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Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2011 MY and earlier

656 messages,  Last post on Jun 04, 2013 at 5:35 PM

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What is this discussion about? Hyundai Elantra, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), Sedan

    

Messages Page 33 of 67

#315 of 656 mpg by svensmor

Jul 06, 2011 (8:05 pm)

2012 elantra mt 480 miles on odo.first tank of fuel averaged 39.83 miles per gallon.These are real calculations not on board computer calculated. The first tank had only about 60 miles hwy.On the highway i was getting between 48 and 49 with hills.Granted these hwy miles were done alternating between 60 and 62 miles an hour as to break the car in and not maintain a constant speed for too long as recommended by the manual for the first 600 miles.
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.

#316 of 656 - by dudleyr

Jul 07, 2011 (8:52 am)

Excellent mpg. A manual transmission is the only way to go for numbers like those - despite what the EPA may say.
 
Wish they offer the stick on the higher trims.

#317 of 656 39.83 great by mikeystoy5

Jul 07, 2011 (8:05 pm)

Just made our second tip from Duhram, NC, to Knoxville, Tn.. Gas mileage was great as far as I'm concerned. Averaged 38.79 which was mostly hwy. We have a 2011 Elntra GLS automatic, with 3200 miles on it. Felt real good about it, since we have to go up an down thru some mountains.( I call them hills, real mountains are west of Mississippi )

#318 of 656 Not Happy w/ MPG by thfrazer

Jul 13, 2011 (8:22 pm)

I've got just over a 1000 miles on my 2012 Elantra GLS A/T and I have yet to get anything over about 31mpg. I followed the supposed "break in" procedures. I go easy on the gas pedal during starts, etc. I do drive at a speed about 5-8mph over the limit, but I'm in Florida where it's flat for goodness sake! On one tank I drove around town, drove to work (30 mile one way, mostly highway) and took a road trip to Naples on I-75 and got 30.7mpg. When my 11 year old BMW with an Inline 6 cylinder and tons more horsepower can get 23-25mpg over the same routes with the same driver (me) I have got to wonder what the hell is going on.
 
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

#319 of 656 Not Happy with my MPG by raerae15425

Jul 14, 2011 (7:15 pm)

I have had my Elantra since Feb, and have well over 6000 miles on it and my average MPG is 31.........I am really unhappy with this since I traded in an 04 with 104,000 miles on it and it got 35 miles to the gallon..........we just did 2 highway trips, and I got 30.1 MPG, and this was calculated by filling up before and after the trip. Really unhappy because now not only do I have a car payment........I'm going to have to take out a loan for the gas that I put in this car compaired to the old one. Not happy with this new car at all.......and the window sticker said 35 city and 40 highway...........false advertising if I ever saw it.

#320 of 656 Re: Not Happy with my MPG [raerae15425] by backy

Jul 14, 2011 (8:42 pm)

Replying to: raerae15425 (Jul 14, 2011 7:15 pm)
Which Elantra did you buy? The window stickers of all Elantras sold in the USA say 29 city and 40 highway.
 
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.

#321 of 656 Re: Not Happy w/ MPG [thfrazer] by sarah2175

Jul 15, 2011 (8:13 am)

Replying to: thfrazer (Jul 13, 2011 8:22 pm)
Give it some time...you only have 1000 miles on your car. Also, when you are driving on the highway, how fast are you going?

#322 of 656 Re: Not Happy w/ MPG [sarah2175] by thfrazer

Jul 16, 2011 (2:59 pm)

Replying to: sarah2175 (Jul 15, 2011 8:13 am)
Thank you all for your optimism. I hope I am proven wrong about the Elantra's MPG.
 
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

#323 of 656 Re: Not Happy w/ MPG [thfrazer] by sarah2175

Jul 16, 2011 (7:43 pm)

Replying to: thfrazer (Jul 16, 2011 2:59 pm)
Again, give it some time. My 2011 Elantra has about 3,300 on it, and I had the same issue as you did. It evens out...don't be so angry about it and have a little patience.
 
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)

#324 of 656 Re: Not Happy w/ MPG [thfrazer] by mikeystoy5

Jul 17, 2011 (5:40 pm)

Replying to: thfrazer (Jul 16, 2011 2:59 pm)
Yes, Enthynol will affect gas mileage, I would say bt a few gallons a mile. Also, using the cruise control helps out alot. You have to stop an remember that those advertised MPG's are based on ideal conditions. The fuel tank on all 2011 Elantra's is 12.8 gallons, not 11.7, and why in the world would you wait till it shows dashes on the miles to go. That is an estimate, not true mileage left. It's based on driving habits, weather, traffic an type of fuel. Mine has almost 3200 miles an on a recent trip to Tennessee, we averaged almost 39 mpg., an acording to the idiot gauge on the dash we were getting almost 42.5. Never trust something that is estimating what your getting for mileage.
   You can say what you want, but i think that I'm getting exactly what I paid for, sorry you don't.

Messages Page 33 of 67

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