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I would've flirted with getting a Kia Forte but I'm a Kia man and not a Hyundai man. They're really two different beasts. Actually I have wanted two Hyundai's before. One a 2003 Tiburon with the 5-speed transmission (glad I held off on that one!) and the other a 1999 Elantra in "red" that really looked orange to me. I had to ask the salesman again if Hyundai really called the orange on that 1999 Hyundai Elantra red. He said that "yes, that is a red Elantra you just test drove." Sure enough, according to the window sticker, it was red!
Test drove an automatic red 1999 Hyundai Elantra in December of 1998 and really liked it. Mrs. iluvmysephia1 also took the test drive and well, didn't like it. Didn't want a new car at that time. So we drove off in our 1997 Ford Escort, purple with an automatic tranny.
I took that '97 Escort to Jerry Smith Kia in Anacortes, WA, in May of 1999 and traded it in on a violet mist 1999 Kia Sephia. Only $7,995 with the 5-speed stick. No A/C, no radio but it had a steering wheel. :P
The rest is, and was, as they say on TV, history. :shades:
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Obviously the 300 number was based on the city-style driving I was doing before filling up. Once I hit the highway the DTE slowly went up, peaking @ 360 before dropping down to 340 on my last 8 or so non-highway miles on my way home.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
But sitting at a stoplight incurs engine revs - and fuel consumption - with no distance gained so DTE for anything other than sitting in traffic is skewed. That's why one trick hybrids use is to shut off the engine when the car stops.
If you hit the highway at a reasonable speed your engine revs are fairly low while vehicle speed is comparably fast. You're in the car's zone where it gets optimal fuel economy. Optimal economy is achieved when you're at the lowest speed the engine can comfortably maintain in it's highest gear. That varies by car.
My commute is 23 non-highway miles each way. It has plenty of stoplights. But it is "suburban" so the distance between lights is much greater than a city block and speed limits are 35-45. I speed a little so I'm usually doing 42-50 and a little above 42 just happens to be where my Outlander's sweet spot starts. It hits 6th gear and cruises at under 1300 RPM for those distances.
Making this comment relative, , my wife's '01 Elantra is mostly used for her short 3 mile commute. She gets (relatively) horrible gas mileage. But on her drive the engine rarely reaches full operating temp, she hits several stop lights and some neighborhood driving (25 MPH limit), is often stuck behind school buses, and so on. Also, while not a true lead foot she is a bit heavy on the gas when taking off. She drives it harder than I do, which is odd as I'm more of a speeder (and I grew up within a stone's throw from the Indy 500 track so I'm environmentally conditioned to drive fast ).
She gets good highway mileage but if she only uses the car for commuting to work she only gets MPG in the 18-23 range.
Oh, that brings up another fuel economy gotcha. Operating temperature. Folks might not realize it but when an engine is cold, the computer uses a richer fuel/air mix. More fuel is used until the engine is fully warmed up. So regardless of driving style or any other factor, an engine that isn't fully warmed up to normal operating temp will use more fuel.
Likewise, some cars - I can't speak for all - do a similar same thing with the transmission. My last car wouldn't engage the torque converter lockup until the trans was fully warmed up. That's another efficiency loss that's mostly felt during just the first few miles of driving.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Also, we're just getting off the winter blend gas so if you live in the snow belt your economy should improve a bit.
If you normally buy cheap gas, try a few tanks from a Top Tier provider ( http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html ) as it may have more detergents than the bargain stuff.
THE CAR IS GREAT OTHER WISE
1. test time -- 765 seconds
2. test mileage -- 10.26 miles
3. test avg speed -- 48.3 mph! (with a peak of only 60mph for a brief spurt!)
http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml
So basically, if you go over 60 mph for an extended period of time, or if your avg speed exceeds 48.3 mph, it is likely you will fall short of that 40 mpg. Is that Hyundai's fault? Sorry, no. Blame the EPA and their testing methodologies!
My 2004 Elantra with 65k miles and the old iron block engine does over 35 mpg highway @ 65 mph without breaking a sweat. I am sure your 2011 can do better.
So far this car has been a commuter and that is where my mpg experience has been garnered thus far.My commute is 34 miles round trip it is 11 miles rural 4 miles suburban and 2 miles city with NO HWY.
almost every day are 2/3 mile shopping or appointment side trips around town on the way home.At the beginning of my drive every morning i reset my trip cmptr and then check it when i get home.my lowest average mpg was 39.4 and my highest was 44.1.I have been driving thus far according to hyundais breaking in suggestions i.e. vary speeds keep the rpms between 2000 and 4000 and i have not been using the cruise.Once the break in period is complete i will cruise at a lower rpm and use cruise.I am accelerating slowly shifting when prompted and looking ahead to time lights.I hope these real world numbers can put to bed the high mpg non believers and i expect these numbers to improve once the break in period is complete.
