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My 2007 Limited 3.3L AWD has 14k miles. Trip avg shows me for city 15~17mpg, and for hwy at 70 mph speed, I got only 19.5 mpg max. Is this normal? :confuse:
My 2006 , 2.7 is still getting about 17 mpg and I have 19,000. Two dealerships could care less. If their scanner doesn't show anything out of range they wont do anything.
I went on a short trip from Richmond,Va to DC foe shopping and my SF was a dream to drive, my only problem was keeping it near 70. I averaged 23 mpg for the trip which isn't bad considering the speed. I filled up before I left and when I got back and I used the same pump at the same station just keep everything equal. I've got a 3.3 FWD SE with 2k mileage, this vehicle wants to run and I let it loose a few times ( 80+ ). :shades:
it's odd that everyone with 3.3 awd limiteds get such varying reports on mpg - mine stays in the 16's most of the time.... are there any hyundai dealers writing in to make the car look good!? :P
I'll be very impressed if I can get 16+ in the city. My Santa Fe 2007 Limited gives me only 13.1 MPG in the city and 18 MPG on highway. I have 4K+ in my odometer.
Before my first oil change I was getting 15+ MPG in the city and 21+ MPG on highway. I'm not sure what changed during the service. I'm yet to take this matters to someone in the Myrak Hyundai Technician. Mean time if someone have faced the same issue please share it with me.
Best we have seen with an 07 Limited (front wheel drive) at a steady 70 mph is a bit over 22 mpg with the trip computer. Unfortunately, when I calculated the fuel economy dividing miles driven from last fill up by number of gallons to fill tank, the calculation was only a bit over 20 mpg (approximately a 10% error). Needless to say, all posts of trip computer mpg are suspect to me unless confirmed by the calculated method.
I've been logging my gas purchases and odometer readings in an Excel spreadsheet since I bought my 07 SF Ltd AWD in May (yeah, I'm anal). I now have 11,379 miles on it. In that time, I've seen a low MPG figure for a tank of 16.6 (twice) and a high of 25.4 (all highway). Average MPG over 11,298 miles (the last fill-up) is 18.6. That's all using 87 octane gas, and the vast majority is suburban and city driving. My daily commute is 14 miles one way, with only 2 miles of that on the highway.
I also calculate a 4 tank rolling average, which tends to smooth out the variability caused by slight differences in driving (highway vs. city) and individual gas pumps. The lowest 4 tank rolling average MPG I have recorded is 17.2 and the highest is 23.3. That latter reading came near the end of a 1,000 mile road trip and so was pretty much all highway miles.
Thus, I'm pretty confident that I'm getting a fairly consistent 17-18 mpg around town, and 20-23 highway. My dash computer seems to track those figures pretty closely. When I check the trip computer mpg reading after not resetting it for a long time, it is usually reading in the 17.0-18.0 range.
I just bought a very well broken-in (120,000 mi) 2.7 V6 Santa Fe with the 4-speed automatic transaxle. It's definitely underpowered; which is a detriment to fuel efficiency, not a help. The tranny isn't helping, either.
After 6 weeks of driving this thing, here's what I'm finding.
1. City: do NOT drive in full automatic (D). The shift points suck. I find myself on level ground, average load in 4th gear by 37 MPH. That's fine for efficiency as long as I don't have to change speeds or load. But the second load increases (hilly terrain, need to accelerate quickly in traffic), you're killing your fuel efficiency in 4th gear, and the A/T doesn't seem to want to downshift until it's way too late. Use the shiftronic as if you were driving a manual. Don't even think about upshifting until you see the tachometer needle cross 2300 RPM, think about downshifting when you see the needle drop below 1900-2000 RPM (the downshift rule obviously doesn't apply in 2nd).
2. 4th gear is an overdrive gear, don't accelerate in it if you can possibly avoid it -- this engine doesn't have the low end for it. Normal city traffic (45 MPH and below) runs quite well in 3rd gear. This little V6 likes to breathe as it runs.
3. Highway: it doesn't matter whether you're cruising in D (full auto) or 4th (shiftronic). But how you get to highway speed matters: use the shiftronic with high shift points (3500-4000 RPM). Once you're at speed, you can slip it back into D ... this underpowered little hamster plant will need to downshift to pass or climb hills.
