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Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2012

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Comments

  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I would say all things were NOT equal... even though it might have seemed like it to you. Think about all the variables: was temperature exactly the same? Speed? Stops/use of brake? Wind?

    If the new gas was 100% gas vs. E10, that could explain part of it. As could the additional miles on the engine.

    But at least it looks like there's nothing wrong with your car!
  • eweinereweiner Member Posts: 36
    edited February 2012
    To address some comments above....I did buy the car on the promise of high MPG. Anyone who says that MPG was not a factor is not being honest.

    Here are some of my observations.

    Yesterday I believe I finally figured out why I am not seeing the MPG ratings I expected on my 2012 Hyundai Elantra. Some of you will probably say that you’ve known this all along while others will imply that I must be stupid for not figuring it out sooner.

    All I can say is that I have not seen a post that clarified things for me in this manner. Also, I am slow sometimes so bear with me.

    I left the office yesterday afternoon at about 3PM. It was sunny and 53. Just as I got on the highway I reset the MPG and drove the 23 mile Inter-county Connector home. My home is just off the ICC, one mile and 2 lights.

    While on the ICC I put the cruise control on and set it for 59. Low and behold, I finally saw that elusive 40ish MPG. It ranged from 38.7 to 40.2 and rose and fell with the ups and downs of the highway ( it’s not a level drive at times ).

    As soon as I got off the ICC, on that final 1 mile to my house, the MPG immediately fell and by the time I parked I was in the 36 range.

    The following morning (very early) I reversed the trip. It was 35 degrees outside. By the time I reached the ICC (again only a mile away) my MPG was 34.6. I set my cruise control to 59 and on this 23 mile drive reached a 35.1 MPG.

    After thinking about these results I have concluded the following:

    1. 40 MPG is possible in fact you’re likely getting it on your highway drives. Unfortunately, it is being obscured by the absolutely horrible city/local MPG

    2. The city/local MPG is likely WAY under the conservative 29 estimate and could be as low as 18 to 20 MPG. That’s right a tiny car like this may only be getting 18 to 20 in the city…how is that possible?

    3. Every organization that is testing the car, as well as many posters here, is focused on the wrong MPG rating. It’s the city/local driving MPG that is causing your overall MPG to look so bad. There is also to much focus on point in time trips instead of everyday commutes

    4. It does not take much city/local driving to completely trash your overall MPG. Just look at the impact from that 1 mile drive from the ICC to my home. Or look at the impact from minor hills on the ICC (a brand new and relatively flat highway)

    5. The colder the weather the worse the MPG seems to be. Why didn’t my MPG recover to 40ish the following morning? Clearly there was more highway MPG to offset the city/local MPG, right? I conclude that the highway and city/local MPGs must be lower when it’s cold. Perhaps significantly

    6. The car appears to have no intelligence when it comes to creating or maintaining MPG. If it did, I believe I would not see such a dramatic fluctuations from hills or from one mile of local driving

    7. The ECO mode should do a better job of offsetting the “Lead” foot syndrome. Does not take much of a press of the pedal to achieve a big reaction in RPM

    Now this is by no means a scientific test but it does help me to rationalize my results. At this point I guess have to accept that my average MPG will not be as high as expected for my driving situation. I do, however, remain hopeful that MPG will improve as we move into the warmer sprint/summer/fall.

    I also hope this information forces the conversation to focus more city/local MPG and why is it so bad for a tiny lightweight car.

    I will always feel that Hyundai, and other companies are using puffery and misinformation to mislead consumers by emphasizing unrealistic MPG ratings that are not consistently achievable by most drivers unless they are at the 100% highway level.
  • knocker81knocker81 Member Posts: 44
    I agree 100%.....the best I've gotten so far is 25.5 MPG, thats combined city and highway, it's ridiculous, I did the same exact driving with a 2009 Corolla and got an average of 28 sometimes 30. Plus after driving this car for almost 2 months, I find the ride isn't that great. A lot of road noise, poor handling, weak suspension. There's no comparison to the Corolla. Hyundai does a good job with styling and all the the little extras but it doesn't do what it's supposed to. I bought this car for one reason and that is gas mileage. There's alot of better cars I could have bought and gotten this gas mileage. Maybe we should start a class action action suit.
  • knocker81knocker81 Member Posts: 44
    edited February 2012
    I don't know what the computer has to do with gas mileage. Whether the computer is correct or not the gas mileage is still the same. The only way to check gas mileage is fill your tank, drive, record your mileage, fill again, then divide miles by gallons. Bottom line the car gets terrible gas mileage.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    We don't permit using the forums to organize legal action, but that aside, what would a suit entail? In order to prevail, the class would have to demonstrate that Hyundai knowingly & deliberately deceived consumers and somehow "rigged" a vehicle sent to the EPA for testing to achieve a higher MPG rating than is reasonably possible to achieve. Hyundai didn't create the EPA MPG numbers - that's what every manufacturer puts on the sticker. Some consumers are getting within range of the EPA estimates, so obviously it's not impossible. I don't think you'd find a lawyer in the land to take such a case, as it's nearly impossible to prove.

