Subaru owners, a question

[Fishheadjoe]

Hi folks,
Looking for some insight from Subaru owners. We recently purchased a 2013 Forester for my son. It's a 2.5 ltr engine.
We have found that when driving at highway speeds, approx 60-65mph, the tac is showing between 2k and 2.5k. That seems high to me, but given I have no experience with these cars, I am reaching out hoping that someone can let me know if our experience is normal or do we have a tranny issue.
Thanks for your kind consideration.
Regards,

Fishheadjoe

 

[two fingers]

Here are some posts from a Forester forum regarding average tach readings with various transmissions at various speeds. Hopefully it will help you gather a range.

What is the 2011 forester rpm at 70m/h? | Subaru Forester Owners Forum

 

[Nedmundo]

We have a 2016 Forester, and I think that's normal but I'll watch for this next time I hit the road. And it doesn't seem high to me, because my Acura TSX hits 3k rpm at about 67 mph.

 

[bassicmike]

I think my Outback is in that range.

 

[BadSanta1281]

That doesn't seem high. My 2003 WRX was about 3k at 70mph.

My current Lexus is300 is a bit over 3k at 70mph.

 

[Pilgrim]

With an engine that small, I'd be concerned if it was cruising at under 2K. You have to have some engine speed to have both torque and HP.

 

[hbarcat]

NORMAL.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Thanks all for your responses. I was concerned because we seem to going through fuel faster than I thought we would. I appreciate your insight.
Fishheadjoe

 

[WG Plum]

I love my Subaru, but they don't get the greatest gas mileage in the world.

 

[wango55]

That seems totally normal. We have a '12 Outback which I'm guessing has the same CVT as the '13 Forester. No issues with our car and that is about what we see. I have a '10 Impreza with the same 2.5l motor but it has the 4EAT. I believe it's the same RPM range. I also don't notice a significant change in RPM between 65-80mph, that last gear is pretty long. Regarding fuel efficiency, all highway I get over 30mpg easily in both. City driving though, that's closer to 20-22.

 

[ardgedee]

What kind of gearbox? That's normal for our Impreza.

 

[bassicmike]

I think my Outback is in that range.

Yup, checked this morning.

2008 Outback, 2.5L, automatic. 2500rpm cruising at 65mph.

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Thanks again everyone, I guess it is what it is!
Fishheadjoe

 

[dannylectro]

I had a 2009 Forester for 10 years… great car, especially in the Northeast, but I never got more than 22 mpg in around town driving. And they had a fairly primitive 4 speed automatic transmission so, yeah, it was in the 2.5k rpm range at highway speeds

 

[DirtDog]

Yep - four speed auto in those older models. CVT in the newer models. I’ve owned both. Interestingly enough I didn’t see a significant difference in mileage between the two (between 9L/100km and 11L/100km in Canadian pesos). Forester 2.5L gas engine.

I attribute the gas mileage to be a factor of the fulltime AWD and the bike racks I have mounted to the roof rack.

I’ll check the revs when I’m out today but 2K rpm doesn’t seem out of the norm at 65.

 

[DirtDog]

Yep - four speed auto in those older models. CVT in the newer models. I’ve owned both. Interestingly enough I didn’t see a significant difference in mileage between the two (between 9L/100km and 11L/100km in Canadian pesos). Forester 2.5L gas engine.

I attribute the gas mileage to be a factor of the fulltime AWD and the bike racks I have mounted to the roof rack.

I’ll check the revs when I’m out today but 2K rpm doesn’t seem out of the norm at 65.

Of course I forgot to look at the tach while driving….but I noted about 1800 in startup/initial idle. I always thought that was high but even when I kick the accelerator a smidge doesn’t drop the revs while in park. Dropped to 1000 when initially putting into gear at idle. 2K at speed doesn’t seem unreasonable.

Weird side story, but when I had my VW, cruising speed ~100km/h… the speedo and tach indicators were each perfectly vertical. Couldn’t tell you now what the revs were at but it did satisfy my personal level of OCD!!! Probably why I don’t look at the tach in the Subie - the tach and speedo are all cockeyed…brings me no joy!

 

[nadeau14]

Hi folks,
Looking for some insight from Subaru owners. We recently purchased a 2013 Forester for my son. It's a 2.5 ltr engine.
We have found that when driving at highway speeds, approx 60-65mph, the tac is showing between 2k and 2.5k. That seems high to me, but given I have no experience with these cars, I am reaching out hoping that someone can let me know if our experience is normal or do we have a tranny issue.
Thanks for your kind consideration.
Regards,

Fishheadjoe

I owned a 2017 Subaru STI for 4 years, and yeah, that was normal in my car too.

 

[hbarcat]

I attribute the gas mileage to be a factor of the fulltime AWD and the bike racks I have mounted to the roof rack.

I had a '91 Subaru Loyale with the 1.8 L engine, 5 speed manual transmission, and push button 4x4. I averaged about 33 mpg in mixed driving. On long trips at highway speed on the expressway, I was getting 40 mpg.

But those were much more primitive vehicles than the more recent, AWD Subarus, which are heavier, usually have larger and more powerful V6 engines, automatic transmissions, and typically get about 24 mpg in mixed driving and maybe close to 30 mpg under ideal conditions.

 

[Mike N]

My old 04 Forester got 24mpg in AWD mode and 28 with the AWD disabled.

Wifey's 13 Forester gets 25mpg.

My 17 Forester gets 34mpg.

Not sure what my daughter's 15 Legacy gets, I'll have to ask.

 

[DirtDog]

My old 04 Forester got 24mpg in AWD mode and 28 with the AWD disabled.

Wifey's 13 Forester gets 25mpg.

My 17 Forester gets 34mpg.

Not sure what my daughter's 15 Legacy gets, I'll have to ask.

Yep for me, 21 to 26 mpg in US currency for my ‘18 Forester. Mostly city driving in the last couple of years.