4. Don't idle while waiting for someone. Big killer. You are getting zero MPG when you're idling. Need to idle for more than 60 seconds? Shut it down instead.
I get 21.1 city and 24.4 highway following these rules. No matter how I try, I'm a little lead-footed ... I could probably do even better if I were a little more restrained
If I don't follow these rules, I get 16 MPG (or less!) combined. Paying attention to operating the transmission makes quite a difference.
I have had my vehicule for over a year now, i have about 16000km/10000Miles. Since i bought it i have practically emptied the gas tank every time, reset my odometer and checked my usage. I average 425KM/264Miles per gas tank, which averages about 17-18Km per 100Litres or 13 to 14 miles per gallon. I have tried going slow and steady, level ground, check tire pressure and once i was even careful with wind conditions. So nobody can say it's the driving conditions or my style of driving. Everytime i bring it in to the dealer for a checkup or oil change they tell me it's gonna get better. This SUV is costing me $80 a week or more of gas, it's a nightmare. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME, WHAT CAN I DO.....
I have a 2008 Santa Fe Limited AWD 5-seater with 5000 miles on it. I make a weekly almost-3 hour trip and get 23.9 - 24.4 mpg, according to the trip computer. The drive consists of 45 minutes of flat peninsula driving at 50 mph, 45 minutes of mountain driving at 55-60 mph, 1 hour freeway driving at 70-73 mph and 20 minutes of city driving at 25-35 mph.
Referencing the article, I'm definitely a calm driver. I leave plenty of room between me and the guy ahead of me. Less braking and less accelerating that way, plus it's easier to see what's going on up ahead. This is my first new vehicle in a very long time and I'm not going to take unnecessary risks with it.
My 2008 SE FWD has now passed 2800 on the odometer, and I have noticed an improvement in mileage. In mostly city driving (70% local streets, 30% freeway) I am getting just shy of 22mpg (21.8 per the computer.) I am down to 1/4 tank and will fill in the next couple days, but hope to get as true a picture as possible. This includes running the a/c about 30% of the time this tank ( it is 90 degrees plus in Phoenix already). I was getting 18 if I was lucky when brand new. I have not adjusted my style of driving or changed oil......nothing that would explain the change. Will take an all-highway trip in several weeks and see what 75mph delivers.
Other than for a heat shield rattle, only when the car is cold, and that the dealer has tried to adjust without much success, I love this car.
We recently purchased a one year old SE for $18,000. We spent $2,000 adding leather interior, a power driver's seat and heated seats. It is now very similar to the much more expensive limited which we wanted.
On our first freeway trip to Seattle for Albany Oregon (200+ miles) we achieved excellent gas mileage according to the computer readout. With flat freeway driving at 65 mph we reached 26.5! Between Portland and Seattle, with more hilly terrain it dropped to 25.5. I am very pleased. We are getting about 22 around town. It now has 10k miles and of course has the 5 speed automatic with the 3.3 engine.
How did you add a power drivers seat to your SE? Was it through the dealer?
I am planning on adding the same to my SE through the aftermarket (actually the same place my dealer uses, but I am going directly to them in order to avoid the middle man).
Leather seats all around and heated front seats will cost 1400.00. However I think power seat would be nice if I had the option.
Also, I recently made a 140 mile trip both ways. Most of my driving was highway, with a little city thrown in. I averaged 24.1 mpg based on the trip computer. I have also removed the cross beams from my overhead storage rails and I think this has helped my mileage a little.
I have a 2007 Limited AWD with Touring (7 passenger). I've owned it for 11 months now, and the odometer is reading 16,300 miles. I average 18 mpg in city driving, and 22-23 highway (70-75 mph). If I really focus on trying to drive smoothly and slowly around town, I can get another 1-1.5 mpg (19-19.5 total), but my natural tendency is to use a go pedal a little more than that.
The highest mpg I've ever gotten on an individual tank was 25.4, which came in the middle of a long road trip across Iowa. It was all flat land cruising at around 65 mph.
I've had my 2007 Limited AWD for 15 months and 36,000 miles. My overall average since day 1 is 22.1. The best I've achieved is 28.4 while on a trip last summer; the worst is 15.6 this winter when there was a lot of idling/warm up time during our cold winter. The problems I've had have been minimal and quickly corrected by the Dealer.
