2.5 20 valve auto...23 round town....32.5 on the open road...normally at not strictly legal speeds...thats over 600 miles on cruise control

Your milage is poor and the post about the O2 sensors needing replacement is probably correct, especially if your tail pipe is black.

As for other's stories about their getting 30+ mpg, I wonder what their computer says about that. Mine tells me I am getting 20.8 and my average speed for the last 750 miles is 24 mph. There were no road trips. Also, a turbo does not mean less fuel consumption, it means more air forced in to the cylinder to burn the gas already there.

Klaus
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95 854T, 88 780, 88 245

I have 2 850s that get the type of mileage you are talking about. And that from someone that logs every fill-up and maint item and can go back years with mpg numbers. Following are some rambling thoughts on the subject.

Both are non-turbos which makes a big difference. Generally speaking doin't turbos reduce mpg about 15-20%?

Both get oil changes, plugs, rotors, dist cap and simple maintenance here at home. More complicated, or stuff I don't have time for, they go to a good indy shop in the area that specializes in Volvo/Saab.

Also, we live in the country, so even when going to the city most of my miles are highway.

My best mileage is with a '94 wagon with 167,000 miles and a 5-speed standard transmission that gets a little over 30 mpg. Seems about 2 times a year that mpg will drop due to a caliper that is hung up just a little. The type of thing I would probably miss on a auto transmission. Our 'test' is to coast in neutral from the top of one of the local mountains, depending on how far you get you know how well the car just rolls. Caliper stuck, you stop several miles from the stop sign at the end. Everything fine, you make it to the stop sign.

My other 850 is a '93 with 267,000 miles and automatic transmission that hits 30 mpg on good days, but is usually about 28.5. Gained a little after flushing tranmission fluid. Also, seems to have gained after replacing radiator, but should a radiator really affect mpg?

Both will drop a little in mpg when the plugs have about 25-30k miles on them or need an oil change.

The wagon's check engine light came on with the low flow to the EGR valve and dropped in mpg. After cleaning mpg back up and performance better then I had been in a while. So yes I think EGR cleaning is helpful in mpg. (Also something I'll need to do better in future!)

Good luck!

A lot of things affect MPG. Check your tire pressure( I always forget) to make sure it's right. Your O2 sensor(s) could be in the process of failing as they help regulate fuel mixture and as mentioned, vacuum leaks will "fool" the sensors into thinking the fuel mix is too lean and the engine will run rich. Just went thru this with a 96 850 NA. Are you seeing black smoke or is the area around the tail pipe sooty?

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A lot has to do with the gas you get. In Chicago we get hi ozone smog gas with ethanol. This is about a two mpg hit based on what I see when I get way out in the boonies and back to regular gas. I see 17 - 18.5 mpg for mostly city driving with this crap gas. I am looking for vaccum leaks, etc. to see if I can get more. BTW. I have new plugs, clean air filter and throttle body, all the usual stuff is ok.