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First test: While stopped at a red light idling, are you normally in gear with your foot on the brake? If so, you are wasting gas.
Second test( a bit tougher): While stopped at a stoplight when the stoplight goes green(hope you were paying attention & put it in gear before the light turned green), push your accelerator as you normally do.
If the front of the car abruptly rises on its front springs as the car starts forward, you are wasting gas. To get the best mpg from a stop, carefully ease your foot on the gas pedal. Surprisingly, it takes some training, but when carefully done, your car will move forward instantly WITHOUT rising on its front springs. Some people think that other people, who are behind them, will be upset, so they actually over-accelerate when people are behind them. Thus the car rears on its front springs & we get used to driving that way from a stop. However, people are most unset waiting for 3 seconds because the driver at the front of line didn't see the light turn green.
Sure, there are ways to increase your chances of getting better MPGs, either through driving habits or driving routes, but it is clear that a larger number of owners than I normally see are dissatisfied with their MPG achievements in relationship to the published EPA estimated MPG.
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It's not just HOW you drive, although that is certainly a factor. It's the CONDITIONS under which you drive. Those vary greatly from one person to another. Which is why the EPA is clear that "your mileage may vary". Not only does it vary from person to person, it varies for the same person because of different weather, different traffic, different gas (ethanol vs. no ethanol), different speeds etc.
Whenever someone tells me they are getting far worse FE than they expect, I ask them to do a simple test that eliminates most variables and should give them an idea as to whether the vehicle is operating at its capabilities re FE. I have suggested this test dozens of times in this forum over the years. The interesting thing is, no one--EVER--has returned to say they did the test and gave us the results. I would have more sympathy for these folks if they showed they were interested in getting to the bottom of the problem, rather than just complaining about it.
Ususally these low mpg complaints aren't this far off from EPA estimates. Especially when you have people that drive in such a way that they didn't have problems meeting the EPA estimates with prior cars. Did they suddenly forget how to drive or how to figure mpg because they bought an Elantra?
I think the negative buzz about this issue, regardless of whether it becomes a lawsuit, is going to hurt Hyundai.
Once you lose a customer's trust its very difficult to get it back.
It also diminishes any faith I might have had in EPA standards.
I'm not saying the Elantra is a bad car - if I were in the market for a new vehicle, it's be near the top of my list. But then again, I drive my vehicle an average of a whopping 300 miles per month, so it's not a major consideration.
I changed the discussion title here, and I'm starting a new MPG discussion for the 2012 model. We got a request for that discussion, and I also think it'd be interesting to see if 2012 owners have better luck.
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In July, I traded my 2009 Mitsbushi Eclipse for a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The decision to trade-in my eclipse was for the soul fact that the car was not getting the ideal gas milage (~24 mpg out of EPA range of 20-28 mpg) for my long (all highway) commute to work and back. After much research, I decided to purchase the Elantra due to its (claimed) great gas milage, features, and price versus that of the competitors. BIG MISTAKE!
After owning the vehicle for a little over a month and putting 2000 miles on it, I notice the vehicle was averaging about 26 mpg on each tank. After contacting the dealership about my concerns, I was told to wait till my first oil change to reflect the change in gas milage. The first oil change came and I did notice an improvement in my gas milage between 2-3 miles, put definitely nothing in the CLAIMED 29-39 range. I decided to contact Hyundai about my concerns regarding in which I was told to wait till the car was broken in at about 5000-6000 miles.
After 6000 miles I was still averaging about 27 mpg. I, again, contacted Hyundai customer service about my concern. Their response was to do have a fuel MPG test and to have the vehicle inspected by a local dealership. The fuel MPG test, released by Hyundai, requires you to have record the miles traveled and amount of fuel used five times while going to the same gas station and using the same pump. Again, I was still consistently getting between 25-27 mpg. I had the dealership, also, inspect the vehicle for any issues and run a diagnostic test for any issues--- none were found. All this information was then faxed over to Hyundai customer service.
So... I just got off the phone with Hyundai customer serivce and they are saying that the car is in working order and there is nothing they can do to assist me.
So why am I getting such poor gas milage that isnt even in the working range of the EPA estimates? I have tried every recommended way to enhance mpg and nothing seems to improve it. I was getting decent gas milage (in the EPA range) for my Eclipse so I really dont think it is in my driving style.
I see that forum that others are having the same problem. I dont see how so many people are driving this vehicle 'wrong' .
I am so disappointed in my purchase and wish I would have gone with a competitor that lives up to its ratings. Hyundai is doing nothing but false advertising this vehicle. I hope to see a class action lawsuit in the future.
If you are thinking about buying a 2012 Elantra and want great gas milage... DONT BUY IT !
