FUEL ECONOMY YEARLY COSTS, PLUS MPG RATINGS ON MANY POPULAR MODELS

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on this page...
What it costs for you to drive... 
MPG ratings for a few cars....

Other pages: 
'CAFE' Standards a page on how the government CAFE fuel economy standards work
Diesel? when will Subaru have one. It's available in Europe now (early 2008)
Hybrid? when will Subaru have one...
Concerned about the quality of gas you buy? Check TopTier website for gas quality.



comments, tips, corrections welcomed
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Subaru Sales in Seattle, Wa, Contact
you are here http://www.cars101.com/fuel_economy.html,  updated 5.4.08

Tips to improve fuel economy:
Tires. Properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage. Subaru is generally 33-35psi, but check your tire sidewall or the manufacturer sticker on the door jam. Higher tire pressure, gives a slightly firmer ride and better economy.
Avoid jackrabbit starts. Zoom-zoom is fun but bad for gas economy.
Cold engine. A cold engine will not accelerate as well, as quickly or as smoothly, as a warm one. Don't push it.
Empty extra weight and junk from the trunk.
Use the recommended motor oil. Subaru uses 5-30w.
Roof racks. Remove things from the rack that cause air drag.
Avoid fast-slow, speed-up and slow-down, on and off the gas pedal. Steady is better.
Air conditioning, turn off when not needed. Note that A/C dries out the air and is needed to defrost the car and windshield, and most cars don't give you a choice but if they do, use the a/c for safety. Also the Mythbuster guys (on TV) did a test and found that a/c uses less gas than driving with windows down. And a/c should at least be used monthly to maintain the system.
Avoid excessive idling, but it's good to let any cold engine run for 15-20 seconds or so before putting it in gear.
Try not run out of gas and suck in debris and gunk from the bottom of the tank that clogs the fuel system. Condensation and water can form in an empty tank.
Clean air filter. It's easy and makes a difference.

New for 2008 Model Revised EPA Fuel economy testing methods will result in lower but more realistic ratings for all manufacturers. New lower estimates (starting with 2008 models) more accurately reflect our current stop-and-go traffic and commute driving patterns, faster speeds and acceleration, air conditioner use, and colder outside temperatures. MPG estimates will also be adjusted downward to account for factors that are difficult to replicate in a laboratory, such as wind and road surface resistance. New fuel economy estimates will be lower for most vehicles. This is not because auto makers have designed the same vehicles to be less fuel efficient—it is because our new test methods take into account factors that have been missing or not fully accounted for in the current (2007 model)  tests. Because some vehicles are more sensitive to these factors than others, the impact of the proposed changes will vary from vehicle to vehicle. The city MPG estimates for conventional (non-hybrid) vehicles would drop on average by about 10-20 percent from (2007 model) labels, while the highway estimates would drop by about 5-15 percent, depending on the vehicle.  Hybrid vehicles, city MPG estimates would drop 20-30 percent from (2007 model) labels. highway MPG estimates, the change is about the same as for conventional vehicles. More from the EPA
 
What it costs to drive that car each year. 
Fuel cost based on 15,000 miles per year (1,250 miles per month), price per U.S. gallon in U.S. Dollars

What 1 gallon of regular gas costs : 1970 $.34, 1980 $1.24, 1985 $1.15, August 1990 $1.20; August 1995 $1.12; August 2000 $1.43; March 2005 $2.03; April 2007 $3.25, April 2008 $3.89
 

Gallons used driving 15,000 miles per year
what many people drive per year, or 1,250 miles per month
price per gallon   ---     price per gallon     ---   price per gallon      ---           price per gallon      ---          ice per gallon
$4.00 $3.80 $3.60 $3.40 $3.30 $3.20 3.00 $2.80 $2.60 $2.40 $2.20 $2.00 $1.80 $1.60 $1.40 $1.20
At 70 mpg you used 214 gallons driving 15,000 miles per year and it cost this much (divide by 12 for what it costs monthly): $857 814 $771 $731 $710 $685 $645 $600 $557 $514 $471. $429 $386 $343 $300 $257
48 mpg (uses 312 US gallons to go 15,000 miles) $1248 1185 1123 1061 1030 998 936 874 811 749 686 624 562 499 437 374
45 mpg (uses 333 US gallons) $1332 1265 1198 1132 1098 1065 999 932 866 799 733 666 599 533 466 399
41 mpg (uses 366 US gallons) $1464 1391 1318 1244 1207 1171 1098 1024 952 878 805 732 659 585 512 439
38 mpg (uses 395 US gallons) $1580 1501 1422 1343 1303 1264 1185 1106 1027 948 869 790 711 632 553 474
35 mpg (uses 429gals) $1716 1630 1544 1459 1416 1372 1287 $1200 1114 1029 943 857 771 686 600 514
33 mpg (uses 455gals) $1820 1729 1638 1547 1501 1456 1365 1273 1182 1091 1000 909 818 727 636 545
31 mpg (uses 484gals) $1936 1839 1742 1645 1597 1548 1452 1355 1258 1161 1065 968 871 774 677 581
29 mpg (uses 518gals) $2072 1968 1865 1761 1709 1657 1554 1448 1345 1241 1138 1034 931 828 724 621
27 mpg (uses 556gals) $2224 2113 2002 1890 1834 1779 1668 1556 1444 1333 122 1111 1000 889 778 667
25 mpg (uses 600gals) $2400 2280 2160 2040 1980 1920 1800 1680 1560 1440 1320 1200 1080 960 840 720
23 mpg (uses 653gals) $2612 2481 2351 2220 2154 2089 1959 1826 1696 1565 1435 1304 1174 1043 913 783
21 mpg (uses 715gals) $2860 2717 2574 2431 2359 2288 2145 2000 1857 1714 1571 1429 1286 1143 1000 857
18 mpg (uses 834gals) $3336 3169 3002 2835 2752 2668 2502 2333 2167 2000 1833 1667 1500 1333 1167 1000
15 mpg (uses 1000gals) $4000 3800 3600 3400 3300 3200 3000 2800 2600 2400 2200 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200
12 mpg (uses 1250gals) $5000 4750 4500 4250 4125 4000 2750 3500 3250 3000 2750 2500 2250 2000 1750 1500
8 mpg (uses 1875gals) $7500 7125 6750 6375 6187 6000 5625 5250 4875 4500 4125 3750 3375 3000 2625 2250

