Hyundai Mileage

19 mpg is not dismal fuel economy for a 3.3L six cylinder engine. It'd be my recommendation that if this is unacceptable, you should not even consider a car with more than four cylinders.

We've put about 15.5K miles on my wife's '06 Sonata LX V6 since last October. With a pretty consistent mix of about 80% city/burb driving and 20% highway miles. For the first 7K our mileage stayed at a constant 19.1 avg. After 7K it moved a couple of decimal points a week to an average today that runs about 23.2 for our driving. I have had single trip highway averages approaching 28.5, but nothing near the advertised 30 hwy. Overall I would have liked to see better numbers in fuel economy, but with the V6 in most any car, you have to give up something in the economy side and must decide if the extra performance (perceived or real) is worth the loss of mpg. I get a consistent 26.5 out of *my* 7 year old Honda Accord EXL/V6/AT under similar driving conditions....I say *my* Accord because *I* was the one that was supposed to get the Sonata as a new company car for client meetings, etc.......but that only lasted until *she* laid eyes on *my* car at delivery :~)

Keith

I can very well see where you are coming from Keith *I* was also supposed to get a Sonata.. Another of the pittfall's of marriage eh? Anyways back to the OP's question. Don't buy the car if you are looking for milleage like the EPA figures. I have been using a V6 GLS for the past 2 months and have got an avg of 22.6 once on a trip which involved

60% highway. Otherwise with regular city use (i.e. 95% city/suburb) I get around 18 to 20. A buddy of m> > I plan on purchasing a new Sonata (my first Hyundai) and am having trouble

After 2000 miles, my 6 is holding steady at an indicated 21.x average MPG. Got it above 22 once during a sort of long highway trip.

I will be taking longer trip later in the month -to the Sonata factory of all places- so that should show interesting highway numbers.

I have noticed almost no difference in the mileage with the A/C or on off (and damn, it's hot: I am willing to spend some gas for the comfort!), and certainly no drop in perceived engine performance with it on or off. Excellent behavior compared to my old Toyota where the A/C would make the fuel level visibly drop and the engine performance fall off a cliff.

Took one of my friends on a ride in the Sonata last week. He said his

4cy 05 Civic gets better mileage but he can't use the A/C and still accelerate. He was also very impressed with how quiet and speedy the Sonata was.

I'm one of the few who have also commented on the AC. I live in PA where we only need AC about 3 months of the year, but I still find it feeble. It cools OK if the OAT is less than about 85, but when it hit

100 last week, it was pathetic. I drove my Chevy truck to work the two days when it was at or near 100. That thing will cool the cabin within 10 minutes even on the lowest fan speed. I have to start raising the temperature control even with 100 outside after about 10-15 minutes (about halfway to work for me). My Sonata can remain on full cold with the fan on 3 all the way to work when it is above 90 and I'm still not too cool.

I plan to take it in and have it checked when I get a chance, however, I checked it myself with a thermometer and it seemed to meet the specs for exit temperature at the vents. I think it just doesn't have enough capacity (air temperature at the outlets doesn't equate to heat removal as temperature and heat aren't the same) to handle the size of the cabin. I also have the low-end model which lacks the special window treatment available on the higher end models and this may be the reason that those with the V-6s haven't complained about the AC.

Matt

I have the V6 with the so called window treatment & if that is a help I can't imagine what it would be without it. I actually checked my window sticker since I still had it to verify if I had the solar control glass. In fact I wanted to ask here whether it was legal & possible to stick darker sun control film on the windows??

Any car audio shop should be able to tint the windows or give you some names to call.

Planning on doing the same thing to my car. The AC works but not when it's not on, and I got the black paint. So it does get hot in there.

I th> I have the V6 with the so called window treatment & if that is a help I

My 06 Sonata v-6 LX. I had windows tinted next day after I bought it because I drive through southern Deserts couple of times a year. Cal, Nmex Ariz Tex. never had any trouble with AC. last trip temp was over 100 every day until I got close to San Diego. Average about 17MPH city and

26MPG highway

I would just go with the 4-cyl or wait for 2007 models.. Considering my 2002 Sonata 6-cyl averages 22-24 MPG and is 170HP, the 2006 4-cyl is 160HP and gets better mileage than me for 10HP less.

If I had to choose between the 6-cyl and 4-cyl TODAY, I would go with the 4-cyl. It gets 24/33MPG.

- Thee Chicago Wolf

If you're getting 22-24 out of your '02 V6, you should expect similar or slightly better numbers out of a new 3.3 V6.

Individual fuel economy has a great amount to do with driving habits and situations. I doubt most people get fuel economy a couple mpg lower than you do out of the same car.

What made an even bigger difference on my highway MPG were better tires than the OEM. I'm riding on Yokohama Avid H4S and they are a HUGE improvement. I once got 525 miles out of a full tank (16.5 Gal) before I almost ran dry. Never got anywhere near that on my old tires.

- Thee Chicago Wolf

Very unlikely that the tires made a HUGE difference or even a significant difference. Most likely you are comparing an apple trip to orange trips and attributing the difference to the tires when other variables are more likely at play.

Matt

Perhaps, but I kept my controls the same each time. I go to SW Wisconsin (200+ miles (one way) from my location, Chicago) at least 4 times a year and most of the roads out there are 55mph so there isn't much room for stop and go acceleration affecting my numbers. No jack-rabbit starts or overdrive to pass people either.

