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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 41 of 75

#396 of 745 Re: Real World MPG at fuelly.com [backy] by fushigi

Apr 08, 2012 (5:09 am)

Replying to: backy (Apr 07, 2012 9:30 pm)
From Hyundai's site, numbers for the 2013 Elantra:
 
Sedan max weight 2877 pounds. EPA MPG MT or AT 29/40/33.
Coupe max weight 2877 pounds. EPA MPG MT 29/40/33 AT 28/39/32.
GT max weight 2959 pounds. EPA MPG TBD.
 
I'm surprised the sedan & coupe would weigh the same. Makes me think the coupe numbers are still preliminary estimates.
 
FWIW my wife's '12 Elantra has been getting mid-20s for fuel economy. But her driving patterns are such that it comes as no surprise. Her commute is short enough (less than 3 miles) that the engine doesn't reach full operating temp. She's a bit heavier on the gas off the line than I am. And all gas available has Ethanol.
 
We'll get some good highway miles this coming weekend, though, so I'm sure I'll be able to report mid-30s at least. Again E10 gas will hold MPG back some as will our probable 75MPH cruising speed.

#397 of 745 Re: Real World MPG at fuelly.com [fushigi] by bpizzuti

Apr 08, 2012 (5:26 am)

Replying to: fushigi (Apr 08, 2012 5:09 am)
Sedan max weight 2877 pounds. EPA MPG MT or AT 29/40/33.
Coupe max weight 2877 pounds. EPA MPG MT 29/40/33 AT 28/39/32.
GT max weight 2959 pounds. EPA MPG TBD.
 
I wonder if the extra 80 pounds is that panoramic sunroof...

#398 of 745 I bought Civic EX...here is why vs Elantra by happydaz

Apr 12, 2012 (9:10 am)

I drove the Elantra for a day and yes I did achieve very good gas mileage...if I drove it like a granny. If I drove it normal the gas mileage plummeted. But what really bothered me about the Elantra was the suspension. You feel everything. I often felt like I was hauling around a bunch of extra parts. It felt to big for the engine. My wife said it was like riding in an airplane...smooth...but with a lot of turbulence. When you hit a bump you felt it throughout the entire car and your body. At first I liked the exterior styling but it wore on me after a while. I could see it getting old fast. The interior styling was very nice with all the gadgets. Roomier than the civic. But I wouldn't be using some of the gadgets and negotiating on the Elantra was much more difficult than with the Civic EX. I basically got the Civic EX at about $500 more than the be best price I could get on a base automatic Elantra. I think the moonroof was worth that.
 
The civic is tried and true dependability. It gets its MPG and I don't have to change the way I drive to get it. It is noisier but smoother. That suspension and the fact that the MPG was dependable is what sold me. No...it was being able to negotiate the price. So thanks to all those buying the Elantra, I was able to get the price I got. Hope this helps others. I almost waited for 2013s but needed a car now and figured negotiating on the new 2013 would be more difficult.

#399 of 745 press request by kirstie_h HOST

Apr 12, 2012 (9:51 am)

If you recently traded in a gas guzzler for a more fuel-efficient new vehicle, a reporter wants to talk with you. Please email PRedmunds.com no later than Friday, April 13, 2012 with your daytime contact info and the makes and models of the vehicles.

#400 of 745 Elantra...listen to the radio from outside by happydaz

Apr 12, 2012 (12:12 pm)

roll up windows and close doors. Stand outside Elantra with music on. Make sure the Fading is even so you are using back speakers also. It is loud as if they didn't put any sound insulation in the panels or just thin panels. It was so loud it seemed abnormal. Now the Civic is also a tin can. Open the trunk. Feels like it might fall off. Elantra...I didn't like the fact there is no spare. The sales guy told me....hey, you need to call a tow truck anyway if you get a flat. Really. That was dumb. Civic ... radio reception is much better. Don't know why. In Elantra the salesperson insisted on demoing the phone features. He took his phone and loaded his phone numbers from it to the car. Then verbally instructed car to call a number. The car rejected the command three times before I told him to put a sock in it. If I drove normal in the Elantra around town I got 23 mpg. But they say the onboard mpg reading is high by about two miles. So that would really be 21 mpg. Now, I honestly don't know what I was getting. But if I drove like a granny, I got about 35 city. That was great. Seemed like a huge threshold between driving very conservative and driving normal. That bothered me. I do like the way the Elantra can seem to roll forever without applying the pedal. It is almost like skating.

#401 of 745 How You Might Buy A Car... by happydaz

Apr 12, 2012 (12:33 pm)

I would recommend renting the three cars at top of your list. This gives you a chance to spend time alone with it. No one watching you.
 
