I get 24mpg city and near 30mpg highway in my 99 turbo. The orignal turbo with 7.2:1 compression, 10psi boost, lambda control and 4-speed. Does 125 mph. I don't need no stinking 16 valve.
One thing I haven't seen published in a very long time (40+ years) is friction brake horse power numbers. This is the horse power consumed by the entire engine and drive train. It would be interesting to see what these numbers are. Remember the old 96 model had a gearbox that had mostly ball bearings and was the main reason many credited it with winning rallies against more powerful competitors. Many things can effect economy. Small things add up. Automatic transmission = -1 mpg, city. Four wheel drive = -2mpg. A real front air dam = +.5mpg, highway. We'd all probably get .5 mpg more if we went back to drum brakes.
Here's some interesting observations based on my motorcycle experiences and fuel economy. Small bikes (50-250cc) get great mileage like 70 to 160 mpg. Then mileage takes a plunge in the 300-500, down to 45 mpg. In the 500-650 range it goes back up to around 55mpg. Over 650 it tends to be around 50mpg and starts down the larger they get.
What ever happened to Saab experimental ~1600cc 5 cylinder variable compression ratio engine? It promised excellent economy with loads of power by attempting to keep the throttle open one quarter or more which drastically reduces pumping losses. I guess the project was killed after the GM buyout.

posted by 4.159.212...

• Why low MPG for 4cyl turbo cars, TSR, Thu, 4 Nov 2004 17:16:25
  • Driving 55 MPH, I got 44+ MPG on my 900T 16..., Street, Sun, 7 Nov 2004 07:51:56
  • Much down to test conditions vs. real world, Pa Taket, Fri, 5 Nov 2004 07:30:24
  • Re: Why low MPG for 4cyl turbo cars, RobInfo, Fri, 5 Nov 2004 06:08:05
  • modern vs older maybe? EPA rated the 9-3 33, Scott Paterson , Fri, 5 Nov 2004 00:40:28
  • Low compression&offboost=poor economy nm, Drew in Houston, Thu, 4 Nov 2004 22:51:00
  • hmm, i do pretty well --, Ram'89SPG, Thu, 4 Nov 2004 20:19:09
    • oh yeah>> that's with 3bar FPR, stage II APC, etc. n/m, Ram'89SPG, Thu, 4 Nov 2004 20:20:24
      • I make prety good power & ger 30MPG on the highway, jak , Thu, 4 Nov 2004 20:22:49
  • no tall overdrive 6th gear for starters NM, Trev, Thu, 4 Nov 2004 18:17:05
  • Re: Why low MPG for 4cyl turbo cars-not too low..., steveC, Thu, 4 Nov 2004 17:25:53
    • Re: Why low MPG for 4cyl turbo cars-not too low..., TSR, Fri, 5 Nov 2004 00:41:57
      • see the WRX drivetrain, Dean, Fri, 5 Nov 2004 05:47:08
        • Averaging about 23.5mpg combined with my 92x, Chad, Fri, 5 Nov 2004 06:37:21
          • Getting 26 mpg avg. in my old 99 turbo, John Blas, Mon, 8 Nov 2004 21:36:38 <-- Viewing This Message

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