POS 16’ Forester, poor mpg?

So I started to notice my wifes 16’ subaru forester 2.5 is starting to get poor fuel economy!

in the pass it use to get maybe at worse 25 real mpgs and typically 27-28 highway.

Now it gets 21 local and we dont know highway since we work from home this past 18months.

any ideas? Its maintained very detailed, has 55k all our miles. Has michelines,
New spark plugs,
Always fresh fluids etc.

we have no idea why,
And
No way can it really get so poor mpgs doing local? 20-21mpgs really. Subi peeps help!

after the fact but my wife and I say “shoulda stayed in toyota family.” Dont worry i still have my coma and tundra. Just shes pissed selling her corolla for subi.

 

I had the 2.0 Turbo and it was awful, the CVT hurts the fuel economy.

Not much you can do, they have crazy resale value. I'd sell it, I sold my 14 no issue.

 

Is there a mass air flow sensor or throttle body.... try cleaning them and see how it goes.

 

The "cvt" is garbage. My mother's outback stated having issues with crap mileage and shuttering, I told them it was either a solenoid or a blockage in the valve body. They took it to subaru and diagnosed as a valve body failure. They tried to say the entire transmission had to be replaced at $8k because Subaru designed the transmission to be replaced as a unit if any component failed and the manual firmly "advises" against component replacement.

 

Lack of highway will definitely affect MPG. Short trips are also horrible for your engine in general. Assuming there are no codes, perhaps check the basics. Make sure the air filter looks good, tires are properly inflated, etc. Maybe try some fuel injector cleaner. Take it out to stretch its legs and see what the MPG looks like.

 

Tires are top dollar michelins, I did the dealer rip off “fuel injector cleaner” (probably seafoam and finger print marks on intake throttle body for
$200).

tires are properly inflated. I do notice a hesitation feel at times with the cvt crap.

i agree we do all local commute but gosh 20-21mpgs?! Sticker advertises 24-31mpgs!