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Hyundai Sonata Real World MPG

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Comments

  • bhmr59bhmr59 Member Posts: 1,601
    Sounds like you are constantly jumping on the gas pedal, even on the highway.

    My '05 Sonata V6 has "only" 170 HP and at least as much torque (I forget the rating). This is considerablly less power than your '06, yet I seldom give it more than half throttle, usually less than that. This moderate acceleration still has plenty of "giddyup." I could probably count on my fingers the number of times in 12K miles that I've taken the engine over 3K rpm.

    Most of my driving in on local streets on trips under 5 miles. In the warm weather I get just under 19mpg. Last winter I averaged around 16.8. And this warmer winter in CT I'm averaging close to 18 mpg. This is with less than 10% highway driving, sometimes 0% highway.

    You'd be suprised how just a little adjustment in your "mash the gas & jam the brakes" driving style will improve your overall mpg.
  • tenpin288tenpin288 Member Posts: 804
    You'd be suprised how just a little adjustment in your "mash the gas & jam the brakes" driving style will improve our overall mpg.

    Amen to that! A few years ago, my son had a Chevy S-10 4WD truck. He complained abou the mileage constantly and said he couldn't get more than about 10-11 mpg. I had to use the truck and while I was driving it, I managed to get over 14 mpg with it while hauling some furniture and building materials!

    I can't remember who told me this, but years ago I was told to press down on the gas pedal as if there was an egg between your foot and the pedal. Good advice, especially if you want to maximize your mileage. ;)
  • matt44matt44 Member Posts: 9
    I agree completely with what all of you have said in that adjusting the way I drive would improve my mpg.

    My point was that I have always driven this way (slam the accelerator to the floor, drive as fast as possible on the highway, etc...). And driving this way I got around 6 to 8 mpg better in the V6 Accord I traded in.

    The last time I had taken it to the dealer I even asked them to see if there could be something wrong with the car because I was getting low mileage and they found nothing.

    I guess this wouldn't have bothered me much a few years ago when gas was about $1 a gallon, but the last year with gas going over $3 a gallon it really got me pissed off!
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    Giant shrug....you gotta pay if you play. You admit that you drive hard so instead of useless comparison to some other car you owned SLOW DOWN then you won't have any complaints because driven sanely a V-6 06/07 Sonata is capable of the upper 20's to near 30 mpg on the highway. This is so stupid!!!
  • hotrod54hotrod54 Member Posts: 82
    Amen, brother. ;)
  • eagle2aeagle2a Member Posts: 97
    My 2006 Sonata is my first car with a trip computer. I must say it has been quite a revelation to be able to see instantaneously how my driving habits are effecting my gas mileage.

    After all of the reports over all of the years we all should know by now that a light foot on the throttle saves gas. But as the old saying goes, "old habits are hard to break!" The trip computer(along with 3 dollars per gallon gas) has helped me to lighten my foot and break the old habit of over accelerating, in town driving, and then having to break hard at the next stop sign.

    My four-cylinder Sonata is capable of getting between 20 and 22 miles per gallon in town, and by driving 60 or 65 mph, on the highway of getting between 31 and 35 mpg depending upon how hilly the terrain is, and how strong or weak the wind conditions are.

    So, for me at least, I will watch the trip computer, lighten my throttle pedal behavior, and put money in my bank account. :shades:
  • matt44matt44 Member Posts: 9
    The problem is the MORE powerful V6 Accord (and faster) that I traded in got 6 to 8 mpg BETTER ! This from an Accord that's engine was 4 years older than the Sonata. If you could read my post intelligently (I know it's a lot to ask of some people) you would see I'm complaining based on comparing the Sonata to the Accord (which was older and more powerful!). I think this might also be a good reason why Sonata is now around 50% fleet while the Accord is only at 1% fleet.

    That is a problem when the driving styles don't change, yet the more powerful, faster car get's you 6 to 8 mpg better !

    I'm posting my experience on this forum so that people can have a true picture of what the Sonata does in terms of mpg if you like to accelerate hard and fast. I have talked a few people out of the Sonata due to my experience and this will be my first and last Hyundai. A couple of trips to the dealer to get things fixed under warranty did not help either when comparing to an Accord that was around for many more years than the Sonata so far.

    From my experience Hyundai is way begind Honda in terms of fuel efficiency and engine technology and I guess that's one reason why you pay much less. Overall it's not a bad car for the price, but next time if I'm interested in just cheap I might even have to consider a GM! I won't even go into the resale value of the Sonata vs the Accord that I got top dollar for...

