I’ve had my ascent for a little more than a year. I do mostly highway driving within a city and some out of state vacation trips 400-1000 mile trips. I have 20,000 on it. On the highway the best mpg I’ve ever achieved is 26.5. It’s really poor in city driving The real issue is it’s size, vehicle weight and the fact that it’s awd. If you removed at least one of those factors we’d prob get 27/28 mpg. It’s a great vehicle and I’m sure you’ll be very happy with it overall. Keep in mind though that it is not alone in this category; Chevy traverse, vw atlas, ford explorer etc. What you gain is capacity, space and comfort, what you lose is mpg. It’s be nice if Subaru had an option for 4wd but it doesn’t.

 

[bheinrich3]

I am averaging 19.4 mpg. I commute 40 miles twice a day for work. Mostly highway. And I am heavy on the gas pedal. I had a Tahoe before and it only got maybe 14 mpg. I only wish I had a bigger gas tank!

 

[Daddydog]

We have our 1st Suburu. We have 2020 Ascent. Gas mileage is so bad. Is this normal for Suburu? This will be my last one.

Have a 2020 Ascent premium with 20 inch wheel option and 27,000 miles . I have noticed an improvement over time , City mileage tends to be poor 20 ish , but highway mileage is pleasing at 28-29 at 70mph legal speed . On 2 lane road at 55 I once got 33 . I previously had a forester that got mid 30’s consistently . Make sure your tire pressures are up , sometimes tire pressures are lowered to improve the car ride . Rolling resistance is a factor with a CVT transmission . Try to keep engine rpm less than 2500 , cruising below 2000 indicating your CVT transmission is operating in a tall/low ratio . It is tempting with the very responsive turbocharged Ascent to put your foot in it . This is my 3rd Subaru , very pleased

 

[SGI Dave]

How are you arriving at your stated MPG?

Trip computer VS calculated?

We have a 2019 Ascent premium with 15K miles which has consistently OVERstated the MPG on the dash trip computer. It will usually indicate the overall MPG for the tank at approximately 2.5-3 MPG HIGHer than actual. "Actual" = miles traveled/volume gasoline consumed and is calculated after the tank is refilled. So, on our latest tank the dash info center said we'd gotten 22.4 mpg, but the 'actual' mpg was 19.5. Same with highway driving...the dash will say we're getting 26-27 mpg but the truth comes out at the gas pump when it is usually 23-24 mpg.

 

[skline1]

We have our 1st Suburu. We have 2020 Ascent. Gas mileage is so bad. Is this normal for Suburu? This will be my last one.

We bought our 2020 in January, so we don't have too many miles. Our mileage is almost 100% city driving. We are averaging 13.95 mpg after eight fill ups and a little less than 1,000 miles on the odometer.

 

[Ponch]

The gas mileage can be horrendous around town. I've seen as low as 13-14 around town, but, I've also seen as high as 28 on the highway if I keep it at or below 65. 75-80 and it's 23-25. I am not a miler at all though and have no desire to be, so take it with that in mind. If I have any legitimate complaints, it's about the how the throttle by wire operates. It doesn't operate consistently. DK if the car has turbo lag or just a nanny throttle by wire, but there are times it requires excessive input and other times is sensitive. Other complaint is I don't care for the CVT, at this point I tolerate it. You may want to try different gas stations and brands of gas just to see if it changes. You never know.

 

[hokiefyd]

If I have any legitimate complaints, it's about the how the throttle by wire operates. It doesn't operate consistently. DK if the car has turbo lag or just a nanny throttle by wire, but there are times it requires excessive input and other times is sensitive.

The throttle programming is goofy. As you observe, you sometimes need a heavy foot and other times need to treat it like an egg with a thin shell. I recommend writing Subaru's customer service email address with this, as that's the only way we'll get critical mass with Subaru regarding the silly throttle mapping.

I think this CVT would be a real joy if the throttle was somewhat linear.

