2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS: Not quite 35 mpg

I'm guessing the 35 mpg rating was not at 70 mph.

For highway speeds, the engine isn't nearly as important as the aero, tires and, to a lesser extent weight.

More a midsize sedan weighing in around 3500 lbs with driver, 30 mpg at 70 mph is pretty good. I can get 28 mpg at 70 mph on my sedan which weighs in around 3900 lbs with driver. But I'll bet my mileage goes down a lot quicker climbing hills and such because of both weight and a bigger engine.

As throwback suggested, at 60 mph this thing would probably be on the high side of 35 mpg.

Here's a test schedule. Figure out what you're doing "wrong" re not meeting EPA testing conditions.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml

+1 on the rating probably for 55-60 mpg speed. Drag increases exponentially as speed increases. :)

I just made a trip this morning in our 2011 Sonata. On the highway at 60mph I got 37.3mpg.

They say the rule of thumb is every mph over 60mph you go, subtract one mpg. What you got was pretty close to that, but just shows how aerodynamic the 2011 Sonata is.

I've used some hypermiling techniques before, never going above 55mph, and that netted over 40mpg.

It's how you drive it.

this isnt surprising because few, if any, tests have shown this car getting EPA mileage in real world conditions. I'm sure its possible, but not probable. Same for elantra. Pop sci compared 5 fuel sippers (non hybrids) and the elantra was the least efficient in their testing. It trailed the Focus XFE by 6mpg and the Cruze Eco by 5mpg.

Agree with other comments, I find I always get -5 mpg whenever I cruise in the 70-75 range. I have a When I average about 60 I find I am very close to the EPA estimate.

Well after being impressed with the Regal, I am disappointed with the Sonata.

I'm not talking about what mpg these cars get, but rather how they compare to EPA. It seems that the Regal meets its EPA rating easily, while this Sonata (and almost every other car in IL fleet) seems to struggle to attain EPA rating.

If I remember correctly, the closest the Sonata got to EPA was 33mpg and that was on a drive on I70 from Colorado, which happens to be downhill.

I recently ran my new Sonata GLS from Orange County to Sacramento and back. The car had only 700 miles on the ODO at the start. Driving on the way up on the 5 was mostly with cruise on at 75mph, and with the active ECO function off. MPG calculated out to 32.6. Still had a quarter tank left, so range would have been over 500 miles.

The drive back the next day (same route, opposite direction obviously) I had the active ECO turned on. Same average speed on cruise. MPG calculated out to 29.7.

Can anybody tell me what the published purpose of the active ECO is? Does it provide best possible performance in city driving? I can't find documentation that explains what this function does to car performance (though I feel an obvious change in throttle response).

I want to mention something about speed.

I do not agree with anyone that I have to drive 55-60mph to achieve the CURRENT EPA highway.

From experience:

2008 T&C 4.0L,
EPA = 23mpg, 70mph = 24mpg

2007 Saturn Aura XR 3.6L,
EPA = 26mpg, 70mph = 28mpg
(To get the EPA 26mpg on the highway, you have to drive at 85+mph without cruise control)

2001 Volvo S60 2.4L non-turbo
EPA = 29mpg, 70mph = 37mpg

All of these numbers were observed on many many round trips of 300 mi between Portland and Seattle.

Also, IF intact the Sonata is that sensitive to speed, then it must have terrible aerodynamics, which cause lots of drag at higher speeds. I can't explain it in any other way. (I know the Sonata has a very low Cd coefficient, thus I doubt speed is a big factor)

Yup, it is how you drive it. All these folks think their Prius is so good on gas, but they drive at 90 mph. I rather drive my 300 V8 hp LS430 at 65 mph to get 25 mpg. I bet you that Prius at 90 mph don't get much higher MPG then I do.

If you think not meeting 35 is bad, try not meeting 41.27 mpg. In the Canadian system the Sonata with a manual is rated at 5.7 L/100 km on the hwy or 41.27 mpg Us gallons.

I have yet to read a test that managed anywhere close to that.

While I don't think Hyundai (or several other car companies that come to mind) are lying I do think they are going to great efforts to set up and program cars to maximize the test numbers at the expense of real world numbers. This was common back in the 80's but seemed to go away in the 90's.