    Plus, as a consumer, if the suit were settled in the consumers' favor, you'd be looking at something like $200 three years from now, or a $500 coupon off the purchase of your next Hyundai. That's how these things tend to go.

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  • crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    edited February 2012
    totally agree with your comments. We have a 4000 lb 2010 Buick and the 3200 lb 2012 Sonata. City mileage very close on both cars since we have the same terrain with both cars. 20-22 on Buick and 20-24 on Sonata. The variation depends on amount of stop and go not speed.
    The big difference is the highway MPG. Speed also is the biggest factor on the highway but the Buick is 28-29 and the Sonata is 35-38 totally dependent upon speed if no big hills. The 20% difference is totally driven by weight & speed IMO.
    So we agree with your conclusion. The EPA #'s must be some freeway or not stop and go that affects all cars except the hybrids that are also lower weight across the board.
    Changing your driving route to include more freeway (if available to you)will do more to increase mileage. The averages posted are driven by the specific conditions mainly in city driving that affects the actual versus EPA.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Two key points here:

    4. It does not take much city/local driving to completely trash your overall MPG.
    5. The colder the weather the worse the MPG seems to be.


    And yes, these points have been brought up here before. :)

    I get to experience these first-hand all the time, because I live where it can be 50 one day and below zero a couple of days later. FE does really suffer in cold weather. Also, it's real easy for city driving to ruin FE. It's possible to adjust for it to some extent, but it takes some attention. The keys are to keep your foot off the accelerator as much as possible by anticipating stops and coasting (in gear) as much as possible, e.g. on downgrades. Also shut off the engine if you'll be stopped for more than a couple of minutes, e.g. waiting for someone. Using basic techniques like that I routinely get 25%+ better FE on my wife's Hyundai than she does. (She doesn't use ANY fuel-saving techniques.)

    But if you have to make lots of stops and are stuck in heavy traffic (meaning a low average speed) a lot of the time... your mpg will suck with a non-hybrid. Weight has little to do with it. The mpg of any car when it's stopped is zero.
  • elantra4elantra4 Member Posts: 7
    I also totally agree. i have 8700miles on my 2012 and continue to get 20-22mpg in all city driving, so much for the dealer statements that the mileage will get better as the mileage increases. I have owned 2003 and 2004 Elantras and got about the same. The all highway drives with cruise on can get 35-40mpg,but the average will quickly fall with stop and go city driving. I have been using the Eco mode all the time and decided to turn it off to see any changes. I have found that the city mpg has increased a few mpg 2-3 but i attribute this to my wife and her heavy foot. There is a marked difference in accerlation when it is off. I believe that when she drives she does not have to press down on the gas petal as hard thus the better mileage. Again how you drive does make a difference. I could not agree more with you as to the horrible suspension this car has. Here in New York City the pothole capital of the world, my teeth can rattle from the way this car handles any imperfection in the roads. There are times that i wonder if there are any shocks in this car. I have read that Hyundai improved the suspension on the 2012 after there where complaints on the 2011. They could not have done much. For those that drive in other states where the highways and roads are well maintained they may never notice this fault. Take this car to some poor maintained roads and see what i am talking about. This car has some serous cab rock and roll on those kind of roads.
  • eweinereweiner Member Posts: 36
    AS I understand it Hyundai did not send the Elantra to the EPA for testing. They tested it themselves and sent the results to the EPA.

