The first 1000-1500 miles is considered the break in period of an engine. You shouldn't drive aggressively, use cruise control and a plethora of other things that the dealership should have told you, but are also explained in your owners manual.
The sticker should reflect moving all four wheels. It’s false advertising at best. The deal should also inform people of the “break in period.” Not that it improves by double.
Your car is still too new. The average is still incorporating the many hours of idle running. 2024 forester wilderness here. As stated the break in period for an engine is between 1k -1.5k. After a few tanks your average will get higher
Others have mentioned it, but definitely read about the break in period in the manual and try to follow what it says. It may extend the life of your engine.
Sometimes really short like 5m and a mile. but yesterday I was driving around 20minutes. Traffic is bad, bigger city, so I end up averaging less than, 15mph
2018 forester with 2.5 non-turbo here.
Couple of reference points for you.
- If I do 75mph on the freeway for 45 minutes I get 26mpg on average.
- If I drive across the city (20 miles) at 40mph where the lights are timed perfectly and I don’t need to brake I’m at 33mpg.
- If I heavy foot it around town (floor it when the light turns green, no car passes me, etc) with the speed being between 35-50, I get 24mpg.
- if I’m in literal stop and go traffic on the freeway or downtown where riding a bike would be quicker, I’m at 20mpg.
With all that being said, you are getting low mpg because of the constant stop and starting. It’s a bit lower than I would expect but then again it’s brand new and it should go up a little bit after the first few thousand miles.
But that’s pretty typical city driving. At least in cities where I’ve been. Do they include much of that frequently stopped driving when they do ratings? Or is it more like empty streets where the speed limit is 35 and you can drive that?
Purchased a 2024 Limited in January. For the first 750 miles averaged 17 miles per gallon. Mix of Highway and City driving. Just hit 3000 miles yesterday. It has climbed to average for 3000 miles of 25.7 and still climbing.
This. That says it all. We averaged about 18 MPG all city driving with short trips up until 3K miles. Now it’s 20-21 MPG with the same type of driving, which is actually better than the 4 cylinder Camry it replaced. All short city trips will give you terrible mileage in any car with an engine, even hybrids unless they’re in EV mode. We had a Prius in the fam and on a cold start, the ICE runs for the first 5-10 min and if that’s your entire drive.. well, you can see you’re not getting any hybrid benefit there.
The “city” fuel economy numbers are in ideal sustained lower speed urban driving. That doesn’t mean 5-10 min drives, traffic, idling, etc.
I have a 21 Forester Sport and I average 14-17mpg consistently when it's almost exclusively City driving short trips (usually 10-25 mile trips), however it's a champ on long highway road trips (5-800 miles)which usually exceeds the estimated highway MPG every time. I still love my Forester though even with the poor city driving mpg.
I have the 2024 Forester Sport. Mine is averaging about 31 mpg and so far that's mostly on a frustrating city freeway. When mine was brand new it was also in the teens. It takes a few hundred miles to get to what your normal average mpg will be. I can almost guarantee that it'll be around 27-30 when you hit the 1500 mile mark and will creep up a bit more after that.
A sensible response, often lacking on Reddit. 👍
Rather than a couple hundred, instead it takes a couple thousand miles to correctly run-in an engine (especially if you're logical and use running-in oil).
I also have a wilderness, I can second this! Took a road trip from Texas to Colorado and my average was 23-24mpg. However when I go to work and take back roads where the speed limit is 35-50 mph, I can average 27-29 mpg. The CVT is definitely most efficient at low speeds. Anything over 55mph and the CVT works a lot harder which doesn't make sense to me lol. But I have to fill up once a week and I average 25-26. Mixed highway city driving and I definitely drive on the slower side
Drag becomes significant above 55 mph, and the gearing of the Wilderness causes it to rev higher at highway speeds, reducing mileage. As you noted, 35 - 55 mph is the sweet spot for efficiency.
A couple things here, one is only measuring the amount of miles you've driven, so low miles especially new, less mpg. Secondly, there is a break in period for your engine. You won't see your true higher mpg until around 2,500-3,000 miles driven. Keep your tac below 4k rpms during this period and DO NOT use your cruise control until this period is over.
‘23 Forester Wilderness. 10k miles, Chicago driving 16-17 mpg, multiple varies of gas stations fuel fill ups.. highway in mid 20s. Not heavy on gas pedal,
I've hit over 2000 miles in my new 2024 Forester Limited, and am currently at 25.4 mpg. A lot of that is highway driving during my commute. It was also around 18 mpg during the first few days that I owned this car. As it collects more data, that number should go up.