    Good luck to all and to all a good night.
  • craigbrookscraigbrooks Member Posts: 420
    eagle2a,
    My 06 I4 has about ther same MPG as yours. You are right about watching the computer to save gas. I make a game out of it and set a number.2 to .3 higher than shown to achieve on my way home from work (about 8 miles). I usually make my mafrk by the time I pull into the garage.

    I really haven't done much highway driving since I got mine. The highway driving I have done has been in extreme winds with blowing horizontal snow.
  • eagle2aeagle2a Member Posts: 97
    Hi Craig: Another thing that I have learned in trying to save gas is to let my Sonata coast a lot. I never realized just how much one can coast and not loss much speed.

    The other good thing about the Sonata is its adaptive learning regarding the transmission shift points. As others have pointed out, Hyundai has a very good learning curve programmed into there Auto trannys. I noticed mine acquiring much better costing behavior the more I drove it in this way.

    It all saves gas, and today that equals MONEY! :D
  • bhmr59bhmr59 Member Posts: 1,601
    You never mentioned the model year of your car. The engine is 4 years older? Does that make your old Honda a 2003 or are you talking about when the engine was designed or first put into use? What size was the Honda engine and it's horsepower? All V6's are not the same size or horsepower, just like in the glory days of muscle cars there were V8's ranging from family cars to faster than all get out. Of course, the more power, the less mpg...but who cared at that time with "premium" gas under 50 cents a gallon?
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    Disclaimer: The following are my views and I do not impose them on anyone else!!! Bigger shrug..maybe if you scour the want ads you can pick up another used Honda Accord "dream car". Am I being uduly sarcastic? Yep...when one complains about fuel economy being poor yet does nothing to improve it but complain that a previous car for whatever reason got something better the it is a wasted post. Besides I view your claimed 6-8 mpg better with the Honda with a certain amount of scepticism.I am here to tell you that Honda is NOT all it is cracked up to be based on our experience with a 2006 Civic (about 6K miles). One wonders why you got rid of your perfect car. It was apparently everything you could have wanted...fuel efficient at 90 mph, reliable as only a Honda can be, quick as all get out, great resale. Finally, call me cynical but do not call me unintelligent
  • osaka75osaka75 Member Posts: 88
    Matt44,

    There are several posts against your comments so I thought I'd add mine, which are more favorable to you as far as mileage goes. I have an '06 GLS V6 with 7,500 miles on it.

    Contrary to your driving style, I drive fairly conservatively. Sure, I like to step on it once in a while but that's certainly not the norm. I drive about 90% city/10% Hwy. On the freeway, I have gotten over 30 mpg and recently averaged around 29 with two friends and our luggage going on a 400 mile one way trip. That's pretty good mileage.

    However, in my day to day city driving, I only get between 15 and 16 mpg. I'm fairly disappointed about this and don't have any hopes the dealer can do anything. I do think that your comparison to your previous car is mostly fair. What's important to do is to compare how a car performs relative to the sticker mileage numbers. Then compare those results from car to car. I think that the Sonata and your Accord have similar sticker numbers so I do believe that your previous car performed very favorably against the Sonata. Several people on this board have complained about the Sonata's gas mileage. But some have praised it. I imagine that the same is going on over at the Accord board.

    Someone had commented that they rarely rev above 3,000 rpm. I don't think that's possible on my car. It just would move so very slowly! And on a Nissan Altima board someone had commented how his rental V6 Sonata had great low rpm acceleration. Is he really talking about the Sonata? I guess this is to say that it seems that there's variation from Sonata to Sonata, not just driver to driver. I think the Sonata is a good car but luck of the draw plays a part, too. Maybe I got one that tends toward the lower end of the gas mileage spectrum. But I may have also gotten one that won't have a problem that others have.

    It seems you may not keep a car for so many years. Therefore, the difference in gas mileage that you are experiencing won't really cost very much money. So why not enjoy your Sonata for all the good things about it and a few years from now trade it in on a car that gets better mileage or in some other way meets your needs.
  • eagle2aeagle2a Member Posts: 97
    I have enjoyed automobiles(and payed plenty of $ for the privilege)since I was a very young person. I was fortunate enough to have been born in 1937, which makes me 69 years old, and I will celebrate my 70th year in a few months. The point being that I have had the opportunity to have experienced over half a century of the automobile.

