Consumer Watchdog Calls Elantra MPG Claims "Deceptive"

In a letter to Hyundai's U.S. CEO, advocacy organization Consumer Watchdog has asked the company to pull its prominent "forty mpg" claim from advertising for the Elantra model until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) re-tests the auto. Further examination of consumer complaints and independent test data show the Elantra at "the bottom of the heap" in meeting its overall mileage claims, said the letter, enough to make the mpg claims deceptive for consumers who seek to purchase the highest-mpg auto, said the group.

The letter responding to Hyundai's defense of the Elantra emphasizes the compact auto's shortfall in city and combined driving, which is what urban and suburban drivers do. This California consumer complaint, quoted in the letter, appears typical of what such drivers are finding:

"I've owned a 2011 Hyundai Elantra Limited since June 2011 and my average gas rating is about eighteen or nineteen miles per gallon. Most of my driving is city driving, but that's still nowhere near the twenty-nine city mpg rating by Hyundai. I completely bought this car with the claimed '29/40 mpg' in mind. It was the primary reason I bought the car. So I could save money. And I'm hugely disappointed it's not living up to that claim."

The organization earlier asked the Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees automakers' mpg claims, to re-test the Elantra in its own facilities. Typically, companies test the cars themselves and report the results to the EPA.

The letter asks Hyundai to pull or modify its mileage claims in advertising until the EPA retest, saying:

"We... urge you to remove or qualify your prominent MPG claims in your holiday advertising until re-testing validates or disputes Hyundai's tests. We note that you have purchased prime slots during the Super Bowl. With this mileage issue in the public arena, (the organization) believes you should acknowledge the real-world gap to potential buyers, or risk losing their trust."

"Hyundai admits its Elantra is performing well below the self-tested mileage claims on its sticker," said Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog. "It has a duty to pull or modify the MPG claims in its advertising before more consumers are deceived and buy the Elantra under false pretenses.

Among other things, the organization has found that, while shortfalls in city and sometimes combined MPG are common, Elantra is at the bottom of the heap. It recorded shortfalls of twelve percent and twenty-nine percent in Consumers Union and Motor Trend tests of the Elantra's thirty-three MPG combined claim. Furthermore, in the thorough and expert testing of Consumers Union, most similar models get about three percent "over" their EPA-sanctioned highway mpg number, while the Elantra is slightly under.

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