2004 Elantra GT - How accurate is the trip meter (MPG)?

Discussion in 'Hyundai Elantra / Lantra' started by Ohaya, Jan 16, 2004.

  1. Ohaya

    Ohaya Guest

    Hi,

    I'm just curious...

    We just got a 2004 Elantra GT (automatic)... love it so far, but we've
    only gone through the 1st full tank of gas so far :).

    I was wondering if anybody knows how accurate the MPG thing is on the
    trip meter for this car?

    When we first got it, it was reading arout 24+ MPG. After driving it
    the first couple of days, it was arout 19-20 MPG, and tonight on the way
    to the gas station, it was reading slightly over 23 MPG. So far, it has
    been mostly "city" driving, with maybe 2-3 10-30 mile highway trips.

    Is it typical that this car will have lower gas mileage when it's new?

    Thanks!
     
    Ohaya, Jan 16, 2004
    #1
  2. Ohaya

    The Steven Guest

    When we first got it, it was reading arout 24+ MPG. After driving it
    I have a '02 EGT 5-speed, I find that the car's calculations are off by a
    mile or two either way, but I won't loose any sleep over it. On longer
    highway rides I find that 33mpg is not uncommon. Keep your tires at 40lbs.

    --

    S.

    Don't fight with Idiots.
    They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
    experience.
     
    The Steven, Jan 16, 2004
    #2
  3. Ohaya

    Gnekker Guest

    This is normal, your mileage will creep up slowly for the first 2-3 thousand
    miles.
     
    Gnekker, Jan 16, 2004
    #3
  4. Ohaya

    Swingman Guest

    I have a 2003 Elantra GLS (love it). I get between 25mpg
    and 30mpg with a mix of city and freeway driving. Pure
    freeway driving yields 34mgp (65mph with cruise). The GLS
    doesn't have the mpg computer so I can't comment, but you
    could track your gas mileage manually and compare it to the
    computer. Enjoy the car!
     
    Swingman, Jan 16, 2004
    #4
  5. Ohaya

    Neil Guest

    <snip>

    Sorry I can't answer your question, but I am interested in knowing more
    about the Auto GT myself. Did you get it with the option pack 8 that
    includes ABS? According to a local dealer in Northern VA, ABS isn't
    available on the GT on the east coast yet.....

    Also how do you find the performance of the car with the automatic?
    Unfortunately manual isn't an option for me as one of the drivers has to
    have auto. Ideally I'm trying to find performance figures such as 30-50,
    50-70 times, as the car would see a lot of interstate miles and it needs to
    have some pep when overtaking.

    What's the interior quality like, particularly the leather? Did you get the
    Kenwood mp3 compatible CD player and how is it?

    I'd be very interested in hearing everything you have to say about the car.

    Thanks.
     
    Neil, Jan 16, 2004
    #5
  6. Ohaya

    Ohaya Guest

    Neil,

    Comments below...

    It's an '04 Elantra GT hatchback. We didn't get ABS. Everything else
    that we got is pretty well standard in the GT (leather, air cond.,
    cruise, tilt, remote keyentry and alarm, etc.).

    Actually, this is kind of bad, I know, but my original intent was to get
    the most basic automatic Elantra, the GLS, for my wife, and we had test
    driven one of them at the dealer, but I wanted cruise control, and they
    didn't have any GLS' with cruise in stock. Plus, the only automatics
    they had were in black or a kind of light metallic green :).

    As I mentioned above, we were just looking for a basic transportation
    car, so performance wasn't a major thing we were looking for, but I'll
    say that I have since driven it on I66, 495 (Beltway, from NVa towards
    Bethesda), and the Dulles Toll Road, with 3 adults male passengers, and
    passing at highway speeds hasn't been a problem.

    BTW, it may be just me, but having driven both the GLS and the GT, the
    GT's suspension seems a bit stiffer, which I liked. Overall, the GT
    seemed much "tighter" than the GLS.

    I'm definitely not a "leather" expert either :), but I think it looks
    pretty good.

    My daughter loves the car, and has been trying to convince me to trade
    cars with her (she has a 2003 Honda Accord LX :)) since we bought it.
    The steering wheel has a leather covering on it also, which is very
    smooth. At first I thought it was TOO smooth, but now that I've driven
    the car a bit, it's fine.