    Please believe me when I tell you that our modern cars are marvels of engineering. Good gas mileage being just one of the many characteristics of automobiles today. This good gas mileage is of course considered GOOD in relation to the excellent acceleration and top speed that cars are capable of now.

    It was not too many years ago that excellent acceleration was zero to 60 mph in the 10+ second range. Now, the sub 7 second range is fairly common for many V-6 engines. I believe, that if the automobile manufacturers wished to do so, they could be producing engines that had slower acceleration and top speed characteristics but would achieve phenomenal mpg. But that is not what people will buy. We want more speed!

    My bottom-line point is this. Our automobiles today give us a very good mix of gas mileage and power. I feel we should be about enjoying the very expensive cars we have purchased. If a person wants better fuel economy then buy a lighter auto with less horsepower and use a light foot on the accelerator. If you want to go fast, then buy one of the many high horsepower automobiles on the market, and be prepared to pay a price in fuel economy and speeding tickets.

    Enjoy! :shades:
  • craigbrookscraigbrooks Member Posts: 420
    We need to stay civil here or Karen will come in and do bad things to us. :P
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Karen's busy elsewhere, but I'm around!! :P

    And yeah, let's play nice. We don't want to have anyone have to stand in the corner or anything. :shades:
  • craigbrookscraigbrooks Member Posts: 420
    ooooooo Pat is here....this could be fun. :surprise:
  • hotrod54hotrod54 Member Posts: 82
    Here are a few other things to consider...gearing of cars is usually quite different from one manufacurer to the next, this has a profound effect on fuel mileage...If you are driving with the vent system set to defrost or defrost/floor, with outside temp above 33-34 degrees, your a/c compressor is running...this can have a profound effect on your fuel mileage...the colder it is outside, the more fuel you will burn. In many urban areas around the country, the fuel has been reblended with 10% ethanol for air quality purposes and will easily cost you 2-5 mpg; however, in the spring it will be back to regular blend without the 10% ethanol. Hope all of this puts things in better perspective. :)
  • matt44matt44 Member Posts: 9
    2003 Accord. HP was 240. All stats are available on line. Compare the two and you will see that sadly a three to four year older Honda engine is still superior to a new Hyundai engine. (Even the sales guy whom I got to know very well at the dealership admitted that Honda does make the best engines of any of the major car makes).
  • bluefrogbluefrog Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I LOVE my new 2007 Sonata v6 Ltd. However, at 1,000 miles, the mpg averages 16.4mpg, driving 24mph/ave.

    I bought the 10 year warranty intending to keep this car for a long time, but I am now depressed about the mpg performance...10 years of this?

    I brought the performance issue to the attention of my dealer representative, and they responded with

    ...the gas mileage-in the winter, everyones fuel economy is affected due to the chemicals that are put in the gasoline in the winter (so it doesn't freeze), also until the vehicle reaches 4-5,000 miles-it will not have a regular mileage, best gas mileage comes when you drive at higher speeds on the highway, the computer will tell you if theres a problem, or the check engine light will come on. If you reach 4,000 miles, and you feel the gas mileage is dramatically less than it should be--make an appointment in service, and bring the car in. //

    My commute is short, it will be a while before I get up to 4,000 miles.

    Does this sound reasonable to fellow Hyundai drivers out there or do you think that I got a bad egg?

    Thanks for any help!
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    New engine that is not broken in, short commute, 24 mph average speed, and I expect there's some stops in there too, right? And it's winter. 16.4 mpg for a powerful V6 in those conditions is not too bad. As a comparison, I easily get close to 30 mpg around town (including some freeway segments) and mid-to-upper 30s on the highway with my Elantra 2.0L automatic with 138 hp. Right now though, I've been doing all in-town driving and it's really cold, and it's struggling to stay around 22 mpg. So drive the car a bit, use techniques for maximizing your fuel economy, and see what it does after it's broken in. Also see what it does on a highway cruise--maybe take it out for a nice drive some weekend, stick to speed limits--I'll bet you get upper 20s at least. That's what I got on a brand-new 2007 Sonata V6 rental on a round trip from Austin to Houston last summer, and also on a round trip in a new '07 V6 from St. Louis to Springfield, IL. And those trips included some city driving.
  • osaka75osaka75 Member Posts: 88
    I think it's important to let the engine have the break in period that the dealer suggests before being to disappointed in the mileage. However, if you bring it back in during summer 2007 when you've driven the 4-5,000 miles, they will say that A/C usage is keeping the mpg down. If you bring it in during spring or fall, they will say that driving with the windows open creates drag.

