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Hyundai Santa Fe Real World MPG

506 messages,  Last post on May 01, 2013 at 1:21 PM

You are in the Hyundai Santa Fe Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Santa Fe, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), SUV

Messages Page 48 of 52

#464 of 506 Re: Regular Unleaded [graceh] by mtnman1

Feb 24, 2011 (3:21 pm)

Replying to: graceh (Feb 24, 2011 10:25 am)
How do you figure you were duped by the dealer? The federal government is the one that estimates fuel economy. I would say you were duped all right. By the Government. Actually I think the admin we have now has been duping us since day one.

#465 of 506 Re: Regular Unleaded [mtnman1] by bokonon3

Feb 24, 2011 (5:02 pm)

Replying to: mtnman1 (Feb 24, 2011 3:21 pm)
Easy with the political jibes, mtnman. People come here to get away from that stuff.
 
I have a 2007 Santa Fe. My wife have a different driving style than mine, and regularly gets around 17-22 mpg. I drive with a much lighter foot, and let the transmission row through the gears more gradually, and average several miles per gallon. I find the car accelerates just fine ... but you don't want to floor the accelerator, or kick down gears. Aggressive driving in the mountains or in commuter traffic makes the mileage drop off for exactly that reason.
 
I also use midgrade gasoline, which seems to improve both the Santa Fe's performance and mileage, and keep the tires inflated to the recommended pressure. I also swapped out the OEM tires for something different. All of these things make small improvements.
 
All time best mileage I've managed in my Santa Fe is 27 mpg - which I managed for a 200 mile trip on the interstate, driving mostly downhill, with a tailwind.

#466 of 506 Re: Regular Unleaded [bokonon3] by ncsu602

Feb 26, 2011 (7:15 pm)

Replying to: bokonon3 (Feb 24, 2011 5:02 pm)
2008 Limited FWD, 40k miles. Right now it has fresh Pennzoil Platinum 5w-20 with a Hyundai filter. I also have a K&N drop in air filter that is cleaned regularly and never over-oiled. My wife drives 70% city and averages 20.5 based on the computer. I've always been too scared to check by calculation. I just put Nitto NT850 Premiums on it in the stock size and they are great tires, mpgs stayed the exact same. I've noticed that it'll drop down to 19-19.5 about every 6 months. I read somewhere to pull the negative battery cable and reset the computer, since it learns your driving habits. I did this a month ago with the oil change and it's back up to 20.5 or so. She works out of her car and carries 200+ lbs of therapy toys all the time with the 3rd row seats down. The therapy stuff comes out for trips.
 
We've got as high as 27 on the highway, but the mileage falls off considerably above 75mph. 25-27mpg at 70-75mph, 80+ is 22-23.
 
On the plus side (knock on wood), it's never been back to the dealership for anything. I change my own oil, so no issues so far.

#467 of 506 Re: Santa Fe 09 poor gas mileage [graceh] by gapeach537

Mar 30, 2011 (7:05 pm)

Replying to: graceh (Feb 04, 2011 6:01 am)
Hi graceh...just wanted to ask you, are you getting your mpg average directly from your car or are you averaging it yourself the old fashioned way with a pen and paper at the gas pump? Just asking because I just bought a 2011 SF & my car computer is telling me that i'm getting 24.3 mpg average, but when I fill up at the pump and do the math myself...i'm really only getting about 16 mpg.

#468 of 506 Re: Santa Fe 09 poor gas mileage [gapeach537] by rppauto

Mar 31, 2011 (6:48 am)

Replying to: gapeach537 (Mar 30, 2011 7:05 pm)
car's mpg calculator is not very dependable.
There is a reset button on the panel. Reset it and then see how it goes.
I also heard that it resets automatically when you refill your tank (i doubt this though).
 
my 2011 SF AWD SE gives me 18mpg combined and 22mpg highway 70mph.
Yeah, it is not good.
However, it gives 27mpg 55mph.