We have a local company "Carcraft" here in the Albany Oregon area and they added the power seat for us. They also ordered and installed "Kat Skins" leather seats and the heated seats. They tell me that each vehicle involves building a custom mount for the seat. The end result looks factory installed. We are very happy.
Our mileage continues to be very good. We are still getting 22 around town and 25 on the highway.--JMacpherson
Just trying to decide if I should get an SE FWD or AWD. The Santa Fe specs on the Hyundai site say that the mileage is the same for both FWD and AWD, 17/24 city/highway.
Is this correct? Do people really see no difference in the mileage? I know it's hard to get such a comparison as no-one has both the cars. But what are your opinions on this?
As I said earlier we purchased a used 2007 SE and really did not have a choice of AWD or FWD. I probably would have chosen AWD just for the extra safety in Oregon winters. We have been very happy with the mileage we are getting with our FWD--22 around town without too much stop and go. On the freeway we get 24+ -- I also do not drive agressively--no fast starts from stop lights and try to remember to keep a soft foot on the freeway.
As I understand it, the Hyundai AWD system is "on demand" - meaning, basically, you are in FWD mode most of the time unless the system detects a need for AWD mode. Therefore, the mileage figure for FWD and AWD vehicles is the same, since in normal driving you're essentially in FWD anyway.
Yes, I read about that as well. But what about the extra approx 200lbs that the AWD adds on?
Also, for the AWD drivers, how is your driving experience? I come from a small sedan background and when I drove the SE/FWD, I liked it a lot. Then drove the SE/AWD just a little around the dealer's lot and liked it even better.
The AWD felt a bit heavier and sturdier compared to the FWD.I did not take the AWD for a longer, freeway drive like the FWD.
I personally liked the AWD more, but am just a bit concerned about the additional weight leading to lower mileage and maybe sluggishness in the response due to the additional mechanics involved.
Does having an AWD affect handling in any way? I understand the AWD is better in snow, etc, but what about normal street driving in bright sunny conditions? Any adverse effects having an AWD?
Grateful for any opinions, I've already sold my current car and need to buy the SFE this weekend if possible :-)
I highly doubt that there's a real world difference in gas mileage between FWD and AWD in the Santa Fe. If there is, it's so small that it shouldn't be a factor in your decision. Regarding handling, I test drove both (in nice weather and on dry pavement) before ultimately buying my Limited AWD and couldn't perceive a difference.
Took a road trip Phoenix to Las Vegas this past weekend. Managed 26mpg in most of the driving, running 75-80 and a/c running, not too much of a load. with 21-22 in town and 26 highway, I can live with it.
I noticed the a/t likes to shift down fairly easily when in cruise control at those speeds, tried using the auto-shift and leaving it in 5th gear when in cruise. For slight inclines (freeway) the speed would drop a few mph, but would return to the pre-set when the incline was done. Does this lug the engine or get out of the major power band? Doesn't seem like it to me.
One interesting note. Gassed up in Flagstaff AZ and started the trip to Phoenix on my return. Since you are dropping elevation and it's all downhill, the trip computer got my mpg rating up to 80 mpg. Too bad it didn't last, but it was unusual to see.
Never less than 23 mpg - combined city/highway Up a hill - down a hill - sometimes across the hill - once in the ditch - then I got some real snow tires.
Usually 5 mph over the posted limits - much rush-hour traffic time
I took a trip to FL from atlanta which included driving to tampa-cocoa beach-atlanta. I put about 1100 miles on the car and based on both calulations and trip computer, my MPG was 22.3. Not bad for 77 mph with ac on and in a AWD 2007 Santa FE SE. I am loving this vehicle.
We have just returned from a 622 mile trip from Albany, Oregon to Seattle, Washington. This is the best mileage we have recorded. 26.4 mpg for the whole trip including stop and go around the Seattle area. We registered as high as 28 mpg on the freeway, with a average speed of about 65 mph. The outside temp was about 90 and the air conditioner was running most of the trip. We have about 11k miles on our SE. Our last trip a month ago was closer to 25, so this is a new record for us. We love our Santa Fe.
Sorry in advance if I could find this info by looking in the manual....am feeling lazy.