    Beyond that, I think the interior is roomy. I kept bumping my head on
    my daughter's Accord's roof when driving it, but the Elantra seems to
    have better headroom. The bucket seats are MUCH more comfortable than
    the Accord's (which feel like you're sitting on a bench).

    The only thing that I've been disappointed about with the interior is
    that the Elantra manual indicates that there's a center armrest, with
    cupholders in it in the rear seat, but that seems to be incorrect (no
    center armrest, no rear cupholders).

    Yes, it came with the Kenwood CD player, which impressed my daughter AND
    my son. It works fine, but I've been mainly using it to listen to FM
    radio. My daughter has played some of her MP3 CDs which she burned, and
    they worked fine. The only thing that I found strange is that this CD
    player is not described in the Elantra manual, but I think I found a PDF
    manual for it on Kenwood's website. It has a drop-down, replaceable
    faceplate, and a remote.
     
    Ohaya, Jan 16, 2004
    #6
  7. Ohaya

    Nikoli Yetti Guest

    The rear cup holder is there.


     
    Nikoli Yetti, Jan 17, 2004
    #7
  8. Ohaya

    The Steven Guest

    Dealerspeak:
    Translates to:
    I don't have one on the lot, but I don't want you to leave without buying
    something from me today.

    Rule #1. S.W.A.T. Sell what's available today.

    Most dealers order what the company forecasts they'll sell the most of and
    that has the highest sales margin. And if they don't have what you want,
    they will try to convince you that what you want isn't really what you want.


    --

    S.

    Don't fight with Idiots.
    They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
    experience.
     
    The Steven, Jan 17, 2004
    #8
  9. Ohaya

    Tyler_Durden Guest


    Really 40psi on the tires?? That seems kind of high. I've been
    keeping mine at 30 as it suggested on the sticker on the insider
    driver side door. What made you up yours to 40?
     
    Tyler_Durden, Jan 17, 2004
    #9
  10. Ohaya

    The Steven Guest

    Really 40psi on the tires?? That seems kind of high. I've been
    On the sidewall of the tire it says it will support upto 45lbs, so the ride
    will be a bit firmer, and second it will lower the rolling resistance so the
    mpg will be higher. So far it works.

    --

    S.

    Don't fight with Idiots.
    They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
    experience.
     
    The Steven, Jan 18, 2004
    #10
  11. Ohaya

    Neil Guest

    Some great comments (just snipped as I hijacked your thread) thanks!! :)

    I read what you wrote before going out and test driving one today. I even
    had the opportunity to test drive a Corolla and take it to the Hyundai
    dealer for a side by side comparison of both cars!

    I was really impressed with the GT, and will most likely buy the 5-door
    hatch. Reminds me a lot of the Rover 45 hire car I drove for 2 weeks when
    last back home in the UK. Maybe the age of the 'Hot-Hatch' in the US is
    finally here.

    Neil.
     
    Neil, Jan 18, 2004
    #11
  12. Ohaya

    The Steven Guest

    I was really impressed with the GT, and will most likely buy the 5-door
    Finally here?
    Heck, I've been driving hatchbacks since my '71 MGB GT (still my first
    love). Since I got my drivers license (a looong time ago) most of my cars
    were hatchbacks. My current one is the EGT hatchback. Face it, I like a
    big trunk (boot).


    --

    S.

    Don't fight with Idiots.
    They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
    experience.
     
    The Steven, Jan 18, 2004
    #12
  13. Ohaya

    Neil Guest

    It's funny, because I never thought of the MGB GT as a hatch, more of a 2
    seater GT. I preferred the old TVRs to the MGs, although the first hatch
    didn't come until the Taimar.

    By Hot-Hatch I meant the likes of the VW Golf GTI, Peugeot 205 GTI, Vauxhall
    Astra GTE (or at a pinch) SRi, Ford Fiesta XR2 and later XR2i, and RS, Ford
    Escort XR3i, RS Turbo, RS 2000, Renault 5 GT Turbo.... and that's just those
    from the early 80s to the early 90s.

