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Volvo that gets the best MPG

E

Eastsac

New member
Joined
Aug 29, 2009
I'm looking to get a car to be used as a gas saver. Which specific volvos get the best mpg in your experience? Thanks
 
2.5T's with the 5spd auto's if you're talking highway. My mother's XC70 2.5T gets 7.5L/100km at 110-120km/h. If you're talking city, the S40/V50 2.4i's with manuals are pretty decent. Anything turbo and automatic are guzzlers around town unless you stay in vacuum.

Anything redblock isn't good on gas, but at least the N/A's can run perfect on 87 octane.
 
Both my 91 245 with M47 and an '04 V70 2.5T peaked at 31.5 mpg on the highway, but more like 27-29 mpg mixed driving and 25 around town, both about the same. The winner is the 245 because it runs on regular gas.

The two cars that are a tad better, '85 745 GLE with ZF auto and lock-up, and any late 240 (higher compression) w/B21F K-Jet and M46 OD manual trans should get 32 mpg on regular gas.
 
Volvos aren't usually the best mileage cars. Their ability to be safe, nice to drive with room for all your stuff, at a good price makes a nice used Volvo efficient and economic. I've only owned the red block cars and they have been good mileage cars with the exception of the turbo. My 93 wagon gets high 20s mpg on the highway and low 20s mpg around town. I usually have my foot in the turbo too much to get mileage with it. That's not what it's for.
 
we dont have those here, the 1.6 c30 i mean.

2000-2004 s40/v40 get the best real world mileage i've seen working at the dealer. n/a 850 is pretty good too.
 
On crappyt california gas, on a 940T 1994 25 was a very lucky number to get. But take it out of state and I saw as much as 32mpg on a stretch of I-40 in Arizona. Usually 28mpg though. Which is great.

My present 240's, about the same.. 25 if lucky on this horse**** california fuel, and then gains 3-5mpg when going out of state.
 
My '92 960 wagon got 22 before the lockup solenoid failed, I had to cut the wire to prevent it from engaging, after that it went to around 18 mpg.

My '86 "lean burn" 245 got a reliable 30 mpg.

My '92 244 only gets around 25.

I always burn 91 octane (us rating)
 
Ya I should have narrowed it down. I'm asking specifically about 2,7, and 9 series models. I know volvos may not get the best, I'm just looking for something in the high 20s to 30 mpg, and also looking for something that can run 87, not 91. If it gets a couple less mpg but runs on 87 that's a plus for me. Finally I'm taking about combined or even city, more then I mean freeway driving. Thanks for the help!
 
Good luck

MistrThou said:
I've never seen better than 24-25.

My 245 n/a has been getting 27-ish combined.
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vvpete said:
Both my 91 245 with M47 and an '04 V70 2.5T peaked at 31.5 mpg on the highway, but more like 27-29 mpg mixed driving and 25 around town, both about the same. The winner is the 245 because it runs on regular gas.

The two cars that are a tad better, '85 745 GLE with ZF auto and lock-up, and any late 240 (higher compression) w/B21F K-Jet and M46 OD manual trans should get 32 mpg on regular gas.
Click to expand...

larry818 said:
My '92 960 wagon got 22 before the lockup solenoid failed, I had to cut the wire to prevent it from engaging, after that it went to around 18 mpg.

My '86 "lean burn" 245 got a reliable 30 mpg.

My '92 244 only gets around 25.

I always burn 91 octane (us rating)
Click to expand...

My 1992 245 got around 20-22 mpg city and highway seperately, but that was because the OD wasn't engaging - auto :-P

My brother said his 1991 244 peaked around 27+ highway,:) I think, I have yet to find out, since I own the car now.:-D with auto:-( plus he had a long commute to work so he drove around the city not too often

My parents' 1983 245 nickled and dimed them on repairs:-(, but they said it was a good large, but small car with great milage - M46:-D

My 1982 245 with B21F-9/MPG w/K-Jet chrys ignition system w/M46 topped me about 30-32 highway and about the mid 20s bookin' it through the city. :-D Chaaaa-CHING!

All of these have been run on 87 oct fuel
 
MistrThou said:
<i>Originally Posted by moedmus
940 turbo with auto can get 29/30 mpg on the highway</i>

I've never seen better than 24-25.
My 245 n/a has been getting 27-ish combined.
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I've had 15 Volvos, 5 have been 7/9 cars, 2 turbos. I pretty much am a moderate driver and don't use boost unless I mean to. The best mileage I ever got was 25 highway with an NA 90 740. In a 93 940T coming back from WM with pretty clear highway and driving pretty smoothly with an eye to mileage, doing 75-ish, I got 22 .

740volvo said:
really! I drive a 91 740 with Bendix Regina and it gets around 30-33mpg on the HW and 27 around town, maybe because its running on the N/A maps with boost.
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I have seen 2 or 3 amazing claims for Regina cars over the years, but the above...??? NA maps with boost? is this a turbo'ed Regina car?

The highest number for 7/9 that I have seen repeated by more than one or two, is from a late 80's 7 with stick, which the owners reliably reported in the 28 highway range.

It's been too long since I owned a 240, and I just don't recall what I was getting in those.
 
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740/940s get an average of 24-25. 27-28 mpg on the freeway is common. The 960/S/V90s get the same. The 940 turbos get ~ 1 mpg less than the NA versions. There is really no penalty to the turbo. I have/sell 30+ 9 series cars a year, they all pull this range of mileage. Several customers have pulled close to 30 mph on their freeway only trips. It isn't at all unheard of. A couple of my friends that have Volvo shops both have had 960s that pulled 30+ mpg on the freeway. An LH injected 240 with manual transmission will pull 30+ mpg on the highway when in good tune. That is typical mileage for that set up.
 
2manyturbos said:
740/940s get an average of 24-25. 27-28 mpg on the freeway is common. The 960/S/V90s get the same. The 940 turbos get ~ 1 mpg less than the NA versions. There is really no penalty to the turbo. I have/sell 30+ 9 series cars a year, they all pull this range of mileage. Several customers have pulled close to 30 mph on their freeway only trips. It isn't at all unheard of. A couple of my friends that have Volvo shops both have had 960s that pulled 30+ mpg on the freeway. An LH injected 240 with manual transmission will pull 30+ mpg on the highway when in good tune. That is typical mileage for that set up.
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We live on different planets I guess. No one I know gets anywhere near those numbers. And I'm pretty confident in my tunes. eg. I just passed smog on two cars with very good numbers, and performance is good also. True that's butt dyno, but mine is especially well calibrated... :)
But I have never seen those kinds of numbers reliably reported from multiple sources.
 
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