Randy, I wouldn't expect too much improvement. Now at 4500mi, my car only improved from ~25mpg to ~27mpg on a regular 70% highway 30% town commute. On a recent trip averaging ~54mph 85% highway 15% town (with few stop lights) I got 29.7mpg. All figures are measured, not triptech, and with the A/C running on high. Every bit slower you set your cruise control pays off big in mpg, and so does feathering the accelerator. Getting in the habit of coasting down from 70mph to 35mph before applying the brakes saves a lot of gas (and brake wear) too.
I have a 2006 Sonata I-4 GLS. I just checked my mileage for mixed highway and city driving. Highway was run at about 55 to 65 MPH. In the city I took it easy most of the time. I live in a city of about 500,000 folks so the traffic can get heavy, with long stop lights some of the time.
Consumer Reports said they got 28 MPG on there 150 mile test trip that was similar to my drive. I got 27.42 MPG. I drove 365.8 miles and used 13.34 gal.
I test my mileage by filling the tank up till it will not take anymore without spitting gas out of the tank filler. This the only way I know how to do it and get real world figures. I use this procedure both when I fill up originally and when I fill it up to check it out after my test run.
I know the manual says not to do this, but if you do not take this approach and do not use the same pump both times, then you do not know if the different pump is cutting off to soon when you refill to check your mileage.
I've got just over 4,000 miles on it now, and am averaging 25 mpg. Best tank was 27 (mostly highway), worst 22 (all city). Pretty consistent since passing 1,000 miles.
Got gas yesterday (7/3), the first time since 6/13. 276.4 miles, 15.169 gallons. That's 18.22 mpg in my '05 GLS SV which is EPA rated at 19 city. In that time, I never had a drive of more than 5 miles...mostly under 3 miles, and the A/C (auto climate control) was always on.
I'd have probably done better if I turned off the climate controll and opened the windows, but I love how quite this car is and not having to listen to the traffic noise.
I bought a new 2006 GLS with premium sports pkg V6 sonata .. First tank 17.5 MPG ( trip calulator as well own calculation ) 50 - 50 ( HWY/CITY ) 2nd tank 19.5 MPG 70/30 HWY/CITY 3rd tank 18.5 MPG 70/30 HWY/CITY
My car now has 1100 miles and 2 months old .. I am really surprised why so low MPG .. I am not an very aggressive driver , I am a very smooth driver .. I drive with very little abrupt acce/braking .. In my last camry i used to get 30 + MPG with 70/30 HWY/CITY ( V4 ) ..
Is there something wrong .. do I need to take the car to the service center ..
"At how much miles do you really see improvements in MPG? Does anybody know? Example: Honda motors are usually after 5,000 miles"
I've found that figure to be generally true for any make car I've owned. My '03 Sonata V6, rated 19 city/27 highway, returned a dismal 15 city/24 highway initially. At the 5,000 mile mark, things had improved to 20 city/29 highway. Now at nearly 22,000 miles, a 456 mile trip from my home to Las Vegas and back netted 31+ mpg, all highway, cruise set to 70 mph, in 110 degree heat, and with the manual A/C dialed into its "Arctic Blizzard" setting. In short, track fuel useage from day one for fun, but don't take it too seriously until the 5,000 mile mark and beyond.
So called "city" fuel useage ratings are a joke. There are just too many variables for any meaningful fuel useage conclusions in urban driving. For example, will a driver on San Francisco's steep hills or Manhattan's bumper to bumper crawl see the same fuel mileage as residents of East Possum Trot with it's dead level, half mile Main Street, sparse traffic, and single stop sign?
(Don't laugh - a search for "Possum Trot" brought up hits for Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia... )
I have the same car. I don't do any serious city driving, but "town driving", meaning a few stop lights and stop signs. Doing 70% highway and 30% town driving, we're getting 28mpg. The car now has 5500mi on it. The mileage improved by almost 2mph after the first 1000-1500mi. At 80% highway and 20% town, I get about 29mpg. 95% highway, 5% town, it tops out at 30mpg. My trip meter mileage is dead-on accurate. All mileage figures are with my wife driving. When I drive, mileage drops 2-3mpg.
