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Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2012

743 messages,  Last post on May 17, 2013 at 5:24 PM

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

Messages Page 16 of 75

#146 of 743 Re: Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2012 [kirstie_h] by flibbidyfloo

Jan 20, 2012 (12:07 pm)

Replying to: kirstie_h (Nov 15, 2011 6:57 am)
My car is a 2012 Elantra Limited - 17" wheels with automatic transmission and NAV package.
  
Current Odometer Reading: around 7000
  
Last calculated mpg: 19.8
 
Average calculated mpg (both by hand and by the dash indicator): 20
 
Average miles driven per day: 30
 
# of people in the car other than the driver: 0
  
tow package: no
  
any other additional weight in the car: Just the stuff I carry to work, so maybe a couple pounds
  
driving trips: commuter - 90% city / 10% Hwy
  
air pressure in tires: Recommended, verified twice since I bought it
  
Fuel: Various tried with no difference, from Arco and Safeway (cheap) to Mobile, Exxon, Shell, and 76 (expensive)
  
A/C use: Used for a month or so after buying the car, but not since. Didn’t seem to make a difference.
  
ECO: Always On
  
Maintenance done so far: Dealer recommended per book, done by dealer
 
I took it in at around 3500 miles and had the dealer check it out. They said everything came up perfectly within spec.
 
Every time I’ve spoken to the dealer about it they tell me it needs more time to break in. When I complained at 3500 miles, they said wait until 5000. When I complained at 6000, they told me wait until 10,000. They told me to use better gas, so I switched from Arco to Shell and Exxon for a few months with no change at all. I tried buying higher octane gas and got another few miles out of that tank, but I only did it once.
 
I do almost all city driving, but it’s the same route 5 days of the week. There are plenty of lights along the way, but traffic isn’t heavy, so I rarely stop except at a light or a sign.

#147 of 743 Hyundiai Elantra Real Mpg by elantra4

Jan 20, 2012 (1:27 pm)

Everything that you mentioned is similar to my driving conditions. I go 90% city 10% highway and have been getting 21-22mpg. I now have 8700 miles on the car and the city mpg has gotten worse as the mileage has increased. I can get 34 mpg on a long highway drive without using cruise. When i first got the car last June i took it to Florida from New york City and back and got as high as 41 on the gauge. This was during the run through Georgia on 95S with the cruise on and doing 70 with one passenger and a trunk full of luggage. I have not gotten close to that number since. I hope to take a long highway drive soon and will see if i can get that kind of mileage again. It seems that city driving with stopping for lights and stop signs really knocks down the mileage. You can watch the mpg gauge drop as you wait for the light to change. I have owened 2003 and 2004 Elantras and used to average about 25-26mpg with them and got about 30mpg on a long highway drive. I was really excited when i first got the 2012 as the gas mileage was so much better. If it does not improve i will notify the dealer but as i have read from other complaints the dealer always claim there is nothing wrong. I thing Hyundai has been falsely advertising the mpg.

#148 of 743 What MPG to REALLY expect 2012 Elantra autotran by arkoldguy

Jan 21, 2012 (8:18 am)

ODO=3500. Can't seem to get any real info from dealer. ECO=ON actually produces less mpg, then when OFF. Dealer says only use when driving interstates. mpg by doing math at every tank full shows less than Avg MPG display by 2-4 mpg. Tests done on interstate, 70mph, cruise, no head/tail wind, tank to tank non-stop except for fill-up. Best I get 34-35 MPH. Non-highway 29-30 mpg. Live in rural so it is always 25+miles to everywhere.
 
Dealer says no break in needed, but can't explain how ECO works, never mentioned the 7% improvement when ON, says everything checks out OK. Dealer hands me instruction sheet on how to compute MPG manually (tank to tank) as if you needed a PHD to figure that out. This was after they were given a detailed spreadsheet showing every tank of gas, with ECO On and Off.
 
Calling Hyundai USA, asking same questions, getting multiple case #'s, and have never heard a word from them either.
 
Never used Forums, found this hoping someone out there can help me set actual expectations.

#151 of 743 Re: What MPG to REALLY expect 2012 Elantra autotran [arkoldguy] by mikewallace1

Jan 21, 2012 (2:50 pm)

Replying to: arkoldguy (Jan 21, 2012 8:18 am)
Best I get 34-35 MPH. Non-highway 29-30 mpg. Live in rural so it is always 25+miles to everywhere.
 
I would love to get those numbers especially at 70mph.
 
Update on 3rd tank 140 miles - computer says 24.3. It was at 23.3 and then I took it on a 24 mile round trip of 90% highway. Again this is computer reading so it's probably a bit lower.

#152 of 743 2011 Elantra GLS Auto Mileage by pflyer

Jan 21, 2012 (8:13 pm)

I just returned from a 1200 mile trip on I-35 in Texas. Average speed was about 75mph. Trip computer said I got 38 mpg. My gas usage (I.E. amount pumped in over 1200 miles) was slightly above 36 mpg.
 
I have never got less than 30 in city driving.
 
Let me give you my secret: USE CRUISE CONTROL AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
 
I did my own little test and found, especially in city driving, cruise easily gave me 2-3 mpg extra. It's amazing, but true; at least for my car.
 
