Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2011 MY and earlier

steven39 · October 2011

i think what a lot of people have to realize with a brand new car is that you are not going to get the best gas mileage until the car is fully broken in and you have atleast 5000 miles on the odometer.this was the case with my girlfriends 2010 chevy malibu which she purchased brand new.when she purchased the car the gas mpg wasn't great but then when she hit around 5000 miles it improved greatly.there is no brand new car out there that is going to get the posted mpg until the car is fully broken in and has accumilated some miles on the odometer.this according to a mechanic friend i know.

sarah2175 · October 2011

You're welcome.

And if you are only getting 21MPG city driving, then it's the way you are driving it.

litesong2 · October 2011

My last 4 cars averaged 10-15% over the highway average MPG & that was from new. If you don't think high MPG, you will get less MPG. After stating the vast importance of careful driving, I do note from my v. accurate line graph from my gas mileage accounts, that MPG does go up after a period of time. However, it is very very small amount, compared to actual careful careful driving.

Hills, & mountains kill MPG, but you can learn to reduce those loses. Its good to keep the tires pumped up (more than recommended?). However, people pumping them to mid-40 PSI & higher must be the hyper milers, & its too high, specially if you want to stop before running over people. Also, even my moderate over-inflation, seems to be leading to my tires wearing just a fraction too much in the center. However, I drive a wonderful CVT transmission, which theoretically eliminates transmission jarring & tire flex & my average OE tires look like they will exceed 60000+ miles.

mb21784 · October 2011

Just finished my first tank in a brand new 2012 Elantra GLS. This is the fourth Hyundai I have owned and I still of a 2005 Elantra GLS. I have stuck with Hyundai because they make decent commuters and I get a lot of miles out out them. My 2005 Elantra has more than 150K and is still going strong, not a single problem so far.

However, my first impression with the new Elantra is that gas milage is nowhere near that advertised. I commute 70 miles a day back and forth to work. 75% of that is highway. First tank averaged 28MPG. That is worse than my 2005 Elantra which averages 30. I babied the throttle the entire tank all because I was expecting to see great numbers. It didn't happen.

Given that it was the first tank, I expect there may be some small improvement. However, initial break in does not typically return more than another 10% in mileage. As a loyal Hyundai owner, it is sad to say that peoples concerns about the vehicle performing well below the advertised MPG are well founded. It is even sadder to think that after all the hype about mileage, the vehicle performs no better than the 2005 model which gets the same or better mileage when driven much more agressively.

pbhatt · October 2011

Don't worry as this is with first tank. You'll definitely see improvement in this figure. I own 2011 Elantra and I have now 7500 miles. I got 26 miles per gallon on my first tank. I was getting 28-30 within first 1500 miles. I am currently averaging around 32-33 miles per gallon with 45 miles everyday commute back and forth (60% highway). Best I have got 36.5 while I was commuting 120 miles everyday (Through Manhattan Traffic) initially. The only thing I didn't like about this car is "Suspension". I drive 2005 corolla too and which has far better suspension than this. Best of luck ahead.....

drew11m · October 2011

Bought in January of 11. Elantra 2011 limited

Over 12k miles in winter and summer conditions. Majority of driving is 75% highway.

Average over life so far is 30.2mpg. Worst tank 26mpg in snowy conditions. Best tank 37 on a long highway stretch of 325 miles, and that was going 75.

Average gas cost in Missouri has been 3.33$

Mpg drops dramatically in typical city driving. Average for city for me is maybe 26

Anything over 65 impacts highway mileage. I could have probably gotten 2mpg better on that highway stretch 37mpg mentioned above

So far only saved 200$ in fuel costs over my 2001 Passat

EPA estimates are wildly inflated for the typical driver. I know some hyper miler types have done that but everyday drivers will not.

