Long trip summary/I think I like AWD

When I was coming back from Richland, WA (eastern WA) yesterday, it was windy most/all of the way back, plus very rainy from Snoqualamie pass into Bellevue. There was a great deal of spray from trucks/SUV's and the visibility was really bad. Then I realized I was going 85! I didn't set the cruise since I was under 1k, so I didn't want to drive at the same engine speed for 220 miles. However, it felt really stable and I never hydroplaned or felt like I didn't have control, even at 80+. I don't know if that was due to AWD, tires, or suspension, maybe a combo of the three. Still managed 26 mpg even in the crappy weather while varying speeds. I'm hoping to get around 30 on the freeway once it's broken in and I've got synthetic oil in it and can drive a consistent speed. Good weather should help as well. Overall, the LGT really cruises well: quiet, smooth ride, well planted to the road and stable, even in crappy weather at high speed.

How was the road noise. You said quiet but did you hear any weird things from the rain? I've heard of people complaining about road noise on other Subarus but the Leg seems to have improved a lot this model year. Just curious how you thought it sounded.

I just drove home today for spring break and when I rolled into my driveway it displayed 27.6 average MPG. It was a 100 mile drive and I drove about 75 for half of the way and 65 for the other half. Oh, and I didn't hesitate to put the right foot down to pass people. I love my GT.

So what kind of mileage are y'all getting on your GT's fully broken in on long trips? I figured the 25 mpg rating might be a tad pessimistic. And are you guys actually calculating mileage by hand or just going off of what the trip computers say? Sometimes they can be a bit optimistic.

I figured the 25 mpg rating might be a tad pessimistic.

 

I agree. 25MPG hwy is the EPA mileage rating. I doubt it would actually be higher.

My trip compooter gets me about 23 on the highway (at 80) and 21 in town. That calculates to about 19 in the city and 21/22 on the highway. Mostly Hess 93 octane. I'm really unimpressed. I've even gone through great pains to stay off the go peddle. I religously cruise under 3K and shift around 3-3.5K. Granted, there's a couple runs up to 5K in there, but still...

One thing I've noticed about my LGT is that I get MUCH BETTER gas mileage when I drive the speed limit (which for me, is 99.9% of the time, although I DEFINITELY get there as fast as I can haha) - around here, its 65. If I drive 75 or faster, MPG drops by about 4-5... its nuts.

 

So for those of you that haven't noticed this yet.. try getting on a highway and watching your real time MPG at 75, then slow down to 65 and set the cruise and watch it... for me, its much better MPG. Yet another reason to drive the speed limit

 

Of course, if the speed limit is 75, you wont catch me going 65....

^ Agreed, going the speed limit or just over is key to good mileage on the GT. Anytime your going 75 or above the mileage really drops off. But between 65-70 you can average 26-27 MPG (based off real calculations not the overly optimistic computer).

Anytime your going 75 or above the mileage really drops off.

 

Well that would explain the 19-20mpg @ 80Mph that I got last week.

Damn I'll really miss crusing at 75-80 mph getting 30-32mpg if i get the legacy GT.

I have seen 23 in the city ...and yes...I think 65-70 (just below boost @ 3K rpm) is the optimal highway consumption.

Best milage I've seen for my GT is 26 on I90 from Seattle to N. Idaho.

 

Rest of the time I get 20 driving around from work and home. I have 8K miles right now.

I've been getting a consistent 24-25 mpg for the last few months. 75-80% is highway though. Most usually at around 75-80 mph. It certainly drops off a little if i am above 80. I've been happy. I certainly didn't buy the car for its great gas mileage. If that was the case, then i would not have gotten this car. You can't have everything....

Just passed 20k last week

Road noise wasn't too bad. Very low on smooth pavement, a little noisy on the broken, worn out concrete of I-90, but WAY quieter than my old Mazda 626. Also quieter than the TSX I test drove. I'm pretty satisfied overall. The 26mpg figure was my own calculation, the trip computer read 26.7. I burned 8.5 gallons of fuel (filled when I left, filled again when I arrived), travelled 221 miles. I tend to drive pretty conservatively for the most part, though I too have noticed mpg drops pretty fast once the rpms go above 3k or so, which is about 70mph. I'm pretty confident I can achieve close to 30 in good weather if I stay at 70mph once the engine is fully broken in and has synthetic oil in the crankcase.

FYI, this is also a manual tranny, which IMO does make a difference in mpg.

FYI, this is also a manual tranny, which IMO does make a difference in mpg.

Doesn't seem like its so much anymore though.