That's not quite an accurate assesment except to reflect your particular driving style under the conditions you normally operate your vehicle. The EPA numbers are VERY accurate in assessing how different make cars will comparatively sip gasoline since the testing procedure is conducted under controlled conditions on a dynomometer. If the window sticker states better city/highway fuel economy for a Toyota Camry V6 than a Hyundai Sonata V6, it's a pretty safe bet that the Toyota will be more econimical to operate over the long haul. The people who rail against the MSRP sticker EPA ratings loudest also seem to be those most incapable of grasping the significance of the printed statement directly above the numbers in the border header:
"Compare this vehicle to others in the FREE FUEL ECONOMY GUIDE at the dealer."
There was NEVER any inference in the EPA ratings, directly or indirectly, of how economical a given vehicle would be to operate under YOUR particular conditions and YOUR particular driving style.
(I happen to achieve about 15% better with my '03 Sonata V6 than my window sticker stated. But then I also drive according to the adage taught by my high-school driver's ed. instructor back in the early 60s: "For best fuel economy, pretend there's a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator." At 19 cents a gallon, it was true then; at three-plus dollars a gallon it's still true.)
The highest mileage I ever got in this car was about 31 or 32 mpg and that was one time while driving through Wisconsin using non-ethanol gasoline. Since day one the car has had mediocre mileage, running from about 24-27 mpg on or off the highway. For a 137-hp 4-cyl (one of the "149 hp" fraud engines) with a stick, this mileage is, frankly, disgusting. Amazing when a 200-hp 2006 Passat rates at 32 mpg, and a Honda Civic or Accord can get even higher. Very disappointing. Oh, and yeah, the car, since day one, also burns oil.
I bought this (Hyundai 2007 Limited Sonata) 2 weeks ago and have driven it for 1400 plus miles by now. Here are some of the gas mileage numbers I have seen on my trip computer:
1) Driving alone on NJ Turnpike for over an hour at 60-65 mph while using A/C, GPS, and iPod, I averaged 30.3 mpg. I got more than the advertised EPA figure already!
2) Driving from New Jersey to Mass. with 2 more passengers and a trunk loaded with luggage, I averaged 28.1 mpg for the whole trip.
For a large car with V6 engine, I think the above figures are very impressive. Also, the trip computer gas mileage readings tally well with how much gas I need to fill up the tank each time.
That's way off. I'm getting 28 in mixed highway and suburban driving with my V6, which I consider fine for such a wide, heavy car. Take it to the dealer, they'll fix you up.
And don't go by EPA ratings. They're a very loose estimate for comparison on the window sticker, not real world.
Well just added 14 gallons of gas to my new 2006 Sonata 4cly Auto. With about a 50-50 mix of city and highway driving I got 26.2 mpg. I certainly didn't push the car and kept at about 65 mph on the highway.
That's actually pretty good mileage. That's about what I get. As I said, it's a big heavy car, and the tall and wide frontal area has a lot of drag. If you set your cruise to 65mph for 300mi, I bet you get in the low 30's.
2003 GL 6cyl ~22K miles automatic (very rarely play with shiftronic) CHEAP TropArtic 10W-30 Synthetic Blend oil from Dollar Tree* 23-25 in town 29-31 on road - A/C always on (65-75mph)
With less than 500 miles on the car I took a 150 mile trip from Danbury, CT to Boston. I averaged between 60 and 65 mph on interstates with lots of hilly sections and with the A/C cranking and carrying one passenger. I was impressed to learn that I averaged a bit over 32 mpg for the trip. The car is extremely quiet at highway speeds and an absolute delight to drive. I am very satisfied with the purchase.
Got 600 miles on my car and just took a trip from Holyoke, Ma to Niagara Falls On. Did a total of 702 miles 75% of that on the highway with the Cruise Control set at 70mph. I averaged 31.68 miles per gallon. I am really happy with this car!!!!
I noticed that as the mileage increases, the Honda Odyssey mpg did not change, Sonata improves, and ES 300 decreases. I guess that this is because Toyota uses air-fuel ratio sensors (~ $300 each) whose performance degrades very quickly while Honda and Hyundai use regular oxygen sensors that seem last forever (~ $60 each).
My car (2006 V6 GLS) is getting about the same mileage as yours and I just turned 1100 miles on it. Expect better as time goes on. The engine is still tight.