    Has anyone brought their car in with complaints about mpg and the dealer done something to the car that helped out? Mine has fine highway mileage but disappointing city mpg. I have 7,500 miles and I've kept careful track of mpg starting with my second fillup. The mpg did not go up from new compared to now.
  • samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    My commute is short, it will be a while before I get up to 4,000 miles.

    If your commute is less than 5 miles each way, you will never get much better than 17-18 MPG in this car. Maybe 19 in the summer with A/C off.
  • ayyadmayyadm Member Posts: 13
    Mine is SE with 2700 miles, 3 month old. My commute is 32 miles/day. About 3 stop signs and 15-16 traffic lights. small part is a HW. I used to get around 20-21 MPG. Now as weather is cold it dropped down to 18-18.5

    I'm so patient with the car as it is too early to judge the real MPG. Would wait till 5000 miles and end of summer and see what will happen. For an engine this size and considerably a heavy car I’m more than OK :blush:
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    Why does everyone expect the dealer to "do something" to change fuel economy? There isn't anything they can do on modern engines...no adjustments to adjust, no screws to screw with, no gaps to gap, no nothing!!. A/C use in the summer will not appreciably change economy because having the windows open does create drag and that in of itself will use more fuel in the long run than being comfortable in a buttoned up car with the A/C running. I suppose fuel useage with/without A/C is measurable if you care to look but for me it isn't worth it. It is fairly minor and then there is that feeling, you know...sticky/sweaty/feeling like I rode on the roof after a trip. Further,winter (depending where you live) cold and changes to fuel mixes at the pump will also lower economy so there are factors beyond our control.
    Why does nobody understand why city use is ALWAYS going to be relatively poor??? Whatever your personal expectations are the reason is a stopped but idling vehicle gets zero (0) mpg and this very quickly drags down your average..always did,always will. I ammend that, Toyota hybrids shut off at stop. Speaking of personal expectations I guess you expected the EPA numbers "advertised" on the sticker? If so, be prepared to continue to be disappointed.
  • osaka75osaka75 Member Posts: 88
    targettuning,

    I think you mistook what I wrote when I asked if the dealer did something when a customer complained about gas mileage. The only time I would expect the dealer to do something is when something or other is not working as it's supposed to work. If everything is working properly and the car is still getting poor gas mileage then there's nothing that the dealer can do. Additionally, not "everyone" expects the dealer to "do something". There are several posts on this thread that speak positively about the gas mileage of their Sonata. Therefore, it's understandable that people who are experiencing much lower mpg might feel like asking their dealer if anything can be done.

    As to your next point, I think that everyone DOES understand that city mileage will be RELATIVELY poor. That's relative to highway mpg. It doesn't mean the mpg will be poor relative to the sticker city mpg. And I'm really tired of some people reminding others that at idle every vehicle gets zero mpg. I don't think that anyone expects their car to get 20 mpg if it's just running in the garage.

    Finally, YES, most people do expect/hope for the EPA numbers "advertised" on the sticker. For my Sonata V6 the numbers were something like 20 city/30 hwy. There was also a note on the sticker that most drivers will experience between 17 and 23 city and between 27 and 33 hwy. (I may be remembering slightly incorrectly, please correct me if you have the actual sticker numbers.) When people experience numbers below these, of course they will want to come to this forum and ask questions of other owners. And occasionally they will want to post complaints.

    You say that if we expected the EPA numbers "advertised" on the sticker then we should be prepared to continue to be disappointed. This is the fourth car that I have owned and only the first that has disappointed on (city) mpg. My commute is different from the commutes I had when owning the other vehicles so that probably has a lot to do with it. However, taking all my driving habits into account, I still feel my city mpg is lower than it should be.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    The person who posted recently on fuel economy was getting 16.4 mpg under very adverse conditions--short trips in the city, in the winter, on a new engine. So since the EPA states (per your recollection) that most Sonata drivers [not all--most] will experience between 17 and 23 mpg in the city, 16.4 mpg is right in there. I really don't see any reason for complaint, or thinking that there is something wrong with the car.

    As for your experience, you admit you don't have a frame of reference since your commute has changed. If you want to put your mind at ease, maybe you could rent a Sonata V6 for a week and take it on your daily commutes, and see if its fuel economy is markedly different than for your car.

