Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2012

1246716

Comments

  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    I agree with the warnings printed in the Elantra owner's manual: "Use the cruise control system only when traveling on open highways in good weather" and "Do not use the cruise control when it may not be safe to keep the car at a constant speed, for instance, driving in heavy or varying traffic...." I've driven extensively in DFW area (I like the Oakland A's and have driven down to Arlington see them play Rangers over a dozen times). I've never found the DFW traffic conducive to using cruise control. A ton of traffic and a ton of stoplights.
  • eweinereweiner Member Posts: 36
    For you and for all:

    ECO is only for local driving and the ECO system is unable to distiguish these driving types on its own (why I dont know). If you are doing mostly highway, turn off the ECO.

    I dont care what the dealer says.
  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    Doesn't seem like Hyundai says too much in detail about the specifics of ECO and its operation. All owner's manual says is it "helps improve fuel efficiency by controlling the engine and transaxle." And, "When the coolant temperature is low: The system will be limited until engine performance become normal." And, "When driving up a hill: The system will be limited to gain power when driving uphill because the engine torque is restricted. When the accelerator pedal is deeply pressed for a few seconds: The system will be limited judging that the driver wants to speed up."

    Anyone know anything definitive in detail about the system? Appears it tries to keep car in highest gear possible, wanting to delay downshifts when accelerating and upshifting as soon as it can. But unlike Honda's more advanced system, it doesn't apear to impact A/C or heater. I've noticed the car tries to quickly get to 4th gear in town (direct drive 1:1) but then doesn't want to get into 5th (an overdrive) until 30-35 mph.

    The owner's manual also states: "your vehicle does not require extended warm-up. After the engine has started, allow the engine to run for 10 to 20 seconds prior to placing [it] in gear. In very cold weather, however, give your engine a slightly longer-warm-up period." Following this will save some gas for those who like to warm their car up for a minute or more.
  • jdwatchdogjdwatchdog Member Posts: 1
    Kate, are you in a warm or cold state? I'm in California, wondering if the no-winter, little AC condition would make the MPG better
  • pflyerpflyer Member Posts: 25
    Again,

    Not trying to get into a critical discussion on your technique for using cruise control verses mine. I have found that using cruise control as much as I can, including city driving in DFW, increases my mileage by a measurable amount; which is what this discussion topic is about.

    When I need to deselect cruise, I push the brake pedal; same as when I am NOT using cruise control and need to slow down.

    Owner's Manuals are written by attorneys trying to mitigate risk for the manufacturer (i.e., see Your Honor we told them not to use the cell phone when driving... even though we have bluetooth, etc...)

    If you want to improve your mpg, give cruise a try. If you think it is less safe, than don't use it.

    I do not use it in stop and go traffic, but if I am going from red light to red light with two blocks in between, absolutely.

    But to each his own, I guess.
  • mikewallace1mikewallace1 Member Posts: 24
    do not use it in stop and go traffic, but if I am going from red light to red light with two blocks in between, absolutely.

    That sounds like stop and go traffic to me. lol It also sounds like not much fun driving worrying about cruise every 2 seconds.

    Anyway. 3rd tank gone and the avg was 24.8 with mostly city driving this time.
    I filled up with Sunoco. Car is over 1000 miles now. If no improvement I will be passing on this complaint to the service manager.
  • elantra4elantra4 Member Posts: 7
    Here is some follow up. Now have 8700miles on car. Have found that a long highway trip 100miles will produce 36mpg but as soon as you get off and hit local streets the mpg drops like a rock. If i run the car on all local street driving after the highway i end up with 24mpg. If i stay off the highway it can go as low as 21mpg. Cold weather, gas blend who knows. Will it get better in the warm weather one will see. Great car on the highway, mpg. Horrible in city driving.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Cold weather definitely takes a toll on fuel economy. I see a loss of 15-20% on my daily driver (2.0L, 140 hp CVT) in mid-winter when it's below freezing, compared to mild weather.
  • avarice1avarice1 Member Posts: 3
    I previously owned a Sonata 2011 GLS. I traded it in and purchased a 2012 Elantra GLS specifically because I wanted to cut back on fuel costs. The Elantra was (and still is) boasting 30mpg city and 40mpg highway.

