2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!

OK, I have an Elantra GLS 5-speed hatchback with about 800 miles on it
so far. It is a great looking, running, and handling car with plenty
of amenities. It has it all over Corolla, Civic, Focus, and the like
except for one thing -- the gas mileage SUCKS!!!

And I absolutely baby this car -- no jackrabbit starts, all the highway
driving done between 55-65 mph. The EPA highway estimate for the
Elantra is 34mpg, and I haven't even broken 27mpg yet. Every car I
have owned in the last 20 years has done FAR better than its EPA
estimate; even my 1990 Grand Marquis got 26mpg on the highway, with its
5-liter engine!

What am I doing wrong??

Please, somebody tell me the mileage will get way better after the
engine is broken in. PLEASE!!!

Joe

 

Relax and give it a chance to break in!

My '04 started out getting upper 20's for the first tank or two, but the
mileage increased as it broke in, pretty rapidly at first, then more
gradually. My car now has 23K miles on it and it's getting the best
mileage it ever has. I now see 34-36 mpg at 65 mph on the highway and
typically average between 32 and 34 overall, per tank. I've seen as high
as 38 on a one-way trip recently.

A good idea to boost mileage a bit is to change to synthetic oil in both
the engine and transmission. I run 5W-30 in the engine and Redline MT-90
in the trans (you MUST use a GL-4 oil like MT-90 in the Hyundai trans).
I switched the engine oil at 7500 miles and the trans oil at 10K. If you
live up north, you'll notice big difference in the winter, as the engine
will turn over easier and the transmission won't feel like it's full of
molasses.

The suggested tire pressures (30/30) are a joke and the consensus among
Elantra enthusiasts is to run somewhere around 36/32 front/rear. The car
handles better, you get better tire wear and it should improve gas
mileage, too.

If you're interested in getting the most from your GT, check out the
Elantra GT club and ElantraXD sites. You'll find lots of tips and
modifications there. Probably the best of the lot is to replace the
stock rear sway bar with the 19mm bar from the Tiburon GT. It
DRAMATICALLY improves the Elantra's handling.

 

I concur with Brian. 3000 miles on my 05 GT and I tracked my mileage from
day 1.
Started out at avg 23 and highway 28.
Average has gone up from 23 to 27 (mixed driving) and latest pure highway
was 33.
Not a Toyota, but I knew that when I bought it.
Keep the faith; it will improve.

 

I concur with Brian. 3000 miles on my 05 GT and I tracked my mileage from
day 1.
Started out at avg 23 and highway 28.
Average has gone up from 23 to 27 (mixed driving) and latest pure highway
was 33.
Not a Toyota, but I knew that when I bought it.
Keep the faith; it will improve.

 

Thanx, Brian .

Were you saying that you first changed to synthetic engine oil at 7500
miles, or is that the interval you use? Do you have an auto tranny?

Also, on the sway bar issue, is that something that a novice mechanic
like myself could tackle? Could it possibly void the warranty?

Can you tell me where the other Elantra sites are?

joe

 

No, it's a manual. BTW, the autos seem to get substantially lower
mileage, despite having pretty similar EPA ratings.

Absolutely, it's an easy job. IIRC, it took me all of half an hour.

No. The sway bar won't cause wear on any other parts. Besides, unless a
mechanic knows it's on there, it's pretty unlikely they'd even notice.

http://elantragtclub.tripod.com/elantra/

http://www.elantraxd.com/index.php

IMO the Elantra GT Club is the better of the two sites, but they're both
useful.

 

I would bet that yours will continue to improve too, though it depends
heavily on your driving habits.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I got a boost today when I filled up.
My last tank got 30mpg combined (two-thirds highway and one-third city
driving), so it is definitely getting better.

Joe

 

Thanks, Brian.

J.

 

2005 Elantra GT Hatch Sulev Automatic epa 24/32.
Just did a 3 day vacation loop from nyc to Hershey,Lancaster,Maryland &
back.
Mixed driving mainly highway but some nasty tie-up and a bunch of site
seeing.
just over 600 miles...31MPG for the trip, interstate was 75mph with A/C on
90% of the time.
Now I have a heavy foot and in NYC traffic I've gotten as low as 19mpg.
though I average about 25mpg in normal local traffic. (Outer-boro NYC)

 

jsherman scribbled out on 8/22/2005 8:49 PM:

Yep, the mileage will improve. We just finished a 2200 mile roundtrip
to GenCon and averaged about 33 mpg at 70-75 mph. If we drop the speed
to 65 mph, our Elantra easily gets 34-36 mpg.

-Dan
2004 Elantra GT

 

2005 GLS automatic, about 4,000 miles. Started at about 27 mpg. Now
just over 30 mpg.

 

I have a 2001 Elanta with 120,000 miles on it.
Since the car is new I averaged 29 miles to the gallon, city and highway
combined.
Average speed on the highway is 70-80 miles per hour and I put my foot into
when leaving the stop sign or traffic light.
All and all not a bad car for the money.

 

That's nice to know. My 2001 Elantra has only 32000 miles
so there is quite a way to go. BTW did you receive a letter
from Hyundai with regard to the manifold may have cracks,
Taking mine in on Tuesday for free inspection.

 

mine cracked after the bumper to bumper was up.
it cost 1200.00 cdn to replace it. so it will stay cracked.
next spring I will be putting a better exhaust system on the car for the
same money.

 

I have an 03 elantra 5 speed. I'm lucky if I get 30 mpg. It's the only
thing about this car I don't like. I'm not sure if they had to sacrifice
fuel economy to get a couple of extra horses or what, but don't expect much.
Marc

 

If that's all you're getting, it's either a function of the conditions
you drive in or the way you drive, or both. Other people with the same
car report mileage in the mid-30's.

 

I have a 2005 Elantra GT with 9500 miles on it. I, like yourself, drive very
easily and conservative. I am lucky if I get 27+ mpg. This is with about 75+
percent hwy driving. I also had a 2001 Elantra GLS which was very similiar
to my 2005 GT. I think the highest I ever got is around 30.5 mpg - same
commute as where my 2005 takes me. The car had 35K miles before I traded it
in in 2003. I may be the gasoline blend here in southern CA.

Good luck

 

It's an automatic, isn't it? Your car's still breaking in and the
mileage should continue to improve for a while. A LOT depends on what
the other 25% of your driving is like. If it's stop & go, downtown or
traffic jam driving, it's going to kill your mileage, especially if you
leave the car idling at lights. Perhaps the gas does have something to
do with it, but I find it difficult to believe that could account for
7-8 mpg.

 

Is not the GT a more sporting version that has a higher gear ratio for
faster acceleration and therefore slightly less gas mileage?