    If it helps any, Hyundai engines are well known for being "tight" off the assembly line. They tend to get better fuel economy with some miles on them. For example, when I first got my '01 Elantra MT in October 2000, I struggled to get the EPA city rating of 25 for the first few months. Then after about 1500 miles I noticed the FE started improving, and after five years and 45k miles it was routinely getting upper 20s in around-town driving (nearly a 20% improvement over new) and over 40 mpg on the highway at moderate speeds (under 70), even though the EPA highway rating was 33. So don't lose hope on your Sonata!
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    No, I think I understood perfectly well. In most cases with a new car about all a dealer service person can do is explain correct driving habits (reduce cold idle time for example) and maintainance habits(e.g. check for the drop in tire pressure cold weather brings and correct for it). This and other small things can and should be explained when a customer complains. Additionally, it should be explained that while you can hope for the "advertised" numbers individual driving techniques, weather and traffic circumstances, etc. etc. can and will determine your...your individual..fuel economy and more likely than not you will NOT achieve the city portion at the very least.
    "As to your next point, I think that everyone DOES understand that city mileage will be RELATIVELY poor. That's relative to highway mpg. It doesn't mean the mpg will be poor relative to the sticker city mpg. And I'm really tired of some people reminding others that at idle every vehicle gets zero mpg. I don't think that anyone expects their car to get 20 mpg if it's just running in the garage."
    The answer to this is short...NO everybody does NOT understand this and YES the city MPG usually is worse than the EPA window sticker indicates. For example we have a 2006 Honda Civic EPA 40 highway/30 city. We average 24 mpg (+/- about 1 mpg depending on summer/winter) in our smallish city with no real gridlock. I am not really rabid about these numbers because I feel they are realistic.
    Finally, I remind you the EPA numbers are NOT an advertisement Hyundai posted to induce you and others to buy their cars based on fuel economy but instead a government mandated estimate that all manufacturers are required to post. The key word here is "estimate" and this estimate is based on outdated and flawed testing. I believe the note you refer to is a range of "estimated" fuel economy other like sized/weight vehicles in the same class as the Sonata MIGHT be expected to achieve.
    The bad thing about high expectations regarding EPA estimates is that many (the majority?) do not experience the "advertised" numbers..check all brands/models and you will find these forums full of those who don't get the economy they were led to believe they would get. Fact of life!!
    Yes I do say those who expect (demand? some get quite irate) EPA numbers will be disappointed. It depends on how realistic an individuals expectations are and I believe many here will agree with me that you are more likely to get closer to the highway estimate (generally) than city.
    So, what were your other three cars that met city EPA numbers?? Finally as you state this is a different type commute from the others so you cannot compare the results can you? Different car different drive. Let some others chime in as to their "city" mileage but even then everybody is different as is the severity of their daily drive. The final numbers are as individual as the personality of each driver so whatever number you get may just be an accumulation of everything you do or don't do each day.
  • osaka75osaka75 Member Posts: 88
    Targettuning wrote:

    So, what were your other three cars that met city EPA numbers??

    My reply:
    1987 Honda Accord - purchased in 1986
    1989 Honda Accord - purchased in 1996
    1994 Plymouth Acclaim - received as hand-me-down in 2002.

    I'm not trying to start a war here. There's no reason to. This subthread got started with another poster's very negative comments about his mpg. I posted to defend part of his comments and refute other parts. There are some people on this forum who make crazy comments about our Sonatas. I'm not one of them. In the last few posts I've mentioned that I'm disappointed in my city mpg. Maybe I'm being unrealistic. My city driving yields between 15 and 16 mpg. That seems low but maybe it's what all V6 Sonatas would get on my commute and maybe other cars would perform the same relative to sticker as mine does.
  • bhmr59bhmr59 Member Posts: 1,601
    A couple of questions to try to help put matters into perspective.

    How far is your daily commute? How many stop signs? How many (on average traffic lights do you have to stop for & how long is each stop)? After stopping at a sign or light, do you have to climb a hill to get back up to speed? How long does it take you for your daily commute? In your around town/city driving do you go to "drive-up windows" like banks or fast food places? What is the temperature when you are driving (not the daytime high)? Do you run any short errands during lunch time-trip to bank, post office, food, etc.?

