2.4L owners… how often do you push your ride to the limit… or do you just cruise

Subaru Forums Subaru Outback
1

I love the turbo kick and how fast this thing moves… but man does it drink fuel fast… so I’m curious how often you guys actually drop it into manual mode and rev it out…

It’s got a WRX engine under the hood… but is it really built to be driven like one… I notice when I really get on it, the fun is there but the gas gauge drops crazy fast…

My other car is a tiny 1.6L manual and I’m always in the powerband just to keep up with traffic… but with this turbo, I’m wondering if most people just putter around town under 2,000 RPM or if they actually use all 260HP because… well… why not…

Here’s a clip of the kind of driving I’m talking about…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkYyasbH_GA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkYyasbH_GA

2

I didn’t pay for all that power to baby it… at the very least, it makes merging onto the highway way easier.

3

Terryanne said:
I didn’t pay for all that power to baby it… at the very least, it makes merging onto the highway way easier.

I usually stick to the speed limit on highways, but the way it pulls even at 80 is wild… my favorite parts are hitting the gas from a stop or merging onto the freeway.

4

Terryanne said:
I didn’t pay for all that power to baby it… at the very least, it makes merging onto the highway way easier.

Exactly… drive it like it was meant to be driven :joy::joy:

5

Let’s just say… I’m trying to get a new turbo under warranty… that should tell you how I drive.

6

Grey said:
Let’s just say… I’m trying to get a new turbo under warranty… that should tell you how I drive.

Wait… the turbo is the weak point if you drive hard…

7

Davido said:

Grey said:
Let’s just say… I’m trying to get a new turbo under warranty… that should tell you how I drive.

Wait… the turbo is the weak point if you drive hard…

Not always… but I’m hoping it goes before my 80,000-mile warranty runs out.

8

@Grey
So it’s not a matter of if but when… I thought modern turbos were pretty solid and could last as long as the engine…

9

Davido said:
@Grey
So it’s not a matter of if but when… I thought modern turbos were pretty solid and could last as long as the engine…

Depends how you treat it… if you’re always revving it high, it’ll wear faster… plus we’re in Minnesota with freezing temps and lots of short trips, which is rough on the engine… I change the oil every 5K instead of 6K just to be safe… my wife doesn’t wait for it to warm up before flooring it… so who knows how long it’ll last…

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My average MPG right now is 15… that says it all.

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Every single drive… when I test drove it, the salesman looked at me after and said “Yeah… you should never get the 2.5L Outback” :joy:

12

There’s this one exit near me where the on-ramp and off-ramp are basically the same stretch… you bet I’m hitting 70 before I even have to slow down…

I paid for the power… I’m using it… gas prices can cry about it.

13

@Noel
Some on-ramps are just stupid short these days… driving something slow on them is actually dangerous.

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Davido said:
@Noel
Some on-ramps are just stupid short these days… driving something slow on them is actually dangerous.

Exactly… you either gun it or sit there waiting for a gap… thankfully my area isn’t too bad but some spots are brutal.

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Sorry for the messy links… it’s a review of the Stinger, another car I’ve been eyeing… sometimes I drive like that just to remind myself why I got the turbo.

16

Just for fun… almost never… gas is too damn expensive.

17

Kase said:
Just for fun… almost never… gas is too damn expensive.

Do you regret getting the turbo then…

I feel you on gas… I filled up yesterday and after one highway pull, it’s already down 15%… it’s hard to keep it at the sweet spot for efficiency.

18

@Davido
Oh no, I love the turbo… my last car was a slow 2.5L Impreza… the difference is night and day… passing uphill with a full car is actually possible now. I still don’t just floor it for fun though…

I must be getting old… I baby the throttle in town and on road trips I just set cruise control and chill… gets me over 30 MPG easy.

19

I got the regular Outback but my wife has a turbo CX-50… for fun driving, the Mazda handles way better… but man does it drink premium fuel… if I had the 2.4L, I’d be in boost all the time and crying at the pump.

20

@Rio
The 2.4L in the Outback and Legacy runs fine on 87… 91 is only needed if you’re towing or loaded up.