I've been hitting the 'trip' button to find out what my MPG is on 2007 SE SF, and it clocks in at 20.6. This has depressed me greatly as I feel like the world's last SUV purchaser (I am traditionally at the bottom of the bell curve!). I'm reading your posts and the mileage seems much higher.
My question is - how do you determine what your MPG for specific trips and/or city vs. freeway? Am I supposed to reset the button or?? Also, any tips as to how you're getting 24+ MPG - I would like that very much! I drive about half regular roads and half freeway, but usually no more than 20 miles per day. I feel I drive cautiously.
I reset the trip computer when I fill up. When I said I was getting 28 mpg between Albany and Portland Oregon, I was stating what the continuous readout said. This is a distance of about 70+ miles and is mostly flat freeway. Since I had filled up at Costco on the way out of Albany and reset the computer, I feel confident that was the mileage. Obviously as you accumulate miles on your tank of gas, there will be less immediate fluctuation. You may be happy to know that our last tank, all around town, was 19.5--so if you are getting that in-town don't feel too bad. Your pure highway driving will definitely be better.
It also depends how you drive. I drive more like a grandpa--which I am--than the motor revving starts of my youth. That makes a huge difference in-town, but sometimes in a big city especially, the driver has very little choice and must accelerate more rapidly. Each driver is different. I have another grandpa friend with a 2005 Santa Fe with the 3.5 engine and he hits the gas pedal pretty hard and then complains about his mileage. Even at about 20 around town, I am pleased with this car. --Jim
Here's been my MPG experience over the last month: Date Miles Gals MPG 5/5/2008 358.3 16.402 21.845 5/19/2008 289.3 12.259 23.599 5/24/2008 260.3 11.052 23.552 5/28/2008 285.4 12.303 23.198 6/4/2008 328.9 13.947 23.582 Totals 1,522.2 65.963 23.077 The car computer currently shows 22.9. The miles are mostly highway in Connecticut with some "interesting" (as in "whaaat kind of road is this") backroads in western CT. I've learned to go easy on the pedal in stop and go traffic, and stick to posted speed limits on the highway. It would be nice if the car could get better MPG but overall it seems to be matching EPA estimates.
To answer your question, I do a "reset" every time I fill up - on TWO settings: the MPG, and the trip odometer. On the very first tank - all freeway, 100 miles from dealer to home - I hit 24+. I haven't equaled that since. Most tanks, I've gotten between 20 and 22 MPG, which I'm willing to accept. This is a fairly heavy vehicle with a powerful engine, and I knew going in that MPG wasn't going to be exceptional. Look at it this way: The Jeep Liberty, a much smaller vehicle, gets roughly 15-18 MPG. So, we Santa Fe owners are ahead of the game, not to mention driving a much better vehicle!
Just wanted to drop in and give you our experience with our 2007 FWD Santa Fe Limited.
We took it on it's first long trip from Maryland to Orlando, FL. Most of the drive was between 65 and 80mph. We reset the MPG gauge after our first fuel stop and we registered between 25.9 and 27.6 mpg down up I95 coming home and about the same mileage (perhaps a tad better) on I81/77/26/96 on the way down. Around our rural area we get about 19.5 to 22mpg on average worse in the winter. After the first oil change I have been putting Mobile 1 synthetic in the truck. It has about 16k miles on it now after the 2k+ trip we just took. A/C was on the entire trip too.
Aside from some issues when we first purchased the truck it seems to be working out well. Although I think it may have a bad cat now. I was quite surprised by the fuel economy on this big trip and can say I was really impressed.
Here are my results so far, I do all my figuring by had and re-set the computer at every fill up. Picked up SF with 20 Miles on it.
Wk--- Miles---Gal-----MPG-----Total Miles On SF 1----- 213.6-----9.13----23.4------------ 233 2-----198.3------9.72----20.4-------------431 3-----178.6------6.73----26.5-------------610 4-----225.8------9.5------23.7-------------836 5-----156.1------6.94----22.5-------------992 6-----180.7------7.82----23.1-------------1172 (Remind me not to try to format again what a pain)
My commute to work round trip 32 mils per day All city speed between 35 and 45 mph The last 3 weeks due to road flooding I have to take a different route which has stop lights on every block and backed up traffic you would not believe.