    Sorry if you've explained this before, I didn't have time to research previous posts right now.
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    No war here either but sometimes I feel it necessary to try to put fuel economy numbers into perspective. It pretty much drives me crazy when I read all the posts about how "poor" my snozzlemobile is doing when the manufacturer "advertised" much better economy..never mind that I drive in the most congested city in the country and idle for 4 hours before moving 1/2 mile (overstated for the sake of discussion). If you think Sonata numbers are inflated by owners try the Honda Fit or Civic forums.
  • rickb56rickb56 Member Posts: 14
    2006 v-6 with 800 miles...thanks for your additional points...i have noticed my winter highway mileage in Illinois has dropped to 26-27 or about 2 mpg less than i was getting at same speeds this fall. I also notice wind direction has an effect, losing about 2mpg into a headwind.
  • lightfootfllightfootfl Member Posts: 442
    To those of you reporting your V6's getting mileages in the upper 20's. Is this an average mileage,per tank, or a reading from the computer at various times? I ask only because I do not really understand the extreme differences reported here on this forum. I do know that highway mileages are better than the "city", and that the mileages get better as the cars build their miles, but seeing differences of reported mileages from as low as the low teens, to as high as in the thirties just doesn't seem normal. Of course this is only my opinion, but I am curious. Thanks, van :confuse:
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    The reason you see different mpg's reported by different drivers is that driving habits and conditions vary a LOT. For instance, one Sonata owner might drive with a light foot, stay at posted speeds (which in some states don't go above 65 or 70), keep the tires properly inflated (or even a few psi over recommended specs), and drive mostly on the open road with few stops, and in warm weather. Then at the opposite extreme you could have an owner who exercises the power of the Sonata's V6 at every opportunity (hey, it is fun!), doesn't anticipate stops so his/her foot is always on the gas or brake pedal, drives on congested roads and when they aren't congested drives fast to make up time, doesn't watch tire pressures, and maybe on top of it lives in a cold climate (like for me today it was -13 F this morning). Add all these up and they can make HUGE differences in fuel economy. Hence the slogan, "Your mileage may vary."
  • micro99micro99 Member Posts: 51
    Agree totally with what you say Backy, but I think that part of the difficulty arises when reports are not put into careful context . It is my belief that some persons get an optimum MPG (either by computer reading or manually calculated), based on singularly highway cruising, but then inappropriately report that as an `average` consumption in many of these discussions! Makes a significant difference as you well know . This is not specific to the Sonata for sure !
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Although it could be "average" for them.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Thanks ray_hi. The funny thing is none of these stations are available in my area (South Central PA). I do see that a few are simply suppliers so maybe they do supply some of the convenience stores that dominate my area.
  • xj220xj220 Member Posts: 78
    The mileage on the Sonata is decent, but only if you drive it in a way that it maximaizes its potential. If not, then yes it is noticably worse than your older Accord. But also realize that your previous Accord was samller, lighter and didn't have as much techno gadgets/features as the Sonata. It's a fact that the trend for gasoline cars is that they are actually getting worse mileage then before. And it's mainly because of all the new technology, safety features, and cars getting bigger. The car really shows its potential when you're on the highway. When I drive mostly highway, and I'm talking about a good 20 min minimum at 60-65mph before exiting, I can avg about 30mpg. But when I do a lot of city driving I avg about 19mpg (never below 18mpg -- you really must mash the throttle a lot). I also try not to go above 3000 rpm which IMHO is quite easy to do (60mph is easily done at 2000rpms). And I have no problem keeping it low once the light turns green. I'm not the type of guy who needs to beat someone off the line everytime at a stoplight. I grew out of that phase a long time ago.
  • xj220xj220 Member Posts: 78
    Oh, by the way. Honda settled a potential class action lawsuit when its customers found that the miles on their odometer were being overstated by as much as 4%. Honda claims it was "within regulation", but you gotta wonder why they were in the outskirts of regulation standards when calibrating the odometer by even .1mpg can easily be done by your local dealer. Perhaps Honda has something to gain by overstating how many miles one runs on a tank of gas? Or by having more miles stated on a car before it runs into a potential problem? Or have their customers come in for maintainence work more frequently then they should have?
  • sonataguy07sonataguy07 Member Posts: 12
    Just had the car over a month ago and I only drive it on the weekends. Over the weekend, I was driving using the trip computer - it said the tank is 49 Miles to empty but the low-fuel lights lits up. Is that normal? How far should my car go before it really runs out of gas? With my old car (Toyota) I could go 10 mi from when the low fuel light lits up before I stop and get some gas. However, with the trip computer saying 49 mi to empty, I should be able to go about 30 miles right? I mean I'm not going to push it and let the Sonata run dangerously low on fuel before I load up especially since its my new baby. Any thoughts?
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    The manufacturer usually sets the low fuel light to illuminate while there is still 3 or more gallons left so as to allow those who ignore warnings to "GET SOME GAS STUPID!". Personally, I fidget while on the road and the low fuel light comes on even though through experience I know with certainty there is enough to get me somewhere to refill. You can certainly experiment on how long you can go when the light is on.
  • bhmr59bhmr59 Member Posts: 1,601
    I usually fill up at just under 1/4 of a tank showing on the fuel gage. The low fuel light is indeed a strong message to "get some gas, stupid."