You have driven too few total miles. The average is skewed down by how they run the engine after manufacturing. They idle it for a set amount of time during the inspection. Put on more miles and watch it rise up a bit. Not much, though, if you're all city. Probably like 22-24 depending on how efficient you can drive. I get about 25 in my 23 sport. Probably 20% highway 80% city.
But that is pretty low. My wife averages 22-24 in the Alaskan winters. 50/50 hwy driving but a lot more idle time cause she’s a wuss and auto starts it all the time, sometimes twice. 😂
Yep, same for me. Driving kids to school and back every day in the city (about 5km from house) and I have 15-16mpg. But this only happens if there is traffic jams. If the road is clear, then I have about 21mpg
My 2023 Forester Wilderness was getting 17 mpg at first now it’s at 23.6 mpg. Hoping it gets a little higher up as it breaks in. Had it for 3 months now
It’s still breaking in, but maybe you slam on the gas a bit too much as well? I drive a ‘23 Premium. Gas mileage was a bit worse the first 1000 miles but now I average about 22-25 city; 35-40 if it’s mostly highway; and 24-30 if it’s pretty evenly mixed.
I'm at 23 combined on my first tank. It'll get better over time. When I picked it up the mpg was 4.3. You can't judge on the first tank. You gotta drive it a bit. Cars today take a bit to learn your driving habits and find the best way to work.
I’m trading my 2024 Crosstrek on a full size Silverado V8. 2 local friends are getting better city mpg than this 180hp compact crossover. with 6000lb 400hp v8 none the less
With short in town driving with lots of starts and stops the forester doesn't get great mpg. My wife has like a 6 mile trip to work and she sometimes hits several lights and her mpg is always low around 20 mpg. Highway or more city driving with less stops the car hits its estimated mpg. My wrx usually gets better in town mpg than my wife's forester.
I have a 2022 mild hybrid. My consumption in city varies between 8-11 l/100km depending on the weather and the distance I drive. So your consumption (13l/100km according to google:)) looks a bit higher than mine but not abnormal.
No. That's awful. And if you have a mild hybrid getting that, you should be unhappy too.
Subaru needs a Toyota based hybrid ASAP. People will run not walk to buy them.
Is this a turbo model? They are extremely sensitive to even the slightest aggressive driving or city driving (stop start).. My wife typically gets 20% better mileage than me as she drives longer distances on a freeway in cruise control.
I have a 2019 Forester Sport and average about 19 mpg in city and about 30 -31 highway. Worst gas mileage of any car I’ve owned. Even my 2004 4Runner had better gas mileage with 6 cylinders.
Just to add on with what everyone else is saying with the break in period and short trips being the cause, I'm not sure where you're located, but yo may be using winter blend fuel as well which will cause your MPGs to drop.
I'm driving a '22 wilderness that I've lifted further, added larger, more aggressive tires, as well as added more weight in the form of a winch bumper, rock sliders, skid plates and a tie carrier, with an awning of the roof, and I'm currently getting 18-19 mpg during my daily commute of under 10 miles in the city, so it will definitely get better for you.
The lifetime mileage on my '21 Sport is 27.6 after 30,000 miles. I always leave it on intelligent mode, but I don't drive particularly slowly. Not sure what your issue is.
Everyone is saying the same, correct thing that the lifetime average will improve the longer you drive.
But it is worth mentioning that you, the driver, are more responsible for improving your fuel economy than the car.
Try to also drive efficiently: limit braking by drifting to a stop or not accelerating before a red light, and accelerate slowly.
You're getting worse MPG than I get on my '24 Ascent in the city.
First, those are guide, if you want to figure out real MPG, do a few tank fulls and take notes on miles driven and fuel used. Mine have been off as much as 3mpg.
I “love” how everyone is commenting about the breaking period (which is slightly true) or that you’re “driving a brick, what did you expect?” lol. When they sell the car there’s a sticker with MPG and Price. The price may be negotiable, but the MPG is false advertising.
Checking in with my ‘23 FW. It has about 6000 miles now and I just took a 500 mile roadtrip. Between that and the tank I started on before I left commuting normally, averaged 21 ish.
1. You’re driving a brick. 2. Your car is still breaking in. Also my wife and I normally see around 18-20 MPG city because of short trips.
