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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 19 of 75

#178 of 745 Re: Hyundai Comparison Results [jmorv] by axman2

Feb 02, 2012 (7:12 pm)

Replying to: jmorv (Feb 02, 2012 12:23 pm)
I've had my 2012 Elantra for a few weeks, racking up almost 2000 miles. I also noticed my mileage wasn't as high as what I would have hoped. Recently, I took my family on a trip, totaling about 250 miles. While on the trip, I was using my GPS that I normally use for work (in a car with a certified speedometer). I noticed during the entire trip, my speedometer was off by a little over 2 mph. Along with that, I realized that for every 100 miles of actual driving, my odometer only showed 98 miles. I wonder if this discrepancy in the odometer causes the calculation of the mpg to be off as well.

#179 of 745 Re: Time/Miles & "Test" Route [g2iowa] by backy

Feb 02, 2012 (7:34 pm)

Replying to: g2iowa (Feb 02, 2012 7:15 am)
That's a good idea. Ideally more than a few miles, but 5 miles should be enough to get a steady-state reading. But at steady 35 mph, no stops, level road, mpg should be much higher than 20 mpg in this car, especially if it can be nudged into 6th gear--or at least 5th. I get very good FE on my cars at 35-40 mph steady speed. But the best FE seems to be between 55-65.

#180 of 745 Has Anyone Noticed... by jmorv

Feb 03, 2012 (6:11 am)

I want to amend what I wrote the other day about my mileage issues with the Elantra by stating that one of the obvious "flaws" I see (and experience) is that when you drive the car, it soooo wants to be in 6th gear, no matter if you are on highway or surface streets. It's a nightmare trying to accelerate on an onramp for the highway and the car goes into "duh what gear should I be in?" mode. When I accelerate in the Elantra, the car will increase rpms for 1-3 gear, but when 4th comes around, it's for a breif second, then 5th which is just as quick and then 6th, all the while you are trying to accelerate to the stated speed (here in AZ it's 65). Very frustrating and with that, I find that my foot is mashing the pedal more than it should to get up to the speed I need to be at. It's as if I am really working the engine just to get up to speed when that shouldn't be the case. Of course, during this acceleration period, I watch the mpgs drop like a stone...am I driving an Elantra or a Hummer here?
Not long after I bought this car, I received a very detailed survey from Hyundai which was supposedly going to the Hyundai engineers, to which I aired my frustrations and even made suggestions about how the transmission is NOT acting the way it should for normal acceleration onto highways. I still have yet to hear back and I shudder to think that they are ignoring me (us).
 
I seriously think the MPG issue is tied moreso to the transmission and how it handles acceleration. There is nothing ECO about it, as this is driven home by the dealers and advertisers for the sake of, how do they put it "makes shifting easier and it's easier on the engine"? I would really like to pick the Hyundai engineers brains to find out what the heck they were thinking when they designed the powertrain and equated their super gas mileage to it?

#181 of 745 Re: hyundai elantra 2012 real mpg [elantra4] by jmorv

Feb 03, 2012 (6:17 am)

Replying to: elantra4 (Jan 26, 2012 12:30 pm)
I was told the same thing about how gas stations differ on their "blend". I told them where I get gas (Shell) and they said that was fine, but avoid Costco. I have filled up at a Shell, a Quiktrip and a Pilot...all the same mileage and same results for mpgs. I have filled up early in the morning when the temps are low and midday when the temps are higher. Again, same results. I still say it's the way the computer controls the transmission. I did experiment once with just using the shifttronic feature and not using the full auto. I got a difference of about 2mpg to the good.
 
With my ongoing comparison between the Elantra and the Accent, my Accent is getting a solid 38mpg highway which is still over 4mpg to the Elantra. Yeah, I know, smaller car, smaller engine but not by much and as far as engine control features, they are the same.

#182 of 745 Re: Has Anyone Noticed... [jmorv] by majorben

Feb 03, 2012 (6:26 am)

Replying to: jmorv (Feb 03, 2012 6:11 am)
Hmm, you know, I have noticed the same thing while accelerating onto the highway. This is interesting that I am not the only one. I agree that the MPG issue is tied more so to the transmission and how it handles acceleration. Does anybody know if there has been any ECM program changes that may have affected this in the past year? Does anybody know what if any ECM program changes have happened during the 2011-2012 release? Just curious.

#183 of 745 Re: Has Anyone Noticed... Transmission Gearing & FE [jmorv] by g2iowa

Feb 03, 2012 (11:07 am)

Replying to: jmorv (Feb 03, 2012 6:11 am)
When you wrote, "Very frustrating and with that, I find that my foot is mashing the pedal more than it should to get up to the speed I need to be at. It's as if I am really working the engine just to get up to speed when that shouldn't be the case.", you may have answered your question. If you are spending a lot of time "mashing the pedal" and trying to wring acceleration from her, your FE will crater!
 