    I've only gone that low twice in almost 2 years, but it is a good, not so subtle message, to get gas real soon.
  • mamamia2mamamia2 Member Posts: 707
    49 Miles? The trip tech is NOT as accurate, certainly it can't predict what style driving you're gonna use in the next 49 miles... So, don't take anything for granted. Also, every gauge is slightly DIFFERENT...

    When the light come on, don't drive the car more than another 15-20 miles. Not worth taking any chances.
  • pekelopdpekelopd Member Posts: 139
    If it really is your new baby, treat it like one! I would NOT recommend you letting your tank drop below 1/4 for 3 reasons. It can freeze up in the winter. It can build up condensation in the summer (waters down the gas). Over the years, you build up sludge that sits at the bottom of your tank and when you drop lower, you start to suck up that sludge into your engine (NOT GOOD!). Correct me if I'm wrong anyone.
  • craigbrookscraigbrooks Member Posts: 420
    In most cars the fuel pump sits on the bottom of the tank and is cooled by the fuel in the tank. Premature fuel pump failure will happen if it overheats often. Better to keep a quarter tank or more in the tank. Just some helpful MONEY saving advice. :)
  • txn428txn428 Member Posts: 41
    Got this from www.hyundai-forums.com
    Seems more reasonable.

    New EPA MPG estimates
  • jacknzonejacknzone Member Posts: 82
    Hi ray1 , you said,some time ago in one of your posting that, people who use higher Octane in there cars are wasting there money !!
    Well now that I have put it to the test , Four weeks on 91 oct and four weeks on 95 oct ,got a average 22 mpg 91 oct and the some for the 95 oct , city driving / Trip computer average speed 32 kph / AC on. There was no noticeable different in performance .65 litres per tank 5 cents different in price between91/95 Using 91 for me over a year is a saving $85.00 :)
  • craigbrookscraigbrooks Member Posts: 420
    Interesting look at the new EPA listings. I regularly get 21 to 22 MPG avg. in my I4 with city driving. Top speed on my trip home is 45 MPH with three lights and one 4-way stop. I'm pretty happy with this.

    Welcome back Jack!
  • jacknzonejacknzone Member Posts: 82
    Hi Craig
    I had a look at my car on EPA , it is the same as your 06 22mpg Would my o4 be the same motor (4 cyl ), I have said this before the gal here is 4.5 litres ,your gal is 3.8 litres so you would think I should get more mpg . the last two months I have been checking my petrol consumption and my average is 22mpg . Maybe the .7 of a litre different is my right foot! :D
  • craigbrookscraigbrooks Member Posts: 420
    Jack I believe my 2.4 litre is a new engine. I'm not sure what you have in yours. Keep in mind we have had cold weather here with snow and ice (lots of slipping). I hope to see a 2 mile difference upwards in the summer.
  • ayyadmayyadm Member Posts: 13
    For more than 4 months & 3566 Miles I haven't get better than average of 19 (max. 20) MPG. I drive exactly 32 miles/day round trip to work. I call it mix Hwy/City (some stop signs & traffic lights. I’d say my average speed is not more than 40-45 ... few miles above 50-55.
    Today was my first real test of Hwy. 70 miles round trip to airport on Saturday i.e. almost steady speed due to moderate traffic. To make the story short, I got ave. of 25.5 MPG. on driving speed of 65-70 miles per hr (Temp. today in Houston is 65 F)
    Now I'm more confident in my car performance. :)
    Bottom line (and as many said before), if you wanna test you car make a 70-100 miles trip on REAL Hwy
    NB.
    My Sonata: SE 2007 V6

    Have a great weekend
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