Subaru comes out tops for all-wheel drive cars at Total Economy run

All-wheel drive cars are not normally associated with fuel-saving vehicles, the extra weight and rolling resistance means fuel consumption feels an adverse affect. However Subaru has reason to boast as two of their vehicles came out tops at the Total Economy run , which was held last weekend in White River,  in the all-wheel drive category, namely the petrol and diesel classes respectively.

Subaru entered their XV hatchback-cum small SUV in the petrol section, while their larger Forester was in the competitive diesel segment. The Total Economy run is devised to pit vehicles against one another to determine which is the most fuel efficient. All the vehicles are stock standard, with the only adjustments being made to tyre pressures and fluid levels in the event that they needed to be altered.

The route consisted of just over 1100km, and duly included many hills and ultimately normal driving conditions to test the vehicles. Independent observers were present in the cars to make sure no cheating took place, in the form of dangerous driving, or coasting down hills which would aid fuel saving. But let’s get down to the figures, which ultimately mattered most: The XV CVT, boasting a 2.0 boxer engine, came out tops in the AWD SUV class, posting a fuel consumption of 7.953 l/100 km. Not be outdone, the Forester comprehensively won the diesel AWD SUV class, posting an excellent consumption of 6.223 l/100 km.

These two victories for Subaru demonstrate that AWD cars are not as heavy as some people think and if driven efficiently, they can impressively low fuel consumption. This is always a good thing, considering the fuel price increased in this week.