    After several months of ownership I have yet to reach 30mpg. I drive alone, use the ECO mode at all times. I coast to stop signs and red lights. I slip the transmission into neutral when safety permits. I do not carry anything in the car, nor do I make jack rabbit starts or sudden stops. When on the freeway I use cruise control with the tachometer set at around 1,500 RPMs.

    I am extremely upset by what I now recognize as false mileage sales pitches by Hyundai. My goal is to trade this guzzler in for a vehicle that brand that actually conforms to their fuel economy listings.

    I want Hyundai to compensate me for this deceptive MPG claim. I will not cease in my efforts to bring this to a successful end. There are many options available to the consumer that will result in a flood of paperwork on your end.

    Recalls are one thing, but lies are not to be taken lightly.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Based on what you've said, I think there's something wrong with your particular car. For example, you should easily surpass 30 mpg cruising on the highway at 1500 RPM. I know from driving the Elantra it's capable of well over 30 mpg under those conditions.

    What actions have you taken so far? One thing that would be interesting to do is rent a 2012 Elantra GLS for a day and drive it as you usually do, and see what the mpg is. If there's a significant difference with your car, that will be good evidence to take to your dealer.

    What mpg did you get in your Sonata under the same driving conditions?
  • dodgeman07dodgeman07 Member Posts: 574
    edited January 2012
    Hyundai has taken a lot of heat over the Elantra's mileage. I was under the impression that the EPA tested the mileage. They may not have. A post on another forum stated the EPA only evaluates about 15% of all new cars annually and relies on manufacturers estimates 85% of the time. I was stunned but it does make sense with hundreds of different models sold in the U.S.

    The new Elantra's 6th gear is very high to allow for low RPM (efficient) hwy performance. The 1.8L engine, relatively low curb weight, and aerodymanic body allow this car to achieve 40mpg at 65mph on the hwy under ideal driving conditions. The 33mpg combined number is obtainable by conservative drivers under ideal driving conditions (50% City/50% Hwy, good weather, and maintained vehicle). Getting 29mpg City is going to be tough for all but the hyper-milers.

    For the life of me I can't figure out how people are getting 29mpg Hwy mileage unless they're driving Denver to Vail in the winter. I think about the weight, gearing, and engine in this car and just can't figure it out. :confuse:
  • pflyerpflyer Member Posts: 25
    I agree with your comment.

    I do not doubt that others are having issues with the published Elantra mpg, but I have never gotten less than 30 mpg on any tank, whether I use the onboard mpg display or simply calculate mpg from gallons added when refueling.

    It's too bad for the other folks and maybe I have a "good" one.

    I would think anything in the low 20s is cause for a dealer fix or buyback.
  • crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    What was the MPG on the Sonata you traded? The key seems to be the amount of stop and go city driving. We check our MPG by re setting the average and measuring city and highway separately. Our 2012 Sonata GLS gets better than highway EPA rating of 35 at 70 MPH. The city reading is TOTALLY dependent upon the type of driving. All stop and go = 21-22, mostly in town freeway 28-29 and mixed = 24-25 best. Trying to get an average of all these results is more dependent upon type of city driving than anything. All posters appear to be getting EPA figure on all highway but results are all over the board in city results. Has to be the drivers and the type of city driving NOT THE CAR!
  • eweinereweiner Member Posts: 36
    Have any of you really looked at the average miles per hour the trip computer will display??

    Consider that if you dont see a number 55 MPH or above...its not likely you'll get 40 MPG as you're not really doing highway driving.

    I'm convinced that many people think they do more highway driving then the actually do. My average is between 29 and 40 MPH. I seem to get about 30 MPG. I'd like to get 40 MPG but dont see how I will achieve that if I am not driving in a manner that will allow that to happen.

