What you DONT like about your Elantra GT

[Bartacus]

Just discovered another "don't like" in regard to night driving. Dimming the cluster doesn't dim the radio display, and the light from that can mess up your night vision in the rear view mirror since the light is reflecting off it. I wonder if you can dim the radio display somehow.

[Winkle]

Originally Posted by ajfinoak

I apologize if I have seemed totally unloving about the car. I actually really like many things about the car- sunroof, seats, ride, auto trans). Had I been aware of its mileage discepancies I would either not have bought it (likely would not have since mileage was one major factor in getting another car to replace the 01 Acura CL I gave to my kids) or had I known would be keeping my mouth shut. Even driving very conservatively I can't get close to the new EPA numbers but can get or exceed it in our other cars. Based upon the mileage you can achieve I can only assume the MT does much better. There is no way I can get into the 30's driving aggressively with the auto.
It is hard to let go of a $ 23K mistake that I feel that I should have researched before purchase even more than I did. My bad for buying it as soon as it came out.

I'm in the exact same boat as you. Besides the poor fuel economy I actually have no other complaints about the car and enjoy every other aspect of it. The panaromic sunroof is great and I know it'll be even more enjoyable in the summer when I can drive with it popped open all the time.

Unfortunately the fuel economy is a really sticking issue because I narrowly purchased the GT over the Mazda3-SKY. The GT only edged out the Mazda because of it's better interiors and the sunroof, BUT had I known about the fuel economy issue beforehand it would have tipped the balance in the Mazda's favour and I would be a Mazda3-SKY owner right now.

I also agree that while I am upset at Hyundai, I'm also pissed at myself for not being diligent enough in my research. Had I spent more time digging around I would have found out about the fuel economy issue with the GT earlier and avoided all this so yes, I too am having a hard time getting past it.

[ajfinoak]

I can't imagine how ticked off the owners of the Kia Soul must be- having their mpg adjusted by 6 mpg! I am sure that the used market for those took a major $$$ dive.

[ubermullet]

Originally Posted by Winkle

I'm in the exact same boat as you. Besides the poor fuel economy I actually have no other complaints about the car and enjoy every other aspect of it. The panaromic sunroof is great and I know it'll be even more enjoyable in the summer when I can drive with it popped open all the time.

Unfortunately the fuel economy is a really sticking issue because I narrowly purchased the GT over the Mazda3-SKY. The GT only edged out the Mazda because of it's better interiors and the sunroof, BUT had I known about the fuel economy issue beforehand it would have tipped the balance in the Mazda's favour and I would be a Mazda3-SKY owner right now.

I also agree that while I am upset at Hyundai, I'm also pissed at myself for not being diligent enough in my research. Had I spent more time digging around I would have found out about the fuel economy issue with the GT earlier and avoided all this so yes, I too am having a hard time getting past it.

I disagree with you sort of. For those of us who bought the car prior to the "scandal" I'm sure they did their homework. In countless forums people were questioning the EPA numbers and those people were cut down or disproved by others with their alleged numbers. I guess the bottom line is that Hyundai was dishonest like other manufacturers allegedly and they got caught. Yes they are stepping up but, it doesn't excuse what they did.

[talkingrat]

Originally Posted by Bartacus

Just discovered another "don't like" in regard to night driving. Dimming the cluster doesn't dim the radio display, and the light from that can mess up your night vision in the rear view mirror since the light is reflecting off it. I wonder if you can dim the radio display somehow.

I'd prefer a dimmer too, but you can turn it off with the DISP button. You lose clock and song description, but it's easy enough to toggle it back on when you want to check.

[markjenn]

Originally Posted by Bartacus

Dimming the cluster doesn't dim the radio display...

It does on mine, although the radio does remain a little brighter than the rest of the cluster throughout the dimming range. And as someone else mentioned, there is the DISP button.

- Mark

[TurboLed]

Mine also dims with the dimming control. Honestly I have no complain about it being too bright.

[CanuckElantraGT]

LMAO! I love how everyone is jumping all over Hyundai/Kia for their MPG figures... There's a car magazine i have from the UK that does "truMPG" testing. On the 75MPG Prius, the magazine, through their test that is done in conjunction is a UK testing firm sanctioned by the UK government, they found the truMPG to be more around the 52MPG mark (city figures). NO CAR gets what the sticker says it will. The tests done by the EPA and Transport Canada are conducted in a closed environment under certain conditions. Anyone that's foolish enough to believe ANY suggested MPG figure is asking to be dooped and "pissed off". I'll calculate my real world mileage when I get home, but all I know is, it's waaaay better than what I was driving before.

[LeMeez]

I realistically think the GT gets similar mileage to the other hatches in this segment. Between cold weather, winter gas, ethanol and driving the thing at 75 MPH on the highway or stop and go city traffic with umpteen stops and traffic lights, it still gets decent mileage. The only way to know for sure is driving the others yourself under the exact same conditions and I bet you would be happy with the GT.

[markjenn]

Originally Posted by LeMeez

The only way to know for sure is driving the others yourself under the exact same conditions ...

Which is why we have the standardized EPA tests - so that even if the numbers are not realistic for your driving, they still can be compared between different models.

The data is actually fairly consistent. Prior to Hyundai revising the numbers, the Mazda 3 Sky was about 1 mpg better than the GT, but the tests in various magazines (like Consumer Reports) were showing the GT down about 2-3 mpg. And guess what? The revised numbers now show the GT about 2-3 mpg lower. If you're getting 28 overall in your GT, you'd probably get about 30-31 in your Mazda. The EPA tests are very flawed in predicting what mileage you will get, but they're pretty good for making comparisons.

- Mark