Yes, we are San Diego residents. Mileage difference is because my wife
drives in much more stop & go traffic (she is the main driver and she
loves the car, especially the heated seats). The other mileage I
mentioned (27mpg) was almost pure freeway driving on our recent trip.
Her previous cars have been Ford Taurus's. I typically drive a 1995
Ford Ranger. May buy a second Hyundai toward the end of this year.
Keep in mind that the 2001 XG300 had a slightly smaller engine than
the newer XG350's. As a matter of fact, the only real difference
between the 2001 XG300, and the 2002 XG350 was the larger engine. I
don't believe the difference to be significant with regard to gas
mileage. The Hyundai XG's get slightly lower gas mileage than similar
cars because they are much heavier cars (read safety). Consumer
Reports compares the ride of the XG to a classic Buick (means it's not
sporty and rides real nice)
For insurance rates, we have been Wawanesa customers for probably 20
years or more. currently paying $829 total for 2 vehicles (100,000 /
25,000/ 300,000 liability). A 1995 Ford Ranger and a 2001 XG300L.
Rates for the Hyundai are as follows:
Bodily Injury Liability 125.00
Property Damage 104.00
Comprehensive ($100 Ded) 69.00
Collision ($300 Ded) 211.00
Uninsured/Underinsured 32.00
(30,000/60,000)
Uninsured Collision Deduct Wav 10.00
Total for Hyundai: 551.00
Clean driving record, age's 48, discounts applied (multi-car, good
driver, persistency (loyalty)). I can completely recommend Wawanesa as
an Insurance company. Not even sure if it's the cheapest, but
fantastic customer service in our experience. Hard to compare old car
rates to the Hyundai as the old car was a 1995 Taurus, but in 2001 the
Taurus was $404 for the year and the Hyundai was $499.00. That equates
to less than $10 a month for a new $24,000 car compared to a 6 year
old Ford.
Hope all this helps.