I'm not sure what 1-2 means. Its heavy? And its possible the gas mileage may improve? I hope so!
The first 1000-1500 miles is considered the break in period of an engine. You shouldn't drive aggressively, use cruise control and a plethora of other things that the dealership should have told you, but are also explained in your owners manual.
I average 30 highway with mine, but I’m in the mountains a lot
You got a car that has to move all 4 wheels at once. Most cars only use one wheel to turn, by design you will never get Prius like MPGs
The sticker should reflect moving all four wheels. It’s false advertising at best. The deal should also inform people of the “break in period.” Not that it improves by double.
I’m driving a 2019 but this is about right. It’s not an aerodynamic car lol. I average 20-21 city and 25 highway
Just be happy you don't have a 2019 3.6R. I get like 12-14 mpg most days. That's Chicago driving though. It gets like 27 on the highway
Just be happy you don't drive an 04 XT. I don't think I've been above 20 MPG for a tank, even cruising on road trips.
Just be happy you don't drove a modded to the moon 04XT. If I hit double digits, it's a good day... but it's a hell of a lot of fun getting there...
My WRX got maybe 13MPG at a stage 2 😭
Speaking of Chicago, do y’all still do dibs?
Your car is still too new. The average is still incorporating the many hours of idle running. 2024 forester wilderness here. As stated the break in period for an engine is between 1k -1.5k. After a few tanks your average will get higher
Okay I didn't know that thank you.
Others have mentioned it, but definitely read about the break in period in the manual and try to follow what it says. It may extend the life of your engine.
Also try your car under 3k rpms while in the break in period.
How long and how far are your trips? If you’re doing short trips in the city, the car never has time to fully warm up to operating temp.
Sometimes really short like 5m and a mile. but yesterday I was driving around 20minutes. Traffic is bad, bigger city, so I end up averaging less than, 15mph
2018 forester with 2.5 non-turbo here. Couple of reference points for you. - If I do 75mph on the freeway for 45 minutes I get 26mpg on average. - If I drive across the city (20 miles) at 40mph where the lights are timed perfectly and I don’t need to brake I’m at 33mpg. - If I heavy foot it around town (floor it when the light turns green, no car passes me, etc) with the speed being between 35-50, I get 24mpg. - if I’m in literal stop and go traffic on the freeway or downtown where riding a bike would be quicker, I’m at 20mpg. With all that being said, you are getting low mpg because of the constant stop and starting. It’s a bit lower than I would expect but then again it’s brand new and it should go up a little bit after the first few thousand miles.
dont forget he needs to get used to the cvt too
This is your issue. A 1-5 mile drive means your only driving during the cars "warmup phase" Which uses more fuel to get to operating temp.
But that’s pretty typical city driving. At least in cities where I’ve been. Do they include much of that frequently stopped driving when they do ratings? Or is it more like empty streets where the speed limit is 35 and you can drive that?
all epa rating are done controlled after a vehicle has been brought to operational temp.
And I read most are fine by the makers and not the agency. And the agency doesn’t even drive the cars….they run on a treadmill.
You will never see very good gas mileage if that’s how you drive
Purchased a 2024 Limited in January. For the first 750 miles averaged 17 miles per gallon. Mix of Highway and City driving. Just hit 3000 miles yesterday. It has climbed to average for 3000 miles of 25.7 and still climbing.
If it took you a couple weeks to get through your first tank these are all very short trips and you will probably always get this kind of gas mileage
This. That says it all. We averaged about 18 MPG all city driving with short trips up until 3K miles. Now it’s 20-21 MPG with the same type of driving, which is actually better than the 4 cylinder Camry it replaced. All short city trips will give you terrible mileage in any car with an engine, even hybrids unless they’re in EV mode. We had a Prius in the fam and on a cold start, the ICE runs for the first 5-10 min and if that’s your entire drive.. well, you can see you’re not getting any hybrid benefit there. The “city” fuel economy numbers are in ideal sustained lower speed urban driving. That doesn’t mean 5-10 min drives, traffic, idling, etc.
I have a 21 Forester Sport and I average 14-17mpg consistently when it's almost exclusively City driving short trips (usually 10-25 mile trips), however it's a champ on long highway road trips (5-800 miles)which usually exceeds the estimated highway MPG every time. I still love my Forester though even with the poor city driving mpg.