    Do I think Hyundai has been deceptive. Yeah, as they are heavily advertising the 40MPG and not the 33MPG combined. That sets an expectation with consumers that it is an achievable number with ordinary driving. That clearly does not seem to be the case.

    Perhaps Hyundai can address this with a new computer flash. Their doing so will depend on the level or pressure they receive from consumers and the EPA.
  • dan_bdan_b Member Posts: 8
    I have a 2011 Elantra Limited, I drive mostly in town and get about 24 mpg combined. I sold my high millage honda civic to get this car because of the mpg claims. I have never owned a car that gets such poor gas millage. The way I see it, this car has a nice comfortable interior and and no other positives. The car handing is subpar compared to other cars in it's class, I am paranoid about blowing a tire and being stranded, and the gas millage sucks! Right now the Hyundai hype-machine is making this car out to be the best thing since sliced bread and the sells are great for them also meaning that resell is high for me. I know that it will sucks to take a loss from the combination of driving it off the lot and sales tax. However, it will suck worse if I wait a year or two when the reputation (gas guzzler) of this car is truly know by the public and the value plummets.

    At this point I feel that I should sell the car and buy something that I will like. From this I have learned, if you are buying a car for MPG you should test the MPG on the test drive, what is on the window sticker means nothing.

    Oh, and I will NEVER BUY A HYUNDAI AGAIN!
  • dan_bdan_b Member Posts: 8
    Yeah, like a wave of lawsuits for false advertizing.... sounds like a good thing for the consumer ;)
  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    Wish posters here would consistently state how long they've owned their Elantra and how many miles they have on it. Is so hard to tell how many people complaining have adequately broken in their Elantra (say with at least 5000 miles on the engine). I have great sympathy for drivers with say 10,000 or more miles on their car who can't get 30 mpg on highway, but someone complaining who has only a couple thousand on their odometer needs to give it some time/miles. I've had mine for 3 months and only driven it a grand total of about 1750 miles, but the mileage has been good on highway and decent in town given the short trips and stops.

    Anyone who believes they are having serious mpg issues, either city or highway, probably should find some decent "test" area that is decently near your Hyundai dealer. Say some near perfectly level piece of road or highway that is at least 5 miles with no stoplights or stopsigns and not too much traffic. Then check out your computer's mpg reading while driving it continuously at legal speed (say 35 mph for city/suburban or even rural and 65 mph highway/interstate). If when you drive this the reading is seriously low (say 30 mpg for 65 mph steady driving or 20 mpg for steady 35 mph driving), drive the same road a couple of times and see what the average result is. Then if it is still horrible, see if you could get your Hyundai service advisor to drive the same route in your car and watch the readings. At least the advisor would know the road and speed that lead to such a horrible result.
  • steven39steven39 Member Posts: 636
    i'll just add my 2 cents here.iv'e had my 2012 elantra gls base model since august 2011..right now as we speak i have approx 3800 miles on the odometer.so far, according to the trip computer iam averaging about 27/city and about 43 mpg highway.not bad with under 5000 miles on the clock.this is about as close as iam going to get to the stated mpg on the msrp label although as i put on more miles hopefully it will go up a notch or two mpg.
  • jmorvjmorv Member Posts: 4
    I purposely joined this forum for the sake of airing my frustrations and findings about the 2012 Elantra. Last August I was involved in an accident that totalled my 2007 Hyundai Elantra. Since I have been a faithful buyer of Hyundai for over 15 years and most of the vehicles I have purchased have been Elantras, I decided to stick with it and purchase the 2012. One of the biggest (and trusted at the time) selling points was the mpg. Getting 40mpg is always a good thing to have so I bought into the marketing. After owning the car for about 6 months, I have been very disappointed with the fact that I cannot achieve 40mpg. The first week I owned the car, the mpg was super, then it dramatically declined since then. I am lucky to get 34mpg on the highway. I live in AZ so even during the winter months, we have what can be described as "ideal conditions" and again, the mpg are terrible. I had been doing at least 90% of my driving on the highway, with my speed ranging between 65-75mph.