Trip computer estimates are always off by 1-2 mpg. Always calculate actual mpg

Would I buy another? Not sure. The car is great but Hyundai is selling it on the fact it has great mileage. I averaged more with the Ford Focus hatch which was a rental car we had for 2k miles this summer

roadscholar3 · October 2011

I purchased a 2012 Elantra Limited about 3 weeks ago. I had been car shopping for a high mileage car because I do a lot of highway driving. I've driven just under 500 miles so far and have yet to come anywhere near the promised 40mpg. At least according to the car's own mpg indicator. I haven't yet actually done the manual mpg test one does when measuring between fillups.

I'm not a heavy-footed or aggressive driver.
Most of the highway mileage is over flat roads and I generally set the cruise at 65 - 70 mph.
With the Eco-button engaged, the highest mileage I've gotten so far is 31mpg and it usually hovers around 27-8mpg. So what gives? What is the magical forumula to get 40mpg? Does one have to be coasting down hill the whole way?

It seems to me to be a HUGE issue if there is so little consistency. And I'm thinking perhaps this advertised 40mpg amounts to a false claim. I'm really upset because I could have purchased a car like a Honda or a hybrid that actually gets the mpg they claim. On the MPG promise I'm feeling duped and upset. :mad:

roadscholar3 · October 2011

There seems to be a lot of contention on Hyundai's mpg rating, so why isn't this being tested and reported on in the professional car reviews? It is, afterall, Hyundai's primary selling point, so why not look at it?
If most owners on average are actually getting closer to 30mpg from their Elantras, then it sure seems that when considering a new car purchase, they might have considered a whole lot of other cars in that 30 mpg category that would be competitive with this car.

oldburbnewcx9 · October 2011

You are thinking that the advertized 40 mog is a false claim. Hyundai is only reporting the results of an EPA test. How can this be a false claim? Your gripe is with the EPA not Hyundai.

backy · October 2011

You are setting cruise control on a flat highway (no stops, right?) at 65-70 mph and usually get 27-28 mpg? I'd take the car back to the dealer if I were you because there's something wrong with it. I used to get 25 mpg in my 4000 lb. V6 minivan at 65 mph cruise, and have gotten around 30 mpg in a V6 sedan like the Sonata or Impala under such conditions. In the 2011 Elantra, I got 40 mpg in those conditions, and 33 mpg in mixed driving in urban conditions.

Since the cruise is on, it's not the driver. The road is flat, so it's not hills or mountains. It's not winter yet. There can't be a really strong headwind all the time. I'll assume you took care in measuring the fuel you put into the car. So 27-28 mpg as a usual circumstance is really odd. You should probably run a few tankfuls to make sure, but if mpg continues to hover around 27-28 under the conditions you described, that's just not right and not anything like I have experienced with this car.

roadscholar3 · October 2011

If the EPA is, in fact, allowing these discrepancies in real vs. reported mpg then that undermines the whole system. There IS a discrepancy as more and more new car owners seem to be discovering and the differences are far too large to be explained away by driving/terrain variations alone.
I can only speculate why the EPA would do this, but maybe they are being lenient to sweeten the current trade deal with S.Korea, just announced yesterday.
:confuse:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204774604576631372347566258.html?m- - od=WSJ_business_whatsNews

roadscholar3 · October 2011

The highway/cruise control driving situation is around 32mpg. The 27-28 was the average for a more mixed driving situation (highway 70%, in town 30% approx). This is according to the car's digital mpg indicator. I will have to do the fillup to fillup real test as well to get a completely accurate number. That will also tell me if the car's digital system is on the mark or is lower or higher than my findings.

Yes I will definitely take the car back if this continues to be the case. However, from what I've read here I'm not alone.

oldburbnewcx9 · October 2011

I can only speculate why the EPA would do this, but maybe they are being lenient to sweeten the current trade deal with S.Korea, just announced yesterday.

Wow! Now we are headed down the conspiracy trail.