Notice the second week low mileage the dealer had it to fix my TPMS light and activate the door locks, what they did to lower my mpg I don’t know but it was in the 24 range when I took it in and they had to keep it over night and test drive it. Every is a OK right now.
Today was the first time it was on the HWY and for the short time on the hwy around 20 miles or so the comp-mpg was up to 27.3 when we got off back in slow traffic and back home the comp-mpg show 25.2, I believe if I could have keep the speed between 55-60 this SF could get 28 or better, but the way people drive I had a tough time keeping it at 65 plus the air was on. Have not filled up yet only about 63 miles on the trip total mils on SF 1232
Hope my results help I sure do enjoy my SF 2008 SE
I now have almost 7000 Miles on the SE 3.3 FWD V6 Santa Fe. Changed oil at 5K, using Mobil 1 Synthetic. Living in AZ, the a/c runs constantly. I've noticed on the he past two tankful that mileage has improved, actually calcuating using the gallons when I fill divided into the miles on the odometer. Last two tanks have been over 22 mpg in all city/town driving. This is an improvement from the 17-19 I was getting when I first got the car in January this year.
I've noticed that if you run the auto A/C on "Lo" for any length of time , or below 72 deg. it affects the MPG calculation on the readout. If I leave the Auto A/C on 74 or 75 deg F, it gives a readout of around 20 to 21 instead of 17-19 around town, at lower temp. settings. I've tested this out several times - so leaving it on auto at 74/75 gives a better mpg.
wamba2000, Just wanted to ask if you are still seeing the improved gas mileage in city driving with the Sythetic Oil. We are getting around 17-18 in the city (actually got 27 on the last highway drive. I really would like to get the city portion of the MPG up a bit and I'm willing to try the synthetic oil if it is the best option to raise the city MPG.
ORZECAP, I don't think that using synthetic oil has that big a change to mileage. I use it as I think it better flows and protects the engine over a wide range of temperatures. If there is a little help on mpg, that is a plus.
I've read many claims of increased mileage with use of synthetics; I've been running Mobil 1 for a number of year, have tried Castrol Syntec and Pennzoil synthetic as well. With gas prices where they are, manufacturers would be shouting the improved mileage claims if they could scientifically prove the improvement.
I think the increase in mileage is more attributable to the engine being "broken-in". In the past few cars I've bought, seems like mileage is awful the first few tanks, then slowly improves. Maybe the vehicel memory/transmission learns your behavior or the engine overcomes its newness and things just run better.
Well, I'm pleased to say that my 2008 2.2 CRDi Santa Fe 4WD has averaged 7.3 - 9.9 L/100 kms since I got it. Calculated on a per tank basis. For those metrically challenged, that equates to 32 - 23 mpg. The overall average is 8.4 L/100, or 28 mpg, over the 17,000 kms that I've done since new.
I changed to synthetic at about 40,000 miles on my 2004 3.5 and saw an increase by 2 MPG consistently to 22 MPG 50/50 hwy/cty. As soon as my 08' limited is broken in I'm switching to synthetic. I've only had the truck 4 days. MPG readout started at 10 MPG and is now at 19.2 and rising. Have only gone 120 miles so far.
I've been averaging around 20 US mpg for day-to-day driving around town. We just came back from a highway trek from Southern Ontario to Southern Indiana on mostly interstates and managed at best 25 US mpg on the highway. I think that Hyundai like most car companies overstates their MPG's on most of their cars because they derive those numbers from "controlled testing" not real-world testing for obvious reasons. I'm generally happy with those numbers, but at $5.10 per US gallon up here in Canada, it's costing me over $70.00/week to keep it gassed up. Also our dealers up here are not very good....had an 18" rubber "squeegy-like" blade fall out of my sunroof and they had no idea what it was or how to put it back, which is astonishing!! I will not be keeping this vehicle beyond the 5-year financing period since I'm worried that I will have no one to properly service it if something more substantial goes wrong with it. Plus, I need to think about gasoline prices in the future, so I will likely look to a smaller car (maybe Honda?) next time.