So... give it a try. When I leave my garage in the morning, the first button I hit, even before the radio, is the cruise enabler switch. I use it from 30mph up to highway cruising speeds.
 
Simply amazing difference. Gas brand makes no difference.
 
2011 Elantra GLS Auto with 10,000 miles.

#153 of 743 Re: City Drvg & Cruise Cntrl 2011 Elantra GLS AT Mileage [pflyer] by g2iowa

Jan 22, 2012 (7:26 am)

Replying to: pflyer (Jan 21, 2012 8:13 pm)
If you can routinely use cruise control while driving in the city, then your city is a lot different than most. City driving in bigger cities is more like block after block of stoplights. So more like stop, start, drive a block, stop, etc. Even in suburbs, more like go 4 blocks and hit stoplight. Thinking cruise control won't even engage at speeds lower than 30 mph, where most city driving occurs. Is potentially dangerous to use cruise control in traffic. It is designed for highways.

#154 of 743 Re: City Drvg & Cruise Cntrl 2011 Elantra GLS AT Mileage [g2iowa] by pflyer

Jan 22, 2012 (2:09 pm)

Replying to: g2iowa (Jan 22, 2012 7:26 am)
I live right in the middle of DFW.
 
Traffic is difficult to say the least.
 
I can engage my cruise at about 27 mph.
 
I find cruise monitors my speed better than I do, thus making me a safer driver by concentrating on the outside threats verses monitoring my speed.
 
If I need to disengage my cruise, I either deselect it on the steering wheel or depress the brake pedal.
 
What part of keeping your eyes on the road and slowing down by depressing the brake pedal is unsafe?
 
Not being argumentative, but if you would like to increase your mpg on an Elantra and still be a safe driver, cruise is the way to go, IMHO.
 
If someone feels it is unsafe to use cruise in city driving, they should not use it.

#155 of 743 2500 miles on 2012 Elantra Limited, AT by william621

Jan 23, 2012 (2:55 pm)

Hi all,
 
I have been getting 29mpg to 32 mpg consistently with mixed driving, and I've also noticed how it really drops off in the city. Within a day of taking delivery of my car, I took a hwy trip and I was able to get about 35 mpg, driving about 75 mpg on the interstate. That was my first tank, and I am easy on the car, so I was disappointed. I wasn't paying attention to the the mileage meter, and the eco mode was on. The next tank I filled up right on the interstate and immediately got back on and decided to leave the mpg meter on and try to feather it to see where the sweet spot was to max the mileage. I found that if I ran it between 65-72 mph max with eco mode on and really paid attention to feathering the gas, keeping the rpm around 2250, I was able to max out the mpg meter at 42 mpg consistently. Once I actually got it to read 43.7 mpg briefly before pulling off the interstate. The outside temp was in the 50's and driving was on I-85 in N.C., mostly flat with mild inclines across the state, so I know it can achieve the ballpark 40 mph.
 
That being said, I would have been pissed to be only getting low 30's with mixed driving if I hadn't done a road trip as soon as I got it! I still feel like this car should get bettter mileage around town. I had a 1991 Accord that I drove for 20+ years, and I mean drove the hell out of it, pushing it hard every single day, and it got 32 mpg with the same driving terrain, plus it was a 2.2 lt. engine. It was also a manual shift, and I would agree with another post seen here that I would get better mpg if I had gotten a manual shift. I'm going to look into using the "manual mode" shift feature (whatever you call it) on the automatic and perhaps tweek the mileage some, but I'll have to read the owners manual on proper use of that feature before doing it...just a thought.
 
I think when you say mixed driving you have to use time as your measurement as opposed to miles driven to have a true reflection of what real "mixed" driving constitutes. Mileage wise, I would consider my ratio 75/25 hwy/city, but time wise it would be more like 40/60 or 50/50 at best. This is where I believe a lot of folks underestimate the amount of actual city driving they do, using mileage instead of time. I looked at the forums for the Honda Civic and the Ford Focus, and reading some of the comments over there make me feel like I am still pretty well off with the Hyundai. The Honda doesn't have anywhere near the features but you'll get a few more mpg consistently, but component quailty has gone down on the Honda. I saw a number of folks on the Focus forum with crazy electronic and mechanical malfunctions, so overall I'm pretty happy with the total package of the Elantra. Everything is working fine on my car! Exterior styling and interior layout is by far the best IMHO, the breaking is very responsive, I love the sound system and I'm totally hooked on XM radio! I'm loving the heated leather seats and sunroof, as well as the ease of plug and play hand held devices. The ride is pretty quiet for a small car. I just wish the steering was a little more "crisp", as it has a ways to go to get to the level of the Honda I was driving. It took me a few days to get use to the "loose" feel of the steering, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me.
 
Also, after I worked my price with the dealer, I insisted on the dealer throwing in the "spare tire kit" at no cast to me, and the dealer hooked me up. It took two weeks for the parts dept. to get it from the warehouse. There is a place for the tire under the trunk, but no place to secure the jack, so you just have to fit it in there. I dont want to be at the mercy of roadside assistance and have to wait hours when I can change a tire and be on my way in 10 minutes, but I understand that it's cost effective for Hyundai to skip the tire.
 
Overall, I think I got a well balanced automobile for the price, and will live with the lower than anticipated mixed driving mileage performance.

Messages Page 16 of 75

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