OMG! Brussels and Hyundai Sonata

[BRUSSELS BELGIAN]

2011 Hyundai Sonata (rental car). SEVEN HUNDRED TWENTY SIX MILES on 17.6 gallons; fuel economy of 41.25 miles per gallon. 2.4 direct injection gasser with 6 speed automatic. The "Master of MPG" strikes again!

 

[PlaneCrazy]

Sheesh that's almost as good as my new Golf TDI. Well better in fact, when it comes to range. On my first tank I averaged 44 mpg (measured, not MFD), for 906 km (566 miles) with 6 liters remaining (just over 100 km). Mind you that included today's drive with quite a bit of stop-and-go city traffic and a traffic jam.

 

[BRUSSELS BELGIAN]

To Be Fair

Yes, keep in mind that my tank was literally 90% highway. But it was still impressive.

 

[PlaneCrazy]

Yes, keep in mind that my tank was literally 90% highway. But it was still impressive.

True but that's my driving profile too, my morning commute is 98 km and only the last 5 km or so is stop-and-go. Right now the MFD is showing 4.9 L/100 km and about a total of 1150 km to empty so I am quite pleased with it so far; this morning's drive in was at an average of 4.7 L/100 km. It's also a blast to drive, a frugal GTI

 

[oilhammer]

And some people on this forum want to argue if owning a TDI is "worth it" money wise anymore... sheesh, obviously not if fuel economy is the ONLY buying point you have.

That GDI Sonata and Optima is a nice ride! And you can still get the non-turbo version with a proper manual box! Imagine the MPGs one could squeeze from that! Next year, HMC will be applying the same technology to the Accent/Rio siblings. For about $14k, you will be able to buy a base Accent that gets 50 MPGs!

 

[GoFaster]

EPA ratings for the next Accent are 40 highway 31 (I think) city ... same highway rating as Elantra, which makes no sense given that the Elantra is a little heavier and has a slightly bigger engine which doesn't use direct injection. Maybe they're just under-rating it, although it makes no sense to me why they would do that.

41.25 mpg US = 5.7 L/100 km. Not bad for a gasser, but given the source, I suspect some hypermiling / slow driving were involved. My TDI will do better than that when driven by me, with no particular regards towards economy ...

 

[oilhammer]

There is going to be a special high-MPG Accent, along the lines of the Civic HX, Cobalt XFE, etc. It is supposed to hit 50, but we'll see. It was in one of the trade magazines, I forget what they call it.

 

[dieseldorf]

fuel economy of 41.25 miles per gallon. 2.4 direct injection gasser with 6 speed automatic.

And I bet you did that on regular gasoline, Jack

 

[MrMopar]

EPA ratings for the next Accent are 40 highway 31 (I think) city ... same highway rating as Elantra, which makes no sense given that the Elantra is a little heavier and has a slightly bigger engine which doesn't use direct injection.

One of the car magazine reviews highlighted this with the new Elantra. The word from HMC was that they did "good enough" fuel economy for a new design in relation to a cost/benefit position. They said that direct injection would be added later to eek out a few more MPG, along with some other engine tricks up their sleeves.

 

[chemist93]

Say, guys, was that Sonata a hybrid? I guess I should look at Hyundai more since I'd like to move this Scion I'm driving to some chick's garage and go back to saving some money. Or putting it on a diesel.

 

[oilhammer]

No, just the regular GDI non-turbo slushbox. You can also get them with a lifetime transmission, which would probably net even better economy if driven just right.

But the turbo GDI you get forced into the slushbox.

 

[MrMopar]

No, just the regular GDI non-turbo slushbox. You can also get them with a lifetime transmission, which would probably net even better economy if driven just right.

By "lifetime" I assume you mean the manual shifter?

 

[Chris B]

LOL, and the "new" Jeep Compass ads on TV strut about how it gets 29 mpg highway! And that's with an underpowered 2.0L, manual trans and 2 wheel drive!!! What a P.O.S.

 

[oilhammer]

While I would agree the Compass is a bit of a turd, the 2.0L/manual trans supplies PLENTY of power for any normal human to need in any normal driving. And to think that same vehicle is available with a Volkswagen TDI engine under the hood in the rest of the world....

 

[German_1er_diesel]

Was available with a Volkswagen TDI... it got the Mercedes OM651 in the mid-cycle refresh.

 

[Matt-98AHU]

I drove a rental Kia Optima with the 2.4L last summer. It got 32 MPG on the highway regularly with the slushbox. Honestly wasn't a bad car. Comfortable seats with good lumbar support, side bolsters. Comparable to VW for long distance driving. Easy to figure out controls. Nothing too fancy. I thought it was a good car to live with. The Koreans really are the ones everyone else needs to be worried about.

