2004 Elantra GT - How accurate is the trip meter (MPG)?

Hi,

I'm just curious...

We just got a 2004 Elantra GT (automatic)... love it so far, but we've
only gone through the 1st full tank of gas so far .

I was wondering if anybody knows how accurate the MPG thing is on the
trip meter for this car?

When we first got it, it was reading arout 24+ MPG. After driving it
the first couple of days, it was arout 19-20 MPG, and tonight on the way
to the gas station, it was reading slightly over 23 MPG. So far, it has
been mostly "city" driving, with maybe 2-3 10-30 mile highway trips.

Is it typical that this car will have lower gas mileage when it's new?

Thanks!

 

When we first got it, it was reading arout 24+ MPG. After driving it

I have a '02 EGT 5-speed, I find that the car's calculations are off by a
mile or two either way, but I won't loose any sleep over it. On longer
highway rides I find that 33mpg is not uncommon. Keep your tires at 40lbs.

--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.

 

This is normal, your mileage will creep up slowly for the first 2-3 thousand
miles.

 

I have a 2003 Elantra GLS (love it). I get between 25mpg
and 30mpg with a mix of city and freeway driving. Pure
freeway driving yields 34mgp (65mph with cruise). The GLS
doesn't have the mpg computer so I can't comment, but you
could track your gas mileage manually and compare it to the
computer. Enjoy the car!

 

<snip>

Sorry I can't answer your question, but I am interested in knowing more
about the Auto GT myself. Did you get it with the option pack 8 that
includes ABS? According to a local dealer in Northern VA, ABS isn't
available on the GT on the east coast yet.....

Also how do you find the performance of the car with the automatic?
Unfortunately manual isn't an option for me as one of the drivers has to
have auto. Ideally I'm trying to find performance figures such as 30-50,
50-70 times, as the car would see a lot of interstate miles and it needs to
have some pep when overtaking.

What's the interior quality like, particularly the leather? Did you get the
Kenwood mp3 compatible CD player and how is it?

I'd be very interested in hearing everything you have to say about the car.

Thanks.

 

Neil,

Comments below...

It's an '04 Elantra GT hatchback. We didn't get ABS. Everything else
that we got is pretty well standard in the GT (leather, air cond.,
cruise, tilt, remote keyentry and alarm, etc.).

Actually, this is kind of bad, I know, but my original intent was to get
the most basic automatic Elantra, the GLS, for my wife, and we had test
driven one of them at the dealer, but I wanted cruise control, and they
didn't have any GLS' with cruise in stock. Plus, the only automatics
they had were in black or a kind of light metallic green .

As I mentioned above, we were just looking for a basic transportation
car, so performance wasn't a major thing we were looking for, but I'll
say that I have since driven it on I66, 495 (Beltway, from NVa towards
Bethesda), and the Dulles Toll Road, with 3 adults male passengers, and
passing at highway speeds hasn't been a problem.

BTW, it may be just me, but having driven both the GLS and the GT, the
GT's suspension seems a bit stiffer, which I liked. Overall, the GT
seemed much "tighter" than the GLS.

I'm definitely not a "leather" expert either , but I think it looks
pretty good.

My daughter loves the car, and has been trying to convince me to trade
cars with her (she has a 2003 Honda Accord LX ) since we bought it.
The steering wheel has a leather covering on it also, which is very
smooth. At first I thought it was TOO smooth, but now that I've driven
the car a bit, it's fine.

Beyond that, I think the interior is roomy. I kept bumping my head on
my daughter's Accord's roof when driving it, but the Elantra seems to
have better headroom. The bucket seats are MUCH more comfortable than
the Accord's (which feel like you're sitting on a bench).

The only thing that I've been disappointed about with the interior is
that the Elantra manual indicates that there's a center armrest, with
cupholders in it in the rear seat, but that seems to be incorrect (no
center armrest, no rear cupholders).

Yes, it came with the Kenwood CD player, which impressed my daughter AND
my son. It works fine, but I've been mainly using it to listen to FM
radio. My daughter has played some of her MP3 CDs which she burned, and
they worked fine. The only thing that I found strange is that this CD
player is not described in the Elantra manual, but I think I found a PDF
manual for it on Kenwood's website. It has a drop-down, replaceable
faceplate, and a remote.

 

The rear cup holder is there.

 

Dealerspeak:

Translates to:
I don't have one on the lot, but I don't want you to leave without buying
something from me today.

Rule #1. S.W.A.T. Sell what's available today.

Most dealers order what the company forecasts they'll sell the most of and
that has the highest sales margin. And if they don't have what you want,
they will try to convince you that what you want isn't really what you want.


--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.

 

Really 40psi on the tires?? That seems kind of high. I've been
keeping mine at 30 as it suggested on the sticker on the insider
driver side door. What made you up yours to 40?

