1996 850 Wagon Non-Turbo How to Maximize Gas Mileage?

Post by **abscate** » 23 Mar 2016, 17:59

My 1999 T5 really makes you pay for speed.

30 mpg at 55, 27 at 60, 25mpg at 70

My P2 NA gives 32-34 at 70....sweet, but I can't vanish the BMW in that one

PeteB · Post by **PeteB** » 19 Aug 2017, 10:31

Ours is NA.
Drove it four 20 mile runs on the highway, and four 10 mile runs,
the rest around town for a total of 149.5 miles and used 6.34 gallons
for 23.6 mpg. Estimated speed was about 70 on the high way.
That is about 120 miles highway and 29.5 around town.

I did test out downshifting, probably a few times on each 20 mile run.

Post by **June** » 19 Aug 2017, 11:26

These cars were not built for gas mileage. It is that simple. For that he needs a much newer Volvo. The last Volvo loaner I had was a 2017 S60 T5 and it was averaging 40 on the interstate. In 199X premium fuel was under $1 a gallon for name brand. I used Amaco back then. I would wager to guess that gas mileage was not the big thing on the engineers minds since gas was so cheap. Keep that in mind as you spend a fortune replacing half the car hoping for better mpg. If the car runs great, has no engine light on, be happy with what mpg the car gets. After all the money spent on car payments he is not making pays for a lot of gas. Also consider that Volvo he drives is safer than any Toyota, or Honda of the same year that Volvo is made to protect it's occupants and has safety features no other car company had back then like SIPPS. June

PeteB · Post by **PeteB** » 19 Aug 2017, 11:56

Yes, I get it, I just want to be sure that it is in the normal range.

I'm replacing what NEEDS to be replaced, don't enjoy working on the car.

Post by **June** » 19 Aug 2017, 12:28

The best mileage I ever remember my 1995 850 ever got was like 20 mpg on a road trip. It did have the 2.3 hpt engine. No Volvo from my first 1989 740 GLT through my 1998 V70 ever broke 24 mpg. More like 20 mpg highway. The 2002 S80 T6 was my first Volvo owned to get 26+ mpg on the interstate as well as the 2004 S80 T6 I still drive. I bought all those cars new. So pretty much they were fresh from the factory still when I either traded or totalled them with the exception of the 740 GLT I kept over five years and my current 2004 S80 T6 pushing 14 years. My point is anything over 20 mpg for a 1990's Volvo excluding the S80 is normal for a unaltered car in perfect running condition.
June

Post by **June** » 19 Aug 2017, 12:37

Also 1975 through 1995 the national speed limit was 55 mph and cars were geared accordingly. June

PeteB · Post by **PeteB** » 19 Aug 2017, 12:45

20 highway sounds a bit low, over 30 a bit high or the person had to work real hard to get it.

June, I'll average your numbers with the reports in the 30s and call what we are getting
good enough. I think that if there had been no city driving and I kept it to 55 it might
have been 26 - 28 which is what I'd expect.

Post by **June** » 19 Aug 2017, 13:00

I drove 70 to 80 mph back then. Pretty much like I drive 80 to 90 now. From the factory no 1990's Volvo got 30 mpg. Anybody says different cannot do math. The epa should have the original city/highway mpg from the window sticker. June

PeteB · Post by **PeteB** » 19 Aug 2017, 13:08

Here it is EPA 18 city, 26 highway, 1996 NA 2.4:
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel ... _850.shtml

Post by **scot850** » 19 Aug 2017, 14:02

A few years ago my parents borrowed our 93 850 GLT (non-turbo) and covered about 700km or so. When they returned we worked out how much fuel they had used and I was shocked they had averaged just under 34mpg on mostly highway driving. My dad was trained back in the 50's as a military chauffeur so was gentle on the gas and a conservative driver. But, that was amazing to me with an auto.

Back in the UK a friend in the Volvo club had a 740 stick and regularly saw 33mpg on a good run. I also had a 760 turbo auto (4 cyl. turbo) that in similar driving managed around 32mpg on a long run when my niece borrowed it.

I just checked my V70 5speed auto base to see what it is registering and it is around 23.5mpg and all in city driving, with several short trips which I am happy with and that is mostly with AC running.

Points of note: I live in Calgary which is about 3500ft altitude, and I only uses premium gas. I justify it by not driving a lot and some of the non-premium brands have no cleaners in them here. With our cold winters it helps in my opinion to try to keep the fuel systems clean. I also run Seafoam in a tank of gas once a year if I am doing a longer trip. So far, so good.

Realistically Volvo fuel consumption only really started improving with the P1/2 era cars around 2000 which is what June alluded to.
Our 06 XC70 has much better city mileage than the older Volvos, but strangely the NA P80's are better on the highway.

Neil.