    There is a recent court case by a women who took Honda to small claims court over exaggerated MPG claims. She won nearly 10K in damages.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,142
    Well, see... that's part of my point. If you look at the class action proposed settlement, it's almost nothing. You're almost always better off pursuing some sort of remedy on your own, whether legal or by working with dealerships/manufacturers.

    I believe the basis of her win was tied to her ability to prove, via documentation, that mileage decreased following the software update provided by Honda (which is what's happening with these vehicles). She may have "won," technically, but she won't get anything yet. The case was immediately appealed. It is widely believed that anything tied to "false advertising" won't be upheld, though the post-software update reduction in MPG probably will.

    Don't get me wrong - I am not disputing anyone's claim that they're not getting expected MPGs, and I don't ride with anyone so I can't say whether it's a vehicle issue or a driving issue. Some people have reported getting close to the EPA numbers, others haven't. I can't tell you why that is.

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  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    Good post. Since people have such high expectations regarding their FE, it is often hard to tell if people have legitimate complaints or not. Thus it is critical that details be provided when discussing real world FE. Critical facts like how long have you owned the car, its mileage, type of driving done, real speeds driven, real amount of stop-and-go traffic driven, type fuel used, whether you are really trying to eco-mile (higher tire pressures, coasting to stoplights, etc.), etc. Seems like there are some posting here who expect to get 40 mpg driving 75 mph or higher on freeway; that ain't gonna happen! Or who expect 29 mpg driving in heavy city traffic with lots of stop lights/signs; that ain't gonna happen. Or those who have a lead foot and want to accelerate quickly all the time. People have to be realistic about what their car can do FE-wise, esp. in winter and with ethanol. And be honest about how they are driving (e.g., avg mph).
  • dodgeman07dodgeman07 Member Posts: 574
    Ahhh, back from Chicago again tonight and it feels good to be home. You might think this should be posted in the Toyota Camry threads so bear with me.

    My last trip to Chicago (from Dubuque, Iowa) in January was in a Hyundai Elantra GLS (6-sp auto) and I averaged just under 35 mpg for the trip. 380 miles total which were mixed at about 90% Hwy and 10% City driving. I averaged around 68 mph on the Hwy.

    This trip was on the same route with a bit less city driving in a Toyota Camry LE (6-sp auto) and I totaled 360 miles. My driving style was very similar. Both cars were full of fuel (within 1/2 gallon or so) at pick-up. Upon returning to the Dubuque area, I was running on fumes in the Elantra last month but the Camry had 1/4 tank left!

    I'm sitting there thinking how great the Camry mileage was right? Well the Camry has an 18.5 gallon fuel tank and an EPA Hwy Rating of 32mpg. I burned about 13 gallons going 360 miles so: my estimated mileage was 27.7mpg! I burned about 11 gallons out of the Elantra's 12.8 gallon tank for 34.5 mpg. What a difference perception makes!

    Maybe if the Elantra had a 20 gallon tank we wouldn't have so many complaints! ;) But seriously folks, look at the percentage under EPA Hwy mileage I got in both vehicles. Even I'm surprised....

    I'll report back after my March trip. :)
  • yennhi2yennhi2 Member Posts: 11
    Here is what I got on many tests on the highway for 2012 Elantra Auto: 60MPH = 40MPG; 65MPH=38MPG; 70MPH=35MPG; 75MPH=32MPG. Speed kills the FE.
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    yennhi2, I can easily believe your numbers. In December my wife's Elantra got about 34 MPG on a 100 mile trip that included about 7 miles of suburban driving with the rest being highway. The highway driving was generally at 70-75MPH. And it was using winter-blend gas with 10% ethanol.

