Hyundai, Kia inflated MPG

[andyrobo]

South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America overstated the fuel economy on nearly a million late model vehicles and will issue owners special debit cards to reimburse the extra money they are paying for fuel.

The full article is here: Hyundai, Kia inflated fuel economy claims on 900,000 cars, EPA says - latimes.com

[GasSavers_BEEF]

I've never been a fan of hyundai or kia.

I keep hearing that they are leaps and bounds better than they used to be. though that may be true, they are still well behind the quality leaders. I am waiting for the 15-20 year old hyundai that changes my perception of them.

personally, I would rather buy a 3 year old toyota than a brand new hyundai or kia (and actually did).

I honestly think a lot of MPG numbers are overinflated. Not just for hyundai or kia but for all the brands. the numbers are probably accurate but in many cases there is a special package you have to get that includes LRR tires and other such things. if you don't get the package, you don't get the mileage. in some ways, consumers are being misled. i guess that is where the fine print comes into play.

[theholycow]

I'm not surprised. It seemed like real-world results did not relate to their window stickers the same way that they do for other manufacturers, for the believable data points I've seen. I no longer remember the specific examples.

Of course they're playing dumb, with the claim that it was an innocent mistake. I doubt it. The system is almost designed to encourage funny business. The EPA defines the test, spot-checks a small random selection of models, and lets manufacturers play fast-and-loose otherwise.

BEEF, don't confuse advertising with window stickers. Window stickers are specific to the submodel and major option packages, at least the ones I've seen.

I remain a fan of Hyundai. No manufacturer is innocent, and MPG testing violations (while striking directly at a value that I consider more important than that average consumer does) are pretty mild compared to some of the crap that other manufacturers have pulled in recent history.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

You are correct on the window sticker thing. I think it is more a situation when buying used and the window stickers are gone and you are relying on the sales person to tell you what the mileage would be. I personally would look it up but know quite a few people that would take them at their word.

I also realize all car companies play "the game" when it comes to making their cars sound better than the competitor (be it foreign or domestic).

I will also admit that I have a bit of a stigma against the two companies. I guess this is how the ford/chevrolet thing is.

[bowtieguy]

kinda funny...i was recently changing the motor oil in a friends 2007 kia optima and was struck by the quality and craftsmanship of the car. in this particular vehicle, the drivetrain is made by hyundai.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

Kia and Hyundai are sister companies. They are both from South Korea. Kind of like Chevrolet and GMC....well, kinda.

[theholycow]

Not like Chevy and GMC; those are straight-up badge engineering (same vehicle with mildly different options) and have been GM subsidiaries since about a million years ago. Kia and Hyundai developed separately, and then Hyundai bought Kia, making Kia a subsidiary. Since then, they've of course shared a lot of stuff and I would assume that by now everything is on shared platforms (same chassis and/or drivetrain) if not badge-engineered.

[Kuripot]

Originally Posted by BEEF

I've never been a fan of hyundai or kia.

I keep hearing that they are leaps and bounds better than they used to be. though that may be true, they are still well behind the quality leaders. I am waiting for the 15-20 year old hyundai that changes my perception of them.

personally, I would rather buy a 3 year old toyota than a brand new hyundai or kia (and actually did).

I honestly think a lot of MPG numbers are overinflated. Not just for hyundai or kia but for all the brands. the numbers are probably accurate but in many cases there is a special package you have to get that includes LRR tires and other such things. if you don't get the package, you don't get the mileage. in some ways, consumers are being misled. i guess that is where the fine print comes into play.

I'm sold on Hyundai, I own two. I bought my 08 Accent new for $12,500 plus tax and I've put over 115,000 miles on it without one unscheduled repair besides a tire monitor that was under warranty. I average over 35 mpg. That's pretty cheap transportation. We'll see how long it lasts.

My only problem with them is that they've kind of left the "cheap subcompact" segment and raised their prices on the Accent.

[bowtieguy]

the looks of most of the kias are much improved. i fancy them over the looks of the hyundais. if they are essentially the same car...

[JanGeo]

I read the Kia was high by 6 or 8 mpg and the Hyundai was only high by 1 mpg

From the Hyundai chat group, it seems the turbo Veloster guys are getting around 45 mpg and it's only rated 35 (was38) highway so real world is actually better than epa in some cases. Non turbo rated was 39 mpg now 37 mpg highway.