Wow!! There seems to be a rather dramatic difference in gas mileage between the V6 and the 4 Cyl I have!! I'm getting right around 30 Mpg in mixed driving!!! Alot of the V6 owners are reporting 17-20mpg!!! Yipes!!! Now I see why the much larger rebates on the V6's
Remember, though, the seductive addictiveness of exercising all those 3.3L V6 ponies takes a toll on fuel economy, too - especially in green-light grand prix events at every stop light. When V6 Sonatas are driven within posted speed limits on interstates, they're quite capable of 30+ mpg.
I have just under 3000 miles, on my Sonata LX V6, love the car, except for the mileage. Overall mileage from the 9 mile mark in February checks out to be 17.8 mpg to date. That includes 2 short trips @ under 150 mi @ way, averaging less than 25mpg @ 55-60mph first trip (about drove me crazy), then 75mph on the second. It does however include 100% usage of the Air Conditioner. Mostly carrying only 1 or 2 persons, but sometimes 4 persons. Here in NW Florida we have mostly warm to hot weather no freezing this year. The trips were basically along I-10 first trip west into Ms, then after 3 months, east to Panama City, otherwise the miles are around town, in what I would call urban traffic rather than city traffic. I am hoping after the 1st oil change, the mileage will pick up. BTW Our local dealer is advertising oil/filter changes at $25.
Mine is a 06 GLS V6 with about 1100 miles on it. My last tank of gas shows that my MPG is 20 (A/C off). The average speed is 19 MPH. I drove the car only on local roads and streets.
I like that computer, but found that it isn't as reliable as I first thought. When I first got my car it seemed to indicate within a 1 mpg difference, allowing that the tenths of miles and gallons aren't included (?) I was happy. But as I have added miles, I find there are differences of as much as 3mpg indicated per tank. This is very disappointing to me, as I enjoy today's technologies. The only correct way to figure the mileage is still the old multi-tank average divided by the fuel amount. I consider no less than a 3 tank average, but actually keep a running total of my consumption from the 1st tank fill-up. Oh well, I really didn't expect the great mileages I sometimes see reported, I bought my vehicle for the overall quality as well. I love my 2006 Sonata LX.
I haven't checked my mileage using anything other than the computer since my first tank of gas. At that time the computer was proved to be pretty accurate. I now have 3,000 miles on my GLS V6 and the computer shows average around 24 mpg, with average speed around 34 mph. That may not seem great to some, but coming from an SUV that got no more than 16 mpg, I'm thrilled!!! I love this car!!!
Are you using the 3 tank average for both computer and manually calculated MPG?
I just got gas today in my '05 (2.7L engine) for the first time since 8/3/06: 260 miles, 13.XXX gallons, came out to 19.1+ MPG. That's about 18.56 miles per day. Most days I'm in and out of the car 5 to 7 times a day--weekends 2 to 4 times per day. So you can see that there's a lot of short commutes. Throw in a dozen or so stop signs (I do come to a complete stop)/traffic lights per day and I can't complain about the MPG. Also, the auto A/C is set at 78* and often is running at full blast on these short drives.
No, the 3 tank average, and "up to date" in my figuring is by the actual miles/gas. The computer read I change/reset per tank, each time hoping it will be better than the last time. For the most part, the computer indicates up to the low 20's shortly after fill-up, and drops to about 18+, to 19.3 most of the time. I usually fill up at about 1/2 tank. When I caluculate the actual per tank fill, there is about 1-3 mpg difference from the computer. My overall average for 2800 miles has worked out to be 17.8 mpg. Made an oil/filter change today, ($24) to Mobil 1, which I furnished. Hope that helps make things better too. I keep the A/C at 75* with the fan on low/med speed. I like the quiet, so don't like the hi speed except for a few minutes, when I start up. I was really hoping for the "20mpg" as an average, maybe as the miles build up I will get there. Thanks for your input. van
Just for the heck of it, don't reset the computer every tankful. Do it at the same interval as your manually calculated milage. I think it'll be interesting to see how closely the milage according to the computer vs your calculations are under those circumstances.
