07 Elantra SE Mileage

I am exremely unhappy with the mileage I am getting on my 07 Elantra SE. I
previously had an 03 Elantra GT...same job, same commute...averaged 29 MPG.
Then I got a new 05 Elantra GT...same job same commute= 28 MPG. Now I am
getting 24 for the exact same commute and driving...about 60% highway the
rest running around. I do about 26-27 full highway since I had the
odommeter reset.I am so unhappy because I specifically bought another
Elantra over the Sonata for the mileage. Car is fine otherwise, but I am
truly unhappy.

 

Sorry to hear about your issues. I check Consumer Reports and here is
what they report about the mileage of the '07 GLS:

Overall "Very Good" mileage with 27 MPG
City/Highway: 18/36
150-mile trip: 32 MPG

When you say full highway do you mean you empty your tank or nearly
while while driving on the highway 100%?

I have an '06 Sonata LX V6 and I getting 28 - 31 MPG full highway.

Maybe it's the winter gas? How many miles on your car?

 

I have about 7K on the car, so it is certainly fully broken in. I went
on one long trip (all highway, multiple tankfulls) with the car and
got about 31MPG, BUT that was before the odometer recall thing, so my
mileage would be somewhat less now. I'm sure the winter gas is making
it worse, but I guess I'll wait and see. i know if I complain they
will have the dealer look at it...I will waste a day or two not having
a car and only be told it is in normal range. I don't understand the
difference between the 07 and the 03 and 05. I thought the 07 was
supposed to be more fuel efficient. I don't always even get 300 miles
on a takfull. It's more like 400 on the other two cars (my son has the
03 and my wife has the 05 now). Very sorry I did not get the Sonata
which is what I really wnted, but gas was just getting very expensive
at the time I was shopping. Thanks.

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Man that's a bummer seeing I get the same mileage out of my V6
Sonata.

You really should say something to the dealership when you take the
car in.

Maybe HyundaiTech will have more to add.

Paul

 

Hard to tell the cause from a distance, but I'll place my bet on
doctored gasoline.

Matt

 

Exactly my point...I coulda shoulda just bought the Sonata. I got a
good deal on the Elantra but could have gotten a very good deal on the
Sonata too!

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If the odometer/speedometer is off the 3% they extended the warranties by,
that would bring you down to 30 MPG highway. For what it's worth, the
transmission in the '07 is different from that in the '01 to '06, so that
may play a role.

Also, keep in mind that the fuel tank capacity may be different between
the '07 and the other two. (I didn't take the time to look this up, so it
could also be the same or larger). That could account for a difference in
cruising range.

 

If the '03 and '05 still have the same fuel economy as before, fuel
additives (MTBE, ethanol, etc.) won't be the culprit. On the other hand,
if they're now lower, I think you've hit on the answer.

 

Not much to add. I can find nothing wrong with most reasonably new
vehicles I inspect for complaints of fuel economy.

Usually, I check the epa figures at fueleconomy.gov. In this case, it may
be worthwhile comparing the ratings for all three years to see how they
vary. I also check the user-reported figures. While these aren't as
scientific as the EPA tests, they offer real world data in a variety of
situations.

If the customer's reported economy seems reasonable when comparing to the
figures at fueleconomy.gov, I typically just check with the scanner to be
sure there are no trouble codes and that all the data looks okay. I'll
also take the car on a quick test drive to make sure everything seems to
be operating properly.

On cars where the reported economy is significantly less than the figures
at fueleconomy.gov, I'll go to the extra step of checking toe, brake drag,
and anything else I can think of. Often this will take 1.5 hours or more.
Even then, I rarely find anything out of the ordinary.

 

One additional point from Consumer Reports, they say the crusing range
is 420 on the Elantra.

 

I own the 07 Elantra SE. According to my trip computer, my current average
(mostly urban and suburban driving) is 27.5. I've gotten up to 32 for
highway trips. The range averages 304-314 miles with a full tank of gas
(E-10). I got the odometer/speedometer re-calibrated per the recall and I
saw no difference whatsoever.

 

It seemed pretty clear that he no longer has the '03, but it isn't
totally clear that he no longer has the '05, but that was my assumption.

Matt

 

In my world, I would wait until at least Spring, if not Summer, to make
final judgment on fuel economy.

This Winter is raising cane on everybody's fuel economy. Person after
person that I talk to in my area says that every one of their vehicles are
getting really bad fuel economy this year.

At least here, it is cold, we've had a lot of snow and ice to deal with, and
a lot more things that just aren't conducive to making good fuel economy
comparisons.

But I do agree with you that you probably would have been happier with the
Sonata, especially with the 4.

 

I still have all three in ther family. I gave my some the 03. The 05
my wife has now. They still get about the same mileage that they
always did, winter or summer. On the 07 I was unhappy with the mileage
way before the cold weather hit...so I'm pretty sure it's not a winter
thing. I'll bet I don't top 28 all highway...in a few weeks I'll
probably go away for a few days...so we'll see.

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I am in Long Island, NY and we have had a very mild winter with very
little snow. At this point I certainly wish I either bought the Sonata
(even with the six) or just went for a Corolla. Obviously I like
Hyundai since this is my third in a row...but I did have some issues
with the brakes in the 05, but mostly it was a crappy dealer that made
the experience bad. The 03 has always been the most solid and
dependable one of the three. Well, infairness the 07 has been bullet
proof except for the mileage.

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On a recent 400 mile round trip (Detroit-Chicago) I averaged 31mpg at
75-80 going there and 34 at 55-70 (ice and snow) coming back. In warmer
weather this fall averaged 33 @ 75-80 for a 600 mile round trip. Cold
does knock down the mileage as does speed. 87 Elantra Ltd 4spd auto
~12k miles.

 

I have an '06 and have brake issues as well, but the gas mileage around town
is 27-28 mpg & 35 mpg on the highway. That crappy dealer wouldn't happen to
be in Valley Stream by any chance???

 

No, not Valley Stream....but similar area. Hustedt Hyundai in
Centereach.

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I've been underwhelmed with the Corolla. I inspected a couple as used
cars. My take is that the Elantra is quieter, sturdier, more comfortable,
and more powerful.

 

I looked a several Corolla's before buying my Sonata. The main thing I
disliked about the Corolla was the "Italian" driving position. When I
got the seat back to where my legs were comfortable, I had to extend my
arms almost completely to reach the wheel. I couldn't even rest my
elbow on the window sill, let alone the arm rest and still reach the
wheel. If I got the wheel reach right, then my knees were stuffed into
the dash. I couldn't drive a Corolla 30 miles comfortably let along
take a 300 mile trip.

The other thing is that Toyota wanted $16,500 for a Corolla and I got my
Sonata for $16,700! It wasn't a tough choice at all.

Matt