    This past week, I traded in an '07 Tiburon for something more fuel efficient so I decided to go with the Accent. I must say I am VERY satisfied with the Accent. Sure, it has a smaller engine, but when it comes to mpgs, it hits the mark rather well. So far I am around 38-39mpg and this is with driving the same percentage of time on the highway, same route, same driving style.

    I made mention of the mpg decline to my dealer for the Elantraand they said to do a fuel consumption test because the avg mpg indicator on the dash isn't that accurate. To my dismay, I did the test, did the math and low and behold, the results were actually very close to what the indicator was giving me in the first place. The last time I was at the dealer, I rather sarcastically mentioned that I may have bought a "friday car".

    Needless to say, now that I have a good base comparison, I have to jump on the bandwagon of dissatisfied customers over the Elantra. Fortunately the opposite holds true with the Accent. No complaints about the build, function, performance...I should have bought that instead of the Elantra at the time!
  • skip74skip74 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2012 Elantra with 6500 miles. The best mileage I have seen to date is 33 MPG. Right now I am getting 27 MPG. Needless to say I am extremely disappointed. My previous car was a 2007 Ford Fusion, the engine was half a liter larger, and the car weighed 600 plus pounds more than the Elantra. I was getting 28 MPG on the same trip to work everyday. Now mind you my window sticker on the fusion was 24/31 not 29/40. So what gives?
  • axman2axman2 Member Posts: 1
    I've had my 2012 Elantra for a few weeks, racking up almost 2000 miles. I also noticed my mileage wasn't as high as what I would have hoped. Recently, I took my family on a trip, totaling about 250 miles. While on the trip, I was using my GPS that I normally use for work (in a car with a certified speedometer). I noticed during the entire trip, my speedometer was off by a little over 2 mph. Along with that, I realized that for every 100 miles of actual driving, my odometer only showed 98 miles. I wonder if this discrepancy in the odometer causes the calculation of the mpg to be off as well.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    That's a good idea. Ideally more than a few miles, but 5 miles should be enough to get a steady-state reading. But at steady 35 mph, no stops, level road, mpg should be much higher than 20 mpg in this car, especially if it can be nudged into 6th gear--or at least 5th. I get very good FE on my cars at 35-40 mph steady speed. But the best FE seems to be between 55-65.
  • jmorvjmorv Member Posts: 4
    I want to amend what I wrote the other day about my mileage issues with the Elantra by stating that one of the obvious "flaws" I see (and experience) is that when you drive the car, it soooo wants to be in 6th gear, no matter if you are on highway or surface streets. It's a nightmare trying to accelerate on an onramp for the highway and the car goes into "duh what gear should I be in?" mode. When I accelerate in the Elantra, the car will increase rpms for 1-3 gear, but when 4th comes around, it's for a breif second, then 5th which is just as quick and then 6th, all the while you are trying to accelerate to the stated speed (here in AZ it's 65). Very frustrating and with that, I find that my foot is mashing the pedal more than it should to get up to the speed I need to be at. It's as if I am really working the engine just to get up to speed when that shouldn't be the case. Of course, during this acceleration period, I watch the mpgs drop like a stone...am I driving an Elantra or a Hummer here?
    Not long after I bought this car, I received a very detailed survey from Hyundai which was supposedly going to the Hyundai engineers, to which I aired my frustrations and even made suggestions about how the transmission is NOT acting the way it should for normal acceleration onto highways. I still have yet to hear back and I shudder to think that they are ignoring me (us).