If you typically fill up at about a half tank very small differences in fractions of a gallon or miles driven can make a meaningful difference in the calculated vs computer mpg. I also don't top off the tank (as per recommendations). An extra .2 gallons vs .3 gallons can make a big difference in calculated mpg when only a few miles are considered. You're smart in doing your calculations after 3 or more tanks, you get more accurate information. Give the computer the same opportunity and then compare how accurate it is.
My '05 doesn't have trip computer but my previous car did. The average mpg is just that. If I gassed up on my way home, only .7 miles with a large hill to climb (200 ft or more elevation) my initial average mpg would be bad. If I drove 5 local miles on relatively level land after gassing up, the average mph would be pretty good.
The same thing applies to your average mph. This average is based on your average speed for the entire time the enging is running, including backing up and slowing in traffic and stop lights, etc.
Is your A/C automatic climate control, manual or do you overide automatic to control the fan speed? I think the compressor work affects the mpg more than the fan speed.
Anyway, I think it will be interesteing to see how your calculations compare to the computer over a period of, say, 800 miles just to pick a number. Please keep us informed. Thanks.
Thanks for the suggestion, will try it. Re:A/C I overide the automatic to control the fan speed. My last fillup was at ?2800, about a week ago. Haven't added much mileage this week, but will get back to you when I have something to report. Oh, re the mph...I have never even thought about using/checking that feature, figuring it would be primarily something for trips. van
Been awhile since I've posted. Just under 11k miles '06 GLS-V6 29-30 Hwy 24-25 City. We live in a small town (aprox 50,000 people) so our city driving isn't alot of slogging in stop&go traffic. When we've taken it to Vegas and sat in traffic our City mileage still wasn't bad, dropped to a low of 22. Very happy w/ our mileage and it's stayed at the above readings since about 3,500 miles, and yes, the V6 is worth a slight drop in mileage, IMO
Just finished a 5,000 mile trip (NV to MI and back, plus sidetrips). For long-distance highway driving I was getting roughly 30 mpg. A couple of tanks were below that, and when I check the tire pressures, they were all down from 2 to 4 psi. Adding air pushed the mileage back up to 30.
In normal driving (maybe 50/50 road/town) I'm getting just under 25 mpg.
Thoughts: 1) check tire pressures 2) how you drive is important (no sudden stops, rapid starts) 3) strangely enough, my mileage is better (all things considered) if I wait until the tank is more than 1/2 empty before refueling.
Mine has settled down to 28.5, tank after tank. Car has 3700 miles. Mileage is for 70% highway (65mph) and 30% suburban driving.
I get ~30 on 90% Hwy/10% suburban, driving 65-75mph.
Overlooked fuel saving technique: When possible, coast down to 35-40mph before applying brakes. (prevents warped rotors too!)
A full tank of gas weighs about 130 pounds. The weight far in the rear will also raise the nose of the car just a bit. These conditions will conspire to cost you just a smidgen of mileage when the tank is full. Probably 1mpg or less, which is about ½ cent per mile, or .50¢ per 100 miles, or less than $2.00 per tank.
It has been my experience that cars with manual trans get better mileage and acceleration. Of course it’s much easier to stick the lever in D and fergetaboutit. First test drive was 2.4 w/auto, which I found a bit tepid, acceleration-wise. Tried out the manual, found throttle response from standstill was better and bought it. Initial long trip yielded slightly over 35 mpg. Since the car is rated @ 24/34, I thought that can't be right, the salesman must have ‘topped off’ the tank and I’m not getting a realistic figure. Unfortunately I was not provided with an owner’s manual and didn’t know about breakin speed, so I was going 65–70 mph. Hope I haven’t wrecked my car! After downloading PDF manual from Hyundai site, second long trip was performed filling up before and after at the same gas station and pump. Going @ 55–60 mph for 188.5 miles and 5.148 gallons comes out to 36.6 mpg. Of course going that slow increases the mileage some, as does the use of cruise control, since holding a steady speed is better than varying velocity. This about 95% highway mileage with a couple of traffic jams thown in. City mileage where I live is much less, what with the up-and-down, stop-and-go kind of conditions. 40.5 miles and 2.37 gallons comes out to just over 17 mpg. But this compares well to my previous car, a Focus SE with manual trans also that got slightly under 18 mpg initially. That car, rated @ 26/34, never got more than 33 mpg on the highway. Potential purchasers of a Sonata with a manual should be aware that the shift gate has one quirk. Reverse is the opposite of most cars—it is located to the left of 1rst and you have to lift a ring below the shift knob to engage it.