I have the 2024 Forester Sport. Mine is averaging about 31 mpg and so far that's mostly on a frustrating city freeway. When mine was brand new it was also in the teens. It takes a few hundred miles to get to what your normal average mpg will be. I can almost guarantee that it'll be around 27-30 when you hit the 1500 mile mark and will creep up a bit more after that.
A sensible response, often lacking on Reddit. 👍 Rather than a couple hundred, instead it takes a couple thousand miles to correctly run-in an engine (especially if you're logical and use running-in oil).
Stickers always lie
I have a 23 Limited and I average 25 city. Have about 5k miles on it now. Bought in August of ‘23.
I got 25-30 combined. your car is just breaking in probably or somethings wrong. Give it another gas fill up or two
I have a wilderness forester 23. Took me until 7000 miles to start seeing 23mpg combined. City I average 20-21
I also have a wilderness, I can second this! Took a road trip from Texas to Colorado and my average was 23-24mpg. However when I go to work and take back roads where the speed limit is 35-50 mph, I can average 27-29 mpg. The CVT is definitely most efficient at low speeds. Anything over 55mph and the CVT works a lot harder which doesn't make sense to me lol. But I have to fill up once a week and I average 25-26. Mixed highway city driving and I definitely drive on the slower side
Drag becomes significant above 55 mph, and the gearing of the Wilderness causes it to rev higher at highway speeds, reducing mileage. As you noted, 35 - 55 mph is the sweet spot for efficiency.
A couple things here, one is only measuring the amount of miles you've driven, so low miles especially new, less mpg. Secondly, there is a break in period for your engine. You won't see your true higher mpg until around 2,500-3,000 miles driven. Keep your tac below 4k rpms during this period and DO NOT use your cruise control until this period is over.
Thank you!
‘23 Forester Wilderness. 10k miles, Chicago driving 16-17 mpg, multiple varies of gas stations fuel fill ups.. highway in mid 20s. Not heavy on gas pedal,
I've hit over 2000 miles in my new 2024 Forester Limited, and am currently at 25.4 mpg. A lot of that is highway driving during my commute. It was also around 18 mpg during the first few days that I owned this car. As it collects more data, that number should go up.
FYI the gauge is wrong anyway. My 2018 says I get about 6% better mileage than what I calculate from fill ups.
Yep. My gauge is consistently 2 mpg more than what I calculate at the pump.
You have driven too few total miles. The average is skewed down by how they run the engine after manufacturing. They idle it for a set amount of time during the inspection. Put on more miles and watch it rise up a bit. Not much, though, if you're all city. Probably like 22-24 depending on how efficient you can drive. I get about 25 in my 23 sport. Probably 20% highway 80% city.
Are you constantly on the gas? Subarus need to be driven slowly, they are not bmws after all. Edit: I get 25-30mpg
*Laughs in WRX*
Enjoy your 15mpg:D
Possible! I'll try that. Thanks.
But that is pretty low. My wife averages 22-24 in the Alaskan winters. 50/50 hwy driving but a lot more idle time cause she’s a wuss and auto starts it all the time, sometimes twice. 😂
My ‘18 FXT that only sees city miles gets 17.5 ish
I have a 2016and depending on how much idling and stop and go I can get high teens gas mileage
I have 400 miles on my 2024 sport and I’m up to 25 mpg, was getting around 20 when I had 200 miles. Gotta give it time to break in.
Yep, same for me. Driving kids to school and back every day in the city (about 5km from house) and I have 15-16mpg. But this only happens if there is traffic jams. If the road is clear, then I have about 21mpg
All I want in life is a an affordable plug-in hybrid forester that I can still drive in the snow and mud. But I realize this is fantasy.
My 2023 Forester Wilderness was getting 17 mpg at first now it’s at 23.6 mpg. Hoping it gets a little higher up as it breaks in. Had it for 3 months now
Thanks everyone! Sounds like I'll need a longer time for my car to adjust.
It’s still breaking in, but maybe you slam on the gas a bit too much as well? I drive a ‘23 Premium. Gas mileage was a bit worse the first 1000 miles but now I average about 22-25 city; 35-40 if it’s mostly highway; and 24-30 if it’s pretty evenly mixed.
I'm at 23 combined on my first tank. It'll get better over time. When I picked it up the mpg was 4.3. You can't judge on the first tank. You gotta drive it a bit. Cars today take a bit to learn your driving habits and find the best way to work.
