[CharizzaSonata15]

Hello new friends,


I am a 33 year old single woman in Louisiana looking for help with my pre-owned 2015 Sonata (2.4L I4). Since I purchased the vehicle a week ago I've gotten 16 MPG combined (60% city and 40% highway driving). I drove only 150 miles and blew through a half a tank of gas. :surprise:
The computer reads an average of 22 MPG, which is wrong. Even the estimated miles I have left to travel are wrong.

The dealer performed a service and inspection and found nothing. Even though it's under manufacturer's warranty still (has less than 40K), something tells me that they are going to keep giving it a clean bill of health even if I keep insisting there's a problem.

Tomorrow is my last day to exchange the car for another one. I don't want to exchange it since I'll have to pay a new set of dealer fees on a different vehicle. However, I don't have the option to return it, and I can't ethically sell the car and represent it as a normally performing Sonata.

It makes no sense to pay $15,000+ for a gas guzzler.

I spent so much time researching the right car and now I am just frustrated.

If I don't return it tomorrow, I'm stuck with it. Hyundai corporate has an awful reputation from what I've read online. I don't expect them to help me with this.



I would be very grateful for any advice you have.



Sincerely,
Frustrated in the Bayou

 

[KDMcC2]

I have the same year and model of Sonata with about 65 k mile (106,000 km) and have owned it for a bit over 3 years. Most of my diving is on highways (very little city). In the summer, I easily get 500 miles (sometimes close to 600) from a tank of gas. However, when I am in the city and fill the tank, it's not unusual for me to see mileage in the low 20 mpg range.
Given you've only had the car a week, and haven't driven all that far, I'm assuming you haven't filled the tank yourself yet? It's possible the dealer didn't actually fill your tank, so your mileage might be closer to what the computer indicates. The mpg displayed on the dash is off by a few percent in my experience, but I haven't seen the discrepancy you indicate (16 mpg vs 22mpg). How did you determine the 16 mpg number?
I'd be curious to know what sort of mileage you see if you fill the tank, then take it for a good long highway drive at a fairly constant 60-70 mph. Refill the tank and calculate your actual mileage based on the distance driven.
Also, the range indication on the Sonata is pretty conservative. I find mine tracks pretty well wth distance travelled until its down to about 120 miles, then I can probably go another 200 miles before it shows zero. Even then, I probably have 2.5 gallons left in the tank.
Hope that helps.

 

[Turbonut]

Mileage is what is is, but one wants to start off with the correct numbers.

As above, fill the tank, reset trip odometer, drive, fill up and divide the miles by gallons.

 

[Liam Rowe]

Maybe the numbers your seeing is just from the last owner's driving habit. If I recall , the engine computer learn the driving habits of the driver and that can effect the MPG.. Try to just take it out for a ride in the country for a few hours to see if the numbers go up

 

[DarrenBach]

Fill it up, reset the mileage...and drive 10 or so miles at 60 or 70. Mine has 168,000 mi. and gets 40+ Hwy and low 30's city...and it's a peppy bugger! 00000732

 

[CharizzaSonata15]

Hello KDMcC2,

Thanks for your reply.

The range you mentioned, 500 miles, was close to the range I saw when I drove my car off the lot. It was 490 if my memory serves me right. The dealer gave me a full tank of gas.

As soon as I bought the car I reset the trip odometer as well as the average MPG so I could track fresh.

I calculated the MPG by subtracting my current odometer reading from the odometer reading I had upon purchase last Saturday. Then I divided that by 9.25 gallons since that's the amount of fuel the car has consumed.

When I left the dealership the range was 490. Now, 150 miles later, it's 280. So it's off by 60 miles.. something is definitely wrong. I can't be imagining this!

 

[CharizzaSonata15]

Ride in the country

Maybe the numbers your seeing is just from the last owner's driving habit. If I recall , the engine computer learn the driving habits of the driver and that can effect the MPG.. Try to just take it out for a ride in the country for a few hours to see if the numbers go up

Liam I appreciate that feedback. I did notice that when I got on the highway the numbers started to climb. However, that doesn't help because the majority of my driving will be in the city. 16 MPG just won't cut it. Fuel economy influenced my purchase. For 16 MPG I could have stayed with my 2004 Acura and skipped the car note.

