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Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2012

745 messages,  Last post on May 18, 2013 at 10:29 AM

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

Messages Page 11 of 75

#101 of 745 Re: hyundai elantra 2012 real mpg [elantra4] by bhmr59

Jan 06, 2012 (9:31 pm)

Replying to: elantra4 (Jan 06, 2012 2:48 pm)
Was your trip computer reset for the first time after your trip at the time of the oil change? A few thousand miles of highway driving, without resetting the computer, will lead one to think the local milage after the trip is better than it is due to the computer being based on weighted average.
 
Many people, regardless of the car, think their computer MPG read out is wrong because 1) they haven't had one before & 2) they don't realize how much of a difference 1/4 or 1/2 gallon in a fill up can make in the manual MPG calculation.

#102 of 745 Re: Test Results re:what a bunch of hot air! [backy] by g2iowa

Jan 07, 2012 (8:26 am)

Replying to: backy (Jan 06, 2012 8:57 am)
The test results are what they are. But people can't have it both ways. One can't say, the testers are being too hard on Hyundai and then say the numbers are so close to the estimate that they don't matter. The magazines have no incentive to be "too hard" or "too mommyish" in their tests, for if they did they'd lose credibility with readers. The C&D info was from separate tests: Veloster (a test), CR-V (a test), and the 3 high performance sports cars (all as one test). Oddly, the test results reported across many magazines and tests are showing Hyundais that are coming in at or below their city ratings. Notice how C&D pointed out that the (earlier separate test) result for the 6-speed manual Veloster was even WORSE (25 mpg overall) than the result for the DCT Veloster (28 mpg overall), even though the EPA figures are "comparable", at about 29 mpg city?

#103 of 745 A Winter Tale of 2 Elantra GLS Tanks: 37 mpg hwy vs 23 mpg city by g2iowa

Jan 07, 2012 (8:38 am)

Filled my Elantra GLS up twice yesterday. From the same station and the same pump. Used 87 octane non-ethanol regular unleaded. Tires all at 34 psi. Daily temp range for just yesterday was from about 54 deg F to 40 deg F (unseasonably warm this time of year in midwest). Car had about 1000 miles on ODO to start (start of tank 1) and ended with about 1400 miles total (end of tank 2). So while out of break-in period, she still doesn't have a lot of miles on her. And this is winter.
 
Tank 2: 36.96 mpg overall. Drove 292.0 miles of mainly interstate and used 7.901 gals. Did speed limit entire time (mostly 70 mph). Used active Eco entire time and cruise control for nearly all of it. Drive out 1 adult and no luggage. Drive back 2 adults and 60 pounds of luggage. Filled tank up immediately upon completion of highway drive. Computer calculated 39.5 mpg, so read about 6% high.
 
Tank 1: 22.78 mpg overall. Drove just 105.8 miles of city/suburb and used 4.644 gals. This was mainly short trips of 1 mile or so one way to grocery store, post office, etc. Didn't use any active Eco and no cruise control. Mostly 1 adult with no luggage but sometimes 2 adults. Temps were colder. Engine rarely heated up all the way. Filled tank up before going on the highway drive. Computer calculated 25.4 mpg, so read about 10% too high.
 
No surprise with either tank. Short cold trips in winter kill FE. Long trips on interstate with nice weather show good FE. My computer continues to read too high on nearly every tank, so I have to go by actual gals used in light of actual miles driven for most accurate result.

#104 of 745 Re: Test Results re:what a bunch of hot air! [g2iowa] by backy

Jan 07, 2012 (2:43 pm)

Replying to: g2iowa (Jan 07, 2012 8:26 am)
Notice how C&D pointed out that the (earlier separate test) result for the 6-speed manual Veloster was even WORSE (25 mpg overall) than the result for the DCT Veloster (28 mpg overall), even though the EPA figures are "comparable", at about 29 mpg city?
 
The key phrase is "earlier separate test". Since the manual and DCT cars were tested separately, we don't know how conditions and driving behavior compare between the two tests. What would be interesting is a comparison of the manual and DCT under exactly the same conditions--as close as is possible anyway.

Oddly, the test results reported across many magazines and tests are showing Hyundais that are coming in at or below their city ratings.
 
The test reports from car mags like C/D almost always have low fuel economy numbers, based on how they drive the cars. CR tends to drive cars more like normal people would, and they've reported:
 
Accent: 31 overall (above city rating)
Elantra: 29 overall (at city rating)
Elantra Touring: 26 overall (above city rating... actually at the EPA combined rating)
Sonata GLS: 27 overall (above city rating... actually above the EPA combined rating)
Tucson: 22 overall (at city rating)
Santa Fe: 20 overall (at city rating)
 
So from CR's tests at least, all the Hyundais they've recently tested at least hit the EPA city rating, and 50% exceeded the city rating.
 

#105 of 745 2011 Limited, 13K miles - 32-34 mpgs/highway by elimited

Jan 08, 2012 (5:03 am)

Just purchased a used Elantra Limited last week. 13K miles on it, well maintained with several oil/filter changes to date.
 
Drive about 100 miles/day to work and have averaged about 32 mpg on winter gas in Northeast corridor.
 
