[akc5247]

Below is from driving 2600 miles on my 23 Touring in NYNJroads.

Disappointed to say the least.

 

[riposter]

Man...I guess my 2021 LTD is broken then? I never see MPG anywhere near these numbers. Mixed/around town driving I see 16-18 or so, and longer trips, 23-24. And that's with the built-in calculator; when done by hand, it's always lower by 1-3 or so.

Haven't tried premium since I didn't think the car required it, but maybe I'll give it a shot.

 

[B22ONYX]

Mine is also off, but not that much. It's usuall between 1-2 mpg lower than what it says on the tach. That's why when I posted the 31.8 mpg I had at ome point, I assumed 30mpg on it I will do the same you thing you have up and put it on a spreadsheet.

Also, I fpund out that I have not reset my Trip "B" meter since I bought the car. AVG since is 23.3 mpg (per tach).

 

[pdxeca]

Man...I guess my 2021 LTD is broken then? I never see MPG anywhere near these numbers. Mixed/around town driving I see 16-18 or so, and longer trips, 23-24. And that's with the built-in calculator; when done by hand, it's always lower by 1-3 or so.

Haven't tried premium since I didn't think the car required it, but maybe I'll give it a shot.

I think your mileage is a lot more real world than some of the ideals that get posted here.

On my '21 Touring (and the '19 Limited I had before), for strictly city driving, 18mpg (on the display, I don't care enough to keep track and calculate separately). For mixed driving with a decent amount of highway (let's say 40-60% highway), it's 21-ish and for longer trips, I've gotten as good as 26 on flat roads but most of my long trips are too/through the mountains (some passes are "low" at 2500-3000', others are ~5000') and are typically loaded down with creatures and cargo and with a rooftop cargo box, so those are typically 22-24mpg.

Most recent trip was through the Cascades to central Oregon, 180 miles each way. Car was loaded with ~750# of creatures (2 adult humans and 3 dogs) and probably only ~50# of cargo but all of it on the roof. Trip out there starts more or less at sea level (~200'), goes over one pass at 4800' and a second pass at 4400', finishing at 3800'. That leg got 21.9. On the way back (starting off high, same 2 passes and ending up at sea level, I ended at 28.5.

 

[akc5247]

Man...I guess my 2021 LTD is broken then? I never see MPG anywhere near these numbers. Mixed/around town driving I see 16-18 or so, and longer trips, 23-24. And that's with the built-in calculator; when done by hand, it's always lower by 1-3 or so.

Haven't tried premium since I didn't think the car required it, but maybe I'll give it a shot.

Nope. You are seeing what I'mseeing with my 23 Touring as well.

I average 18 (back of hand math) and 17.8 by Subaru auto tach calculation - screenshot above in my post

Bad choice, but i guess we willkeep it until we find a decent next best thing.

 

[fredrmitchell6]

I think your mileage is a lot more real world than some of the ideals that get posted here.

On my '21 Touring (and the '19 Limited I had before), for strictly city driving, 18mpg (on the display, I don't care enough to keep track and calculate separately). For mixed driving with a decent amount of highway (let's say 40-60% highway), it's 21-ish and for longer trips, I've gotten as good as 26 on flat roads but most of my long trips are too/through the mountains (some passes are "low" at 2500-3000', others are ~5000') and are typically loaded down with creatures and cargo and with a rooftop cargo box, so those are typically 22-24mpg.

Most recent trip was through the Cascades to central Oregon, 180 miles each way. Car was loaded with ~750# of creatures (2 adult humans and 3 dogs) and probably only ~50# of cargo but all of it on the roof. Trip out there starts more or less at sea level (~200'), goes over one pass at 4800' and a second pass at 4400', finishing at 3800'. That leg got 21.9. On the way back (starting off high, same 2 passes and ending up at sea level, I ended at 28.5.

Just about my exact mileage for 2019 Ascent

 

[Daniel Acosta]

Final inspection and test drive today on the Ascent we ordered in December, which arrived three weeks earlier than expected. I'm picky and found no flaws. The Eyesight in the 23 performs noticeably better than in our 20 Outback, so kudos to Subaru for the newest version. In particular, it locks on instantly when engaged during a curve, whereas our Outback takes a couple seconds before locking on in a curve; the Ascent's engagement during a curve is comparable to how our Outback engages on a straight section of road. Once tracking, the 23 Ascent is also smoother and more precise staying in the center of the lane during a curve than our 20 Outback.