 

[CharizzaSonata15]

Thank you Darren. I am so jealous of your mileage! I will do another test before taking it back to the dealer, although I started this test on a full tank. I just wish I had more time to test it out. Tomorrow is the last day I can exchange.

 

[MButkus]

On your next tank, find out via the display the average MPH (miles per hour). City driving can mean a lot different city to city, bumper to bumper traffic. Are you resetting the trip odometer via the menu ?

<<The range you mentioned, 500 miles, was close to the range I saw when I drove my car off the lot. It was 490 if my memory serves me right. The dealer gave me a full tank of gas.>>
The DTE is determined by the last tank of gas, if the last driver was getting 28+ mpg the full tank will reflect that in the DTE. As you drive and your mileage is less then that 28+, your DTE will shrink.

 

[Turbonut]

Fill it up, reset the mileage...and drive 10 or so miles at 60 or 70. Mine has 168,000 mi. and gets 40+ Hwy and low 30's city...and it's a peppy bugger!

As the EPA fuel mileage is 22/34, yours must be a one of a kind vehicle if you see 30/40.
That's better than the hybrid!

 

[holimont]

You don't have time for the advice you've been given. Take it back tomorrow. I'll bet you a crawfish the dealer will extend the return period and put your car in his shop. Demand a loaner.

 

[rweisman]

Fill it up, reset the mileage...and drive 10 or so miles at 60 or 70. Mine has 168,000 mi. and gets 40+ Hwy and low 30's city...and it's a peppy bugger! 00000732

Low 30's in the city.. what is your secret.. never catch any lights, or stop signs?


If I have little congestion on the way to work, I can get 33 MPG mixed, more likely 29.5 - 30.5 on avg.

In the afternoon, I hit a lot of stop and go traffic. I'm luck to get 25 MPG.


On short trips, my avg MPG drops to sub 20, depending on how heavy my foot is.



Coming back from Prescott AZ, I saw 43 MPG, but that was down-hill most of the way.





So Darren, please let everyone know your driving technique to obtain that great MPG.

 

[kocyk123]

Maybe you should try adding LUCAS cleaner to your gas. A lot of people experienced improvement. I currently have 24k miles on my 2018 and get perfect mpg performance. I add LUCAS injector cleaner every 3-4 fill-ups as a "preventive maintenance" or "peace of mind".

 

[deadrx7conv]

MPG requires movement. In city traffic driving, you are spending much time wasting fuel going nowhere. You'd be better off with a hybrid.

I only calculate MPG manually. Dash range, miles to empty, instant/average MPG are useless.

Get a timer and log hours. Once you see how far you don't go wasting many hours of time, then it is what it is. Average speed is an eye opener for many with poor MPG.

Buy a hybrid.

 

[DarrenBach]

Low 30's in the city.. what is your secret.. never catch any lights, or stop signs?


If I have little congestion on the way to work, I can get 33 MPG mixed, more likely 29.5 - 30.5 on avg.

In the afternoon, I hit a lot of stop and go traffic. I'm luck to get 25 MPG.


On short trips, my avg MPG drops to sub 20, depending on how heavy my foot is.



Coming back from Prescott AZ, I saw 43 MPG, but that was down-hill most of the way.





So Darren, please let everyone know your driving technique to obtain that great MPG.

It's a small town with few lights, and I sure you're familiar with "suburban stop". I can do runs of 30 miles and get mid 40's...on a 200 mi. run to Chicago in winter (hitting stop and go in Milw.) I got around 40 mpg...It sounds that your's is similar.
I can tell you if my daughter drives...mileage takes a big hit!

 

[MButkus]

Even a hybrid will get lower mileage in heavy traffic, but 16 is worse them my wife's 2014 SUV 2.0T. It has to be 10 degrees for a week to get 17 mpg, and it's a AWD.

Under your "trip" setting you have Avg MPH, her's is at 30 and getting 22.5 mpg. If her MPH is 16, then you know the problem. Very heavy traffic, lots of idling, type of acceleration. If you are in a hot/cold area and always pre-heat/cool, more wasted gas. Plus her old car (I assume) was a 4 cyl and getting about the same mileage.