Hyundai Repair: hyundai accent 1.6 engin loaded automatic, highway fuel economy, epa fuel economy

Question
sir i have 1000 miles on my new 2007 accent it said it would get 29 city and 39 highway i have checked it several times know how to top it off its only getting 25miles to the gallon why and most is all highway what is wrong or is this allm its going to get i bought it because of the claims on milage  joe  

Answer
I checked the EPA estimates and they're rather close to what you say the fuel economy estimates are.  According to the EPA, the estimate is 28 city and 37 highway.  I found the estimates here: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/compx2005f.jsp?year=2007&make=Hyundai&model=Accen...

First, you'll need to realize that the EPA fuel economy estimates are intended for comparison and not intended to tell you the actual fuel economy you will achieve.  But, by the same token, I find 25MPG highway to be a little low, also.  I'd expect you should be able to achieve something more in the range of 30 to 35 MPG.

It'll be difficult for me to say why your fuel economy is so low since there are a number of variables I don't know.  Highway fuel economy will generally be achieved only by driving at steady speed on mostly flat roads.  If you're driving in congestion, in a hurry, or just keep accelerating or slowing down, then you're not really doing highway driving.  In those cases you're doing something much closer to mixed driving or city driving, depending on the specific conditions.  I think 25 would be a good number for city driving, and perhaps a little low for mixed driving.

Some drivers have reported seeing an increase in fuel economy once the engine is broken in, but you certainly shouldn't expect more than a mile or two per gallon.

If, in your analysis, you're doing what's considered highway driving and still only getting around 25MPG by the time for your first oil change, you should probably request the dealer to check the vehicle to be sure it's operating properly.  There could be an issue with the fuel management system, the transmission, the brakes, or the wheel alignment that would affect fuel economy.  

But please do not mistake this as an implication that I think something is wrong with your car.  Your fuel economy is low enough to be suspect, and if a customer brought their Hyundai Accent in with your reported fuel economy, I'd want to check the vehicle to make sure that everything was indeed operating correctly.  In nearly every case, however, I find that the vehicle is working normally.