Please read carefully from the EPA fuel economy website. Their fuel economy test is not a guarauntee of results merely a means of comparison.

roadscholar3 · October 2011

Why not? Plenty of precedent for that. And the U.S. is pretty desperate to create new jobs and manufacturing here, so they have incentive to be lenient in order to give new business ventures a foothold in the market. Not saying that IS the case here as I'm not privy to that information, but it falls pretty easily within the realm of possibility. At the very least, I do expect that this issue will grow and get louder as word of mouth gets around, which will not do Hyundai or the EPA any good. People don't like to be duped, and especially with such a costly item as a new car and tighter budgets where fuel economy is a big deal.

rudy66 · October 2011

Isn't it true that the government testing is done on a track and the car is in some way striped down? -- maybe even with no body? This sounds crazy I know but I have heard it. And thanks for saying that variations in our driving are causing poor MPG.

Of course some drive more aggressively and some live in areas with steep hills, but on flat terrain, making a concerted attempt to attain the advertised mileage, should yield somewhat reasonable results. But many of us are not getting this result. The car is nice but some individuals (not me) actually bought the car needing better gas mileage because of their budgets.
Rudy

tenpin288 · October 2011

Isn't it true that the government testing is done on a track and the car is in some way striped down? -- maybe even with no body?

Nope, here is how they are tested. All cars go through the same process and procedures, no conspiracy involved!

EPA Test Procedures

snakeweasel · October 2011

I'll have to put in my 2 cents worth here. Some thing is wrong here. We have a Sonata which is a heavier car with a more powerful engine and I can blow away your reportred highway mileage and at least meet your conbined mileage.

The last car I drove was a 2000 Elantra Wagon and it could get about 32 MPG highway. I can't think that they didn't improve the mileage since 2000.

roadscholar3 · October 2011

Well here are some counter claims relative to the veracity of gov mpg ratings
for anyone who would like a different perspective on that:

http://www.ewg.org/reports/realmpg

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q3/the_truth_about_epa_city_highway_mpg_e- - - - stimates-feature

To pretend that all these foreign trade deals are pristine, above board business transactions is just naive. I'm not suggesting the scenario I proposed is true in this case, only that it is entirely possible and is common practice. And EPA test practices leave lots of fudge room too.
It seems there is also a campaign to convince people that these
anomolies between advertised and real mpg is due to their faulty driving.

roadscholar3 · October 2011

Yes I agree. Something IS wrong with this picture. And if you've been following this thread and others like it on the internet, this issue is being vocalized by more and more new car owners.

backy · October 2011

In your original post, you said:

Most of the highway mileage is over flat roads and I generally set the cruise at 65 - 70 mph. With the Eco-button engaged, the highest mileage I've gotten so far is 31mpg and it usually hovers around 27-8mpg.

Now you are saying:

The highway/cruise control driving situation is around 32mpg. The 27-28 was the average for a more mixed driving situation (highway 70%, in town 30% approx).

Which is correct?

27-28 mpg in mixed driving on a new engine is not too bad, IMO. If it goes up only 10% after break-in, now you're at 30 mpg mixed driving. And who knows how many stops, how much idling, how much stop-and-go driving is involved, compared to how the EPA test is done? There's a reason the EPA states, YMMV.

But 32 mpg on cruise at 65-70 mph on a flat road seems low for this car. I have exceeded that in my wife's 2007 Sonata that is EPA rated only 30 mpg on the highway. My 2010 Sentra will get upper 30s (close to 40 @ 65 mph) under those conditions, and it's only rated 34 mpg highway.

Please try this test and tell us the results: pick a relatively flat stretch of highway on which you can maintain a constant speed. Set tire pressures to at least factory spec. Reset the mpg meter. Set the cruise at the speed limit (or 70 mph, whichever is lower). Drive at least 10 miles, turn around and drive in the other direction (again on cruise). And see what the average mpg is. If it's not at least upper 30s I'd be surprised.

snakeweasel · October 2011

It seems there is also a campaign to convince people that these anomolies between advertised and real mpg is due to their faulty driving.