I'm presuming you bought the car "new"? If so, did you bring the matter of the missing owner's manual to the attention of your dealer and what was their response? There's absolutely NO excuse for that oversight.
You should be fine as long as you kept the RPMs at a reasonable level. Since you mentioned changing speeds often that's a plus. If you went over 4000RPMs on a constant basis you may have hindered the motor a bit but shouldn't be a major concern, IMO.
Your post saved me from the bad decision of buying a 2007 Sonata Limited.I get much better mileage with my 2006 4 banger.I have decided to keep it,and live without the luxury of leather. I routinely get over 33MPG when on the highway,and almost always better than 28 when the highway driving is over 80% of the trip. Im not thrilled with the city mileage,which is usually less than 15MPG.This is with an automatic and without "jack rabbit"starts.
My 2006 Sonata V-6 LX also just hit 3000 miles and I am getting 30mpg highway only. I drive between 60 and 72 mph. It seems to do a little over 30 at the slower speed and a little under 30 at higher speeds. A/C on or off seems negligible. This is flat ground, good driving conditions in llinois. "Overall" mileage is totally related to how you drive, how much you stop and go or sit at lights etc , and how much if any is spent in 5th gear so it varies greatly. I am extremely pleased with mileage and other drivability factors of this vehicle.
Mickey: I have a 2006 Sonata I4 auto transmission as well. I am also getting at least 30MPG on the highway, and can get the EPA 33 highway if I drive 55 to 60 MPH.
But I am having no problem getting 20+ MPG in town. If I really take it easy I can get 22 MPG in town driving.
What I have found, by using the trip computer as a behavior modification tool, is that I find myself coasting a lot more than I use to. My auto 4 speed coasts really great. I can save quite a bit of gas this way.
The Sonata 4 speed Auto is an "Adaptive" transmission and will learn your driving pattern. Maybe you need to retrain it for city driving.
)) "...I find myself coasting a lot more than I use to. My auto 4 speed coasts really great. I can save quite a bit of gas this way..." ((
That's a wonderful little trick my high school driver's education teacher taught our class back in 1961. No one in class much listened at the time, though, since gasoline retailed for 16 or 17 cents per gallon or [gasp!] 19 or 20 cents for expensive premium grade which was still cheap even for the time...
RAY: You sound as old as me! I believe the cheapest gas I ever bought was 17 cents a gallon at a "price war" in Kansas City MO. many, many years ago. :shades:
With the gas milage I can get with my Sonata I4 auto I could go a long way for $50.00 at those prices. WOW!!!
I did a little quick math. At 30 MPG highway, and 17 cents a gallon, that works out to apx. 8,823 miles for my 50 bucks. What would folks give for this today?
Right on that, but realistically most people still don't average 30 MPG. Even 20 MPG is still considered good by many. Oh yes, I remember those days too when gas was cheap, I don't personally remember 17 cents, but I bought lots for less than a quarter a gallon in the early 50's. Hmmmmm I wonder if those really were the good old days...
Lightfoot said: "Right on that, but realistically most people still don't average 30 MPG. Even 20 MPG is still considered good by many."
I agree Lightfoot. You will notice I said "30MPG Highway" I only get about 20 MPG city myself. And yes 25 cents was much more the norm back then. But the 17 cents was late 50's or early 60's and it was the results of a "Gas War." It went from 25 cents to 35 cents for a long time, as best I can recall.
As far as the 50's being the good old days, well they are starting to look better all the time to me. Maybe H.G. Wells would loan me his "Time Machine!" :shades:
In '71/'72 I was paying $.289 for high test in CT.
On the highway, that '71 Volvo 1800 got 31 mpg at 80 Mph for the full tank of gas driving to FL. Drove a tank full of gas at 90 on that rip and the mpg dropped to 26. The tank was only about 10 gallons & until I threw out the receipts for that trip a couple years ago I saw the numbers, I'd fill up for $2.50 to $2.75. My buddy and his wife in an '71 Road Runner, had to stop for gas twice as often. Yes, those were good days, could go like a bat outta H... on I-95 without hardly any traffic. But we "needed to" since the cars did not have A/C. Alas, my buddy died of a heart attack at age 56, 3 years ago.