    I seriously think the MPG issue is tied moreso to the transmission and how it handles acceleration. There is nothing ECO about it, as this is driven home by the dealers and advertisers for the sake of, how do they put it "makes shifting easier and it's easier on the engine"? I would really like to pick the Hyundai engineers brains to find out what the heck they were thinking when they designed the powertrain and equated their super gas mileage to it?
  • jmorvjmorv Member Posts: 4
    I was told the same thing about how gas stations differ on their "blend". I told them where I get gas (Shell) and they said that was fine, but avoid Costco. I have filled up at a Shell, a Quiktrip and a Pilot...all the same mileage and same results for mpgs. I have filled up early in the morning when the temps are low and midday when the temps are higher. Again, same results. I still say it's the way the computer controls the transmission. I did experiment once with just using the shifttronic feature and not using the full auto. I got a difference of about 2mpg to the good.

    With my ongoing comparison between the Elantra and the Accent, my Accent is getting a solid 38mpg highway which is still over 4mpg to the Elantra. Yeah, I know, smaller car, smaller engine but not by much and as far as engine control features, they are the same.
  • majorbenmajorben Member Posts: 16
    Hmm, you know, I have noticed the same thing while accelerating onto the highway. This is interesting that I am not the only one. I agree that the MPG issue is tied more so to the transmission and how it handles acceleration. Does anybody know if there has been any ECM program changes that may have affected this in the past year? Does anybody know what if any ECM program changes have happened during the 2011-2012 release? Just curious.
  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    edited February 2012
    When you wrote, "Very frustrating and with that, I find that my foot is mashing the pedal more than it should to get up to the speed I need to be at. It's as if I am really working the engine just to get up to speed when that shouldn't be the case.", you may have answered your question. If you are spending a lot of time "mashing the pedal" and trying to wring acceleration from her, your FE will crater!

    The Elantra is geared very conservatively in order to get good fuel economy. Both the individual gear ratios as well as the final drive ratio were selected to max out FE, not acceleration. So attempting to accelerate aggressively at speed means forcing the transmission to downshift, thus raising RPMs. Aggressively accelerating from a stop means the tranmsission holds the lower gears longer, esp. 1st and 2nd which are the least fuel efficient.

    I've noticed that in city driving the automatic transmission attempts to get to 4th (direct drive, 1-1) gear ASAP (by 25 mph) but it won't go into overdrive 5th until about 30-35 mph, and even deeper overdrive 6th until 35-40 mph. Max FE comes from being in OD 6th with steady speed driving.

    This is a small economy sedan with a small engine and should be driven as such if you want FE. That means slow acceleration from stops and smooth acceleration while at speed. But if you want acceleration, then you'll give up your FE. You cannot have both simultaneously.
  • jmorvjmorv Member Posts: 4
    Interesting...When I had a detailed conversation with the Service Rep at my local dealership discussing the issue of lower mpg than advertised, he asked about driving habits. Well, living here in Phoenix, AZ everyone drives like bats outta hell and while the posted speed limit is 65, the average speed on the highways is 70-75, sometimes 80 if you get in the wrong lane. With that said, he mentioned that with the newer aerodynamic improvements, speeds in excess of 70 causes more downforce on the vehicle and can cause a decrease in mpgs. Plausible to say the least, but how do you explain my increase in fuel economy with the 2012 Accent that I now drive?

    At first, I drove the Elantra exclusively and then after a bout of guilt over having the new car in the house (not to mention my wife's constant boo-boo lip), I gave it up and let her have it. I know her driving style is more cautious than I (albeit her brake usage is a bit excessive), and even with her now driving the Elantra, the mpgs have not improved. Currently, we have about 6000 miles on it and again, no decent improvement. Here's a kicker though, the manual states that the oil should be changed every 7500 miles, but according to the dealership, it's still 3500. They like to call it "extreme conditions maintenance". It's wintertime now, no 100 degree temps, so explain why we are still in extreme conditions? Beh, I digress.