    Long live the 80s pocket rockets. ::sniff::.

    Neil.
     
    Neil, Jan 18, 2004
    #13
  14. Ohaya

    Ohaya Guest


    Neil,

    No problem re. "hijacking" the thread :)... I do it once in awhile
    myself (with appropriate apologies :)).

    We've only got a whopping 337 miles on the Elantra so far, but I went
    out today and bought some Meguiar's for it. Now to wait for the weather
    to get above freezing so we can wash/wax the car :).

    Aside from how the car, in general, will hold up (which I guess I worry
    about with every car I've bought), that (the paint/finish) is one of
    things I'm wondering about, long-term. I saw a number of posts about
    paint problems when I was researching the Hyundai purchase, but I'm
    hoping that if we take a bit more care than normal, that we won't
    encounter them (preventive maintenance)!

    Good luck,
    Jim
     
    Ohaya, Jan 18, 2004
    #14
  15. Ohaya

    Ohaya Guest


    Nikoli,

    Hmm. Now you've got me wondering (AGAIN!)...

    I posted a msg awhile ago about this.

    When I first bought the car, I was going through the manual, and it said
    that the HATCHBACK (the "5 door") has a center armrest with the
    cupholders embedded in the front of the armrest, but I couldn't find any
    such thing.

    Someone replied to that earlier post, saying that there wasn't an
    armrest/cupholder in the rear.

    Now you're saying that there is????

    I'm confused!!! And, a bit curious now....

    Just a reminder, this is an '04 Elantra GT Hatchback. It has the rear
    seat where the bottom folds forward, and the split backs fold forward,
    so you can turn the rear area into a kind of extension of the hatchback.

    Are there different "versions" of the '04 Elantra GT Hatchback
    perhaps???

    Jim
     
    Ohaya, Jan 18, 2004
    #15
  16. Ohaya

    Tyler_Durden Guest

    Yes, I notcied that on the tire too. I recall reading somewhere
    though that you need to consider the type of car using the tires. It
    mentioned that if you don't inflate the tires to the proper level
    based on the model (i.e. weight) of the car, they may not wear as well
    and actually need replaced sooner.

    Not really sure which method's better, just passing along info.
     
    Tyler_Durden, Jan 18, 2004
    #16
  17. does anyone know under what conditions the passenger airbag on the 2004
    elantra gt hatchback is supposed to be activated? the dealership told me
    that it is disabled 85 pounds and under (for child protection), but when my
    girlfriend (who weighs 120 pounds) rides with me, the yellow sensor light
    above the stereo comes on saying that it is disabled (or not activated). a
    couple of days after this happens, the red "air bag" sensor light on the
    driver side control panel comes on. i've taken it to the dealership twice,
    they replaced a clock spring, but the yellow light still comes on
    intermittently. i understand if it's under 25 mph or something like that,
    but it seems to go on and off at random times. any help would be much
    appreciated - thanks.
     
    royal tennenbaum, Jan 18, 2004
    #17
  18. Ohaya

    The Steven Guest

    Aside from how the car, in general, will hold up (which I guess I worry
    As to paint, take a look at the bottom of your doors. It might be thin
    there, I saw that alot on the Excel's and still do on the Elantra's.

    If you complain at the time of purchase, they should fix it.


    --

    S.

    Don't fight with Idiots.
    They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
    experience.
     
    The Steven, Jan 19, 2004
    #18
  19. Ohaya

    The Steven Guest

    Yes, I notcied that on the tire too. I recall reading somewhere
    Well I rotate them regularly, and I've seen no unusual wear patterns. And if
    I save $.50 per tank full on gas (petrol) I'll fell ok about adding it up
    for new tires every 20k miles

    --

    S.

    Don't fight with Idiots.
    They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
    experience.
     
    The Steven, Jan 19, 2004
    #19
  20. Ohaya

    The Steven Guest

    does anyone know under what conditions the passenger airbag on the 2004
    As memory serves, we have "second generation" or "de-powered airbags". And
    that under a specific weight, it (if needed) would activate (detonate) at a
    lower power level.

    --

    S.

    Don't fight with Idiots.
    They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
    experience.
     
    The Steven, Jan 19, 2004
    #20
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