mmarshall

I left the D.C. area today in my Outback, headed across Chesapeake Bay and Delmarva (Maryland's Eastern Shore) down to Assateague National Seashore...one of the nicest beaches and parks on the East Coast.



Thought I'd get some swim-n-surf in before the water temperature got too cold....it was still ideal. Just a beautiful area...I highly recommend it.

Anyhow, it was mostly limited-access U.S 50 most of the way down (150 miles), with only a few stoplights here and there. I kept the cruise control around 60 most of the time ( I really appreciated that cruise function, with a sore knee and lower back/leg sciatica on the way back). My particular Outback, that year, was rated 22 City, 28 Highway....and that was under the older, more generous system. Still, with the cruise about 60 and A/C off, I got 32 MPG on the way down. Coming back home with the A/C on and off intermittently, I got 30 MPG. It shows that you can stretch your gas dollars, even beating EPA averages, if you drive at constant, moderate speeds and avoid stop-and-go driving. But, still, I was surprised at getting this kind of mileage with AWD, which is notoriously thirsty.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Yes, you certainly can beat EPA mileage. See IS350 from Sacramento to Atlanta a year ago.



And this is NOT being particularly prudent but maintaining as steady a speed as construction will allow AND running from full to empty on nearly every tank.

For comparison, see Scion tC round trip from one year previously:



I'd say the IS350, almost 700 lbs heavier and with nearly twice the power of the tC is doing quite nicely.

Also note, over a single trip many factors conspire to improve or destroy mileage, but over time, the numbers are pretty close to EPA.

-J-P-L-

Oddly enough, I have found that the new 2008 EPA system is less accurate than the old. They are now too low!! It's as if the new tests reflect speeding with AC on and driving against wind.

So yes, it's not only possible, but very, very easy to beat new EPA estimates.

My Yaris is rated 29/36. I consistently average 40-41 mpg combined with about 85% being highway. That's with AC and driving normal speeds.

mmarshall

Yes, your case with the Yaris shows that. With my Outback, however, I was beating the OLD ratings.....which is harder to do. In town, though, it's a different story.....I often don't do as well.

SLegacy99

I get 23/33 in my Legacy. I think its that Subarus just plain rock.

-J-P-L-

For 2007 (old ratings), the Yaris MT was 35/41. So I'm still slightly beating that since I'm achieving 100% of the old ratings highway mileage except with city driving mixed in.

LexBob2

Nice picture. Enjoy it while you can! It's cooler around here and getting dark earlier each day.
My car gets its best hwy mileage @ 60-65. It's OK 70-75. then drops off noticeably over that.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

that's what i feel too, but to be honest i think it's better to be on the low side than high side, which is even more deceiving imho... my gs400 and sc430 were rated 18/23 and gosh, did i want to get 23

on the other hand my gs350 now can combined 26mpg and highway i can get 28 in LA driving. makes me feel so good

mmarshall

28 MPG with a GS350 ( RWD GS, I assume, not AWD) in L.A. driving? When....At 2 or 3 AM with no traffic, or in typical L.A. freeway gridlock?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

20% local, 80% freeway, not always stop and go, maybe 20% of the fwy time have slow traffic. day time driving (8-9am, 6-7pm). if i drive harder, usually high 25. if i drive really careful, i have seen 27.4mpg. if i am driving 100% fwy, 28mpg is probably doable

IS350jet

I've been able to beat EPA ratings in every car I've ever owned. Our '02 Accord V6 is rated at 28 highway (old system), and I consistently
get better than 30. The record is 35.5!! Our IS350, also rated at 28, (old system) has a record highway mileage of 32.0, and I know it can do better.

Threxx

I've never driven a car that I didn't routinely beat the ratings on.

The most dramatic rating beatings were always in manual transmission cars since I'm very good at predicting when lights will turn green or traffic will clear up and neutral-coasting up to it without using my brakes.

I hit an average of 30.5 / 37 in my Audi A4 and a best of 34/41.

I don't know what the new ratings are but I think the old ratings were 24/32, meaning even my average econ was 5-6 mph better... and my best econ was 9-10 mpg higher than the old EPA ratings... much less the newer ones.

I still get over the EPA ratings in my 335i... around 22.5 city 30 highway but I'm definitely not beating the ratings as much as I used to... mainly due to it being an automatic with a very aggressive torque converter that stays locked... very sporty feeling, but will slow you down quickly if you try to coast without first putting it into neutral.

TripleL

Mmarshall,

I agree 100%. Especially on longer trips when just cruising to get there and not 'trying to make time'. In a recent trip from RI to Syracuse, NY I averaged 31 mpg going, and 31.2 coming home.

I find on both my current IS and my previous car, an A4 2.8, that under normal driving without traffic jams that I also do better than the City EPA in everyday drive. (maybe I'm a feather foot and don't know it!)

The one exception for me is in the dead of winter in my IS I definitely lose about 1 to 1.5 mpg. So I'm getting like 21 to 22.5 in mixed driving (65city/35hwy) ipo of 22.5 to 24 during the other 3 seasons

TripleL

PS Nice pic! I especially like the way sky meets the beach in the horizon. It looks like the perfect place to go and decompress!

emoshun

iTrader: (11)

I consistently beat my MPG ratings with 24/32 in my SC300. 433 miles to the tank on average with the AC on doing 70.

32SC

I've had similar ratings.....when I'm not having fun
The key is maintaining your car in good shape and taking it easy on the gas pedal