    Another oddity with the Elantra's info panel. Everytime gas is replaced in the tank, a full reset of the counts is done (i.e. trip, mpg avg, ETA, range). I noticed before and I assume it still happens that the range goes down every time a fill up is done. I know that the range is supposed to indicate the amount of miles you can drive on the tank...shouldn't that stay consistent? Now, before someone chimes in with the obvious an answer of "well you may be approaching the time to change the oil", this has been occuring ever since I got the car, meaning that when the car was brand spanking new, the range would decline.

    I cannot seem to shake the feeling that perhaps the computer is not reporting correctly. If that were the case, it's an easy fix and I would be a happy camper if after being fixed, the reports would be more of what I would expect out of the performance of the vehicle.
  • rob_hyundairob_hyundai Member Posts: 5
    edited February 2012
    g2iowa,

    Hopefully this helps.

    In their February 2012 print issue, Motor Trend provided an update of their long-term 2012 Elantra stating the vehicle has yielded 20.7 MPG in three months of service. We immediately knew something wasn’t right with this number and reached out to them to learn more. Motor Trend discovered this number to be a typo from their actual test data and has since corrected the number to a spirited 25.6 MPG in the on-line edition of the article [LINK]. However, the correction cannot be made to the print edition as it has already circulated. We know this has caused some confusion for some owners and shoppers which is why we’d like to make sure everyone is aware of the 20.7 misprint error. If you have any questions, please Tweet us at @Hyundai.

    – Rob L, Hyundai Product PR Manager
  • rob_hyundairob_hyundai Member Posts: 5
    Popular Mechanics has just posted an article testing Elantra's 40 mpg claims. Link here: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/fuel-economy/mileage-moment-of-truth-w- - e-put-40-mpg-claims-to-the-test-6651300
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    This article echos many of the points that have been put forth in this discussion. Maybe now that they have been stated by a source like Popular Mechanics, they will be given more serious consideration.

    I am glad PM emphasized that even though they achieved very good FE marks in their tests, "your mileage may vary." Aint' that the truth.
  • dan_bdan_b Member Posts: 8
    Shouldn't you also know that something is wrong when the mpg is 25.6! The sticker for combined driving is 33, so you guys over at Hyundai should explain why their is a 23% discrepancy between your numbers and Motor Trends. I know that my elentra simply can not get over 23 in town even if there is no traffic and I drive as conservatively as possible, if traffic is bad I am lucky to 19 mpg.
  • stevo19stevo19 Member Posts: 1
    I totally agree kateoo71. I have a 2012 Elantra Limited. 9400 miles. i drive 85% hwy 15% city and i get 31.5 mpg most of the time. today i got 32.2 i was shocked it went up. My sticker says 29 city 40 hwy. So why is it always 31.5 why not 35 or 36 which it should be since i drive mostly hwy. I also thought about a class action suit. I dont want to hear about how im driving it either. i drive slow and staedy. I'm 52. safty is first not how fast i get there.......I DONT LIKE BEING LIED TO!!!! I wish i had my 2010 VW Jetta TDI back.
  • dodgeman07dodgeman07 Member Posts: 574
    edited February 2012
    A quote from the PM article: "...City results were equally­ impressive, with each into the mid-30s. Bear in mind that we made no effort to be overly frugal—no drafting, no excessive coasting—and we made a point to keep up with traffic...".