    I've little doubt that if we were to knock 5 MPH off our speed we'd get better economy.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • knocker81knocker81 Member Posts: 44
    The point to this whole dscussion is really about the city driving....when Hyundai claims 29 mpg city it should be close. I drive a approximately 50/50 city and highway. I should at least get the 29, not 25. All this talk about gas type, winter driving, time of day...maybe we should see if the grounhog will pop his head out early, maybe that will improve gas mileage. I'm starting to think I made a mistake with this car. Like I said in an earlier post I was driving a 2009 Corolla under the same conditions and getting 28-30. The ratings for Corolla are 27/35. The sole reason I bought this car was for gas mileage, and the more I drive it I'm realizing it's not for the ride.
    My point about the class action suit isn't really about the money...it's about exposing the scam that Hyundai is running, first with the limited production of this car, where they don't seem to have any in stock, driving up the price where people are actually paying sticker or more. I feel like I've been had...only 34 mths left on the lease.
  • yennhi2yennhi2 Member Posts: 11
    For the city FE, I really like it. The distance from my house to school is about 16 miles and it takes 35 minutes to ge there, it had about 25 traffic lights and 3 stop signs, my speed is about 40 to 45 MPH , the display show average speed is 25 to 26, no AC use, no highway/interstate. I always got 30 to 31 MPG at the Pump. For the same route with my 2009 Civic auto, I only got 28MPG. I am happy with the elantra city MPG, but not with the highway MPG. The speed for all the highway/interstate here is 70 MPH, with that speed the Elantra only got 35 MPG, but the Civic got 38 MPG.
  • knocker81knocker81 Member Posts: 44
    If you're getting 30/31 then there's something wrong with mine.
  • pflyerpflyer Member Posts: 25
    Hi everyone.

    I am the Cruise Control proponent person and thought I would update my latest tank.

    Miles: 248.3
    Computer MPG: 35.7
    Gas added: 7.8
    Average MPH on Computer: 33 mph

    I filled the tank up until I could not cram anymore gas in. I don't think I filled it up as much last tank, but it's always hard to tell. I have found my computer mileage is about 2-3 mpg too high.

    I probably added about half a gallon after the pump clicked off; also, I filled it up EXTREMELY slowly so as to get all the gas in I could.

    I estimated about 50/50 city/highway and with an average speed of 33 mph, I would say that is about right on the guess.

    So... I came up with just short of 32 mpg, but once again, it all depends on how much "cramming" I do from tank to tank.

    Needless to say I am very happy with the mileage. Cruise Control seems to make about 1-2 mpg difference. I have gotten 43 before on the HWY at 65 mph over almost 60 miles of travel.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Suggestion: rather than trying to overfill the tank, set the pump to its lowest flow (near end of pumping) and pump until it clicks off. Also try to use the same station and pump as much as possible, although that may not be practical most of the time.
  • pflyerpflyer Member Posts: 25
    I don't really care about getting the mpg calculation to the nats rear end.

    I am quite happy with my mileage and trying to inform others that the mileage numbers listed on the Monroney is not only realistic, but also attainable.

    If I really, really tried, I think I could beat the highway mileage easily; I just don't want to get run over by trucks, so I cruise at 65 in the right lane.

    Best wishes and I hope those with serious mileage concerns get the paperwork started with the dealer. Lemon Laws are very powerful in most states, but you must get started early and be persistent.
  • dan_bdan_b Member Posts: 8
    edited February 2012
    My 2011 elantra limited was getting 25 combined and I was very dissatisfied. Today, I sold my elantra and I have to say that I am very impressed with the resell value. I put 11,000 miles on this car and was able to get 92% of the price that I paid for it (which is amazing considering I put 11,000 miles on the car). I just felt like it was better to sell it now while the demand for this car is high and resell is high. I know I took a bit of hit from the sales tax and registration but I REALLY HATED THIS CAR and I think the resale on this car will start to plummet as more consumers become dissatisfied.
    Anyway I now enjoy 50mpg with the Toyota Prius that I bought :)
  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    I fuelled up yesterday mainly because even though she is garaged the lows have been around zero and I don't like to get to half a tank when it is so cold. Have owned her for 3 1/2 months and she has 1715 total miles on odometer. Drove 115.9 miles on this tank and used 5.286 gals of reg (non-ethanol), from the same pump as always. So just 21.93 mpg. Trip computer said 24.3 mpg; it continues to read about 10% high. BUT avg. mph just 21.0, as these are all very short city trips of usually 2 miles or less one way, so I'm barely spending any time in 4th gear let alone overdrive 5th or 6th. Car barely warms up when it is time to turn her off. Do I wish I'd get 29 mpg in such conditions? Of course! But laws of physics override my wishes. Cold car driving short distance in low gears and stop lights/signs won't max FE. That kind of driving needs hybrid or pure electric.
  • eweinereweiner Member Posts: 36
    Well you purchased the only car that could deliver high mileage most of the time. Its a hybrid, and not a fair comparison to a gas-only engine.

    Still 50 is nothing to laugh at...