2008 Santa Fe FWD, only about 700 miles on it. Thought testing the maximum MPG I could get - reset trip computer, set cruise control to 55mph for 92 miles on a slightly hilly highway, no a/c. At the end, trip computer told me 30.7 mpg. Of course, average gas mileage with regular driving is much lower - but you don't have to be afraid of being pushed from the road by trucks ;-)
Note: Noticed a 10% drop in MPG after florida decided to rip off gas customers with 10% ethonal in gas. Its like putting water in your tank. You see no price break for using the water.
I always keep it on automatic. When making a trip to atlanta from florida I was getting 28-29 miles per gallon driving at 55-60 miles an hour. AC always on, and cruise set.
Comments
Trip avg shows me for city 15~17mpg,
and for hwy at 70 mph speed, I got only 19.5 mpg max.
Is this normal? :confuse:
Two dealerships could care less. If their scanner doesn't show anything out of range they wont do anything.
I averaged 23 mpg for the trip which isn't bad considering the speed. I filled up before I left and when I got back and I used the same pump at the same station just keep everything equal.
I've got a 3.3 FWD SE with 2k mileage, this vehicle wants to run and I let it loose a few times ( 80+ ). :shades:
Before my first oil change I was getting 15+ MPG in the city and 21+ MPG on highway. I'm not sure what changed during the service. I'm yet to take this matters to someone in the Myrak Hyundai Technician. Mean time if someone have faced the same issue please share it with me.
Much appreciated for your time.
I also calculate a 4 tank rolling average, which tends to smooth out the variability caused by slight differences in driving (highway vs. city) and individual gas pumps. The lowest 4 tank rolling average MPG I have recorded is 17.2 and the highest is 23.3. That latter reading came near the end of a 1,000 mile road trip and so was pretty much all highway miles.
Thus, I'm pretty confident that I'm getting a fairly consistent 17-18 mpg around town, and 20-23 highway. My dash computer seems to track those figures pretty closely. When I check the trip computer mpg reading after not resetting it for a long time, it is usually reading in the 17.0-18.0 range.
2007 Limited automatic FWD 3.3 liter. AC running all the time.
If it is that high I am very happy. Will do a manual check soon. Have not had a change to drive on Highway yet.
After 6 weeks of driving this thing, here's what I'm finding.
1. City: do NOT drive in full automatic (D). The shift points suck. I find myself on level ground, average load in 4th gear by 37 MPH. That's fine for efficiency as long as I don't have to change speeds or load. But the second load increases (hilly terrain, need to accelerate quickly in traffic), you're killing your fuel efficiency in 4th gear, and the A/T doesn't seem to want to downshift until it's way too late. Use the shiftronic as if you were driving a manual. Don't even think about upshifting until you see the tachometer needle cross 2300 RPM, think about downshifting when you see the needle drop below 1900-2000 RPM (the downshift rule obviously doesn't apply in 2nd).
2. 4th gear is an overdrive gear, don't accelerate in it if you can possibly avoid it -- this engine doesn't have the low end for it. Normal city traffic (45 MPH and below) runs quite well in 3rd gear. This little V6 likes to breathe as it runs.
3. Highway: it doesn't matter whether you're cruising in D (full auto) or 4th (shiftronic). But how you get to highway speed matters: use the shiftronic with high shift points (3500-4000 RPM). Once you're at speed, you can slip it back into D ... this underpowered little hamster plant will need to downshift to pass or climb hills.
4. Don't idle while waiting for someone. Big killer. You are getting zero MPG when you're idling. Need to idle for more than 60 seconds? Shut it down instead.
I get 21.1 city and 24.4 highway following these rules. No matter how I try, I'm a little lead-footed ... I could probably do even better if I were a little more restrained
If I don't follow these rules, I get 16 MPG (or less!) combined. Paying attention to operating the transmission makes quite a difference.
We Test the Tips Part II
Referencing the article, I'm definitely a calm driver. I leave plenty of room between me and the guy ahead of me. Less braking and less accelerating that way, plus it's easier to see what's going on up ahead. This is my first new vehicle in a very long time and I'm not going to take unnecessary risks with it.
Will take an all-highway trip in several weeks and see what 75mph delivers.
Other than for a heat shield rattle, only when the car is cold, and that the dealer has tried to adjust without much success, I love this car.