I don't believe that I ever had a car that I couldn't beat at least the EPA highway estiment by at least 2-3 MPG at between 70 and 75 MPH. Cases in point two summers ago we drove our Sebring ragtop out west, EPA rated at 29 MPG I got about 32-33 MPG driving at speeds at 70+ MPH. This last summer we took the Sonata up to Wisconsin EPA rated at 35 MPH highway we got just over 36 combined Highway/rural and in town driving including idling on the Interstate for about an half hour due to an accident. I had a 2000 Elantra wagon EPA est 29 highway that consistently got in the low 30's.

Most people I know usually beat EPA estiments.

snakeweasel · October 2011

Yes I agree. Something IS wrong with this picture.

But we disagree on what is wrong with this picture. I have a hard time believeing that a Sonata beats out an Elantra in MPG. It could be just your car or your driving habits or a combination of the two.

And if you've been following this thread and others like it on the internet, this issue is being vocalized by more and more new car owners.

I have been following the thread, the number of those vocalizing their issues are very small compaired to the total number sold. It just may be a case of a very vocal minority.

oldburbnewcx9 · October 2011

Why not? Plenty of precedent for that. And the U.S. is pretty desperate to create new jobs and manufacturing here, so they have incentive to be lenient in order to give new business ventures a foothold in the market. Not saying that IS the case here as I'm not privy to that information, but it falls pretty easily within the realm of possibility. At the very least, I do expect that this issue will grow and get louder as word of mouth gets around, which will not do Hyundai or the EPA any good. People don't like to be duped, and especially with such a costly item as a new car and tighter budgets where fuel economy is a big deal.

Meanwhile further down the conspiracy trail......

Time for my aluminum beenie...... My thoughts are not my own....

m6user · October 2011

I think someone just has an agenda. Admittedly he has not even checked the mpg manually and has only had the car a few weeks. Could be a faulty trip computer, could be something wrong with the car, could be someone doesn't even know how to work the trip computer correctly or it could just be bogus entirely. Before I would default to conspiracy theories based on a few people posting when thousands upon thousands have been sold, I would try to eliminate some things before I spouted off to the world.

I agree about the EPA estimates, I've always beat them and I'm usually about 5 over the limit....maybe 10 on the freeways if with the flow of traffic.

oldburbnewcx9 · October 2011

When posters complain about milage its uselly becaude they do not know how to compute gas mileage. I ofter see " I have a 14 gallon tank and only got 280 miles. These prople clrearly do not know how to compute gas milage. Then I see people who report one tank gas milage. They do not understand the filling up one tank has a large error in really how full is the gas tankand thus a poor estimate of gas milage. My estimate is at least a 1/2 gallon error if not more.

Here is how compute gas milage:

1993 GMC C1500 Suburban 5.7L 223,450 miles 14178.3 gallons 15.76 MPG
2005 Mazda 6s 5 speed 72456 miles 2911.0 gallons 24.89 MPG
2005 Hyundai Elantra GT Auto Only owned 1 year drove 10430 miles 352.8 gallons 29.56 mpg
2009 Mazda CX-9 AWD 29760 miles 1532.5 gallons 18.23 mpg

m6user · October 2011

Just curious but don't research if you don't have at hand, do you know what the EPA avgs are for those vehicles?

backy · October 2011

I know the Elantra off the top of my head as I have the 2004 GT AT (same EPA fuel economy as 2005): 21/29, and 24 combined under the newer method. Which is pessimistic. I can easily get mid-30s on the highway in my Elantra, and mid-20s in the city except in tough conditions (dead of winter, stop-n-go on the freeway etc.). But I usually drive with a light foot, stay pretty close to speed limits etc.

fushigi · October 2011

My wife just filled up her '12 Elantra for the first time. Odometer/Gallons = 25MPG. This is the first tank, supplied by Hyundai, so we don't know how full it was to start which means the 25MPG is worst-case. Also, she only does short trips with nothing so far over 10 miles (it took 3 weeks to drain that first tank of gas).

So while it failed to hit the advertised 29 city, there are extenuating circumstances. Indeed, with her short commute the car often won't even make full operating temp so the fuel mix will be extra rich which also negatively impacts economy.