    In any case, you sold at a loss, and repurchased at a much higher level. I would say, it will be a little while before you recoupe the added costs in gas savings.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    did you buy one of those new Toyota Prius' that retails for $19,000? Ya know, those Prius' are the first set of Prius' that I can actually look at with a bit of a desire for. Not bad for looks, they already are the mileage leaders, aren't they? Or does that go to the new Nissan Versa sedan?

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • dan_bdan_b Member Posts: 8
    I really don't feel like I sold at a loss since I bought the elantra for 20,400 (including destination charge) and I traded it for 18,600. Considering that I drove the car for 8 months and put so many miles on it. Right now in California Bay Area (where I live) elantras are in serious demand and you can get over dealer retail. The new car I got at 200 over invoice so it not like the dealership was playing with the numbers of the trade-in.

    I just feel like in a year or 2 the elantras resales value is going to be defined by the wave of upset consumers voicing their experience on the internet.

    Also, I was in no way trying compare a Prius to an Elantra, apples and oranges.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Those aren't at dealers yet. And it's a subcompact vs. compacts with mid-sized interior room like the Elantra (and the Prius-with-no-letters).
  • mikewallace1mikewallace1 Member Posts: 24
    The 5th tank measured 29.5. This included the 40mpg I got on my 100 mile trip. After that there were a few trips in not so great conditions (snow and wind).

    I think the non highway mileage is really bad - like most people are mentioning.

    Also, the wife told me she used 89 octane for that last tank. It would seem like with the type of driving she does, 30 is going to be tops.

    I will continue to monitor it through the summer.
  • atn0716atn0716 Member Posts: 1
    I got an average of 33 mpg with about 70% in city driving. I reset the computer every time I pump, and I calculated the mpg myself. The computer always about ~2mpg higher than actual. I also drive carefully and not racing my car. I had never gone lower than 32mpg average since I bought the car last summer. I don't know how people get so low. Did you reset the computer every time you pump?
  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    edited February 2012
    What are your average miles per hour (mph) showing in the computer? Are you averaging over 30 mph? 35 mph? My GLS won't go into 5th gear (an overdrive gear) until about 30 mph and won't go into 6th (a deeper overdrive) until about 40 mph. So in my city driving, where my average MPH is less than 25 mph, I spend most of my time in 1st-3rd gears and some in 4th (direct drive).
  • jayhawkkjayhawkk Member Posts: 5
    I've had my Elantra for several weeks now and just hit 2000 miles today. I noticed from the start that the MPG seemed too low. I ensured the ECO was active and used cruise control as often as possible on the highway. I can only get a 33ish MPG average but this is only after a couple of days of long distance driving on the highway.

    I travel approximately .2 of a mile from my house to the highway and then it's a 55MPH highway that I'm on approximately 15 miles before leaving the highway for .1 of a mile to work. I've made several 30 mile trips each way and just got back from a 400 mile round trip where I could not get above 33.5

    Cruise control has been set between 55 and 65 dependent of the local speed limit.

    What I have noticed is that almost any acceleration causes the transmission to downshift. In order to keep this from happening I have to barely touch the pedal to get to merging speed and avoid the MPG from dropping .1 to .2 just going up the ramp which I can only get back .1 of that on the 15 mile trip back to the house.

    It seems to be a great car but my city driving which is more suburban driving is getting between 22-28mpg. I'm not sure what the problem is but I do know there is one
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    There does seem to be something wrong with your car. For example, in the test that Popular Mechanics recently conducted, they drove 55 mph on the highway in the Elantra and averaged 47.6 mpg. They got 39.3 mpg @ 70 mph. So for you to get only 33 mpg @ 55 mph seems very low.

    Unless...

    What is your actual speed on that 15 mile highway run? Is it a steady 55 or does it fluctuate, e.g. do you pass people? Is it nonstop or are there any stops? Are there any significant grades on the trip? What are the temperatures lately where you live? With only .2 miles before you hit the freeway, it could take several miles on the freeway before it reaches optimal operating temperature, which means FE will not be optimal during that time.

    Have you tried looking at the instantaneous mpg readout during your trip to see how it does at different speeds, what it is early in your trip (before warm-up) and later (after warm-up)? If for example you are driving on level ground at 55-65 mph and the instantaneous readout is not near or above 40, after the engine is warmed up, I'd wonder if there's something wrong with the car.
  • eweinereweiner Member Posts: 36
    In ideal conditions it is possible to get over 40MPG. Driving on a warm day, and a flat highway, light footed will generally get you there.

