EPA Says Subaru’s AWD Lineup Now Ranks 2nd Best In U.S. Fuel Economy

Americans rank fuel efficiency as the most important factor in their decision to purchase a vehicle, according to a study by Edmunds, and Consumer Reports says drivers of less fuel-efficient SUVs are most interested in better mileage. When you think of an all-wheel-drive SUV, it typically isn’t the most fuel-efficient drivetrain, unless it's a Subaru.

The EPA just released its Automotive Trends Report and finds Subaru’s lineup of all-wheel-drive vehicles that includes the 2020 Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent rank 2nd best in the U.S. among automakers with a gas-powered lineup. Honda has the most-fuel-efficient lineup after Tesla which has an an-all-electric fleet.

Subaru ties for the second-lowest CO2 emissions

The EPA study found Subaru and Mazda tied for the second-lowest CO2 emissions and second-highest fuel economy in the model year 2018. Subaru had the third-largest improvement increasing 2.2 mpg from 26.5 gallons/mile to 28.7 for its entire lineup.

It’s surprising since Subaru only fields AWD vehicles except for one, the rear-drive BRZ sports car. All-wheel-drive is generally less-fuel-efficient than other configurations. The 2020 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, Ascent, Impreza, WRX/STI and Legacy all come standard with AWD. Number one Honda gets 30.0 mpg for its lineup, but has a large number of sedans and compact cars using two-wheel-drive. None of Honda's models come standard with all-wheel-drive.

Subaru uses Boxer engines coupled with a CVT automatic

Subaru vehicles are all powered by horizontally-opposed Boxer engine technology which is a fuel-efficient powertrain. Subaru is one of the leading manufacturers of continuously variable transmissions (CVT) which are also used for their fuel-efficiency. Subaru is a leading automaker in the adoption of CVTs according to the EPA.

Subaru is using gas direct injection (GDI) technology in all its engines which improves fuel mileage even more. The technology is now standard in all next-generation boxer engines Subaru is rolling out. Subaru also added lean combustion cycles and cylinder deactivation in many of its new 2020 vehicles.

New Subaru vehicles like the 2020 Outback, Ascent, and Legacy also get new 2.4-liter turbocharged Boxer engines that offer similar power and greater fuel-milage over some automakers who still use the less-efficient V6 engine.

With AWD SUVs gaining in popularity with U.S. shoppers, Subaru produces models that are fuel-efficient. Subaru now ranks 2nd in the U.S. in fuel economy with a gas-powered lineup that includes standard all-wheel-drive on all its SUVs like the 2020 Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent models.

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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a variety of roles. All of his reports are archived on our Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Subaru Report. Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates at Torque News!

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Photo credit: Subaru CA