I look forward to seeing her MPG after she's put 4K or so miles on it, but I think this is a promising sign.

oldburbnewcx9 · October 2011

1993 GMC C1500 Suburban 5.7L 223,450 miles 14178.3 gallons 15.76 MPG
EPA Rating (City/combined/highway) Old 13/15/17 new 11/13/16

2005 Mazda 6s 5 speed 72456 miles 2911.0 gallons 24.89 MPG
EPA rating Old 19/22/26 New 17/20/24

2005 Hyundai Elantra GT Auto Only owned 1 year drove 10430 miles 352.8 gallons 29.56 mpg
EPA Rating Old 24/27/32 New 21/24/29

2009 Mazda CX-9 AWD 29760 miles 1532.5 gallons 18.23 mpg
EPA Rating 15/17/21

drew11m · October 2011

This debate is interesting. Some of the folks on here are blaming the driver if they arent getting the MPG they "should" be. Hypermiling is not regular driving. There are 10 million reasons the MPG might be different from others, so lets try to hold up on the whole "well clearly the reason you are getting bad gas mileage is because you dont drive it correctly"

I just turned the odo at 11,432 miles and here are my stats, precisely tracked on actual mpg, not computer (which is ALWAYS at least one mpg over)

2011 Elantra Limited
11,432 miles on the odo 1/3/11-Present
Cost avg per gallon $3.33
Highest reading 37
Lowest Reading 27
Overall calculated MPG 30.2 in all mileage and all conditions over 10 months.
Slightly better gas mileage using Super , but not enough to warrant cost shift from regular.

Based on EPA claimed 29/40 (which if you read the sticker says this average is in ideal conditions and doesnt reflect all drivers experiences) I am getting roughly 4mpg less than what you would expect overall with my driving mix.
I drive about 70hwy/30city, so that is kind of annoying.

However, I am testing several tanks worth of gas over the next several weeks by doing no more than 65 on the highway every day to see if that makes a big difference. However, no matter how i drive it in city conditions, it does not get better than 27

Based on my old car MPG of 25 overall,
I saved approximately $222 in fuel costs in 10 months. (and probably several hundred in maintenance, but that car was 10 years old)

Overall though, one of the big reasons I chose the Elantra was the bang for the buck (the Limited features are awesome) and the advertised gas mileage.
So I guess overall I am happy with one of the two reasons for buying it.

backy · October 2011

...which if you read the sticker says this average is in ideal conditions and doesnt reflect all drivers experiences...

Bingo!

If everyone drove like the EPA test is conducted, they should get the EPA ratings for fuel economy. Of course, that doesn't happen in the real world. EPA fuel economy ratings are estimates, not guarantees.

oldburbnewcx9 · October 2011

This debate is interesting. Some of the folks on here are blaming the driver if they arent getting the MPG they "should" be. Hypermiling is not regular driving. There are 10 million reasons the MPG might be different from others, so lets try to hold up on the whole "well clearly the reason you are getting bad gas mileage is because you dont drive it correctly"

I never said the driver was at fault for bad gas milage. The driver is only at fault if they calculate the their gas milage incorrectly or if they think that the EPA estimates are guarantees.

m6user · October 2011

Thanks. Looks like you are beating the EPA estimated average. I'm certainly no hypermiler(in fact they piss me off a lot of the time) but I've always managed to attain or better the EPA numbers.

mikeystoy5 · October 2011

You hit the nail on the head. Most people think that their guaranteed that mileage, they don't bother to read the fine print under it, where it clearly says not everyone will get this mileage.

rudy66 · October 2011

Yes but it would be nice to approximate the advertised MPG especially for those who bought the 2012 Elantra primarily for better MPG. I find myself trying to drive in such a way as to achieve great mileage but I decided just to enjoy this nice little car and not worry about it from now on.

If you drive 300 miles and fill it up to the tune of 10 gallons you average 30 MPG. If you calculate for ten fill ups you still get an avg of 30 MPG.

