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Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2011 MY and earlier

655 messages,  Last post on Nov 25, 2012 at 6:27 PM

You are in the Hyundai Elantra Forum.

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

    

Messages Page 65 of 66

#636 of 655 Re: Another un-happy and frustrated 2011 Elantra owner [sandiegolinda] by hyundaidame

Sep 10, 2012 (5:21 pm)

Replying to: sandiegolinda (Sep 10, 2012 11:44 am)
I just brought this case to lemon Law but Hyundai says mileage is not covered under their warranty. Some states (CA for one) is going the class action lawsuit route. Check out Consumer Watchdog's site. I live in Maine but bought my car in MA so I am going to be asking around for a MA attorney who might take it on. We got totally ripped off with no recourse. No other major manufacturer could get away with such deception. If you have facebook, post your comments on Hyundai's facebook page. Tell everyone you know. They are so condescending and their customer service lies to everyone.

#637 of 655 Re: Another un-happy and frustrated 2011 Elantra owner [camaroman2012] by 43mpg

Sep 18, 2012 (3:46 pm)

Replying to: camaroman2012 (Jun 04, 2012 1:51 pm)
I just returned from a 5000 mile trip (mostly highway) that went from Austin, Tx to Maine and returned. 2 people plus luggage and camping gear. From Austin to Niagara Falls I was getting 42-44 mpg driving 60-70 with AC on, with tires at 30-32 using regular gas in my 2011 Elantra GLS with 16" tires ( the tires still look new). I never use cruise control. I now have 20,000 miles on the car. When I pull 2 kayaks and a small trailer I get around 34 mpg. If you are not getting at least 35, there is either something wrong with the engine or you have a heavy foot.

#638 of 655 Re: Just curious [eweiner] by shellrenee

Sep 21, 2012 (8:08 am)

Replying to: eweiner (Feb 01, 2012 7:47 am)
I agree I own a 2011 Elantra and in city limits with a speed limit of 30-35 I usually range about 25-28 mpg.... now on the highway at a speed limit of 65-70 I've gotten up to 47.6 mpg. So i take the good with the bad and it is what it is. BUT I also have the rattle that most talk about on this forum, I just havent made it into the shop yet.

#639 of 655 22 mpg for 2011 Hyundai Elantra by bkoopers

Oct 10, 2012 (8:47 pm)

I have driven my 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS for 11,100 miles over 18 months and the car has consistently averaged 21 to 22 mpg on each full tank of gas. I drive 10 miles a day round trip to and from work in stop and go traffic and a few times a month, I travel about an hour each way on a parkway to and from a major city. I had the car serviced at my Hyundai dealership yesterday and complained that I have been averaging only about 22 mpg but the car is rated at 29 to 40 mpg. I was told that they checked the car and it is functioning normally. I asked does that mean that 22 mpg is normal and I was told yes. I then asked does that mean the car should be rated at 22 mpg and not 29 to 40 mpg and I was told yes.

#640 of 655 Re: 22 mpg for 2011 Hyundai Elantra [bkoopers] by bhmr59

Oct 12, 2012 (8:46 am)

Replying to: bkoopers (Oct 10, 2012 8:47 pm)
Your problem is your short commute and stop & go traffic. The car is just getting warmed up when you are at your destination. If your stop & go traffic is extreme recognise that you are constantly accelerating with little cruising. Your occassional hour drive on a parkway will not make a big difference in a tank of gas which otherwise consists of your daily short haul stop & go.

#641 of 655 Re: 22 mpg for 2011 Hyundai Elantra [bhmr59] by bkoopers

Oct 12, 2012 (3:47 pm)

Replying to: bhmr59 (Oct 12, 2012 8:46 am)
Is not the definition of the "city" rating "stop & go traffic" (i.e., traffic lights and stop signs)? The City rating is 29 mpg and I get only 22 mpg.
 
My previous car was a 2007 Nissan Sentra 2.0S. It was rated at 25 to 33 mpg. With the same driving patterns as with 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS, at 11,000 miles, I was averaging 25 mpg. I guess that means that Nissan's mpg ratings are accurate and Hyundai's are inflated. I wish I would have known that before I bought the car.