ECO on, cruise control sometimes, other times around 80 to blend with the flow of traffic.
 
Based on what I've been reading here I think 40 may be possible in warmer temps, all highway etc., but I'm pretty sure it won't be happening anytime soon for me.

#106 of 745 Re: Hwy FE re: 2011 Limited- 32-34 mpgs/highway [elimited] by g2iowa

Jan 08, 2012 (6:53 am)

Replying to: elimited (Jan 08, 2012 5:03 am)
Think a key to achieving 40 mpg highway is to be realistic on the speeds driven. From what I'm seeing in my '12 GLS AT, both FE achieved at driven speeds and looking at the tachometer as speed increases, I seriously doubt one should expect 40 mpg if one routinely is driving 75 mph and up. So if you're going 80 mph, getting 32 mpg may be quite realistic. But it seems entirely realistic to achieve 40 mpg at steady speeds in the 60-65 mph range. Just because the EPA stickers it at 40 mpg highway doesn't mean one can drive at 75, 80, or 85 mph and expect to get max FE. Higher speeds force engine to work much harder and FE to suffer accordingly.
 
I took my daughter back to campus yesterday. I decided to drive on interstate at 62 mph with active ECO and cruise control. Only 90 miles roundtrip. The other 18 miles were city/suburb driving. But the computer mpg reading was at 42 mpg and rising. When I filled her up, I achieved 37.62 mpg (107.6 miles and 2.860 gals). Once again the computer reading higher than actual result achieved. Used 87 oct unleaded (non-ethanol). Was about 40-45 deg F. Two adults and 60 pounds luggage on way up; only 1 adult on way back.

#107 of 745 1st full tank disappointing by mikewallace1

Jan 08, 2012 (6:54 pm)

This is the 1st tank that I started tracking. 500 miles on the Limited.
 
Drove it 80 miles highway and 180 non highway and I averaged 24.8mpg - computer had it at 25.8.
 
Only got 258 miles on a tank and took 10.4 to fill up.

#108 of 745 Re: 1st full tank disappointing [mikewallace1] by backy

Jan 09, 2012 (6:18 am)

Replying to: mikewallace1 (Jan 08, 2012 6:54 pm)
Can you tell us more about conditions of the 260 miles? Speed on highway, temperature, wind, # of stops, traffic, average speed (I think the Elantra tracks that?), tire pressures? Thanks.

#109 of 745 FE Update on 2012 Limited with 4500+ miles by majorben

Jan 09, 2012 (7:15 am)

I just wanted to let you know that for the past 5 weeks my wife has used the vehicle exclusively (long story behind that). Anyway, she travels to and from work, and she does most of the shopping, so her use has mostly been local. Short trips between 5 and 25 miles. Her daily drive to work is approximately 15 miles round trip. The car has been averaging approx. 24.5 mpg per tank, and to me, that doesn't seem to be too bad considering that we've been using 87 octane with 10% ethanol and that we're now in winter temps (Although, it has been a rather mild winter with most night time temps getting into the 20's-30's and most daytime temps in the 40's-50's.) The car is kept in the garage overnight (lucky her), so there hasn't been any warmup period in the morning when she starts it.
 
This past weekend when the car was averaging approx, 22.5 mpg as per the car's readout, she had to take it on a 90 mile drive that was mostly (95%) highway. The speed limit on the highway is mostly 65, and she most always did just that. (She's a very conservative driver.) She had 2 passengers for the entire trip (approx 275 lbs in addition to her weight), and the hills were minor on the first part of her trip, but there were some average to above average hills on the 2nd part of the trip. Thankfully, the FE went up to 33 mpg after she calculated it at a fill up. It seems to me that the FE is about as good as it is going to get because the breakin period is just about done. Although, I would expect, and I would hope, that it got better FE during the warmer months especially with non-ethanol gas, I rather doubt that it is going to get much better than 35-36. All in all, that's not too bad, but it remains to be seen.
 
We'll be taking it in to the dealer for it's 1st service soon, and we'll be asking for a fuel consumption test. I doubt that anything will be found, and if not, I, too, will be contacting Hyundai for what it is worth, if nothing changes after the car gets more tank fulls after this 1st oil change and after the warmer weather arrives. I still remain to be impressed.

#110 of 745 Re: Test Results re:what a bunch of hot air! [backy] by crankeee

Jan 09, 2012 (12:40 pm)

Replying to: backy (Jan 07, 2012 2:43 pm)
Backy: Your post on Hyundai models is exactly the reason we chose the 2012 Sonata GLS over the Elantra and other models to include Camry, Altima, Malibu etc. 24/35 vs. 29/40 for the Sonata vs. Elantra. We were tempted by the high Elantra numbers but opted for the larger (read more comfort) choice. so far the MPG is 22-25 in city driving and 37.6 at 67MPH average for highway on a100 mile trip with some hills. Increased speed of 10% resulted in drop to 35 that makes sense. Car not broken in but hoping these figures hold up. If fuel use is #1 concern and/or mostly city driving and not highway, then the Elantra is the choice. Both deliver a lot of value.

Messages Page 11 of 75

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