Gas mileage wise, I did my usual 11 mile controlled loop at 70mph, undulating curves and gentle hills. I did my Outback first to establish a baseline, it reported 35mpg which is really about 33.5mpg based on my experience with the car. The Ascent reported 28mpg, but I'll have to wait for a full tank to measure at the pump to see how accurate that is. Our 19 and 20 Outbacks were both pretty consistent at reporting mileage 5% higher than actual at the pump, so I suspect 28 on the Ascent is probably more like 27, which I can certainly live with. So we agreed to complete the purchase and will be taking it home in the morning.

Looking forward to my usual 150 mile break in run tomorrow after picking it up, which will give a much better idea of what to expect in the years ahead. This run involves an 8,000 foot elevation change (4K net up, then 4K net down on the return) with alternating up and downhill sections. With all my vehicles, including our last two Outbacks, this has always been an accurate indication of what to expect for city and highway driving (the mostly uphill portion matches typical city mileage, the mostly downhill return matches best case highway mileage). The mileage I get on my 11 mile test drive generally matches my 150 mile break in run's highway prediction, and is pretty much what I get for the life of my vehicles. The best tank ever on my 19 Outback was 38, overall lifetime average 30; best tank ever on the 20 Outback has been 40, overall average in the first 70K miles is 30.9 as shown in my signature. I'm hoping for a lifetime average on the Ascent of 24 since it will primarily be my wife's car for her 3.5 mile commute. The Outback will be our main soft-roader, the Ascent will be our primary vacation car, which will help offset the short daily commute miles.

Once I start recording some tanks on the new Ascent I'll update my signature from my Outback's mileage to the Ascent's mileage. We're keeping the Outback. The Ascent is replacing my 14 Sierra 5.3 4x4, which recorded an overall average of 19.2mpg in its 177K mile life (EPA is 16/22/18). It had a small lift and slightly oversize AT/KO2's, great truck tires. Our Outback went from the OEM Avids to Nokian Encompass to Continentals, consistent gas mileage with all three, probably because they all weigh about 26 pounds. We'll probably keep the stock tires on the Ascent until they wear out, then see what the best setup for replacement by @Discount Tire is available at that time. With the amount we drive, that will probably be in two years. If I had to choose now, it would probably be something 3-peak from Nokian or Continental.

 

[Discount Tire]

@Daniel Acosta thanks for the recognition! We will be there when you are ready. Just know that you can protect your factory tires with our Certificate for free replacement. That way you have piece of mind.

 

[Daniel Acosta]

So I've completed my break in run described in post 27 above and have been pleasantly surprised by the results. I was heavily leaning towards the 23 Pilot because I thought the 2.4T might not hold up compared to Honda's V6, and there are so many people complaining about fuel economy in the Ascent.

My mostly uphill portion reported 22.5mpg, but was actually 23.5 measured at the pump. The mostly downhill portion, which is usually a good indication of what I can expect on the highway, reported 29mpg which actually agreed with the pump calculation. So my first 200 miles, which included my controlled loop test drive and a 150 mile break in run, have returned great fuel economy and a confident expectation of mileage to come. I'm also pleasantly surprised at how accurate the dash fuel economy is, as both my 19 and 20 Outback's dash displays are about 5% high.

One reason for the Ascent's great economy is how well it coasts. I don't know if this is from engine compression, CVT programming, or maybe a little of both, but off-throttle deceleration is much more gradual than in my Outback 2.5.

On the negative side, the Ascent's economy in the first few miles after a cold start is noticeably worse than with my Outback, which rarely reports economy less than 26mpg. I saw as low as 16-18mpg in the Ascent in the first few miles this morning, but it quickly climbed into the 20's after a few more miles. Low speed around town driving is certainly more thirsty than similar conditions with the Outback.

So for those of you with poor economy, I'd say you have to compare to what you saw on your test drive. If it's worse now, then perhaps there is an issue with your car. Secondly, if you do a lot of short trips around town, the 2.4T is not going to be your friend economy wise, but it's great in the 40-70mph range, at least for me.

Many have the impression that economy goes up after some break in period, but our Ascent has matched all our previous vehicles in that its economy from day one is great and will likely continue. The days of overly optimistic epa ratings are long gone, as we have matched or exceeded epa ratings with all of our vehicles since 2002.