 

Really 40psi on the tires?? That seems kind of high. I've been

On the sidewall of the tire it says it will support upto 45lbs, so the ride
will be a bit firmer, and second it will lower the rolling resistance so the
mpg will be higher. So far it works.

--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.

 

Some great comments (just snipped as I hijacked your thread) thanks!!

I read what you wrote before going out and test driving one today. I even
had the opportunity to test drive a Corolla and take it to the Hyundai
dealer for a side by side comparison of both cars!

I was really impressed with the GT, and will most likely buy the 5-door
hatch. Reminds me a lot of the Rover 45 hire car I drove for 2 weeks when
last back home in the UK. Maybe the age of the 'Hot-Hatch' in the US is
finally here.

Neil.

 

I was really impressed with the GT, and will most likely buy the 5-door

Finally here?
Heck, I've been driving hatchbacks since my '71 MGB GT (still my first
love). Since I got my drivers license (a looong time ago) most of my cars
were hatchbacks. My current one is the EGT hatchback. Face it, I like a
big trunk (boot).


--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.

 

It's funny, because I never thought of the MGB GT as a hatch, more of a 2
seater GT. I preferred the old TVRs to the MGs, although the first hatch
didn't come until the Taimar.

By Hot-Hatch I meant the likes of the VW Golf GTI, Peugeot 205 GTI, Vauxhall
Astra GTE (or at a pinch) SRi, Ford Fiesta XR2 and later XR2i, and RS, Ford
Escort XR3i, RS Turbo, RS 2000, Renault 5 GT Turbo.... and that's just those
from the early 80s to the early 90s.

Long live the 80s pocket rockets. ::sniff::.

Neil.

 

Neil,

No problem re. "hijacking" the thread ... I do it once in awhile
myself (with appropriate apologies ).

We've only got a whopping 337 miles on the Elantra so far, but I went
out today and bought some Meguiar's for it. Now to wait for the weather
to get above freezing so we can wash/wax the car .

Aside from how the car, in general, will hold up (which I guess I worry
about with every car I've bought), that (the paint/finish) is one of
things I'm wondering about, long-term. I saw a number of posts about
paint problems when I was researching the Hyundai purchase, but I'm
hoping that if we take a bit more care than normal, that we won't
encounter them (preventive maintenance)!

Good luck,
Jim

 

Nikoli,

Hmm. Now you've got me wondering (AGAIN!)...

I posted a msg awhile ago about this.

When I first bought the car, I was going through the manual, and it said
that the HATCHBACK (the "5 door") has a center armrest with the
cupholders embedded in the front of the armrest, but I couldn't find any
such thing.

Someone replied to that earlier post, saying that there wasn't an
armrest/cupholder in the rear.

Now you're saying that there is????

I'm confused!!! And, a bit curious now....

Just a reminder, this is an '04 Elantra GT Hatchback. It has the rear
seat where the bottom folds forward, and the split backs fold forward,
so you can turn the rear area into a kind of extension of the hatchback.

Are there different "versions" of the '04 Elantra GT Hatchback
perhaps???

Jim

 

Yes, I notcied that on the tire too. I recall reading somewhere
though that you need to consider the type of car using the tires. It
mentioned that if you don't inflate the tires to the proper level
based on the model (i.e. weight) of the car, they may not wear as well
and actually need replaced sooner.

Not really sure which method's better, just passing along info.

 

does anyone know under what conditions the passenger airbag on the 2004
elantra gt hatchback is supposed to be activated? the dealership told me
that it is disabled 85 pounds and under (for child protection), but when my
girlfriend (who weighs 120 pounds) rides with me, the yellow sensor light
above the stereo comes on saying that it is disabled (or not activated). a
couple of days after this happens, the red "air bag" sensor light on the
driver side control panel comes on. i've taken it to the dealership twice,
they replaced a clock spring, but the yellow light still comes on
intermittently. i understand if it's under 25 mph or something like that,
but it seems to go on and off at random times. any help would be much
appreciated - thanks.

 

Aside from how the car, in general, will hold up (which I guess I worry

As to paint, take a look at the bottom of your doors. It might be thin
there, I saw that alot on the Excel's and still do on the Elantra's.

If you complain at the time of purchase, they should fix it.


--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.

 

Yes, I notcied that on the tire too. I recall reading somewhere

Well I rotate them regularly, and I've seen no unusual wear patterns. And if
I save $.50 per tank full on gas (petrol) I'll fell ok about adding it up
for new tires every 20k miles

--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.

 

does anyone know under what conditions the passenger airbag on the 2004

As memory serves, we have "second generation" or "de-powered airbags". And
that under a specific weight, it (if needed) would activate (detonate) at a
lower power level.

--

S.

Don't fight with Idiots.
They will overwhelm you with their numbers and beat you with their
experience.