06 Sonata, Great road trip.

I just went on a 2500 mile road trip with our 06 Sonata LX. We went from
central Fl. to Philly. With stops in D.C. and Charleston S.C.. I averaged 27
mpg with a average speed of 68 mph. We drove about 80 mph on the interstate.
In South Carolina the outside temp was 101 and the A/C worked perfect, the
wife had a blanket in the back seat so she could sleep. (The windows are
tinted though. (Matt)) My only complaint is that the car was like a young
horse, we couldn't keep'er slowed down. Thank God for cruise control. My
wife does not like cruise control, I woke up to see 100 on the speedo, not
to mention the few 90s I saw between naps. She said she did not know she was
going that fast and she was trying to stay at 80. The 1800 or so wma's on
the 6 cd player kept us listening to "our" music the whole trip. I would
give the car a 9.5 on long trips. It would be a 10 if I could slow it down.

Rob

 

We're considering the same trip in reverse (Philly to Orlando) in early
November. Can you tell me how much actual driving time was involved?

And I would take the thermometer reading with a grain of salt. It
hasn't been over 100 this year yet anywhere east of the Mississippi. At
least not that I can find.

On my wife's new Entourage it was telling me that it was 97F outside
this afternoon here in NJ when it was actually about 85F.

I will say one thing for the Entourage, the AC simply kicks a@@. And
after 100 miles on the ODO, we are getting 12.2 MPG on the trip computer


Eric

 

I've seen the onboard thermometers read a fair bit higher than OAT when
in the sun. All depends on where the sensor is mounted.

Yep, not unusual.

You better get that trip computer fixed! My 4x4 Chevy truck gets a lot
better than 12.2!!


Matt

 

17 hours each way.

The thermometer on the Sonata is located in front of the radiator IIRC. I
think it is pretty acurate. If it is 92 and sunny than it is probably close
to 100 air temp 3 1/2 feet off of 4 lanes of asphalt.

 

I would expect that the 12.2 includes some aggressive test drives at the
dealer. I have not reset it yet. But on my way to work this morning it
went from 12.2 to 16.1.

Also, I noticed that the idiots at the dealer never finished prepping the
engine compartment and left a plastic seal over the air filter unit. I
expect that may have been hurting things somewhat.

Eric

 

That's about what I had planned for. Did you travel off-peak hours?
Sorry for all the questions, but with two little ones (one is a baby) I
am trying to avoid as much stress as possible

You are probably right. Being a part-time meteorologist I take my data
too seriously sometimes. You should see the instrument box I have at my
house to take readings!! Took me almost 4 weeks to build and install
it. It is actually bigger and better than the one used by the National
Weather Service at their Mount Holly, NJ, location.

Funny how I am so anal over some things but could care less about
others.

Eric

 

Stay away from D.C. during rush hours, no problems the rest of the way. You
do NOT need to take the Richmond or Jacksonville bypass the traffic is not
that bad. Orlando traffic is nearly as bad as D.C. but your drive will be
over then. You must do "Islands of Adventure". Much better than Disney. (If
you like rides.)

 

That is a big move in the right direction. I get 22 with my Chrylser
minivans so I'm curious how the Entourage performs. I may already own
my last minivan, but you never know! Even though I hated buying the
first one, after having two of them, I've come to appreciate their
utility along with decent economy given that you can haul 7 people in
reasonable comfort.

Well, when you get them to sell you a vehicle at a loss, they're going
to make up the differency any way they can!


Matt

 

We all have our cross to bear!

Matt

 

Thanks. We have family in the Richmond area and travel that far
frequently, so I know all about that dreaded D.C. area. Early in '05 we
got stuck in a 10-mile rush hour backup that almost made me want to shoot
myself - and that was only with ONE kid Really you can sit still all
the way from D.C. to Richmond, or vice versa, or you can get lucky.

Thanks for the tips.

Eric

 

This is my first and I can say that I am already very pleased with the room
and seating options available. And I filled the gas tank on the way home
from work to get a feel for what 1/4 tank would cost, and to calculate the
mileage by hand. I took 5.88 gallons for 112 miles. Comes to 19.05 MPG
and I am fairly sure that the tank was not completely filled by the dealer.
But that is already better than most SUV's.

I guess you have a point there Loss my hiney.

Eric

 

So true. Guess it could be worse :-0

Eric

 

You are the 2nd meteorologist I have met online that owns an 06 Sonata. Do
you guys buy cars by formulas? (I certainly do!)