One of the reasons I purchased the 4 cylinder 2 wheel driveSanta Fe was the low gas miliage for an SUV. It was advertised to get 20/28 MPG. I am getting around 17 MPG driving in the suburbs. Car has 1,500 miles. Do you think something is wrong? Should I wait till it reaches 3,000 (break-in period) to being it to the dealer? Thanks a lot.
I meant to say “Low” not “Mow” MPG on Hyundai Santa Fe. Thanks.
It could need some additional break-in, or it may require careful driving to get 20 mpgs. It weighs over 3,700 pounds, so that engine has its work cut out for it. Gentle acceleration and braking will help.
There are several things to consider. Breaking in is one of them. Summer and A/C is another. City driving will also lower the average. Of course you should consider that the estimated EPA mileage is almost always higher than the real world. I don;t think bringing it back to the dealer is going to do anything. You are only a few mpg lower than the estimated, That is within my expectations.
17 MPG is a bit low, but not excessively low given that the vehicle isn’t broken in all the way and you’re driving around town with the AC running (presumably). Give it another few tankfuls before going to the dealer.
What did you drive before (make, model, engine, transmission) and what kind of mileage did you get?
“Driving in the suburbs” to me could encompass a wide variety of driving conditions, some of which would not be suprising at all if you were getting lower than the EPA “city” standard. Lots of stop and go and short trips will do a number on your mileage.
EDIT: Also, I’d add the piece of advice I give with these questions where you’ve got low city MPG. Go for a nice long roadtrip. If possible go far enough that you’ll get at least a tank or two of solid highway driving. There’s far fewer variables in low-traffic highway driving and so if your car is working fine, you should get very close to the EPA highway rating. Measure mileage via the miles travelled/gallons to refill method, not the computer. If the highway mileage stinks (and you weren’t driving 90 MPH the whole way), you can start looking for mechanical problems.
If I had to guess (which is really all I can do based on the information you have given us), I would speculate that you have a lead foot. How hard do you push this vehicle?
You should also consider that the EPA fuel economy tests may have been conducted with pure gasoline, and your fuel probably has up to 10% ethanol. Ethanol mixes will give you fewer MPGs than pure gasoline. Also, if you take short trips, that will hurt the fuel economy. As the engine warms up, it will use more fuel than it does after it reaches operating temperature.
Thanks everyone for your reply. Much appreciated. The main reason I purchased an SUV was to use it as a volunteer to rescue animals for biigger space for cage. I also own a 1998 4 cylinder Toyota Camry. Eventhough I drive the Santa Fe much less, I have to fill it up more frequently than the Camry. I get about 22 MPG in Camry with driving in suburbs. I will test my Santa Fe on the highway next week to check out the real highway milage and hopefully it will be within the EPA range. Also, hopefully the MPG will improve over the “break-in” period. Thanks again, Bruno
"One of the reasons I purchased the 4 cylinder 2 wheel drive Santa Fe was the low gas mileage for an SUV."
Most people buy for high MPG. 17 MPG wasn’t really what you were looking for? Seriously give it another 1500-2000 before getting worried. And please remember the EPA ratings are not the final etched in stone verdict on mileage. All the stickers have the disclaimer “your mileage will vary”.
I am going to guess that the low mpg is caused by your driving style, combined with the type of driving you do in your car.
With my '07 Nissan Altima, I had been averaging ~24 mpg in my normal work commute with my driving style for the past 3 years.
In the last couple of months, I have changed my driving style to not rev the engine above 2500 rpms before I shift gears (its a manual transmission), preferring to shift at 2k rpms into third, fourth, fifth, and sixth gears, and low and behold, my mpg has increased to 30 for the past 2 months. I’m getting an average of 100 more miles per tank now.
You might want to try the same, and see if that gets you better gas mileage.
BC.
Check out the mileage reported by others at fueleconomy.gov. One 2010 owner gets an average 20 MPG with 43% city and 57% highway. You have it good compared to him. Also remember that the test is in a lab on a dynamometer. They have a set “course” that they drive to simulate city and highway driving. It’s a great way to compare cars, but your results may be different from theirs.
“Driving in the suburbs” to me could encompass a wide variety of driving conditions, some of which would not be suprising at all if you were getting lower than the EPA “city” standard. Lots of stop and go and short trips will do a number on your mileage.
I think suburban traffic can take an even more severe hit on gas mileage than city driving due to higher speed limits. Cars traveling 45 mph throw away 2.25 times as much energy every time they stop than a car going only 30 mph does. In sixty mile per hour stop and go traffic, the cars are throwing away 4 times the energy every time they stop than a car going only 30 mph. It’s not the high speed that makes highway gas mileage better than city gas mileage, it’s never having to stop.
The key to getting great suburban and city gas mileage is to pretend you have no brakes. Get in the habit of looking at least a half mile ahead when you drive and when you see a red light or even a stale green light, quit accelerating and let the car coast! It takes a lot less energy to accelerate a car from 30 mph back to 45 mph than it does to accelerate it from a dead stop to 45 mph. The less you use your brakes, the better your gas mileage will be.