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2005 model fuel economy on a few models
 M: Manual transmission; A: automatic transmission

These MPG figures are calculated by the EPA using 1985 test methods which assume the car averages 48MPH on the freeway (the limited then was 55mph), that only 10% of car have air conditioning, and stop-go traffic is 55 of the driving when is it currently more than that.
Your actual MPG will be less....

subject to change and correction. tips, comments welcomed

Make, Model Engine economy city/highway 
m manual, a automatic
Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback 2.5L 4 cyl
2.5L 4cyl turbo
3.0L H-6 cyl
m: 23/30  a: 22/30
m 19/25, a 19/25
a 19/25
Subaru Impreza 2.5L 4cyl
2.0L 4cyl turbo
m 23/30, a 22/28
m: 20/27, a: 19/26
Subaru Forester 2.5L 4cyl
2.5L turbo
m 23/30, a 22/28
m 19/24, a 20/23
Subaru Baja 2.5L
2.5L turbo
m 21/27, a 21/28
m 19/25, a 18/23
Audi A4 Avant Quattro
Audi S4 Avant
1.8L turbo
4.2L V8
m 21/30, a 20/29
m 15/21, a 18/24
Audi A6 Quattro 4.2L V8 a 17/23
Audi AllRoad Quattro 2.7L 6cyl
4.2L 8cyl
m 16/23, a 16/22
a 16/21
BMW X3 2.5L 6cyl
3.0L 6cyl
m 17/24, a 17/23
m 17/25, a 16/23
BMW X5 3.0L 6cyl
4.4L 8cyl
16/22m 15/21, a 16/21
Ford Escape 4wd 2.3L 4cyl
3.0L V6
Hybrid-electric
m 22/26, a 19/24
a 18/22
a 33/29
Ford Freestyle awd 3.0L V6 19/24
Honda Insight hybrid-electric m 61/66
Honda Accord 2.4 4cyl
3.0 6 cyl
m 24/34, a 26/34
m 20/30, a 21/30
Honda Civic 1.7L 4cyl
hybrid-elec
m 32/38, a 29/38
a 47/48
Honda CRV awd 2.4L 4cyl m 21/26, a 22/27
Honda Pilot  3.5L 6cyl a 17/22
Lexus RX330 4wd 3.3l 6cyl 18/24
Lexus LX 470 4.7L 8cyl 13/17
Mazda 3 2.0L 4cyl m 28/35, a 26/34
Mazda 6 sedan, wagon 2.3L 4cyl
3.0L 6cyl
m 23/31, a 23/28
m 19/26, a 20/27
Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4L 4cyl m 21/27, a 21/25
Nissan Murano awd 3.5L 6cyl 20/24
Nissan Pathfinder 4wd 4.0L 6cyl 15/21
Saturn SC, SL 1.9 4cyl DOHC m 27/38, a 25/36
Saturn L 100/200 2.2L 4 cyl m 25/33, a 24/33
Saturn L 300 3.0 V6 auto 21/28
Suzuki Grand Vitara 4wd 2.5L 6cyl m, a 19/22
Suzuki Grand Vitara XL7 4wd 2.7L 6cyl m, a 17/22
Toyota Camry 2.4 cyl m 24/33, a 24/34
Toyota Camry 3.0 V6 auto 20/28
Toyota Prius hybrid a 60/51
Toyota Celica 1.8L 4 cyl m 27/33, a 29/36
Toyota Corolla 1.8 4 cyl m 32/41, a 30.38
Toyota Echo 1.5L 4cyl m 35/42, a 33/39
Toyota RAV 2.4L 4cyl 22/27, a 22/27
Toyota Highlander 2.4L 4cyl
3.6L 6cyl
a 21/25
a 18/24
Toyota 4Runner 4.0L 6 cyl a 17/21
Toyota LandCruiser 4.7L 8cyl a 13/17
Toyota Scion xA 1.5L 4cyl m 32/37, a 31/38
Toyota Scion xB 1.5L 4cyl m 31/34, a 31/35
VW Beetle 1.9L diesel turbo m 38/46, a 35/42
VW Jetta 1.8 4cyl turbo
1.9 4 cyl diesel
m 24/31, a 21/29
m 38/46, a32/43
VW Jetta 2.0 4 cyl
2.8L V6
m 24/31, a 24/30
m 19/28, a 19/26
VW Passat 4Motion 1.8L turbo
2.8 V6
m 21/30, a 20/39
a 19/26
Volvo V50 AWD 2.5L 5cyl turbo m 19/27, a 19/26
Volvo V70 wagon AWD
Volvo V70 R wagon AWD
2.5L 5cyl turbo
2.5L 5cyl turbo
a 19/26
m, a 18/24

this is all unofficial and subject to change, correction etc
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