Let's say that your neighbor also drives 300 miles and fills his tank with 9.5 gallons of gas. He averages 31.6 MPG. If he calculates this ten times he still gets 31.6 MPG. and if his fill up is 10 gallons a few times, the disparity is even closer.

Unless there can be a drastic difference between stations and their pumps, doing this over time doesn't tell you much, at least by this measurement.
Rudy

backy · October 2011

Unless there can be a drastic difference between stations and their pumps, doing this over time doesn't tell you much, at least by this measurement.

There is. I've noticed a 1-2 gallon difference on a fill up (fill at lowest flow, to automatic shutoff) between stations. This is with several different cars, different tank sizes. I frequent two stations near me, and I see this difference between them all the time. I can never seem to get my tank full on one station, thus it's always 1-2 gallons short of full when I fill up there. But no problem filling the tank at the other station.

oldburbnewcx9 · October 2011

The problem is the pumps are different and even the same pump will vary on how full your tank is. Another problem is that you do not measure the amount of fuel used only the amount of fuel added to your tank. So lets way that everytime you fill up there is a variation of +/- 1/2 gallon. You drive 300 miles because the previous pump overfilled your tank you fill up with 9.5 gallons when you used 10 gallons. Your calculated mileage is 31.57 MPG and you are happy. But this time because the last pump underfilled the tank you fill up with 10.5 gallons. Your calculated mileage is now 28.57 mpg and you are sad. If you only do this once you are thinking the your car either gets good mileage or bad mileage based on one tank.
But if you drive 3000 miles and fill up you will use either 99.5 gallons or 100.5 gallons because the error is not cumulative. Your calculated mileage is now either 30.15 mpg or 29.85. A much better representation of your true mileage. The numbers are only examples or the variation possible and the +/- 1/2 gallon is only an example. I do not know that actual variation and I don't know an easy was to measure the variation. However by averaginr your calculations aver many tanks the variation becomes a smaller percentage of the fuel used.

Hope I explained this OK. If not ask questions and I will try to clear up.

dudleyr · October 2011

Couple things about mpg.

The government makes the standards by which the cars are tested. The manufacturers test the cars using the government prescribed methods and report the results. The government verifies a random sampling of the results for compliance.

If you know what the test procedures are you can design a car that excels on the tests, but might not do so under real life conditions.

All cars in a model range get the same EPA rating, but you can bet that that lightest one is tested (no options). If you drive a heavier loaded model it will do worse.

Some are grumbling about car mags testing mpg. Consumer reports has the best mpg tests in the industry by a mile. The test all their cars the same way under the same conditions (weather may vary slightly) and they test a variety of ways.

Lets look at Consumer Reports numbers vs the EPA for the Elantra and a competitor.

Elantra EPA 29/40

CR 20 city 40 highway (Steady 65 mph) 35 mpg on 150 mile test loop (mostly highway - some stops)

Civic EPA 28/39

CR 19 city. 47 highway and 39 mpg on test loop.

So the Elantra can certainly match the epa numbers but only under ideal conditions. The Civic gets 8 mpg over EPA under those same conditions.

Does the Elantra get good mpg - yes. Should you expect to average 40 mpg on a fast highway trip - probably not.

mb21784 · October 2011

Second tank, same as the first. Between 28 and 29 combined (mostly highway) miles per gallon.

Before everyone piles on about how its all about how I am drive, remember... I have a 2005 Elantra that is getting averaging 29 mpg on the same route. The 2005 was only rated at 29 hwy total, not 40 like the 2012. I have never had a vehicle that I was not getting near or better than the advertised mpg.

litesong2 · October 2011

drew11m wrote:
EPA estimates are wildly inflated for the typical driver. I know some hyper miler types have done that but everyday drivers will not.
//////////////
litesong2 wrote:
Why would you think that everyday drivers (who don't care about mpg, don't know how to drive to obtain good mpg & are stuck in stop & go traffic, anyway), can beat professional drivers who are driving a mpg city cycle (but not unending stop & go)?