    Unfortunately, most of these private tests dont focus on what's really going on.

    First, these tests rarely represent typical drives. Second, they are almost always done on sunny days in warm climates, and on ideal terrian. In case of the Elantra, the local MPG can range from 18 to 29 and more often its at the low end. That can totally destroy your overall MPG.

    So if you drive where it's cold or where your driving is mostly city you should not expect to see your cars MPG readout in the 30's or 40's.

    Hyundai can do much better than 18 city and should. Its deceptive to say city rating is 29 when the overwhelming majority of people do get anywhere near that number.
  • jayhawkkjayhawkk Member Posts: 5
    It's almost always constant since I use the cruise control and it's pretty flat the whole trip. The temps have varied from 50 degrees to 20 degrees but have seemed to average around 40 during the times of the trips. I have not looked at the instantaneous MPG but will start tomorrow and keep track. The dealer is scheduling me sometime this week to take a look at the car.

    I had my brother up here in and he owns a Sonata and gets better gas mileage than I do. He was with me during these road trips and he thinks there has to be something wrong too. Hard to believe it would be that messed up without any stalling, stuttering, smoking etc. going on.
  • bhmr59bhmr59 Member Posts: 1,601
    I've read that the car is not is not fully warmed up (tranny) just because the temp gauge has moved up from the cold position.

    In cold or cooler weather it can take 5 miles or more, depending on how cold, for the car to get at optimal operating temp. You might be shocked at the low MPG any gasoline engine get in cold weather for the first several miles.
  • jayhawkkjayhawkk Member Posts: 5
    It's quite possible the car is operating as should but having to drive the way I do just to keep the 32-33mpg rating is beyond what should be considered normal driving. It makes me want to check out the whole maintenance schedule and divide it in half with this type of condition considered normal driving.

    In the end I just wish that the MPG ratings were better explained to those who are basing their buying decisions with this as the top priority. I wasn't ever expecting to get 40MPG but I wasn't expecting to get 33 while driving like a 95 year old on Sunday after church.
  • crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    edited February 2012
    Rob: I have posted comments on the Buick Lacrosse (2010 CXL with 3.0L) and the Sonata forum commenting on the actual MPG results for both cars.
    The 2012 Sonata GLS we have delivers BETTER than EPA highway (36-37.5 MPG) at 65-70 MPH. At greater speeds the MPG drops off somewhat less than the percentage speed increase. In the city the mileage is totally driven by the type of driving. All stop and go results in 10% less than EPA and "freeway" or limited access roads lends to 10-20% better. When the mix of driving is weighted towards the worst case stop & go driving the average is much worse than when all driving is highway. The 2010 Buick Lacrosse experienced very similar results.
    The point of all this rambling is that with both cars the type of driving had much more to do with actual MPG than any other factor. The mix of stop and go vs. highway was the most significant variable in the results. The various posters all have different mixes of driving and therefore highly variable results with the same cars. Forgive the statement of the obvious, however it does not appear that all posters are getting the message, or they just can not change their driving routes to get MPG closer to the EPA driving pattern and results.
  • rob_hyundairob_hyundai Member Posts: 5
    edited February 2012
    crankeee,

    Thanks for taking the time to post your analysis. A lot of variables affect fuel economy. I drive a lot of uphill on the way home every day and my FE on Veloster has been around 33. Downhill I easily go past 42. The car is rated at 40. In traffic my FE decreases below average while in smooth conditions it's right on the mark. Same road, same time. The difference is in the variables.

    As I said before, if someone feels there is an issue with the vehicle they should visit their dealership to be certain. Our mileage figures adhere to EPA standards and we have internal data showing the numbers are indeed attainable and even higher based on driving conditions. We want everyone to have a great experience with their Hyundai. Fudging those numbers detracts from that mission and hurts us all.

    Rob L, Hyundai Product PR Manager
  • steven39steven39 Member Posts: 636
    i guess the only way to achieve the best gas mpg would be to drive the car like fred flintstone did.lol
  • g2iowag2iowa Member Posts: 123
    edited February 2012
    Today's Wall Street Journal has a letter to their Car Columnist in which the writer complains about his Honda Accord (with 6,850 miles on odometer) getting only 14 mpg when he drives "almost all of these miles in short city distances" and further complains that on a short 80 mile highway trip it only got 24 mpg. The response might be applicable to some, though certainly not all, people posting here: "It is difficult to judge a car's [FE] on a series of short trips in part because its engine may not reach the operating temperature at which it runs efficiently. Short trips also tend to include more stop-and-go driving, which decreases [FE]."