On our first freeway trip to Seattle for Albany Oregon (200+ miles) we achieved excellent gas mileage according to the computer readout. With flat freeway driving at 65 mph we reached 26.5! Between Portland and Seattle, with more hilly terrain it dropped to 25.5. I am very pleased. We are getting about 22 around town. It now has 10k miles and of course has the 5 speed automatic with the 3.3 engine.
I am planning on adding the same to my SE through the aftermarket (actually the same place my dealer uses, but I am going directly to them in order to avoid the middle man).
Leather seats all around and heated front seats will cost 1400.00. However I think power seat would be nice if I had the option.
Also, I recently made a 140 mile trip both ways. Most of my driving was highway, with a little city thrown in. I averaged 24.1 mpg based on the trip computer. I have also removed the cross beams from my overhead storage rails and I think this has helped my mileage a little.
The highest mpg I've ever gotten on an individual tank was 25.4, which came in the middle of a long road trip across Iowa. It was all flat land cruising at around 65 mph.
Our mileage continues to be very good. We are still getting 22 around town and 25 on the highway.--JMacpherson
Just trying to decide if I should get an SE FWD or AWD. The Santa Fe specs on the Hyundai site say that the mileage is the same for both FWD and AWD, 17/24 city/highway.
Santa Fe Specs
Is this correct? Do people really see no difference in the mileage? I know it's hard to get such a comparison as no-one has both the cars. But what are your opinions on this?
Thanks
Sam
Also, for the AWD drivers, how is your driving experience? I come from a small sedan background and when I drove the SE/FWD, I liked it a lot. Then drove the SE/AWD just a little around the dealer's lot and liked it even better.
The AWD felt a bit heavier and sturdier compared to the FWD.I did not take the AWD for a longer, freeway drive like the FWD.
I personally liked the AWD more, but am just a bit concerned about the additional weight leading to lower mileage and maybe sluggishness in the response due to the additional mechanics involved.
Does having an AWD affect handling in any way? I understand the AWD is better in snow, etc, but what about normal street driving in bright sunny conditions? Any adverse effects having an AWD?
Grateful for any opinions, I've already sold my current car and need to buy the SFE this weekend if possible :-)
Thanks
Sam
I noticed the a/t likes to shift down fairly easily when in cruise control at those speeds, tried using the auto-shift and leaving it in 5th gear when in cruise. For slight inclines (freeway) the speed would drop a few mph, but would return to the pre-set when the incline was done. Does this lug the engine or get out of the major power band? Doesn't seem like it to me.
One interesting note. Gassed up in Flagstaff AZ and started the trip to Phoenix on my return. Since you are dropping elevation and it's all downhill, the trip computer got my mpg rating up to 80 mpg. Too bad it didn't last, but it was unusual to see.
Never less than 23 mpg - combined city/highway
Up a hill - down a hill - sometimes across the hill - once in the ditch - then I got some real snow tires.
Usually 5 mph over the posted limits - much rush-hour traffic time
It is my understanding that premium is not required on the Santa Fe.
Sorry in advance if I could find this info by looking in the manual....am feeling lazy.
I've been hitting the 'trip' button to find out what my MPG is on 2007 SE SF, and it clocks in at 20.6. This has depressed me greatly as I feel like the world's last SUV purchaser (I am traditionally at the bottom of the bell curve!). I'm reading your posts and the mileage seems much higher.
My question is - how do you determine what your MPG for specific trips and/or city vs. freeway? Am I supposed to reset the button or?? Also, any tips as to how you're getting 24+ MPG - I would like that very much! I drive about half regular roads and half freeway, but usually no more than 20 miles per day. I feel I drive cautiously.
thanks!
-Sarah
It also depends how you drive. I drive more like a grandpa--which I am--than the motor revving starts of my youth. That makes a huge difference in-town, but sometimes in a big city especially, the driver has very little choice and must accelerate more rapidly. Each driver is different. I have another grandpa friend with a 2005 Santa Fe with the 3.5 engine and he hits the gas pedal pretty hard and then complains about his mileage. Even at about 20 around town, I am pleased with this car. --Jim
Date Miles Gals MPG
5/5/2008 358.3 16.402 21.845
5/19/2008 289.3 12.259 23.599
5/24/2008 260.3 11.052 23.552
5/28/2008 285.4 12.303 23.198
6/4/2008 328.9 13.947 23.582
Totals 1,522.2 65.963 23.077
The car computer currently shows 22.9. The miles are mostly highway in Connecticut with some "interesting" (as in "whaaat kind of road is this") backroads in western CT. I've learned to go easy on the pedal in stop and go traffic, and stick to posted speed limits on the highway. It would be nice if the car could get better MPG but overall it seems to be matching EPA estimates.