I will say the last couple Hyundai/Kia manual trans cars I drove I was underwhelmed with the clutch and shifter feel. They would infuriate me to live with. I believe I've also heard many of them come with DMFs. And like every DMF out there, they fail.

The real question is, how well will all of it be fairing when it's got over 200,000 miles? Most people buy a car, keep it a few years and get rid of it well before that point. Many of us VW diesel guys expect much more from our cars, though

 

[supton]

Honestly, if I went Kia/Hyundai, it'd be for no more than 5 years at a stretch. It seems most cars are being designed for a nominal 10year/150kmile lifespan; and a lot of the imports get costly&rusty around those limits. Can't blame them for designing like that, since a good deal of consumers would just as soon buy new every few, and get the latest and greatest.

 

[tdi90hp]

sorry...not a fan....new elantra and sonata are lookers but they are so....not german.....they are worthless in 5 years at the auctiion and I never want to tell my friends I bought a hyundai....sorry...maybe just a snob....I buy american to keep some funds in usa/canada (2010 Camaro SS and 2007 Silverado) and I buy german for the TDI torque, feel and economy...No HMC products pour moi. Be a cold day in hell before I write a cheque for a new Hyundai or Kia....

 

[oilhammer]

Yeah, in 2003 I looked for a $9400 small hatchback that won't break at the VW dealer... I looked and looked... everywhere (under desks, under T'regs, in the parts department) could not find one. So I bought an Accent. Doesn't matter to me if it is worth $1 now, 8 years later it proves itself daily as being a great 100% trouble-free car for my in-laws to drive. I'd buy another tomorrow if I had to.

Now where is that Fox? That Polo? That elusive stripper Golf that Europe can buy? Ain't here... but HMC has them, so they get my money, simple as that.

But rest assured, VAG has made sure I can purchase an $11tyB Phaeton, A8, Touareg, Bentley Continental GT, Lamborghini whatchamacallit, etc....

 

[tdi90hp]

must feel safe in that 8 yr old HMC crapcan....sorry brother ...admire your VW knowledge but not your taste in economy cars....would of taken a longer loan on a better/safer...car

 

[PlaneCrazy]

must feel safe in that 8 yr old HMC crapcan....sorry brother ...admire your VW knowledge but not your taste in economy cars....would of taken a longer loan on a better/safer...car

I can't say I'm reassured by the safety of the base Accent either. But I think their newer cars like the Sonata are up to snuff.

My wife rolled our '04 Jetta wagon, landing between two trees and walked out without a scratch, and while the roof was dented, it stayed up. The car was totaled though.

 

[leicaman]

My boss drives and Hyundai Elantra that now has 372,000 miles on it. He's renewed the supension bits, wheel bearings, new cat converter, 02 sensors, brakes, and a radiator so far. One timing belt/water pump which was fairly recent. He was on very borrowed time. Pretty much it. Changed all fluids. He is using Mobil 1 extended range synthetic and he does 10k intervals. He bought it used with 90k on the clock. Of course in a previous career he was a mechanic probably doesn't hurt.

 

[aja8888]

sorry...not a fan....new elantra and sonata are lookers but they are so....not german.....they are worthless in 5 years at the auctiion and I never want to tell my friends I bought a hyundai.... Be a cold day in hell before I write a cheque for a new Hyundai or Kia....

Hmmm, don't know where you get your information, but I just read a report where the HMC cars (Hyundai & Kia) are not only holding well in value, but are one of the best in the area of lowest depreciation in their class. This is due to the push for economy and the increased quality in those cars. You can get Chev/GMC trucks and over-bloated SUVs here for a song, new or used.

I've seen a few 2003-05 Elantra's with well over 200K on them and they still pump out 30+ MPG and are tight. Our 2005 Hyundai XG350 that we gave to our daughter at 120K still looks showroom fresh at over 150K.

These are not your Father's Hyundai's, for sure.

 

[oilhammer]

must feel safe in that 8 yr old HMC crapcan....sorry brother ...admire your VW knowledge but not your taste in economy cars....would of taken a longer loan on a better/safer...car

Good thing we disagree, I like paying cash for things. And please, don't admire anything of mine, that feels .. icky...

BTW, the 2003 Accent passed all safety standards in effect for that model year, or it would not have been able to be sold here... which were more stringent than those in place when I purchased my 1991 Jetta, which I also still drive. Of course, I have never wrecked a car, so this is all not relevent. Do you really feel a 2003 stripper Polo would have been any better? Please, show me one I'd love to compare. Oh wait, you can't...