Wish they offer the stick on the higher trims.
The fact is the break-in procedure as written in the book starts out with the comment that there is nothing special you have to do to break-in your new Hyundai. The sad part is it has gotten progressively worse each time I fill the tank. Another weird thing is that when the Range got to 30 miles-to-go it just went to dashes ---- and that was it! When I filled it up at that point I put in 10.7 gallons and the tank holds about 11.7 so go figure. I was at the dealer for another reason today and overheard another customer complaining about the decreasing gas mileage. While the EPA may be partly to blame for the numbers on the sticker it is Hyundai that is advertising the crap out of their "40mpg" Elantra.
This is a nice car for the money, but I, and many others, probably bought the Elantra thinking we'd get at least 29mpg combined. It is truly disappointing to find out that is not the case. I should have stayed with Honda and gone with the Civic which every review says gets better than the estimated city/highway mileage. I'll keep an eye on this issue, but for now I'm going to say you should NOT buy this car based on estimated MPG. If my mileage gets to a minimum of 29 combined I will report back and perhaps change my tune.
Sorry Hyundai! You've let me down and this was your first and possibly only chance to impress me.
Tom
Tell us more about your road trips. What was your average speed (trip computer can tell you)? Many stops? Cruise used? What kind of terrain? Temperatures? All these things affect fuel economy.
I have an '04 Elantra and it will do 35+ mpg on the highway, at reasonable speeds. But not 35 mpg overall. If your '04 did 35 mpg over its lifetime, you must have done a lot of highway driving with it.
I drive in south Florida where he roads are flat, the temps this time of year vary from 80-100F, and many consider the drivers here crazy ) I consistently drive 5-10MPH over the speed limit. The speed limit on the highway I use varies from 55-70MPH. My route to work is 30 miles one-way with most of that being on I-75 and the Palmetto Expressway. My drive to work usually occurs outside of normal congested times (i.e. not between 7-9am and 4-6pm). All fuel in Florida contains Ethanol (10%?), but I don't think that is an issue.
The sticker says 29 city and 40 highway and it also says something in smaller print about the average user getting from ~24-34. So far I have gotten 29 combined, but not much more even when doing a road trip from Fort Lauderdale to Naples across the Everglades and back. I've got a Honda Odyssey that gets about 18mpg city and that is used solely to transport my wife and kids to/from any and all activities and shopping. So if the Hyundai that carries less passengers and weighs probably half as much can only get 24-30mpg then I'd say they've got a problem. And I intend to let others know about it.
I like the car, but this fuel issue has me disappointed. Not only do I not get the mileage I expected, but the Range gauge goes to dashes ---- when it goes below 30 miles to go! However, the fuel gauge has one bar left at that point so what are you to trust? When I fill the car up when I get dashes I can put about 10.7 gallons in. My manual says the tank holds +/- 11.7. So the fuel gauge is accurate, but the range isn't. Why? Only Hyundai knows and they ain't saying.
In theory a Civic will cost more than a Elantra. So the money you save on the purchase price will probably pay for a lot of gas at a 3-5 mile per gallon difference. In addition, the Elantra has a 5 year versus a 3 year bumper to bumper warranty for the Civic. That is the only way to feel good about the MPG difference between the two.
I will keep everyone posted as my car ages.
Tom
I also use cruise control whenever I can, and it helps tremendously with the MPG's.
A few weeks ago I drove 2 1/2 hours to visit my folks house. My average speed on the interstate was 70-75, and the MPG's kept rising on the dashboard computer. After about 30 minutes, it reached 41 MPG. Now during city driving, I have treated the accelerator like an egg, as I said I use cruse control whenever possible, and I only go about 5-10 MPH over the speed limit (like you) and my MPG's for city is anyone between 26-31.
It's not 29 *every single time* but who cares? It's a fantastic car and I couldn't be more happy with it! (Except for not having a spare tire, that sucked when I got a flat two weeks ago lol)
You can say what you want, but i think that I'm getting exactly what I paid for, sorry you don't.
It has a definite effect on my MPG.
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I use gas with ethanol in all my other cars and they still get what they used to get when I bought them in 2000 and 2003. Maybe the Elantra is different in that respect. Anyway, it's my car now and I'll be patient and hope for the best.
With regard to driving until the dashes --- appear. That is what happens when it gets to 30 miles to go on the range meter. So I either have 30 miles to go or the range meter is not very good. If my Elantra holds 12.7 as someone said then at 25mpg I should still have 50 miles to go when I stop and put in 10.7 gallons. No matter how you look at that issue it doesn't reflect too well on Hyundai. You may fault me for driving til the dashes appear, but the first time it did that I got nervous and filled up immediately. Now that I know it is bogus I'll try to get it repaired or drive til the bars on the tank gauge disappear ) The point is the range meter should be more precise if it really holds 12.7 gallons.