I can certainly understand your frustration if I knew of others that were getting tremendously better mpg with the same car as mine and I keep getting told there is nothing wrong with it. A lot of people on here will assume you drive like a maniac but your previous experience with your Eclipse indicates that's not the case.
Would you say that you drive well above say 60 mph on your commutes? I think the EPA testing is done more around that speed than say at 75-80. Just curious.
What a revelation. I'm sure nobody knew that. What are going to inform us of next, that a lead foot leads to poor mpg?
What's really tiring is you jumping in here every so often and adding nothing to the conversation except pooh-poohing anyone that has what appears to be a legitimate concern. Feel lucky that your car is getting close to what's expected but quit insinuating that people who aren't are crazy or worse yet, stupid. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt that they realize that they aren't going to get the exact numbers. But when something says a range of say 35-45 and they are getting nothing but 35, I would be concerned too. It seems most of these people complaining would be more than happy to be just close to the EPA averages. Not *exactly* as you say.
But like I said, people love to whine....
You've expressed your opinion about the MPG issue and how you feel it's of minimal import, and that's about enough - we don't accept belittling other members' concerns in our Forums. It doesn't create a welcoming atmosphere.
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Read Consumer Reports tests. Almost all cars get well over the EPA highway in their tests - not the Elantra.
During my commute I usually set the cruise between 65-75 mph on the turnpike ride of 40 minutes. I reset my mpg during that time and it seems to plateau at 28 mpg.
Relative to your commute, it's interesting to note that the maximum speed in the EPA highway test is 60 and the average speed on that test is 48.3. So if you can do a test at 60 mph that would be interesting also.
Elantra MPG Forum about my disappointment. I was someone who placed a high priority on fuel efficiency, and due to the high percentage of highway driving, I chose Elantra with its advertised 40 MPG highway.
Purchased Oct. 1
Miles Driven - 1061
Two real MPG tests - both showed 29 Avg. MPG (with ECO engaged)
Usual driving conditions - 70% hwy/ 30% city. (in my case 'city' = small town with very little stop-and-go type traffic). Very little use/need of AC as yet.
Average highway mph - 65-75 mph.
Overall the car is a good value for the price and I have no other complaints at this time. I won't be buying another Hyundai in the future, but will instead seek out better/more reliable fuel efficiency and a more trustworthy company.
Since someone wondered if the location of the car's maker made a difference (U.S. or S. Korea), my car was made in S. Korea.
My wife's '12 Elantra is too new (still under 500 miles) and has yet to see a highway so her MPG so far is below EPA. That's basically the norm for her anyway since her commute is short and Illinois has ethanol in the gas.
Fuel Purchase Records
Date Miles Gal. City HW MPG Note
10/13/2011 288.00 10.250 30% 70% 28.1 ECO off
10/19/2011 307.00 10.600 20% 80% 29.0 ECO off
10/25/2011 284.00 9.800 30% 70% 29.0 ECO off
10/31/2011 247.00 9.150 30% 70% 27.0 ECO on
11/03/2011 305.00 10.750 20% 80% 28.4 ECO on
11/09/2011 294.00 10.710 30% 70% 27.5 ECO off
11/16/2011 297.00 10.705 30% 70% 27.7 ECO off
Most large v-6 sedans can get high twenties pretty easily if the speed is reasonable.
If you are going 85 mph though you will never get good mpg.
Is everyone who is way below the EPA rating on their Elantras even though they are driving moderately ABSOLUTELY SURE you are in D (drive) and not in the manumatic mode--and thus maybe not in top gear?
I don't mean to offend anyone with this question, but I'll bet for many owners of the 2011-12 Elantra, it's the first manumatic they've owned. And it's easy to pop the shifter into manumatic mode, thinking it's in drive (I've done that myself a couple of times on rental cars, until I realized the shifter was not in D) and maybe put it into a lower gear than is intended, e.g. not 6th gear when cruising on the highway.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
To answer the question about the other "driver tests" that litesong2 suggested, and I'm not so sure that the first test applies in an automatic. I'm not going to shift into neutral while stopped at a red light. It's not normal for an automatic. And besides, I'm not usually sitting at long red lights. For the 2nd test, my car does not abruptly lift on the front springs. I've been pretty light-footed, so I'm sure that I'm not wasting gas at those times.
If anything my driving habits in the Elantra are the same or better than they were in my Sentra, and it still doesn't make a difference. I'm wondering if the "fuel consumption check" by the dealer will turn up anything, but other than that I'm going to give it some more time. I love my Elantra, and I intend to keep driving it.
I will add that I'm not seeing anything CLOSE to the advertised 30-40 mpg with the Elantra, the real world mileage is VERY disappointing. In fact I get nearly as good mileage with my ALL Wheel drive, heavy, 5 Cyl Volvo wagon. It's ridiculous to think that with this little 4 Cyl Hyundai we shouldn't all be doing a lot better, maybe we need a class action to get our gas $$ back!!!