Crapcan? In 70k miles and 8 years NOTHING has broken (nothing, at all). It starts every time, nothing squeaks, rattles, wiggles, flakes, cracks, crunches. Paint still shines, interior still looks like new, no 'soft touch' bits falling off, nothing, absolutely 100% perfect as it was the day I bought it. If THAT is a crapcan, then many Americans, Canadians, and others must really love them because they are the fastest growing car company ON THE PLANET by a wide margin. In fact, isn't the best selling car in Canada now the Elantra? 2 of the top 10 selling cars in China are Hyundais, too.

 

[German_1er_diesel]

BTW, the 2003 Accent passed all safety standards in effect for that model year, or it would not have been able to be sold here... Do you really feel a 2003 stripper Polo would have been any better? Please, show me one I'd love to compare. Oh wait, you can't...

I can't find a newer Accent on the EuroNCAP website, but here's a 1998 one:
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/hyundai_accent_1998/36.aspx

Here's a '97 Polo:
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/vw_polo_1997/13.aspx

Newer Hyundais are not bad at all:
Here's the i20, the current Euro-market B-segment Hyundai:
http://www.euroncap.com/results/hyundai/i20/359.aspx

Here's the latest Polo:
http://www.euroncap.com/results/vw/polo/371.aspx

Quite comparable!

 

[oilhammer]

I would have loved to buy a Polo for my in-laws to drive, but it simply was not available. But I gotta tell ya, not having any phone calls whatsoever for some warning lamp on, a window fallen into the door, a no start, a smell, a leak, or ANYTHING is actually quite refreshing. It is a perfect car for them to drive, and a perfect car for me not to worry about. I have to pinch myself to think that car will be nine years old this Fall and it still works like new.

I am Volkswagen's biggest fan, but sometimes they are just not the right car for everyone. My own mother still drives a 20 year old Camry, I do not worry about that either. Rusty, crusty, and trusty.

Us enthusiasts generally love our Volkswagens (I know I do, all 6 of them!), but you have to admit not everyone who drives a car is like us.

 

[PlaneCrazy]

I would have loved to buy a Polo for my in-laws to drive, but it simply was not available. But I gotta tell ya, not having any phone calls whatsoever for some warning lamp on, a window fallen into the door, a no start, a smell, a leak, or ANYTHING is actually quite refreshing.

It's the same reason I always advise computer-illiterate folks in my surroundings, who want to buy a computer, to get a Mac

Unfortunately they never listen to me. They all end up buying the computer equivalent of a first-year run VW, like the 99.5 Mk IV with coolant migration, upside down rings, Relay 179 or whatever it was, etc.

 

[john.jackson9213]

Must say I am impressed with the Kia Optima. Can not say the same thing for any 2011 VW. Currently waiting for the hybrid version of the Optima to go on sale.

 

[oilhammer]

Must say I am impressed with the Kia Optima. Can not say the same thing for any 2011 VW. Currently waiting for the hybrid version of the Optima to go on sale.

There is already the Hybrid Sonata (same basic car), is Kia planning to have a version, too?

 

[tdi90hp]

Good thing we disagree, I like paying cash for things. And please, don't admire anything of mine, that feels .. icky...

BTW, the 2003 Accent passed all safety standards in effect for that model year, or it would not have been able to be sold here... which were more stringent than those in place when I purchased my 1991 Jetta, which I also still drive. Of course, I have never wrecked a car, so this is all not relevent. Do you really feel a 2003 stripper Polo would have been any better? Please, show me one I'd love to compare. Oh wait, you can't...

Crapcan? In 70k miles and 8 years NOTHING has broken (nothing, at all). It starts every time, nothing squeaks, rattles, wiggles, flakes, cracks, crunches. Paint still shines, interior still looks like new, no 'soft touch' bits falling off, nothing, absolutely 100% perfect as it was the day I bought it. If THAT is a crapcan, then many Americans, Canadians, and others must really love them because they are the fastest growing car company ON THE PLANET by a wide margin. In fact, isn't the best selling car in Canada now the Elantra? 2 of the top 10 selling cars in China are Hyundais, too.

icky?? ok funny guy...just giving my opinion....you are jumpy when one challenges you....you make some excellent points.....guess my 24 yrs at the Toronto Auto Auction(every hyundai model getting pounded on resale year after year after year....last Gen sonata...good car....WORTHLESS in 4 short years)...although at the 8-10 yr mark they are ALL worthless) does not come close to that technical knowledge of yours....you are right...HMC is growing fast....Sorry....no interest in Korean cars or supporting the Korean economy cars....just my choice right? enjoy your sturdy well built accent. Yuk.