    WSJ has separate story about new EPA window stickers coming out for MY2013. Stickers to have a lot more information.
  • tenpin288tenpin288 Member Posts: 804
    Here's a link to that new window sticker

    http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/label/
  • mikeystoy5mikeystoy5 Member Posts: 56
    Thats a nice sticker, to bad most of the consumers fail to read the fine print, because it doesn't apply to them, The numbers in bold are the ones that count as far as their concerned.
  • jayhawkkjayhawkk Member Posts: 5
    Took the car to the dealer and they pressed the reset button and drove it 15 minutrd and said i was getting 42mpg... I tried to explain that it will drop off shortly after. My trip to philly proved it to me. I started out 40+ and by the time i reached philly with the car on cfuise contril i was in the mid to upper 30's. By the time we drovr back we were at 33.

    Please excuse the typing. Im on my phone
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Did you drive around in Philly at all or was it all highway?

    What was your speed to (and from) Philly? What was the traffic like--did you have to stop or slow down/speed up much? Weather? Did you do any passing or maintain a steady speed? Any differences between trip to Philly, and from Philly?

    I see this kind of thing a lot.. I'll drive on the freeway to a city, get really good mpg on the highway (if I watch my speed, traffic is flowing, weather is OK), then hit my destination and drive around town for awhile and I watch the average mpg drop. Then I get back on the highway to go home and it recovers somewhat, but not completely.
  • 12_glselantra12_glselantra Member Posts: 6
    I just a flash from my dealership in East Texas that fixed my MPG. I was getting bad then good then, the really bad, the lowest I have gotten is 26 calculated by me, and after the flash I've been able to get 42 I'm ecstatic
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    '12 Hyundai Elantra owners. After 12 glselantra got the flash from the dealership his ghastly mileage improved from a low average of 26 mpg to 42 mpg. Wow! :surprise:

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • majorbenmajorben Member Posts: 16
    Ok, so when was this flash done? And would it be for only GLS Elantras or all Elantras including the Limited? I had my 1st service done on my Limited late last month, and I was told that all the codes were up to date and that nothing was changed, and that my car was operating normally, yet I'm still getting below average mileage even though I have noticed a slight increase due to slightly warmer temps where I live.

    If this flash update was done very recently, and if the results are true, why doesn't Hyundai roll this flash out to all the cars that are on the road?

    I just want some answers.
  • stevens5882stevens5882 Member Posts: 5
    Good news about the update, does anyone know if it is at all dealers?

    Also was the 42 mpg on the computer or calculated ? I find that my computer is normally off by about 3 mpg.

    What kind of driving was on this tank of gas? Mostly highway, mix, ect...?
  • 12_glselantra12_glselantra Member Posts: 6
    I don't know if it was specific to gls models or all I just got yesterday and averaged the 65mph highway trip for 35 miles, I calculated it myself, Ive been driving alot of city after I filled it up yesterday and thus afternoon I will take another highway trip for 50 miles I hope to get the 33 combined. Hyundai probably does not want to admit there computers are faultty and the reason why everyones MPG is real good or really bad, kinda like Ford's update for their focus powershift transmission they released a couple of months ago.
  • 12_glselantra12_glselantra Member Posts: 6
    I just finished a 118.5 mile trip with 30% city and 70% highway. I filled up the at the same pump, the same way, and got 40.1 MPG, the computer said 37.5 though? My average speed was 43, where the last one was 40 MPH. Also, the car seems to run smoother, and has more power. It doesn't downshift from 6th to 5th, on most hills ( my route is 60%+ hilly) my average speed on highway was cruise set to 65-70. I had to go thru 16 miles of heavy traffic also. I recommend everyone to check with their dealership and have them put the new ECM REFLASH, CLEAR CODES AND RESET ADAPTIVE LEARNING AND ALL ( according to my ticket of what they did) oh BTW I only have 6900 miles
  • 12_glselantra12_glselantra Member Posts: 6
    read my other post
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