Hey, people! If you're stuck in stop & go traffic, ya gotta get used to burning fuel while going nowhere..... enless you're in a Nissan Leaf.

drew11m · October 2011

Looking at the sticker while cleaning my Elantra yesteday, this is what i saw.

29/40/33

then in very fine print.

24-29 city 35-40 highway 30-33 overall based on driving conditions and driving habits (or something like that)

So me getting 31 or 32 mpg overall is within the accepted range.

(I did notice at least 1-2 mpg improvement by keeping it under 65 on the highway over 2 tanks.)

pbm58 · October 2011

True, no one REALLY expects to get what's on the sticker. But, seeing as I maintained 37mpg's on my 9 1/2 yr old Honda prior to purchasing an Elantra, I did not expect to get 21 city and 30 highway. It's early yet, but my understanding is cars these days don't actually "improve" with time. And these figures are without windows open, or AC on. I am more than a little flummoxed that 9 1/2 yrs after my last car purchase, I am getting 25% lower fuel economy!

backy · October 2011

My experience with other Elantras is that mpg DOES improve with time.

30 mpg highway is very low. But what does "highway" mean? Does it mean cruising along at 60-70 mph, no stops? Or something else? If the former, 30 mpg is much lower than it should be.

Have you tried a highway mpg test in which you make sure the tires are at least at spec, moderate weather, pick a relatively flat section of highway where you can drive w/o stopping for at least 10 miles, then get on the highway, set the cruise at the speed limit, and reset the mpg meter? Then after at least 10 miles (longer if you can, back track the same route, and then check the mpg readout. If the speed is 70 mph or less, you should easily get upper 30s to 40+ on that test. If you still get 30 mpg on that test, I'd take the car back to the dealer as something is wrong with it.

tkepple · October 2011

I have had my Elantra six months to the day and have 9338 miles and I'm experiencing the same issues. The gas mileage seems to be getting worse with each fill up. I've used premium, medium grade, and low grades gasses. Anything except ARCO gas. I've kept a record of every fill up and the most MPG I've received is 30 and that was on a long trip, one time. The average has been 25 mpg. Great gas mileage was THE main reason I purchased this car and it has disappointed me since DAY 1 (which I took on a 300 mi. road trip and still didn't get 30 mpg). I'm experiencing all the exact same problems as Tom and feel the same way. Would have kept my 2005 minivan which got the same gas mileage but I didn't have a car payment!

steven39 · October 2011

i have had my 2012 elantra gls base model for a little over 2 month's now.i have about 1500 miles on it so far and the best mpg i get right now is about 23 city and about 35 on the highway with the a/c going all the time.i always thought the the mileage is supposed to get better as the car breaks in not worse.

anil41 · October 2011

I am in the process of buying 2011 elantra and reading a lot of review of road noise while driving,how is this.

pbm58 · October 2011

yeah, my elantra is less than 3 weeks old but I have an appt with the dealer--am getting 21 city/30 hway. Did not expect this at all (esp since my 9 1/2 yr previous car still got about 37 mpg's (so can't balme y driving style I don't think)

thfrazer · October 2011

My 2012 is pretty quiet. Especially at speeds 55MPH and below. On the highway there are times when I hear more wind noise, but overall I'd say the car is rather quiet.

thfrazer · October 2011

Yeah, I'd say you're going to remain disappointed. There isn't much they can or will do for you I don't think. 21 city is terrible and I hope I never see that. My 2012 has almost 4000 miles on it and in everyday use (work, play, errands, etc.) I'm lucky if I get 29mpg. That's usually when there's more "work" highway miles than anything else. Hyundai makes a nice car for the money, but their mileage estimates are way off. I understand the EPA is a factor, but real world MPG is not close at all. Read up on the Civic's MPG and you'll see what I mean. Unless something changes I don't see myself buying another Hyundai.

Tom

steven39 · October 2011

don't know what or if anything the dealer can do except maybe suggest to you to wait till the car breaks in since it's only 3 weeks old and see if the mileage gets better.

Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2011 MY and earlier

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles