Ioniq with a Boot (#BritishEnglish) - The 2023 Elantra Hybrid

If you were using the heater or defroster, it took a good chunk out of the trip average. These little engines are very efficient and there isn't much waste heat available to deice the windows so it tends to keep the engine running to provide warm air.

 

Anyhow, how does the Dual Clutch transmission on the 137HP Hybrid Elantra act? I know the Hybrid is slower than the higher 149 horsepower regular Elantra CVT to 60MPH. But does the Dual Clutch give some excitement at lower speeds? I bet I would be happy with the Dual Clutch in the mountains. As I said in a previous post, the VW turbo-diesel Dual Clutch was really fun.

 

I haven't needed heat or defroster yet. I should probably get more familiar with those.

Well , you can feel it shift. No tachometer, but the engine makes enough noise (especially a cold engine) that you can hear it.
The "regular" Elantra has a 2.0 liter ICE vs the 1.6 in the Hybrid.
Excitement ? What's that ? I have a girlfriend for that.

 

Last week, the CIO at my office picked up a 2024 Santa Fe Hybrid Limited. This is the new one that looks like the carton they used to ship the Tucson. It's the stock hybrid setup they use on the SUV/CUV platform - the 1.6L turbo engine and 6 speed planetary automatic with the motor in place of a torque converter. The same driveline lives in the Sonata but with the 2.0L NA four in place of the smaller engine with the turbo.

I talked to him just now about tank and trip averages. First week he had it, he kept it in "sport" mode almost the entire time. He found out it minimizes EV mode, and trip averages were just under 29 at worst and up to about 31.
Now he's almost entirely in Eco and using electric propulsion far more often. For the first time early this week, he heard the "flying saucer under the hood" while driving in town with the window open. Segment averages and current tank average are in the low 30s - between 31 and 35, he said. I told him that's in line with the EPA numbers (33/30 on the 2023 Limited, no news yet on the 2024 on DOE site), and that's what I suspected. He said tire pressure is at 40 all around.

He's the stereotypical US driver - anywhere from 'at' to 'well over' the speed limit, conducting business during commutes, making up lost time while on the road, and using adaptive cruise when traffic is flowing sorta well. His company car is a Chrysler 300 V6 and he averaged around 17-18 driving that. So parking the company clunker and driving the hybrid is cutting fuel usage virtually in half. And he has a commute of around 70 miles a day, so it's a sizeable savings.

I will check in with him from time to time and see if he's open to learning how move those economy numbers from "impressive" to "beyond expectations". He bought rather than leasing it, so it will be a meaningful reduction in petroleum usage due to the miles he drives. So far, he loves the Santa Fe - size, room, features and technology, and the performance of the hybrid drive.

 

Most likely the nut behind the wheel needs considerable adjustment.

 

Absolutely. Hyundai has been underrating the fuel economy numbers for their cars for years now and this shows it clearly. They're so far under that you can drive around like you're auditioning for the next "Cops" episode and still hit the window sticker numbers. I was surprised to hear he had some air in the tires.

If we switched cars for a week, he'd be at 50 in my car and I'd be at 50 in his car. It's not the hammer that makes the difference, it's how you swing it.

 

Old post, but I'm wondering if this helps with (minimizing) carbon buildup in the GDI engine. Short trips could still hurt. How's the car been running, Chris? Any sign of the carbon affliction?

 

All going well with the car, and no signs of carbon buildup. Thanks to the high temperatures in the northeast, the engine doesn't start right away when you boot up and drive. I just headed to the blood center this morning for a platelet donation and the engine started after about a block of travel. And when the engine does start, it runs for 90 seconds to two minutes and then it's happy. With a light foot and taking opportunites to glide, you can cover most of the trip on battery power.

 

i like to make sure the trip is long enough to warm the engine completely. That could be 4-8 miles, depending on
ambient temp and SOC. If I ever absolutely need to make a 2-3 mile trip...... I take the Fit. Having two cars is sort
of an unnecessary luxury for me, so I will probably be selling the Fit. But it's so good for short trips ! Grrrr.