Just a quick one, I recently bought a 1989 Volvo 740 Turbo the 2.3 Petrol, even driving it carefully I only seem to be getting about 20mpg.

What can I do to improve this? I would at least be hoping for 25+

 

You are talking Imperial gallons, right? Still, yeah, about 20 is right, may be a little worse than normal but many factors affect economy. As great as these cars are, economical they are not! You can improve it by following the usual tips, most of all drive it like there is a raw egg under the gas pedal.

 

US gallons, my 92 740 T 2.3 gets 16-18 MPG around town, and maybe 20-22 on long highway trips if I hold a very steady 65mph.

 

When I last calculated it out, my 89 740 turbo was getting 23 MPG highway and mixed highway/town. I'm sure I get around 21 in town. Mine is a stick shift with a 3.55 rear end. Auto turbos have a 3.73 rear (most of the time) and a non-locking torque-converter. My brother swapped his 91 240's auto out for a manual (kept the 3.73) and saw a significant improvement. He hovers right around 25mpg driving on back roads a lot.

 

yeah, mine is an automatic. stickshift volvos were getting pretty rare around here by the early 90s.