One of his sons died in a car crash 3 months ao (age 31). Let's remember the good times and talk about the cars we like. No need to trash anyone because they prefer a different car than you (or I) do.
Comments
Driving around 70-75 mph gave me 29-32 mpg highway..."
I'm equaling that with my 2003 Sonata with the 2.7L V6. At what (presumably) highway speed are you achieving 35 mpg?
Consumer Reports said they got 28 MPG on there 150 mile test trip that was similar to my drive. I got 27.42 MPG. I drove 365.8 miles and used 13.34 gal.
I test my mileage by filling the tank up till it will not take anymore without spitting gas out of the tank filler. This the only way I know how to do it and get real world figures. I use this procedure both when I fill up originally and when I fill it up to check it out after my test run.
I know the manual says not to do this, but if you do not take this approach and do not use the same pump both times, then you do not know if the different pump is cutting off to soon when you refill to check your mileage.
I'd have probably done better if I turned off the climate controll and opened the windows, but I love how quite this car is and not having to listen to the traffic noise.
I can't complain about the milage I'm getting.
Example: Honda motors are usually after 5,000 miles
First tank 17.5 MPG ( trip calulator as well own calculation ) 50 - 50 ( HWY/CITY )
2nd tank 19.5 MPG 70/30 HWY/CITY
3rd tank 18.5 MPG 70/30 HWY/CITY
My car now has 1100 miles and 2 months old ..
I am really surprised why so low MPG ..
I am not an very aggressive driver , I am a very smooth driver .. I drive with very little abrupt acce/braking .. In my last camry i used to get 30 + MPG with 70/30 HWY/CITY ( V4 ) ..
Is there something wrong .. do I need to take the car to the service center ..
I've found that figure to be generally true for any make car I've owned. My '03 Sonata V6, rated 19 city/27 highway, returned a dismal 15 city/24 highway initially. At the 5,000 mile mark, things had improved to 20 city/29 highway. Now at nearly 22,000 miles, a 456 mile trip from my home to Las Vegas and back netted 31+ mpg, all highway, cruise set to 70 mph, in 110 degree heat, and with the manual A/C dialed into its "Arctic Blizzard" setting. In short, track fuel useage from day one for fun, but don't take it too seriously until the 5,000 mile mark and beyond.
So called "city" fuel useage ratings are a joke. There are just too many variables for any meaningful fuel useage conclusions in urban driving. For example, will a driver on San Francisco's steep hills or Manhattan's bumper to bumper crawl see the same fuel mileage as residents of East Possum Trot with it's dead level, half mile Main Street, sparse traffic, and single stop sign?
(Don't laugh - a search for "Possum Trot" brought up hits for Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia...
I have the same car. I don't do any serious city driving, but "town driving", meaning a few stop lights and stop signs. Doing 70% highway and 30% town driving, we're getting 28mpg. The car now has 5500mi on it. The mileage improved by almost 2mph after the first 1000-1500mi. At 80% highway and 20% town, I get about 29mpg. 95% highway, 5% town, it tops out at 30mpg. My trip meter mileage is dead-on accurate. All mileage figures are with my wife driving. When I drive, mileage drops 2-3mpg.
"Compare this vehicle to others in the FREE FUEL ECONOMY GUIDE at the dealer."
There was NEVER any inference in the EPA ratings, directly or indirectly, of how economical a given vehicle would be to operate under YOUR particular conditions and YOUR particular driving style.
(I happen to achieve about 15% better with my '03 Sonata V6 than my window sticker stated. But then I also drive according to the adage taught by my high-school driver's ed. instructor back in the early 60s: "For best fuel economy, pretend there's a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator." At 19 cents a gallon, it was true then; at three-plus dollars a gallon it's still true.)
I bought this (Hyundai 2007 Limited Sonata) 2 weeks ago and have driven it for 1400 plus miles by now. Here are some of the gas mileage numbers I have seen on my trip computer:
1) Driving alone on NJ Turnpike for over an hour at 60-65 mph while using A/C, GPS, and iPod, I averaged 30.3 mpg. I got more than the advertised EPA figure already!
