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I had a test drive of a 2.5 petrol Lineartronic Outback recently. The 15 mile test drive consisted of rural driving at 40 mph and a motorway stretch at 50--70mph under normal acceleration. The average consumption on the route was 24 mpg which is rather poor. Has anyone who has bought the new petrol Outback able to report their economy with more extensive use? I won't be buying one without clear evidence of acceptable real world economy. I found the comfort, handling and refinement (road noise, engine noise & wind noise) very good.

I'm looking to buy a new petrol automatic car with a decent ground clearance and the new Outback may be suitable. However, I can't currently locate a petrol version to test drive.My only option so far is to try the diesel version and hope the petrol version will be suitable. Note I generally prefer the refinement of petrol engines and diesel is uneconomic being a low mileage driver. Please advise your opinion of the new petrol Outback. I'm interested to know the actual fuel consumption for combined town / country driving and long distance motorway trips at 70mph. What's the refinement like at 70mph i.e. engine noise / rpm, wind noise and tyre noise?