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Hyundai Sonata Real World MPG

922 messages,  Last post on Apr 21, 2013 at 3:12 PM

You are in the Hyundai Sonata Forum.

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

Messages Page 91 of 93

#893 of 922 Wrong car for certain driving behavior by crankeee

Nov 18, 2012 (8:16 am)

We have a two very different autos. 2010 Lacrosse CXL and 2012 Sonata GLS. Wife's Buick has most options available, leather,small V-6, 18" wheels with low profile tires. Beautiful quiet car with 18-20 mpg in city and 28-30 highway - car weighs ~4000 pounds and rides like a limo.
The Buick was $12M more than the Hyundai MSRP and much more with newer models.
The Sonata has an MSRP in low $20's and weighs in at 3200#,16" standard tires,no leather or glitz but most modern options with adequate I-4 engine ( fairly noisy but good power match with car) and 20-24 in city(wide variation depending upon conditions) and 33-37 on highway depending on speed (not A/C, load, conditions). Great highway car with more noise-wind & engine - good visibility and outstanding MPG so it is the road car choice with high gas cost.
Point is; We are the same drivers for both cars but they are very different in weight, service, options, MPG, comfort, noise level and PRICE. At 50%+ more cost , the Buick should be a more comfortable luxurious car and it is with less MPG . The Hyundai at 20% less weight should get better MPG and it does for us. Both cars deliver the EPA rated MPG, sometimes better. The only real choice for city MPG was to buy a small light weight hybrid which did not work for us. Much discussion on this board about buyers getting the wrong car for their driving needs, either city or highway, lead foot or old folks slow, max comfort or max MPG. Choose wisely within your buying limits and be thankful for good safe cars with good roads to drive on.

#894 of 922 Re: Wrong car for certain driving behavior [crankeee] by longo2

Nov 18, 2012 (11:33 am)

Replying to: crankeee (Nov 18, 2012 8:16 am)
Even the older Buick Centuries with the 3.1 V-6 were amazingly comfortable, quiet and fuel efficient on the highway, 31 to 33 mpgs, and that was over 10 years ago. My Buick Park Ave Ultra got the same highway mpgs as our Nissan Versa.
 
As the car buying public is now seriously picking and choosing different cars with better mpg's, the Oil Companies are simply hiking the gas prices higher and higher to keep the billion$ in profits rolling in every month. (BP is paying their 4 billion fine for the Gulf deep water oil blow out, out of one quarters profits)
 
 I think the truth is, if everyone were driving 100 mpg cars, the price of gas would simply go to $20.00 a gallon.
 
$

#895 of 922 Re: My new 2013 Sonata Limited [backy] by sonata13loser

Nov 18, 2012 (9:00 pm)

Replying to: backy (Nov 18, 2012 6:45 am)
Yes, I did reset the mpg meter when I filled up and entered the highway. I now reset it every once in a while while driving in town hoping to erase old bad mpg and start fresh, but the results do not change significantly.

#896 of 922 Re: Wrong car for certain driving behavior [longo2] by crankeee

Nov 19, 2012 (6:30 am)

Replying to: longo2 (Nov 18, 2012 11:33 am)
We had a 98 Bonneville that always got 30+ at speed limit plus and 16-20 in town. Big heavy road car - just got old , like the drivers , so we traded. The maintenance cost on an older car is a serious factor what with the O/S warranties on certain cars now. If we get a good car, we keep it 10 years or more.
Oil companies play the lobbying game very well. Price of gas has NOTHING to do with cost to produce crude + refineries. They are allowed to make 6% of the cost so high cost foreign crude works better for profits than low cost domestic. Check out a long term comparison of crude oil cost vs. profits.
Now they are EXPORTING petroleum/gas at established higher prices due to "world demand". What happened to keeping our resources for national security Mr. Politician?

#897 of 922 Re: My new 2013 Sonata Limited [sonata13loser] by backy

Nov 19, 2012 (7:40 am)

Replying to: sonata13loser (Nov 18, 2012 9:00 pm)
Have you taken your car into the dealer to see if there's something mechanically wrong with it? 26 mpg while cruising on the highway at a moderate speed (e.g. under 70) is way too low for that car, assuming it's operating normally.

#898 of 922 Re: Wrong car for certain driving behavior [crankeee] by longo2

Nov 19, 2012 (8:54 am)

Replying to: crankeee (Nov 19, 2012 6:30 am)
"What happened to keeping our resources for national security Mr. Politician?"
 
Mr. Politician is likely bought and paid for by the Koch Brothers
 
MPG' forums are everywhere, you name the Car, and there's someone posting that's not meeting or beating the window sticker mileage. This is one area where 'taking it into the dealer' is a total waste of your time.
  