 

[mscarano]

We have our 1st Suburu. We have 2020 Ascent. Gas mileage is so bad. Is this normal for Suburu? This will be my last one.

So sorry to hear that you are experiencing this. I live in NYC and have almost 30,000 miles on my 2019. I average 26 - 27 on pure highway drives, and 22 - 24 in mixed (suburban type) driving. Since your 2020 has the same engine and equipment (I am driving a Touring edition), I would highly recommend you bring this up when you visit your dealer next. Good Luck!

 

[Djohn]

I live in TN also. Did a road trip to Orlando Fl. The best I could do was 21mpg with the cruise on.

 

[John G]

We have a 2019 Ascent Premium.
Every time I fill up I calculate the mileage and record in my notes app.
Thus far in 2020, and I admit I've not been using it much with the lockdown.
We've mostly been using the Outback.
But these are my recordings for 2020 so far.
22.86 mpg
23.32
25.41
19.32
22.31
24.10
26.00
20.02

We don't have any complaints about gas mileage.

 

[Andy1]

Check your tire pressure because low pressure uses more gas. I have often had incorrect pressure after tire work by dealers and independent shops. As others have said, you will do better on highways using cruise control to maintain even speeds; I have seen many drivers vary their speed up and down while they think they are maintaining a steady pace. Any drop in speed will eat more gas when you bring the speed up.

Also, this is a big car with a large frontal area which will give a lot of wind resistance. The latter increases by the square of the speed, so an increase in speed gives a larger wind resistance than you might expect, and worse mileage.

Oh-and I like our 2019 Ascent!

 

[Ponch]

The throttle programming is goofy. As you observe, you sometimes need a heavy foot and other times need to treat it like an egg with a thin shell. I recommend writing Subaru's customer service email address with this, as that's the only way we'll get critical mass with Subaru regarding the silly throttle mapping.

I think this CVT would be a real joy if the throttle was somewhat linear.

I don't know if the do anything. Long story short, the dealer we bought the car from is harassing us to trade it in. I've told them time and time again we aren't interested. One of their ploys is to call and say oh, we got your email that you're interested in trading your car. No one emailed them from my house. Oh, we'll take you off the contact list. 3-4 weeks later, another call. I finally contacted Subaru and complained. If I get a call in the next week or two, Subaru is useless. Autonation owns the dealer. I'll never buy a car from Autonation again.

 

[hokiefyd]

I don't know if the do anything.

The only way SoA will hear our complaints is if we tell them about them. In truth, it's not likely they'll come out with a programming fix for the throttle mapping, but I think it's worth letting them know about it -- it'll at least get logged in their issue tracking system. SoA is separate from your dealer network, but it sounds like you haven't had a ton of support from SoA, either (sorry to hear this).

 

[DMeans]

Thank you for your feedback. We are not getting anything near that. We bought the 2020 back in November 2019. We travel city and only get about 17 to 18 and we have taken several long highway trips and only get 20 to 21.

I bought my 2020 in December, and I've seen the same in-city mileage, though my highway is much better.

However, the in-city mileage is creeping up, as we put more distance on the engine. If I recall correctly, I'm at about 19mpg+/- in the city, which is where most of my driving occurs.

 

[R-uss]

We have our 1st Suburu. We have 2020 Ascent. Gas mileage is so bad. Is this normal for Suburu? This will be my last one.

I never got as high as 20 mpg on my 2019 Touring, UNTIL...I replaced the OEM Falken tires at 25k. With my new Pirelli
SCORPION VERDE ALL SEASON PLUS II
tires I got an increase in fuel economy of well over 10%. We'll see if that holds up over time, since I only have about 500 miles on the new tires. I researched dozens of tires on Tirerack.com and selected the Pirellis. The only downside to the new tires is slightly higher noise levels on some surfaces, but not on the Interstate. I am not affiliated with Pirelli or with Tire Rack; those hyperlinks above in blue ink is automatic I guess.