Search online to find out what others paid and when they bought. Try to go with entries that give the details. Try to determine from this, a price that you definitely should get. And then one you want to shoot for. You are negotiating an OTD price. Out The Door. That way they cannot fill in a bunch of fake charges on you. You have to Demand that the OTD price includes the price of the car including what happens in the finance office. You need to know all the fees that the finance guy may try to spring on you. You have to be able to compare apples to apples.
 
Now get prequalified by a bank or credit union and get prequaled by the car manufacturer.
 
Now send an email to all dealers in the area where you would be willing to go. Specify you are ready to buy and already prequalified with the manufacturer. Specify the exact car you want and ask for the OTD price. Make sure you exactly specify the car, the transmission and all.
 
Now get the best price and send that out to all the others. Play them against one another until you get the best price.
 
Now you know who you will buy from. Tell them to send you the VIN Number and a fax of the window sticker. Look over this information to make sure all is right. Ask for the Mileage on the car. It should be very very low.
 
Now that you are ready to go get it....tell them when and make sure they understand if you are financing and make sure you go over the OTD price again.
 
Now call the sales manager and go over the deal again.
 
Now go pick up your car. Pay attention to how the title work will be handled. They may try to get you for more money on title. That is why the OTD price is the Total...After visit to financing...OTD Price. Tell them you don't want any extended warranty. That makes the process easier. You can always buy that after the fact.
 
OK go get your car. Now if anything out of the ordinary comes up...anything...simply abort. Tell them you need time to look into that and leave the dealership. Gather info. you need and allow yourself time to collect your thoughts. Then go back and finish up. This is very important because they will try complicated Bullshit on you that they deal with all the time but which you may need more time to get your mind around. If they try to force you to proceed without leaving then tell them to back off or the deal is over. You have to stay in complete control all the time.
 
Best of luck

#403 of 745 Re: Elantra...listen to the radio from outside [happydaz] by backy

Apr 12, 2012 (12:50 pm)

Replying to: happydaz (Apr 12, 2012 12:12 pm)
I do like the way the Elantra can seem to roll forever without applying the pedal. It is almost like skating.
 
I think you have hit on the best way to get high FE on any non-hybrid car: keep your foot off the accelerator as much as possible. Works for me anyway. If the Elantra can "roll forever" without touching the pedal, that bodes well for folks who know how to keep a light touch on the gas. As you said, you got 35 city when driving like the proverbial Granny--or 20% better than the EPA number. So maybe by just driving like an Auntie, one could hit the EPA numbers.

#404 of 745 Re: How You Might Buy A Car... [happydaz] by kirstie_h HOST

Apr 12, 2012 (12:51 pm)

Replying to: happydaz (Apr 12, 2012 12:33 pm)
I think most of our members are already familiar with the basic research that one should do prior to buying a car.
 
I would skip a WHOLE lot of the middle part of your suggestion - you shouldn't have to spend all of that time and go through hassle playing dealers against each other IF you have already done the research and know what deal is doable, with some flexibility. I've never had as painful an experience as the prolonged ordeal you describe!

#405 of 745 Re: Real World MPG at fuelly.com [backy] by ronnomad

Apr 12, 2012 (10:48 pm)

Replying to: backy (Apr 06, 2012 9:07 pm)
I'm just replying to the last message on this forum but not to the specifics of that message.
 
We bought our 2012 Elantra Limited back in June. To date, with 8,125 miles (2,830 so far this year) we have a total average of 29.76MPG. 50-75% of the miles are HWY and the 'best' MPG we have seen is 33.5 with all HWY driving. To get this vehicle we got rid of a 1998 Corolla with 230,000 miles that was still averaging over 30MPG in regular (read daily) driving. Any major driving was done in a 2001 VW Jetta (4cyl Turbo w/5 speed manual). The VW has just under 130,000 miles (this year 3,704 miles - avg MPG this year 28.3). As I have noted in previous posts, at speed, the VW is about 1,000RPM HIGHER than the Elantra. Also, I tend to be more aggressive in the VW. So, regardless of what is being said about fuel type, foot pressure, etc., it makes no sense that a brand new car with a 6 speed automatic is not getting better (HWY) MPG and something closer to what is being advertised.
BTW, the reason we got rid of the Corolla was that "I" thought the car was under powered and under braked. And, the reason we did not go fora new Corolla was that I thought the 6 speed transmission in the Elantra would be superior to the 4 speed in the Corolla.
As an FYI, on a 1,500 mile trip (with 3 people in the car and a full trunk) the VW averaged 30.68MPG. The EPA figures for that year's model are 22 city, 24 avg, 28 HWY.
Oh, and to ask a question. More than one post has alluded to the instantaneous MPG meter. Where is that? I can only see the Average MPG meter.

Messages Page 41 of 75

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