I did my tests with cruise control @ 65-70mph and have found that the Yokohamas yield me *slightly* better mileage than my OEMs. With the OEMs I was getting right around 500-505 miles to a full tank. No apple or orange trips here since the conditions of the drive were exactly the same. Generally, I drive at night when there's less traffic or after the morning rush hour. The conditions are nearly the same every time so my numbers are consistent.

With my OEMs, I would average 78-82mpg to a 1/4 tank (city). With my Yokos I am getting around 84-86. I've been driving the same route to work for 2 years and nothing has changed between point A and point B.

I've put around 14k on my Yokohama's from mid June '05 to present and have been keeping a fairly close eye on the before and after. *My* experience is that I am getting a little better mileage out of them.

cheers,

- Thee Chicago Wolf

Hi Matt,

I live in Georgia where it has also been very hot for several weeks. I have the 4 cyl like you and mine cools very well. You should really take it in and have them redo the AC. Usually, they have to dump the charge and start from scratch with a new charge to ensure the correct amount goes in.

As far as mileage, mine is holding on an indicated 25.5 with about 80% city or town driving. On trips back to Pa, my hometown, we get 32. The 4 puts out plenty of power to stay out of trouble and pass on the two lane roads around here. I honestly don't see any reason to get the V6. This comes from a guy who has had 427 1969 vettes, 390 Cougars, Porsche's, and plenty of other 'muscle'. It's just not necessary anymore with $3 gas. It's no fun to drive anymore with all the nuts on the roads and cops hungry to fill the coffers.

A slight difference is a lot less than a HUGE difference. :-)

Are you sure they are the exact same diameter as the OEM tires. A change in diameter can also have an effect on computed mileage.

Matt

Heh, well..some difference is better than none. I'd have to find out the diameter difference. I have heard that wider diameter tires can make a vehicle go faster than the speedometer is reading. I would like to see some scientific evidence to support it though.

- Thee Chicago Wolf

If you change the diameter of the tires you should also change the aspect ratio. (essentially the height, though the techs can chime in here with the details) This keeps the speedometer/odometer at least close to accurate.

For instance, if you have 205/60/16 tires and switch to wider 215 diameter tires, you should also reduce the ratio to 55-series to get the closest match for your speedometer/odometer. In that case the speedo will read slightly high, (it will read 60.8 mph when you are going 60), but it will be as close as you can get without changing wheel sizes.

If you switch to 215/60/16, which is a common size and in fact the OE size for the current-generation Sonata---i.e. you switch to a wider tire but do not change the aspect ratio---you will throw off your speedo/odo. In this case it's not a huge difference---about 1.8%---but it's still something.

If you switch from OE 205/60/16 to 215/60/16, your speedomenter will read 58.9 mph when you are actually going 60 mph. That's per the online tire size calculator I found here.:

Also per reviews I've read on tirerack, some tires yield slightly better fuel economy than others, even if both are brand new and exactly the same size and type. A rough rule of thumb seems to be that tires that provide maximum wet/snow traction, even all-season ones, will yield slightly lower fuel economy. I don't pretend to have expert insight on that.

Just something to think about.

Regards, Eric M

I have never owned a Hyundai, but am seriously considering one for my next car purchase. The reports of less-than-advertised fuel economy combined with $3/gallon gas have made me switch my focus from the

4-cylinder Sonata to the "mid-size" (per EPA) '07 Elantra, which supposedly will get 28/36 and have an optional SULEV-rated engine. I am scratching my head as to why Hyundai has not yet launched the new Elantra with the fanfare the Sonata and to a lesser extent the Accent got last year.

Fuel economy seems to be a continuing challenge for Hyundai, even with the mega-improvements to most of its models in recent years. For some reason, they just don't stack up to Honda and Toyota in re gas mileage.

Specifically, not only are the EPA estimates slightly lower, but more importantly a Civic or Corolla will come closer to EPA sticker than will a Sonata. (that's a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison, but it holds true among folks I know personally as well as comments I've read online.)

It all depends on how much you need the extra power compared to the higher MSRP and the extra cost of fuel and tune-ups. Also the Sonata V-6 takes 6 quarts of oil, which has caused problems at oil change time....even at a few Hyundai dealers, per posts I've read here.

If you take long trips in the hills with a carful of family members and cargo, or if you have to merge onto a busy highway near LA or Houston each day and then keep up with traffic in the passing lane, the V-6 might be worth it. Otherwise, I'd stick to the 4-cylinder.

Regards, Eric M

I'm not sure what you mean by wider diameter. Width and diameter are two different dimensions on a tire. A wider tire isn't likely to change the rolling radius much. A tire with a greater diameter will change the rolling radius proportional to the change in diameter compared to the OEM tires. So, if your new tires are smaller in diameter than the OEM tires, they will make more revolutions per mile. This means that your odometer will record more miles per actual mile traveled. So let's say, for example, that your new tires are 5% smaller in diameter than the originals. Your odometer will now record ~105 miles for every 100 actual miles driven. Let's say that before you used 4 gallons for 100 miles or got 25 MPG. Let's say you still use 4 gallons per 100 actual miles. You will have recorded 105 miles on your odometer so when you compute your MPG, it will be 26.25 MPG. However, this is a fictitious number as you really only traveled 100 miles and you really are still getting 25 MPG. So the tires didn't give you better mileage, they just give you the appearance of beter mileage.

Matt