Makes sense I guess, look at the importance some people here put on a car being a "40 mpg car". Marketing is more important then reality as the companies can alway blame the driver if you can't match their numbers.

Andrews:

I disagree on the Aura XR, getting 26 wasn't a no brainer, although it was possible. Exceeding that figure took moderation of speed and minimal traffic. In routine highway driving complete with slowing for normal traffic I would usually see around 25-26 on average but it wasnt hard to be below that 26mph figure.

As for Sonata, there are MANY tests out there where mileage was recorded and I'm not aware of any where it met EPA combined mileage. MT took a road trip with one months back and got 32mpg.

Where's that troll who claimed GM was making stuff up about the highway fuel economy of whatever the post was? It all depends on your driving style.

I regularly get the 24 highway mpg estimated, and I can't ever get the 15 city because I deal with stop lights every 200 yards. They're a GUIDE, not a rule.

yep, check the graph at:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drivehabits.shtml

drops off pretty good over 60.

You could have done some real world testing and set the cruise control at 65 for a stretch to see what it got and tried it at 75 for another stretch.

I'm not an automotive journalist (and I don't play one on TV) but even I find myself doing that in the different cars I get a chance to drive (which isn't very many). I know the real reason for starting posts on here about mpg is because they end up with usually the most amount of replies but come one guys, try doing some casual 'testing' of these cars and see what they do when handled differently.

Well, it was fun while it lasted. The new fuel economy test got the numbers closer to real world results for a while, then everyone figured out how to game the test again. They could revise it, but the cycle would just repeat itself.

What did the Sonata's trip computer report for your trip? Was it in line with what you calculated?

I found the mileage in my wife's 2010 Equinox drops off dramatically when traveling above 65mph. We can get 30-32mpg with cruise on 65, more like 28-29mpg when traveling at 70mph. And having the ECO button mode activated does seem to matter on the freeway (which I didn't expect). The figures I quote are what I calculated, not what the trip computer reports (that gizmo is typically 1.5-3mpg too happy).

"Where's that troll who claimed GM was making stuff up about the highway fuel economy of whatever the post was?"

It was not me, but remember the Equinox could not get its EPA mpgs even when driven on the fuel supper smackdown. Not getting the estimate is different when going 70-75, than when TRYING to get the best MPGs and not even getting close to it.

If they ran the Sonata or any car at 65 and it could not get its MPG rating then there is a problem.

I don't see how it is at all possible for the Sonata to weigh what it does, make the power that it does and achieve the fuel economy that it's supposed to achieve. The math simply does not add up and insterestingly enough, neither do the real world performance numbers. I'll be glad when everyone starts SAE rating their engines as well. So far, GM is the only company that consistently rates their motors.

@ throwback "I'm guessing the 35 mpg rating was not at 70 mph. "

I'm guessing the same thing.

I think it comes down to this: Most midsize 4 cylinder sedans get about the same mileage. And the faster you go, the lower the mileage. You pretty much need to ignore the EPA numbers and compare it with your previous vehicle.

For instance, my '05 Outback gets 26-29 mpg highway, depending on a lot of factors which are well known. If I were to buy a new Outback, I would be happy if it gets a bit better mileage. Newer cars are heavier and larger, so any improvement which involves current technology is OK with me.

1487,

On my 300 mi trips I do not have traffic. 28mpg is what I get driving the Aura at 70mph.

@ andrewss:

All new cars have horrible aerodynamics thanks to the pedestrian safety system. New midsize cars have very similar frontal areas to SUVs and Crossovers now. Some may be worse than others though (Sonata, Malibu, GTI --- check). My '07 GTI is no exception --- epa rated 25 / 32 (old) and 22 / 29 (new). I actually have to try to get below 25 mpg in town, but usually average 27ish in town, and I average 30 - 32 @ 65 mph. At 70 mph, I drop to 26.5ish mpg, and at 80 with a/c I'm lucky to get 24! I got 29 in my 3.2L Intrepid at 80 mph with a/c (similar weight and power, but aerodynamic) but only 21 or 22 in town (or worse). I had similar economy problems in rental Malibu LTZ 4-cylinders, 26 mpg in town, 30 mpg at 65, 24 mpg at 80 (with a/c).