The Elantra is geared very conservatively in order to get good fuel economy. Both the individual gear ratios as well as the final drive ratio were selected to max out FE, not acceleration. So attempting to accelerate aggressively at speed means forcing the transmission to downshift, thus raising RPMs. Aggressively accelerating from a stop means the tranmsission holds the lower gears longer, esp. 1st and 2nd which are the least fuel efficient.
 
I've noticed that in city driving the automatic transmission attempts to get to 4th (direct drive, 1-1) gear ASAP (by 25 mph) but it won't go into overdrive 5th until about 30-35 mph, and even deeper overdrive 6th until 35-40 mph. Max FE comes from being in OD 6th with steady speed driving.
 
This is a small economy sedan with a small engine and should be driven as such if you want FE. That means slow acceleration from stops and smooth acceleration while at speed. But if you want acceleration, then you'll give up your FE. You cannot have both simultaneously.

#184 of 745 Re: Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2012 [tenpin288] by jmorv

Feb 03, 2012 (1:39 pm)

Replying to: tenpin288 (Jan 10, 2012 8:25 pm)
Interesting...When I had a detailed conversation with the Service Rep at my local dealership discussing the issue of lower mpg than advertised, he asked about driving habits. Well, living here in Phoenix, AZ everyone drives like bats outta hell and while the posted speed limit is 65, the average speed on the highways is 70-75, sometimes 80 if you get in the wrong lane. With that said, he mentioned that with the newer aerodynamic improvements, speeds in excess of 70 causes more downforce on the vehicle and can cause a decrease in mpgs. Plausible to say the least, but how do you explain my increase in fuel economy with the 2012 Accent that I now drive?
 
At first, I drove the Elantra exclusively and then after a bout of guilt over having the new car in the house (not to mention my wife's constant boo-boo lip), I gave it up and let her have it. I know her driving style is more cautious than I (albeit her brake usage is a bit excessive), and even with her now driving the Elantra, the mpgs have not improved. Currently, we have about 6000 miles on it and again, no decent improvement. Here's a kicker though, the manual states that the oil should be changed every 7500 miles, but according to the dealership, it's still 3500. They like to call it "extreme conditions maintenance". It's wintertime now, no 100 degree temps, so explain why we are still in extreme conditions? Beh, I digress.
 
Another oddity with the Elantra's info panel. Everytime gas is replaced in the tank, a full reset of the counts is done (i.e. trip, mpg avg, ETA, range). I noticed before and I assume it still happens that the range goes down every time a fill up is done. I know that the range is supposed to indicate the amount of miles you can drive on the tank...shouldn't that stay consistent? Now, before someone chimes in with the obvious an answer of "well you may be approaching the time to change the oil", this has been occuring ever since I got the car, meaning that when the car was brand spanking new, the range would decline.
 
I cannot seem to shake the feeling that perhaps the computer is not reporting correctly. If that were the case, it's an easy fix and I would be a happy camper if after being fixed, the reports would be more of what I would expect out of the performance of the vehicle.

#185 of 745 Re: MT Elantra & Other Interesting MPG Results [g2iowa] by rob_hyundai

Feb 03, 2012 (5:54 pm)

Replying to: g2iowa (Jan 02, 2012 8:47 am)
g2iowa,
 
Hopefully this helps.
 
In their February 2012 print issue, Motor Trend provided an update of their long-term 2012 Elantra stating the vehicle has yielded 20.7 MPG in three months of service. We immediately knew something wasn’t right with this number and reached out to them to learn more. Motor Trend discovered this number to be a typo from their actual test data and has since corrected the number to a spirited 25.6 MPG in the on-line edition of the article [LINK]. However, the correction cannot be made to the print edition as it has already circulated. We know this has caused some confusion for some owners and shoppers which is why we’d like to make sure everyone is aware of the 20.7 misprint error. If you have any questions, please Tweet us at Hyundai.
 
– Rob L, Hyundai Product PR Manager

#186 of 745 Popular Mechanics 40 mpg test by rob_hyundai

Feb 03, 2012 (5:55 pm)

Popular Mechanics has just posted an article testing Elantra's 40 mpg claims. Link here: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/fuel-economy/mileage-moment-of-truth-w- - e-put-40-mpg-claims-to-the-test-6651300

#187 of 745 Re: Popular Mechanics 40 mpg test [rob_hyundai] by backy

Feb 03, 2012 (8:38 pm)

Replying to: rob_hyundai (Feb 03, 2012 5:55 pm)
This article echos many of the points that have been put forth in this discussion. Maybe now that they have been stated by a source like Popular Mechanics, they will be given more serious consideration.
 
I am glad PM emphasized that even though they achieved very good FE marks in their tests, "your mileage may vary." Aint' that the truth.

Messages Page 19 of 75

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