Tom
I know the EPA is at fault here as well, but as I've said I just don't like Hyundai advertising the crap out of their 40mpg cars. Blaming it on the EPA is no excuse for letting the customer feel betrayed as I do. I do not expect to get 40mpg unless I'm on some outrageous road trip where the speed is constant and you never slow down, pass, or stop to eat. However, I do expect to get 29 on a trip that has 50% highway and 50% city driving.
This is my car now and I'm not going to sell it, take a loss, and then buy a Civic. My only option is to grin and bear it and let others know about it. For the price the car is nice. There are negative things about it I wish I had noticed before I bought it, but that's not unusual. The reality is that I chose this car because it supposedly got better gas mileage than the Civic and because it had better looks and a better warranty. As Meatloaf sang "Two out of three ain't bad".
Tom
Secondly I find it hard to believe that people are getting the mileage that they are reporting here. We have the Sonata and during a recent trip we got very close to highway EPA figures (33.5 MPG vs 35 MPG) with mostly highway driving, maybe 30% stop and go and a couple of times stopped it gridlocked traffic. According to the onboard computer I can get close to 40 MPG on the highway @ 70 MPH (every time I check the computer against actual its only a few percentage points high).
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I haven't driven on the highway all that much with my 2011 Elantra, but I average anywhere from 38-41 MPG. City driving is much different of course, I live in northern Virginia near DC so there is a lot of stop and go. I get anywhere from 25-29 city. No big deal. It's a fantastic car and I absolutely love it.
Sorry, but your sarcasm is misplaced.
Tom
Last October I bought a 2010 Elantra. The transmission died two months later. I took my complaint to Hyundai consumer affairs, and was awarded two free car payments. Now THAT was a solid complaint...whining about not getting exactly 29 MPG is just really, REALLY petty.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
If you don't like my review/discussion of the Hyundai Elantra ignore it. If you don't like my approach ignore it. No one is making you read these posts and unless you are actually adding something to the discussion your input is just fluff. You might try telling me how to get more mileage instead of blaming it on me. As I've said I like the car. I'm just not happy with the MPG. Hyundai and the dealer don't need your help. They've sold the car and that's that.
Carry on wayward son.
Tom
1) Pretend there's a raw egg between your right foot and the accelerator. That sounds silly, but it really works. The idea is to 1) touch the accelerator as little as possible (or you might break the egg), and 2) when touching it, use light pressure to keep RPMs down (and avoid breaking the egg). When you're not touching the accelerator, you're not using much gas at all. You can see this for yourself in the mpg meter on your car.
2) Use the mpg meter on your car to help you learn how to drive for maximum fuel economy. Does it have an instantaneous readout? If so, turn it on and keep an eye on it as you drive around. The idea is to keep the mpg as high as possible. If it doesn't have an instantaneous readout, reset the average mpg readout and use that; the idea is to get the average as high as possible.
3) Keep to speed limits. It's well known that speeds over about 60 mph kill fuel economy. So if the speed limit is 55, drive 55. If it's 70, don't go 80. What's the hurry? Drive in the right lane, set the cruise, and relax. Let everyone else get lower fuel economy.
4) If you have trouble moderating the gas pedal for best fuel economy, let the car do that--use cruise whenever practical.
5) Anticipate stops. No sense driving full speed up to an intersection if the light will change when you get there. If you didn't see the light turn green, assume it will probably turn red before you get there and prepare to slow down the moment you see the yellow light. Also, in areas where lights are timed for a certain speed, take full advantage of that and drive within that pattern to avoid stopping. Coast up to red-light intersections as much as possible, if you can do it without impeding the traffic behind you (maybe they want to turn at the intersection).
6) Keep tires properly inflated. Make sure they are always at least set to factory specs, and if you want to maximize FE then set them a few pounds over spec.
7) Avoid idling. When you are stopped, FE is zero. If you'll be stopped for more than a minute or two, shut the engine off if it's practical. There's a reason hybrids and even some ICE cars are designed to shut off the engine when stopped.
Using tips like these, I always get over the EPA ratings on any car I drive--my cars, rental cars etc.--unless it's very extreme conditions, e.g. short in-town trips in very cold weather (I live in MN). But I always exceed EPA ratings on the highway. For example, this week I rented a 2011 (might have been a 2012) Sonata in Austin, TX. 99 degrees when I landed, so A/C on of course. Driving on the highway from the airport to my hotel I got 40 mpg per the mpg meter. Even considering some stops and slow driving, I got 34 mpg for the full trip--just 1 mpg under the car's highway EPA rating. And this was a new car, 500 miles, so not broken in yet. And a much bigger and more powerful engine than your Elantra's. If I can do it, you can do it.
So it's possible to meet or beat the EPA estimates even with 10% ethanol. But it's a little harder.