Of course we're not going to sue Hyundai and "dumping" an almost brand new car after making a substantial down payment on a 3 year lease is hardly going to be a good deal for me.
I made the mistake once with Hyundai, I won't make it again, you can't tell me that they aren't going to lose future customers based on all these complaints.
This is a big credibility issue, they sucked in a lot of people with the "reported" ratings. I don't know how they hoodwinked the EPA, but they rigged cars or something.
You trust a Korean company to not tamper with vehicles in order to get a better rating? I don't doubt it for a minute.
You can call me backass if I can call you bsbosoz. Or maybe bsboSOB. Fair?
That's the bad thing about a lease... you'd better be real sure it's a car you want to hold onto for the life of the lease. Maybe you could find someone to sub-lease it from you?
I love conspiracy theories. Do you have any idea what it would take to keep such a "rigging" a secret? Do you have any idea what the backlash would be should anyone find out about such a "rigging"? And do you suppose Hyundai and other automakers know that... whether or not they are based in Korea? That's why there's no rigging. There's just your car and others that aren't meeting your expectations re fuel economy.
Did you test the FE on the car before you leased it, i.e. took it for a long drive, or maybe even rented one for a day or two to make sure it met your expectations?
My wife's Sonata has 17.9 mpg on the average mpg meter right now. That's WAY below the car's EPA rating--even its city rating. And I know she drives on the highway sometimes. This is not unusual, she almost always gets sub-EPA fuel economy. So what should I do? Never buy a Hyundai again, for starters? Maybe even think about a class action suit?
But wait... when I drive the car, I get above the EPA ratings except under extreme conditions e.g. very cold with very short trips, or lots of idling. So maybe it's my wife who should check into the lawsuit.
This is not to say your low FE is your fault. But it's an example of why the EPA is clear that "your mileage may vary". A car can get its EPA ratings if it's driven similar to how the EPA tests the car. Anything outside of that can cause "your mileage to vary".
Anyway, if a car were "rigged" by the manufacturer, NO ONE would be able to achieve or certainly not exceed the EPA ratings, would they? But they do. YMMV.
In the Sept issue they point out how they use E10 ethanol in all their cars' auto tests.
So, from my experience the estimates are very close to correct. Add to that the fact that I've got a car that still gets looks everywhere i go. It also has leather, navigation, moonroof, heated seats, etc., etc. at an incredible price. I might change a few minor things, but in general I have no complaints.
Consumer Watchdog sent the EPA a letter citing a litany of public criticism of the compact Elantra's real-world fuel economy, and asking the EPA to "re-test the 2011 and 2012 Elantra models in its own facility, to seek an explanation for the MPG disappointments of so many Elantra buyers."
Above from autoblog.com. Seems like while most get expected mpg, many are not and the numbers are such that it's generating attention. Haven't seen many other new "40 mpg compacts" getting anywhere near this amount of people complaining about their mpg.
Also... how many other non-hybrid compacts advertise 40 mpg EPA ratings for all trims? None that I know of. IMO that is one reason people are especially perturbed when their new Elantras don't achieve the EPA ratings... that rating is high relative to other cars, and is likely a main reason why the car was purchased: "I want to get 40 mpg on my next car!" So when it doesn't meet expectations, it's a big disappointment.
BTW... that was kind of an odd response to my post. Aren't you in favor of someone who is experiencing lower mpg than expected to rule out a problem with the car as a cause, using controlled tests?
I take issue with that comment because I have found the same lack of claimed mileage results as others in this forum. If you drive with full intent of achieving the numbers claimed, you WILL be killed on the highway.
My Korean-built 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS has 8,200 miles on it. Around town, stop and go traffic, I get 20 to 22 mpg. I've done road tests during my frequent travels to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I've found I can get 43 to 44 mpg with slow acceleration and traveling at 55 to 60 mph. That's about the first hour of my trip. Then the stop and go starts, along with the 4 lane free-for-all beyond that, and I end up with 35 mpg by the time I get home. I used to get that kind of mileage with my 2006 Nissan Sentra.
I also tested the "ECO" mode. I see the same RPM's at 60 mph with it on or off......it's nothing more than a reminder light, unlike the 2012 Soul my son has which allows you to turn it off and on.
I use an app on my iphone called "Vehical" to track my mileage. At 8,261 miles, I've averaged 28.78 mpg, which is nothing to write home about.
I still would have bought the car, but the 40 mpg carrot was definitely not true!
People say some pretty stupid things sometimes.
Driving like a maniac sure won't help get close to those EPA numbers, but there's many other factors that reduce fuel economy that have nothing to do with driving like a maniac.