#642 of 655 Re: 22 mpg for 2011 Hyundai Elantra [bkoopers] by fushigi

Oct 12, 2012 (6:06 pm)

Replying to: bkoopers (Oct 12, 2012 3:47 pm)
Yes, but when an engine is cold - really until it reaches full normal operating temperature - the ECU runs a richer fuel-air mixture. More fuel is burned to keep the engine running smoothly, avoid knocks/pings, and bring the engine up to temp quickly. With your short commute the engine is not reaching full operating temp so the ECU never switches over to the leaner fuel-air mix.
 
It's entirely possibly that Hyundai's and Nissan's engineers have different programming standards and different ways of handling their particular engine's characteristics.
 
I'm not making excuses for Hyundai, nor do I think Nissan's tech is necessarily better. Just trying to explain the problem with a short commute and that different manufacturers will have different approaches to engine management.
 
When you have some extra time, try running the car until the temp is full normal, and then some for a few minutes to make sure. Then reset the trip computer and see what mileage you attain.

#643 of 655 2013 True MPG by teddyballgame

Oct 12, 2012 (8:16 pm)

2013 Elantra GLS, auto. After 5K miles and reading allot of posts about this car's MPG I think something is clear: your city mpg will vary between 22 to 24, while your highway will be around 34 to 35 (mile marker to mile marker, once at speed on a flat road) Combined = 27. Hyundai's claimed MPG estimate 15% overstated in city driving and 10% overstated on the highway measured by the ACTUAL FUEL USED / MILES DRIVEN. My 2007 Sonata gave me 17 city and 32 highway and a combined 23. My dealer confirmed this.
 
Hyundai gears its trannys to give high mpg's on the highway, but at the sacrifice of really bad mpg's in acceleration and in stop and go city driving. And those really bad city mpg's rapidly decrease a much larger number of highway mile mpgs. THE REDUCTION IN COMBINED MILEAGE HAPPENS FAST!
 
It's a game.

#644 of 655 Re: 2013 True MPG [teddyballgame] by m6user

Oct 12, 2012 (10:48 pm)

Replying to: teddyballgame (Oct 12, 2012 8:16 pm)
Just so it's clear. Every car for sale in the U.S. goes through the same exact EPA tests for both city and hwy. They are accelerated the same, braked the same, driven the same speeds, go through the same amount of simulated stop lights, etc etc etc. It's not the manufacturer's test...it's the EPA's test. The manufactures have to test them in strict accordance to the EPA criteria and the EPA randomly does there own tests to verify the manufactures. So the claims are the manufacturers but they are derived from the EPA test and not some arbitrary manufactures test. The EPA test is not just heavy, stop and go urban traffic simulation. It's a combination of urban, suburban, light blvd etc to simulate "city" driving in Des Moines as well as New York. They are both city driving but can substantially different mpg results. So they try to reach a compromise to give you an idea of what kind of a range you might expect. You have to apply your conditions and decide if you are probably at the bottom or top of the range for your expectations.
 
That said, it would be almost impossible for the average consumer to exactly match all the driving conditions that the test is made up of. If you actually read the EPA sticker it will give a range for city and a range for hwy with a number somewhere in between each boldly printed. I don't know what the exact numbers are on the Elantra but it is probably something like 22-32 for city and 34-42 for hwy. What that means is that if you drive only a few miles each way to work through a lot of urban stop and go traffic, your mpg will probably be at the very lowest end of the city range which would be around 22 or 23. That kind of driving is about the worse you can get.
 
It's been stated often that the Elantra doesn't have a lot of torque or grunt off the line. If someone was used to a certain amount of speed when taking off with their old car they may just push the gas pedal a little harder in the Elantra to get that same feeling of grunt or speed off the line. That will affect MPG greatly and possibly explain why another car may have performed as well as the Elantra even though it's mpg ratings were lower as estimated by the EPA.

#645 of 655 Re: 22 mpg for 2011 Hyundai Elantra [bhmr59] by hyundaidame

Oct 16, 2012 (6:04 pm)

Replying to: bhmr59 (Oct 12, 2012 8:46 am)
The car is a rip off. Hyundai has totally mis lead its customers. They need to stop blaming the drivers.

Messages Page 65 of 66

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