    Mid-30MPG in city driving. That is amazing. The simple physics involved in accelerating a 3000 pound vehicle in stop and go traffic coupled with the idle time at intersections? 34-35mpg in city driving is an achievement worthy of a Nobel Peace prize. ;)
  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    Today's Wall Street Journal has their review of the Mazda 3i Grand Touring sedan (which the reviewer loved). He got caught up in having fun trying to get good fuel economy (which hd did achieve). This part of the article caught my eye: "While the EPA's numbers are useful only for comparison, the difference between real world and test-cycle fuel economy is a source of unending aggrevation for car buyers.... In his book...philosopher Tim Schroeder argues that pleasure...is fundamentally a function of expectation. I note it here only to bolster my far-fetched fuel-economy-as-pleasure argument." I define happiness as Reality minus expectation (H=R-E). All we can control are our expectations. So the higher the expection....
  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    Their test results appear to support Hyundai's and EPA's figures. But I do wish there was more information on how PM got the two specific cars they tested. I assume they were provided by the manufacturers. If so, and esp. if the manufacturers knew the purpose of this specific test, did PM get "ringers"? That is one reason why I trust Consumer Reports the most for such tests as they actually go out and buy a car off a dealer's lot. CR can't be "ringered". [Detroit used to be notorious for providing ringers in acceleration tests, esp. in the muscle car era.]
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    From what I saw in the PM article, their "city driving" was not inner-city-lots-of-stops kind of city driving. To me it seemed more like what I would call "suburban" driving. That is more realistic for low-to-mid-30s mpg. Getting that kind of mpg in true "city" driving with lots of stops/idling is difficult if not impossible in an ICE compact car. A hybrid, sure.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Yep, the cars PM tested had the special Hamster Boost feature, i.e. dual treadmills with genetically-enhanced hamsters on each, good for an additional 3-5 mpg. You must figure in the cost of the hamster food though, plus eventual hamster replacement. PM might not have done that.

    ;)
  • dodgeman07dodgeman07 Member Posts: 574
    Agreed 100%. And taking that a step further, the PM test's "city driving" was what many consumers consider "highway driving".
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Maybe so. I wouldn't consider it "highway" driving. Their loop test was "highway" driving, although they said they didn't exceed 70. It shows what one can do at that speed though. I have to chuckle a bit when folks post that they go 75+ mph and then don't understand why they aren't hitting the EPA highway estimate.
  • dodgeman07dodgeman07 Member Posts: 574
    Well it's time for another trip to Chicago this week so I'll be at Enterprise Rental Car on Tuesday looking for an Elantra again. My last trip in an Elantra averaged right at 35mpg under less than ideal conditions.

    If I get an Elantra again, I'll report the mileage here.
  • mikewallace1mikewallace1 Member Posts: 24
    The 4th tank yielded slightly over 25mpg with about 80% city but towards the end I could see some improvement. I reset the mileage gauge 3/4 of the way through the tank and was getting close to 27 by the computer.

    The difference being the tenths were increasing instead of dropping back towards 24 driving the same routes.

    After the 4th fill up at sunoco yesterday, while on the highway, I reset the mileage gauge and actually got readings of 38-40. I was in shock because in the past i was getting 28-30. In fact i was getting readings of close to 33 for the day which included 50/50.

    Today I had to take a a 100 mile round trip. On the highway I was getting 40mpg with cruise at 60, 38 with cruise at 65 and 36 with cruise at 70.

    On the return trip, I reset the the mileage gauge and got 40! It was about 50% highway, 25% country roads, and 25% of stoplights every mile or so.

    I use cruise the entire trip. The averages are all computer based as I did not fill up.

    I'd say I noticed the mileage increase at about 1200 miles. I don't know if the gas had anything to do with it - I would have to switch back to be sure.
  • atlanticoneatlanticone Member Posts: 19
    http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1072602_2012-hyundai-elantra-2012-ford-focus- -sfe-get-40-mpg-real-world-says-popular-mechanics

    Popular Mechanics tested the car and got even better then the 40mpg highway and were closer to 50 mpg. Again it is all on how you drive. I have been getting over 40 on the highway and over 30 in the city with the Elantra without an issue. These tests back it up.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    edited February 2012
    I get that some tests are showing very good gas mileage.

    What you're not taking into account is that there MAY BE a flaw in SOME of the vehicles that is preventing owners, regardless of driving habits, from achieving acceptable MPGs. You can show all of the tests you like, but I can tell you right now that we are seeing pervasive complaints about this vehicle (and one other vehicle) that we are not seeing about other models. Even in models that are touted as having similar MPG ratings, that sell a higher volume of product - we aren't seeing near the number of complaints about MPG, even at the same break-in period.