One curiosity is why the Ascent doesn't have start stop, which would certainly help around town economy, while the same engine in the Outback does. Start stop in our Outback has been fine, and the only real difference I've seen with the Ascent besides watching the economy drop while sitting at stops is that the battery maintains a higher charge. If you're curious about the voltage in your 23 Ascent, hold down the passenger up/down red/blue temperature buttons together and tap the radio tune button twice to access factory mode. Sorry, but I don't know how to access factory mode in the 19-22 Ascent.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

On the negative side, the Ascent's economy in the first few miles after a cold start is noticeably worse than with my Outback, which rarely reports economy less than 26mpg. I saw as low as 16-18mpg in the Ascent in the first few miles this morning, but it quickly climbed into the 20's after a few more miles. Low speed around town driving is certainly more thirsty than similar conditions with the Outback.

That's not surprising as you'll note that the idle speed after a "cold start" is higher to warm up the turbo system. This is one of the things that makes frequent use of remote start "more painful" from a fuel standpoint, too. If you leave where you are parked right away, your engine RPM will still be elevated until that warm-up gets things to where the programing sets it back to "normal".

One curiosity is why the Ascent doesn't have start stop, which would certainly help around town economy, while the same engine in the Outback does.

Does the Outback XT have Start/Stop? That's the version of the Outback that has the same engine as the Ascent. Otherwise, it's a different engine. (2.5i)

 

[Daniel Acosta]

That's not surprising as you'll note that the idle speed after a "cold start" is higher to warm up the turbo system. This is one of the things that makes frequent use of remote start "more painful" from a fuel standpoint, too. If you leave where you are parked right away, your engine RPM will still be elevated until that warm-up gets things to where the programing sets it back to "normal".



Does the Outback XT have Start/Stop? That's the version of the Outback that has the same engine as the Ascent. Otherwise, it's a different engine. (2.5i)

Yes, all the Outbacks have start stop with both engines, 2.5 and the same 2.4T the Ascent has. Outback XT owners tend to complain the most about how start stop works.

 

[Daniel Acosta]

Just brought our 23 Ascent home Friday. Three days, two mountains, 300 miles, 25mpg overall (23, 29, 24) all measured at the pump. Definitely liking this car. On longer drives CarPlay does drain the phone so plugging it in every couple hours. I heard too many mixed reviews so skipped the wireless charger.

 

[koascent]

Just did a first gas fill up today and my calculated MPG is about 18. Mostly local street driving with about 30% freeway.

 

[bdjfywi4$]

Below is from driving 2600 miles on my 23 Touring in NYNJroads.

Disappointed to say the least.



View attachment 20218

Does your car has cross bars on the roof? Many may not know that but just the cross bars alone can reduce gas mileage.

 

[Daniel Acosta]

Our new Ascent continues to get great mileage on trips that are at least 5 miles. On my wife's short 3 mile drive to work she's only getting 21. Here is the mileage from tonight, 16 miles to dinner and back, 32 miles total, mix of city traffic and freeway at 70-75. So far it's matching all our previous vehicles including our 19 and 20 Outbacks where we match EPA estimates from day one, don't really see a change no matter how many miles are on the vehicle. BTW, 40 is hot pressure after the drive home, cold pressure is 36-37. 10% pressure rise from cold to hot seems to be typical for properly inflated tires. In case you can't read it, 28mpg on this particular trip. 25.2 is the overall average for the first three fillups, all tracked on fuelly.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

That tire pressure...

 

[Daniel Acosta]

That tire pressure...

Taking a trip soon to a little colder climate, so I'm expecting my 36-37 cold pressure to drop to about 33-34, which will be fine on cold mornings.

 

[akc5247]

Does your car has cross bars on the roof? Many may not know that but just the cross bars alone can reduce gas mileage.

Thank you., It does not.

Edited to add that mine is Touring..

I was aware of it - but still 17.8 is disappointing to say the least.

Currently at around 3500 miles (yes recent road trip) and mileage has not improved. Will continue to monitor

 

[rockthebeef]

I mentioned earlier in this thread that I might try premium, even though I didn't expect any difference. I ran my last two tanks on 91 octane and there was zero difference from the several tanks before running 87 octane. No surprise there. I just had to try for myself.

After 2-3 initial tanks during road trips getting 21-22, my recent average is about 18.6 over the last several tanks. I'm only at around 3k miles, so I hope this gets a little better.

 

[riposter]

Does your car has cross bars on the roof? Many may not know that but just the cross bars alone can reduce gas mileage.

I was definitely bummed the Ascent didn't come with the stowable crossbars like my old Outback.