"I don't see how it is at all possible for the Sonata to weigh what it does"

Maybe because you have the IQ of a box of hair.

good luck getting those miles in this area

Well it sounds like what it really should achieve. I mean those stats were rather freakish when i first saw them. I still think the numbers werea bit boosted in my opinion.

I've had no problem getting over 30mpg in two different 2009-2010 *V6* Ford Fusions, driving 70-75mph with the air conditioner on. Dramatically better composed suspension than the Sonata as well.

andrewss and 1487

As the owner of another 2007 Aura XR, I have had the following mileage on long trips.

27-28 mpg at speeds anywhere from 65 to 85, depending upon traffic and CHP, with climate control set at 73 degrees while driving in temperatures up to 107 degrees going from San Diego to Las Vegas. On the trip back, 26-27 mpg, same speeds and temperatures. Two people in the car.

Same trip a year later with whole family, 25-26 mpg, same range of speeds and temperature. 4 people in car, all would be considered adults due to size.

Trip from San Diego to Pinetop, Arizona and back for high school reunion, 29 mpg, 30 mpg, 31 mpg, 30 mpg and 29 mpg. Started out at 75 degrees leaving San Diego, 100 in Yuma, 105 in Phoenix area, and then dropped to 75 in mountains. The tankfuls around and over 30 where in heavily speed monitored areas, therefore, the highest speed was around 65 mph, and quite a bit of 55-60 mph. I was pleasantly suprised at my mileage in the mountains, going to 7,000 feet.

I would guess if I could drive just 70 mph, I might hit 29 mpg, depending upon temperature, terrain and number of people in the car. The problem is that the car is much happier at a slightly higher speed due to its gearing.

aurakr,

I agree about gearing. I have NOT been able to get over 30mpg at 60mph. The car LOVES 70-75mph and gets 28mpg at that speed on I5. In other areas I have gotten over 30mpg going 65-70mph.
But at 60mph (I drove 150mi at 60mph on perfectly flat freeway) I only got 28mpg.

EPA rates this car at 26mpg.

I still expect ANY car to hit EPA highway at 70mph.

"Maybe because you have the IQ of a box of hair."

WTF are you talking about? The Sonata's mileage verges on too good to be true. Most midsize cars are around 33mpg, even those that are as light as the Sonata. The Sonata has class leading power, class average weight and miraculously class leading highway mileage. While it does have DI, the city mileage is actually lower than several of it's competitors which is interesting. Considering the Sonata doesnt use low resistance tires or any special aero tweaks to get 35mpg it seems like a very optimistic rating.

Aura/Andrew:

best mileage I ever got was about 28mpg on a 30-40m highway trip with climate control off and a relatively low speed, maybe 65mph average. It's rare to take a long highway trip in the NE without traffic so conditions aren't usually ideal. I would say 25mpg was a realistic goal for most of my highway trips. Without traffic 26mpg was definitely achievable at 70mph.

With vehicles released over the last two years it seems that speed is absolutely critical in meeting EPA highway ratings. The Regal turbo has a VERY conservative rating so it doesn't seem surprising that they have been able to to meet the EPA highway number.

"Maybe because you have the IQ of a box of hair."

WTF are you talking about?"

Funny...this is the second or third time you have responded to a post that I directed to "chavis10"....You must learn to know what screen name you are using, you keep screwing up!

(BTW my bait worked.....he fell for it with very little effort from me) For the past few times I have seen "chavis10" I have directed a crappy comment to him and 1487 has responded, so I tried again and what a surprise! 1487 responded! Lets see, 2+2=14overchavis87brook!

IL can eliminate multiple screen names which is likely why your alter ego "L487" was eliminated after a few days. I told you to complain if you really think you are right. You won't because you know you're incorrect. I asked you WTF you were talking about because your comment made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Even by your standards it was absurd.

Would both of you please take a vacation from Inside Line for a few weeks? Relentless back and forth bickering like a pair of nine year olds. This is a blog for the discussion of cars- enough.

Automobile Magazine did a return trip - Michigan to NYC - in their long term Sonata 2.4. Observed economy for that trip, 35mpg.

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1105_2011_hyundai_sonata_se_april_2011/index.html