    So, if you want to believe that Elantra drivers are way, way more aggressive drivers, by a big majority, than, say, Civic drivers, that's your choice, but it pretty much defies logic and statistical probability.

    We also see the same complaint in our consumer vehicle reviews, and there isn't a lot of crossover between those reviewers and forums posters:
    http://www.edmunds.com/hyundai/elantra/2011/consumer-reviews.html?sub=sedan

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? [email protected] - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • rob_hyundairob_hyundai Member Posts: 5
    kristie_h,

    Any customers that feel there is a defect should visit their dealer to ensure that is not the case. Our quality standards are very high. We stand behind our products. Studies and independent tests show that actual mpg figures are in line with what we advertise. Popular Mechanics is the latest we've seen. The independently-run JD Power APEAL study conducted recently showed that our owners are most satisfied with mpg in the compact segment, above any other competitor. In fact, over 50% of our owners rate fuel economy and driving range as a 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale. That figure is 7% higher than the next highest rated competitor.

    Back in December we released a document on Twitter attempting to help explain any discrepancy.

    http://scr.bi/ElantraMPG

    I hope this helps explain some of the concerns and factors that affect fuel economy.

    - Rob L, Hyundai Product PR Manager
  • atlanticoneatlanticone Member Posts: 19
    I believe one of the main reasons you are seeing pervasive complaints, is due to the publicity this has gotten from Consumer Watchdog and more people who are fuel concious purchasing the vehicle due to it's 40 MPG rating. I know several 2011-2012 Elantra owners that are happy with the MPG on the vehicle and it is falling within the guidelines posted on the Monroney Sticker. If a person who is purchasing the vehicle based on fuel economy only ( which a majority of people who are purchasing the Elantra are,) then they are more likely to complain about the vehicle then someone who was purchasing it for interior or other features. Just by watching the Highways around the country, how many people are actually driving efficiently, when they are averaging 70MPH. Not many. So expect more complaints when people who purchase the vehicle are not driving properly to achieve the 40 MPG that is and has been proven better on the Elantra.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    I definitely agree with you there - if someone's primary reason for purchase is a particular feature, or if it swayed them away from the competition, they are always going to be more conscious of that aspect of performance. I definitely see a lot of satisfaction with the vehicle, even from those who aren't achieving what they think they should MPG-wise, with most or all other aspects of the vehicle.

    I didn't purchase my vehicle for MPG, and I barely pay attention to what I get. I needed an AWD vehicle, and I can sure tell you I'd notice if that weren't performing to expectations, even if everything else was great. We see a similar complaint from buyers who were swayed to some Ford vehicles by the My Touch/Sync system that isn't working properly. They have no complaints about other aspects, but that feature is making them sour on the whole vehicle.

    If people are achieving WAY below what they expected, and are beyond a break-in period, and are taking steps to maximize fuel efficiency, I would most certainly recommend that they take it to a dealership - repeatedly and persistently if necessary.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? [email protected] - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    If people are achieving WAY below what they expected, ...

    But... what was expected?

    My advice is and has been, if the FE of a car is significantly lower than the EPA rating on a controlled test (details for which I've posted in these discussions numerous times so will not bore everyone here), under best-case conditions, then it's time to take it into the dealer since a problem with the car is one of the few variables left.
  • mikewallace1mikewallace1 Member Posts: 24
    How would one explain 28-30 highway and 3 weeks later 38-40?

    All things being equal except for gas (Giant vs Sunoco) and car odometer 600 vs 1400.

    I really hope my mpg issues are over.
  • dodgeman07dodgeman07 Member Posts: 574
    Thanks for posting Rob. We appreciate hearing from the manufacturer.

    ======================================

    I was hoping to complete another Elantra mileage report this week but alas, Enterprise gave me a 2011 Toyota Camry LE. I didn't experience any unintended acceleration on the trip, so that's a plus. :surprise:
Sign In or Register to comment.