#469 of 506 Re: Santa Fe 09 poor gas mileage [gapeach537] by graceh

Mar 31, 2011 (8:06 am)

Replying to: gapeach537 (Mar 30, 2011 7:05 pm)
Hi!
My husband drives highway 65-70mph. Best he can get is 18.1 to 18.8mpg. Nothing has improved, even after investing a ton of money at multiple dealers. We believe our car is a "lemon" and will never buy another Santa Fe again! We haven't tried to check the old fashioned way.....maybe we should. But, I'm afraid it will bring worse news than what we already have. we're stuck with the car because our trade in would be an enormous loss in $$$. Good Luck!

#470 of 506 Re: Santa Fe 09 poor gas mileage [graceh] by mtnman1

Mar 31, 2011 (8:26 am)

Replying to: graceh (Mar 31, 2011 8:06 am)
Until you do it manually with a calculator you will never know the true mileage. Do not rely on the computer in the car. I have found that in most cases the computer reads a little higher than the real MPG. In the case of my Ford Fusion it sometimes reads a mile less when I compare it with my calculations using a calculator. In recent weeks my 2011 Sorento V6 has only gotten about 25 Mpg Highway and 18 City. A few weeks ago I took my youngest son up to visit a college campus about 90 Miles from home. Round trip right after filling before we left actually was only 19MPG running 70 mph and half on two lane country roads at about 55 mph. I attribute that to the fact that it is cold and from what I was told by a Firestone Mechanic that the gas stations recently changed over their fuel mixtures to the summer grade. Said this will cause a temporary drop in Fuel Economy. Your's might be a unique problem for that vehicle. If so, I would be disappointed as well.

#471 of 506 Re: Santa Fe 09 poor gas mileage [graceh] by ncsu602

Mar 31, 2011 (11:16 am)

Replying to: graceh (Mar 31, 2011 8:06 am)
Not sure if this will help any of you guys but it's worth a shot. We've got a 2008 Limited FWD that my wife drives. Normally she's about 70%/30% city in stop and go traffic and the computer says anywhere from 20-21 mpg. On the highway it normally says 25-26, but drops severely after 70mph to around 21-22 at 80. I'm actually scared to check it manually, I'm afraid as to what it would say. I'll live in my fantasy world.
 
What I've noticed and read somewhere is over a 6-8 month period, the mpg will go down into the 19s. If you pull the battery cable, it resets the computer. The computer learns how you drive and adjusts things to you. It will go from 19.5 to almost 21 in 3 or 4 days after resetting. Give it a try, I do mine with every oil change and run synthetic oil with a factory Hyundai filter. I've got almost 45k and knock on wood it's never been back to the dealership. Good luck!

#472 of 506 Re: Santa Fe 09 poor gas mileage [ncsu602] by mtnman1

Mar 31, 2011 (11:40 am)

Replying to: ncsu602 (Mar 31, 2011 11:16 am)
First off driving 80mph is not only a bit reckless, but against the law. Sorry my oldest is a city cop. Anyway driving faster is going to reduce your MPG. That's a no brainer. I get optimum MPG between 55 to 70 mph. I use my cruise contol always on the open road. I think people that do not use the cruise tend to fluctuate their speeds which will defintely have an effect. Of course, finding open road anymore is getting more difficult especially around large metro areas. Driving to visit family in Pittsburgh from Columbus on I-70 can sometimes be impossible to use cruise. If you are driving 70mph cars are blowing by you. We take an alternate route which is about 70% 4 lane highway and at times 2 lane curvey road. But traffic is generally light and almost no trucks. There I have been running 25 to 26 Mpg for the entire trip in our Sorento FWD V6. This is over some very hilly to Mountainess (If that's a word) terrain. I will consult a mechanic about your tip.

#473 of 506 Re: Regular Unleaded [ncsu602] by lca2

Apr 21, 2011 (4:41 pm)

Replying to: ncsu602 (Feb 26, 2011 7:15 pm)
Has anyone had major mileage decrease after the dealer "fixed" a hesitation?
Theyclaim to have adjusted the PCM module. My miles went from19/21 in town to 16.3 and on the current tank it is down to 14.3 on the dial. I haven't yet checked fill-up amount against mileage.
 
Since the dealer made the change on Apr 9th 2011 I have gone ~350 miles and have gone through the equivalent of 2 tanks of gas.
 
Advice?

Messages Page 48 of 52

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