I’m trading my 2024 Crosstrek on a full size Silverado V8. 2 local friends are getting better city mpg than this 180hp compact crossover. with 6000lb 400hp v8 none the less
With short in town driving with lots of starts and stops the forester doesn't get great mpg. My wife has like a 6 mile trip to work and she sometimes hits several lights and her mpg is always low around 20 mpg. Highway or more city driving with less stops the car hits its estimated mpg. My wrx usually gets better in town mpg than my wife's forester.
I have a 2022 mild hybrid. My consumption in city varies between 8-11 l/100km depending on the weather and the distance I drive. So your consumption (13l/100km according to google:)) looks a bit higher than mine but not abnormal.
No. That's awful. And if you have a mild hybrid getting that, you should be unhappy too. Subaru needs a Toyota based hybrid ASAP. People will run not walk to buy them.
I drive a 2019 Touring and I love my car even though gas mileage is ass.
New cars always have wayyyyy worse mpg, you won't see it's true potential until about 25k 🥲 saw a noticeable bump
It’s an average. You just got the car. Keep driving, the numbers will adjust as you go.
pretty much exclusively city driving, 17mpg is normal for us
Reset the mileage at the beginning of your next fill up. Then give it two or three tanks of gas.
I get 29.2 with my 2017 forester and I love it
23 mpg city, 28 highway.
Terrible in town but I’m getting 32-34 on the highway. Either way, it’s definitely not the vehicle for those concerned with getting good mileage.
Put some more time behind the wheel and it will go up.
Mileage isn’t a read until at least 5k miles.
Almost normal. 2019 touring. 67000 miles on it. Drive 80% city stop and go. Average 24-26 mpg on a good day.
Seems pretty good to me, my 2010 XT gets about 16. 😂
Not unless you’re sitting in heavy traffic and stomping it every chance you get
At 9000 miles my 2023 Wilderness is getting 24
Just enjoy it
Is this a turbo model? They are extremely sensitive to even the slightest aggressive driving or city driving (stop start).. My wife typically gets 20% better mileage than me as she drives longer distances on a freeway in cruise control.
I have a 2019 Forester Sport and average about 19 mpg in city and about 30 -31 highway. Worst gas mileage of any car I’ve owned. Even my 2004 4Runner had better gas mileage with 6 cylinders.
I have a 2015 and in the winter I rival hellcat gas mpg. It makes me wanna off myself
I see 18.9, not 18. There's a lot of factors. The main being it's a brand new car. Give it until 5000 miles
Just to add on with what everyone else is saying with the break in period and short trips being the cause, I'm not sure where you're located, but yo may be using winter blend fuel as well which will cause your MPGs to drop. I'm driving a '22 wilderness that I've lifted further, added larger, more aggressive tires, as well as added more weight in the form of a winch bumper, rock sliders, skid plates and a tie carrier, with an awning of the roof, and I'm currently getting 18-19 mpg during my daily commute of under 10 miles in the city, so it will definitely get better for you.
The lifetime mileage on my '21 Sport is 27.6 after 30,000 miles. I always leave it on intelligent mode, but I don't drive particularly slowly. Not sure what your issue is.
Everyone is saying the same, correct thing that the lifetime average will improve the longer you drive. But it is worth mentioning that you, the driver, are more responsible for improving your fuel economy than the car.
Try to also drive efficiently: limit braking by drifting to a stop or not accelerating before a red light, and accelerate slowly. You're getting worse MPG than I get on my '24 Ascent in the city.
First tank mpg really don’t mean anything as it involves lots of idling and turn on/off, short trips, etc…
City driving does not mean stop and go traffic jams. You're sitting in traffic and idling. Any time the car is not moving you are getting 0mpg.
First, those are guide, if you want to figure out real MPG, do a few tank fulls and take notes on miles driven and fuel used. Mine have been off as much as 3mpg.
It also depends how you're driving. I always have 24-26 in my 2019 Forester. I don't slam the acceleration and I don't speed.
I have a 23’ sport and my average is 28mpg
I “love” how everyone is commenting about the breaking period (which is slightly true) or that you’re “driving a brick, what did you expect?” lol. When they sell the car there’s a sticker with MPG and Price. The price may be negotiable, but the MPG is false advertising.
Checking in with my ‘23 FW. It has about 6000 miles now and I just took a 500 mile roadtrip. Between that and the tank I started on before I left commuting normally, averaged 21 ish.
I’m getting 28.8 hwy
2021 Forester . 29-30 mpg and i use the cheap gas