2) Driving from New Jersey to Mass. with 2 more passengers and a trunk loaded with luggage, I averaged 28.1 mpg for the whole trip.
For a large car with V6 engine, I think the above figures are very impressive. Also, the trip computer gas mileage readings tally well with how much gas I need to fill up the tank each time.
And don't go by EPA ratings. They're a very loose estimate for comparison on the window sticker, not real world.
25K miles
automatic (never use the shift-tronic)
synthetic oil
21-22 in town, Chicago, stop and go.
24-29 on road, depending on my ave. speed. A/C, etc (60 - 80)
~22K miles
automatic (very rarely play with shiftronic)
CHEAP TropArtic 10W-30 Synthetic Blend oil from Dollar Tree*
23-25 in town
29-31 on road - A/C always on (65-75mph)
87 pump octane 10% ethanol unleaded regular gasoline
*Don't run a race to Dollar Tree - they no longer carry the stuff.
28 - 29 mpg from 25 - 5000 miles at 65 mph.
29 - 30 mpg from 5000 - 10000 miles at 65 mph.
30 - 33 mpg from 10000 - 15000 miles at 65 mph.
As I drive more, its mpg improves. For my typical daily drive to work (about 25% local, 75% highway),
06 Sonata LX : ~ 25 mpg.
99 Honda Odyssey : ~ 19 mpg.
02 ES 300: ~ 23 mpg.
I noticed that as the mileage increases, the Honda Odyssey mpg did not change, Sonata improves, and ES 300 decreases. I guess that this is because Toyota uses air-fuel ratio sensors (~ $300 each) whose performance degrades very quickly while Honda and Hyundai use regular oxygen sensors that seem last forever (~ $60 each).
Remember, though, the seductive addictiveness of exercising all those 3.3L V6 ponies takes a toll on fuel economy, too - especially in green-light grand prix events at every stop light. When V6 Sonatas are driven within posted speed limits on interstates, they're quite capable of 30+ mpg.
I just got gas today in my '05 (2.7L engine) for the first time since 8/3/06: 260 miles, 13.XXX gallons, came out to 19.1+ MPG. That's about 18.56 miles per day. Most days I'm in and out of the car 5 to 7 times a day--weekends 2 to 4 times per day. So you can see that there's a lot of short commutes. Throw in a dozen or so stop signs (I do come to a complete stop)/traffic lights per day and I can't complain about the MPG. Also, the auto A/C is set at 78* and often is running at full blast on these short drives.
van
If you typically fill up at about a half tank very small differences in fractions of a gallon or miles driven can make a meaningful difference in the calculated vs computer mpg. I also don't top off the tank (as per recommendations). An extra .2 gallons vs .3 gallons can make a big difference in calculated mpg when only a few miles are considered. You're smart in doing your calculations after 3 or more tanks, you get more accurate information. Give the computer the same opportunity and then compare how accurate it is.
My '05 doesn't have trip computer but my previous car did. The average mpg is just that. If I gassed up on my way home, only .7 miles with a large hill to climb (200 ft or more elevation) my initial average mpg would be bad. If I drove 5 local miles on relatively level land after gassing up, the average mph would be pretty good.
The same thing applies to your average mph. This average is based on your average speed for the entire time the enging is running, including backing up and slowing in traffic and stop lights, etc.
Is your A/C automatic climate control, manual or do you overide automatic to control the fan speed? I think the compressor work affects the mpg more than the fan speed.
Anyway, I think it will be interesteing to see how your calculations compare to the computer over a period of, say, 800 miles just to pick a number. Please keep us informed. Thanks.
van
Just under 11k miles '06 GLS-V6 29-30 Hwy 24-25 City. We live in a small town (aprox 50,000 people) so our city driving isn't alot of slogging in stop&go traffic. When we've taken it to Vegas and sat in traffic our City mileage still wasn't bad, dropped to a low of 22. Very happy w/ our mileage and it's stayed at the above readings since about 3,500 miles, and yes, the V6 is worth a slight drop in mileage, IMO
In normal driving (maybe 50/50 road/town) I'm getting just under 25 mpg.
Thoughts:
1) check tire pressures
2) how you drive is important (no sudden stops, rapid starts)
3) strangely enough, my mileage is better (all things considered) if I wait until the tank is more than 1/2 empty before refueling.