 Unless it's bucking, backfiring, and stalling right at the door, it comes out "Can't replicate the issue" or "no stored code"...or bring it back when it does it again...
With an underperforming mpg vehicle about all you can hope for is that you leased it.

#899 of 922 MPG... then and now by targettuning

Nov 20, 2012 (6:51 am)

I see many who lament that their big old Pontiac, Buick Ford,... "insert name here"... got great mpg e.g. 30+ highway... "insert mileage here"... even with a big V-6, 4 speed auto, and all that road hugging weight so why oh why can't the latest technology at least duplicate that ? Well, blame, if you are looking for a entity to blame, the good ole US government. Howzaat? Well, first and maybe formost the ever stricter EPA emission requirements. Is it good enough that the air quality coming out of the tailpipe of a modern car is cleaner than the air going into the airbox? Nooooo so strike #1 is emissions. All that great technology is enabling manufacturers to merely tread water fuel economy and driveability wise. OK strike 2 is ethanol, 10%...15%...85% all of it reduces fuel economy by a minimum of 3-5% 10% blends to much, much more at higher levels. In addition to at least one magazine exploring this with the same vehicle using various blends from E-10-85% then compairing that to straight gas and noting the DECREASE in economy by nearly 20% if I recall on E-85. Actually I have noted the same decrease percentage on a 1995 car that I have had for 10 years and keeping track of economy before and after ethanol..a 5% decrease for me consistantly. Strike 3 is marketing, every manufacturer is now selling fuel economy and if your sub compact can't claim 40+ your compact 38+ your mid size 34 or 35 and even your SUV middle 20's then people move on even though the whole package as a car is super. This is proved out here where apparently most of you complainers generally like the car as a whole BUT dislike the fuel economy so lets throw the car out. Why? I guess unless it meets or exceeds the sticker numbers then Hyundai... or"insert offending manufacturer here"... as a company are liars and frauds. In my opinion for a relatively large powerful roomy sedan to get at least something over 30mpg, as most get, in this environment of ever stricter restrictions, crummy diluted gas, and a nation of chronic speeders is remarkable. By the way though I generally like Hyundai please check other forums for complainers concerning "poor" (read less than the advertised sticker fuel economy). Hint, you will find this complaint from probably every model from every manufacturer. Again, "you can't please all the people all the time" how true.

#900 of 922 Re: MPG... then and now [targettuning] by tenpin288

Nov 20, 2012 (9:18 am)

Replying to: targettuning (Nov 20, 2012 6:51 am)
How about strike 4? Many of the people who compare new cars to old neglect to factor in the weight differences. An older compact car compared to a new compact is generally smaller, lighter, and less safe due to the changes in required safety equipment now mandated by our government. Think airbags, ABS, TCS, rollover standards, crumple zones, etc. All those mandated requirements mean that the new cars, regardless of make, need all the technology they can reasonably include to get close to the economy of the older cars. Plus many models have actually moved up in class and luxury compared to older models of the same name. There are just so many factors involved.

#901 of 922 Re: MPG... then and now [tenpin288] by larrys1352

Nov 20, 2012 (12:01 pm)

Replying to: tenpin288 (Nov 20, 2012 9:18 am)
When I joined this forum I thought it would be a good exchange of ideas on Sonata mileage issues. So many of the Sonata owners I chatted with had way less than promised MPG. Goodness, even the head of Hyundai auto in Korea acknowledged and apologized for the deception. And if any of you travelled throughout Asia as I did during my working days then you realize how embarassing that is for them. It's called "loss of face", and even prompts some executives to commit suicide.
But all I got from this forum was comments from presumed Hyundai employees or salespeople saying how it is my fault. One guy who referred to us as a moron should be banned from this forum.
I am removing my name from the forum list...hey I'm retired and financially secure...who needs this crap.
To the moderators of this forum...you need to discipline some of these posters.

#902 of 922 Re: MPG... then and now [larrys1352] by targettuning

Nov 20, 2012 (1:03 pm)

Replying to: larrys1352 (Nov 20, 2012 12:01 pm)
I am THAT GUY and as I stated in reply to an earlier post where the person replying to my "moron" statement called ME a moron. I explained that the term "moron" was a generalization of those "morons" who drive agressively, speeding then slamming on the brakes to stop at the next red signal light, only to rocket off to do it all over again THEN complain about poor fuel economy. I was NOT calling anyone here, in particular, names. So, goodby and happy Thanksgiving! Free speech still prevails, I think.

Messages Page 91 of 93

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