We took it on it's first long trip from Maryland to Orlando, FL. Most of the drive was between 65 and 80mph. We reset the MPG gauge after our first fuel stop and we registered between 25.9 and 27.6 mpg down up I95 coming home and about the same mileage (perhaps a tad better) on I81/77/26/96 on the way down. Around our rural area we get about 19.5 to 22mpg on average worse in the winter. After the first oil change I have been putting Mobile 1 synthetic in the truck. It has about 16k miles on it now after the 2k+ trip we just took. A/C was on the entire trip too.
Aside from some issues when we first purchased the truck it seems to be working out well. Although I think it may have a bad cat now. I was quite surprised by the fuel economy on this big trip and can say I was really impressed.
Any, the drive home was mostly county roads and freeway - 29.4 MPG average from the dealer to my garage.
Drive to work, mix of city streets and county highways - 26 mpg.
So far I am impressed with this 240 HP v6. If I can even average 20-28 I'd be more than happy.
Wk--- Miles---Gal-----MPG-----Total Miles On SF
1----- 213.6-----9.13----23.4------------ 233
2-----198.3------9.72----20.4-------------431
3-----178.6------6.73----26.5-------------610
4-----225.8------9.5------23.7-------------836
5-----156.1------6.94----22.5-------------992
6-----180.7------7.82----23.1-------------1172
(Remind me not to try to format again what a pain)
My commute to work round trip 32 mils per day
All city speed between 35 and 45 mph
The last 3 weeks due to road flooding I have to take a different route which has stop lights on every block and backed up traffic you would not believe.
Notice the second week low mileage the dealer had it to fix my TPMS light and activate the door locks, what they did to lower my mpg I don’t know but it was in the 24 range when I took it in and they had to keep it over night and test drive it. Every is a OK right now.
Today was the first time it was on the HWY and for the short time on the hwy around 20 miles or so the comp-mpg was up to 27.3 when we got off back in slow traffic and back home the comp-mpg show 25.2, I believe if I could have keep the speed between 55-60 this SF could get 28 or better, but the way people drive I had a tough time keeping it at 65 plus the air was on. Have not filled up yet only about 63 miles on the trip total mils on SF 1232
Hope my results help I sure do enjoy my SF 2008 SE
Living in AZ, the a/c runs constantly. I've noticed on the he past two tankful that mileage has improved, actually calcuating using the gallons when I fill divided into the miles on the odometer. Last two tanks have been over 22 mpg in all city/town driving. This is an improvement from the 17-19 I was getting when I first got the car in January this year.
With the cost of gas, all improvements are good!
I've tested this out several times - so leaving it on auto at 74/75 gives a better mpg.
Just wanted to ask if you are still seeing the improved gas mileage in city driving with the Sythetic Oil. We are getting around 17-18 in the city (actually got 27 on the last highway drive. I really would like to get the city portion of the MPG up a bit and I'm willing to try the synthetic oil if it is the best option to raise the city MPG.
I've read many claims of increased mileage with use of synthetics; I've been running Mobil 1 for a number of year, have tried Castrol Syntec and Pennzoil synthetic as well. With gas prices where they are, manufacturers would be shouting the improved mileage claims if they could scientifically prove the improvement.
I think the increase in mileage is more attributable to the engine being "broken-in". In the past few cars I've bought, seems like mileage is awful the first few tanks, then slowly improves. Maybe the vehicel memory/transmission learns your behavior or the engine overcomes its newness and things just run better.
Good luck, it will get get better
For those metrically challenged, that equates to 32 - 23 mpg.
The overall average is 8.4 L/100, or 28 mpg, over the 17,000 kms that I've done since new.
I always keep it on automatic. When making a trip to atlanta from florida I was getting 28-29 miles per gallon driving at 55-60 miles an hour. AC always on, and cruise set.
In town get around 20 MPG, ac always running.