I am satisfied with the power of this I4. It is very smooth and the most quiet 4 cyl I have ever driven.
Great car!
I get ~30 on 90% Hwy/10% suburban, driving 65-75mph.
Overlooked fuel saving technique: When possible, coast down to 35-40mph before applying brakes. (prevents warped rotors too!)
A full tank of gas weighs about 130 pounds. The weight far in the rear will also raise the nose of the car just a bit. These conditions will conspire to cost you just a smidgen of mileage when the tank is full. Probably 1mpg or less, which is about ½ cent per mile, or .50¢ per 100 miles, or less than $2.00 per tank.
Initial long trip yielded slightly over 35 mpg. Since the car is rated @ 24/34, I thought that can't be right, the salesman must have ‘topped off’ the tank and I’m not getting a realistic figure. Unfortunately I was not provided with an owner’s manual and didn’t know about breakin speed, so I was going 65–70 mph. Hope I haven’t wrecked my car!
After downloading PDF manual from Hyundai site, second long trip was performed filling up before and after at the same gas station and pump. Going @ 55–60 mph for 188.5 miles and 5.148 gallons comes out to 36.6 mpg. Of course going that slow increases the mileage some, as does the use of cruise control, since holding a steady speed is better than varying velocity. This about 95% highway mileage with a couple of traffic jams thown in.
City mileage where I live is much less, what with the up-and-down, stop-and-go kind of conditions. 40.5 miles and 2.37 gallons comes out to just over 17 mpg. But this compares well to my previous car, a Focus SE with manual trans also that got slightly under 18 mpg initially. That car, rated @ 26/34, never got more than 33 mpg on the highway. Potential purchasers of a Sonata with a manual should be aware that the shift gate has one quirk. Reverse is the opposite of most cars—it is located to the left of 1rst and you have to lift a ring below the shift knob to engage it.
I routinely get over 33MPG when on the highway,and almost always better than 28 when the highway driving is over 80% of the trip.
Im not thrilled with the city mileage,which is usually less than 15MPG.This is with an automatic and without "jack rabbit"starts.
But I am having no problem getting 20+ MPG in town. If I really take it easy I can get 22 MPG in town driving.
What I have found, by using the trip computer as a behavior modification tool, is that I find myself coasting a lot more than I use to. My auto 4 speed coasts really great. I can save quite a bit of gas this way.
The Sonata 4 speed Auto is an "Adaptive" transmission and will learn your driving pattern. Maybe you need to retrain it for city driving.
Good luck.
That's a wonderful little trick my high school driver's education teacher taught our class back in 1961. No one in class much listened at the time, though, since gasoline retailed for 16 or 17 cents per gallon or [gasp!] 19 or 20 cents for expensive premium grade which was still cheap even for the time...
With the gas milage I can get with my Sonata I4 auto I could go a long way for $50.00 at those prices. WOW!!!
I did a little quick math. At 30 MPG highway, and 17 cents a gallon, that works out to apx. 8,823 miles for my 50 bucks. What would folks give for this today?
I agree Lightfoot. You will notice I said "30MPG Highway" I only get about 20 MPG city myself. And yes 25 cents was much more the norm back then. But the 17 cents was late 50's or early 60's and it was the results of a "Gas War." It went from 25 cents to 35 cents for a long time, as best I can recall.
As far as the 50's being the good old days, well they are starting to look better all the time to me. Maybe H.G. Wells would loan me his "Time Machine!" :shades:
On the highway, that '71 Volvo 1800 got 31 mpg at 80 Mph for the full tank of gas driving to FL. Drove a tank full of gas at 90 on that rip and the mpg dropped to 26. The tank was only about 10 gallons & until I threw out the receipts for that trip a couple years ago I saw the numbers, I'd fill up for $2.50 to $2.75. My buddy and his wife in an '71 Road Runner, had to stop for gas twice as often. Yes, those were good days, could go like a bat outta H... on I-95 without hardly any traffic. But we "needed to" since the cars did not have A/C. Alas, my buddy died of a heart attack at age 56, 3 years ago.
One of his sons died in a car crash 3 months ao (age 31). Let's remember the good times and talk about the cars we like. No need to trash anyone because they prefer a different car than you (or I) do.