Comparison of EPA and Individual Estimates of MPG for 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT with Similar Cars

Paul Schumann In August of I bought a new 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT. I had previously owned a 2002 Elantra and was pleased with the reliability, quality and gas mileage that I obtained. I expected the same from my new car. The mileage estimates were better for the 2013 than the 2002 and competitive with the EPA estimates from other similar manufacturers cars. The first estimate I made based on miles driven and gas used was 20.9 MPG far lower than the EPA estimate of city driving on 27 MPG. The car has a built in calculation of MPG, but I failed to record that. I was disappointed because I expected the performance of this new car to be closer to the EPA estimate for city driving. I also expected it to be better than my 2002 Elantra which over the years I owned it varied between 20 and 21 MPG in the city and 30 to 35 MPG on the highway. I complained to Hyundai on the Elantra web site and got an insulting reply that basically said that I probably didnt know how to drive the car to get better gas mileage. I went to an EPA web site I didnt previous know existed, www.fueleconomy.gov, labeled the official U.S. government source for fuel economy information. Ironically, the response from Hyundai mentioned this web site. The web site has EPA estimates and actual individual users estimates of the mileage they get in the real world. In addition to the mileage calculated, the web site asks for an estimate of the percent of stop &go and highway driving the mileage represents. In addition to mileage estimates, the web site provides information on the cars impact on the environment, safety and basic specifications. Its a very useful web site. And, you can compare cars side by side. The charts on the following pages are all created from data on this web site. I compared the Hyundai Elantra GT with the following cars I thought were similar: Kia Optima Ford Focus Mazda 3 Suburu Impressa Honda Civic Nissan Altima Toyota Camry

I also compared the 2013 Elantra with my 2002 Elantra.

2 In these charts, where appropriate, I show second degree polynomial fits1 to the EPA and individual users estimates of the MPG. The results were enlightening. Both the Elantra GT and the Hyundai owned Kia2 Altima consistently had lower MPG than the EPA estimates. The difference is larger for city (high stop and go) driving and diminishes for highway driving. While there is little data on the web site for the Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Suburu Impressa and the Toyota Camry, the results are consistent with EPA estimates. There is data for the Nissan Altima and it indicates that the results in real use is consistent with EPA estimates. The Honda Civic data indicates higher MPG in actual use than the EPA data. The 2002 Hyundai Elantra indicates that the actual MPG obtained is consistent with EPA estimates and in line with my personal experience. Furthermore, when the data for the 2002 and 2013 Elantra are plotted together, there appears to be no significant difference even though the EPA estimates are significantly different. Car 2002 Elantra 2013 Elantra EPA City 21 27 EPA Highway 30 37 EPA Average 25 30

Curve fitting is the process of constructing a curve, or mathematical function, that has the best fit to a series of 2 data points. A second degree polynomial is represented by the equation y = a + bx + cx . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curve_fitting
2

The Hyundai Motor Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is the largest automobile manufacturer in South Korea, the second largest automaker in Asia after Toyota and the world's fourth largest automaker after General Motors, Volkswagen Group, and Toyota in 2011. The group was formed through the purchase of 51% of South Korea's second-largest car company, Kia Motors, by Hyundai Motor Company in 1998. As of July 2, 2011, Hyundai owns 32.8% of Kia Motors. The Hyundai Kia Automotive Group also refers to the group of affiliated companies interconnected by complex shareholding arrangements, with Hyundai Motor Company regarded as the de facto representative of the Group. It is the third largest South Korean chaebol or conglomerate after Samsung Group and LG Group. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Motor_Group

Paul Schumann, paschumann2009@gmail.com, 512.632.6586 PO Box 161475, Austin, TX 78716

Hyundai Elantra GT
50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving

MPG

Individual Estimates EPA Poly. (Individual Estimates) Poly. (EPA)

Kia Optima
50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving

MPG

Individual Estimates EPA Poly. (Individual Estimates) Poly. (EPA)

Paul Schumann, paschumann2009@gmail.com, 512.632.6586 PO Box 161475, Austin, TX 78716

Ford Focus
50 45 40 35 Individual Estimates 30 25 20 15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving EPA Poly. (EPA)

MPG

Mazda 3 5 Door
50 45 40 35 Individual Estimates 30 25 20 15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving EPA Poly. (EPA)

Paul Schumann, paschumann2009@gmail.com, 512.632.6586 PO Box 161475, Austin, TX 78716

MPG

Suburu Impressa
50 45 40 35 Individual Estimates 30 25 20 15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving EPA Poly. (EPA)

MPG

Honda Civic
50 45 40 Individual Estimates MPG 35 EPA 30 25 20 15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving Linear (Individual Estimates) Poly. (EPA)

Paul Schumann, paschumann2009@gmail.com, 512.632.6586 PO Box 161475, Austin, TX 78716

Nissan Altima
50 45 40 Individual Estimates MPG 35 EPA 30 25 20 15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving Linear (Individual Estimates) Poly. (EPA)

Toyota Camry
50 45 40 35 Individual Estimates 30 25 20 15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving EPA Poly. (EPA)

Paul Schumann, paschumann2009@gmail.com, 512.632.6586 PO Box 161475, Austin, TX 78716

MPG

Hyundai Elantra 2002

40

35

30 MPG Individual Estimates EPA 25 Poly. (Individual Estimates) Poly. (EPA) 20

15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving

Comparison of Two Elantras

40

35 Hyundai Elanta GT 2013 30 MPG Hyundai Elantra2002 25 Poly. (Hyundai Elanta GT 2013) Poly. (Hyundai Elantra2002)

20

15 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percent Stop & Go Driving

Paul Schumann, paschumann2009@gmail.com, 512.632.6586 PO Box 161475, Austin, TX 78716