[firefox111]

I am very disappointed with my SX Turbo’s fuel economy numbers. On I-40 through NM and TX, I was only averaging 24.4 mpg highway with 78 mph average speed. I fill it up with 88 grade gas because in Northern NM and TX, their lowest grade is 86. Through OK, MO, IL, and IN, I average 26.8 mpg. I use adaptive cruise control and HDA on all of the highway driving. What is going on? What confuses me more is that during the break-in period on the hills and valleys of Northern Arizona, I average 30mpg city driving with SMART mode!

I had better mpg with my previous vehicle - a Mazda 2.5 liter Turbo AWD!

 

[AbominableBubba]

Western NC to Raleigh then on to Savannah I averaged pretty much on the dot of 30mpg and usually found myself at 75mph. I did notice that 70-72 seemed to be the sweet spot for mpg and above 72 it would start to drop at a noticeable rate. Enough so that 75 is where I wanted to top out to make each part of the trip on one tank. Dropping to 24mpg at 78mph does seem a bit extreme while on fairly flat roads though. Daily driving up in the mountains I see about 22-24 average in and around mostly town driving. SX Turbo as well.

 

[firefox111]

Western NC to Raleigh then on to Savannah I averaged pretty much on the dot of 30mpg and usually found myself at 75mph. I did notice that 70-72 seemed to be the sweet spot for mpg and above 72 it would start to drop at a noticeable rate. Enough so that 75 is where I wanted to top out to make each part of the trip on one tank. Dropping to 24mpg at 78mph does seem a bit extreme while on fairly flat roads though. Daily driving up in the mountains I see about 22-24 average in and around mostly town driving. SX Turbo as well.

Yes, I think so too, that going above 72 will hurt your mpg. I set my ACC at 78 (3 over) and sometimes 80 (5 over). What bugs me though is that I get better mpg from my previous vehicle with the same driving style - ACC at 3 or 5 over limit.

 

[GeoCanada]

I have the Turbo 1.6l and am generally impressed. I know this is in metric, and will need to be converted but City driving I generally get 7.5-8L/100km and Highway I get 7-7.5L/100km.

I don’t drive easy in the city and highway I’m from 100-140kmh.

 

[firefox111]

I have the Turbo 1.6l and am generally impressed. I know this is in metric, and will need to be converted but City driving I generally get 7.5-8L/100km and Highway I get 7-7.5L/100km.

I don’t drive easy in the city and highway I’m from 100-140kmh.

In the US there is a S turbo and a SX turbo. I don’t know the difference but which one is yours?

3.78 liters per gallon.
1 km = .6 miles

You get more or less 28 mpg in the city and around 31 mpg on the highway. That’s great. I don’t know why mine is bad.

 

[GeoCanada]

In the US there is a S turbo and a SX turbo. I don’t know the difference but which one is yours?

3.78 liters per gallon.
1 km = .6 miles

You get more or less 28 mpg in the city and around 31 mpg on the highway. That’s great. I don’t know why mine is bad.

In Canada we just have the SX which is the fully loaded (with some features the American model doesn’t even have) with the 1.6 turbo engine. All other models are the 2.0l engine.

 

[Ricky10]

I also feel that the mpg isn’t great at all for the Turbo. I don’t look at my average MPG anymore, but it was always around 23 or 24 when I used to look. Most of my driving is highway commuting to work at 80 mph. There is no way to go slower as most people are driving faster than me even though the speed limit is only 70 mph.

What bothers me even more is that the gas tank is so small. I feel like I am always at the gas station.

 

[firefox111]

I also feel that the mpg isn’t great at all for the Turbo. I don’t look at my average MPG anymore, but it was always around 23 or 24 when I used to look. Most of my driving is highway commuting to work at 80 mph. There is no way to go slower as most people are driving faster than me even though the speed limit is only 70 mph.

What bothers me even more is that the gas tank is so small. I feel like I am always at the gas station.

Yes, as I have pointed out on my original post that my previous ride had better fuel economy than this Seltos. One poster replied that the sweet spot for the Seltos is about 70 - 72 mph. Well, I drive through the Turner turnpike in Oklahoma and the speed limit on that highway is 75mph and there is a stretch on that turnpike near Tulsa that has 80mph limit! If I maintain at the sweet spot, I would be mauled by truckers who even drive 5 over the limit. Very disappointing. Looks like the Seltos turbo is gasping for air at high rpm!

 

[Ricky10]

Yes, as I have pointed out on my original post that my previous ride had better fuel economy than this Seltos. One poster replied that the sweet spot for the Seltos is about 70 - 72 mph. Well, I drive through the Turner turnpike in Oklahoma and the speed limit on that highway is 75mph and there is a stretch on that turnpike near Tulsa that has 80mph limit! If I maintain at the sweet spot, I would be mauled by truckers who even drive 5 over the limit. Very disappointing. Looks like the Seltos turbo is gasping for air at high rpm!

It’s definitely a very response and powerful engine/transmission setup, but you definitely pay the price. I recently watched a video video review of the Turbo Seltos in which the reviewer described it as being thirsty- and it surely is.

 

[firefox111]

It’s definitely a very response and powerful engine/transmission setup, but you definitely pay the price. I recently watched a video video review of the Turbo Seltos in which the reviewer described it as being thirsty- and it surely is.

Yes, I like the responsive engine. I like the SMART mode in the city driving. However when you engage the cruise or when you shift it to manual mode on the highway, it turns off the SMART mode! When I drive on the highway, I do ACC with manual mode at 7th gear. I do manual because I don’t want the engine to rev up really high when negotiating an incline to maintain the cruising speed. I just let the engine slow down a bit and let it pick up the speed at the top of the hill. Sometimes I shift it to 6 on long inclines especially on I-44 in MO. In IL and MO, the speed limit is 70 so I gain mpg there because that’s the sweet spot of this Seltos turbo. I’m still disappointed. Although I am very pleased with how relax I was during my 1,800 mile trek last week. With ACC and LFA, yes, it was no stress!

 

[Ricky10]

Yes, I like the responsive engine. I like the SMART mode in the city driving. However when you engage the cruise or when you shift it to manual mode on the highway, it turns off the SMART mode! When I drive on the highway, I do ACC with manual mode at 7th gear. I do manual because I don’t want the engine to rev up really high when negotiating an incline to maintain the cruising speed. I just let the engine slow down a bit and let it pick up the speed at the top of the hill. Sometimes I shift it to 6 on long inclines especially on I-44 in MO. In IL and MO, the speed limit is 70 so I gain mpg there because that’s the sweet spot of this Seltos turbo. I’m still disappointed. Although I am very pleased with how relax I was during my 1,800 mile trek last week. With ACC and LFA, yes, it was no stress!

Yeah, I drive with cruise control most of the time. Even when I’m not driving high speeds on the highway. Possibly that is part of my problem, but I know I will never change that habit/convenience...haha!

I will say the LKA works exceptionally well in the Seltos- and it gets high marks from many car “experts.” I must admit that I have placed great faith in the system more than a few times. So many safety features are top notch in the Seltos.

 

[Bloo]

I also feel that the mpg isn’t great at all for the Turbo. I don’t look at my average MPG anymore, but it was always around 23 or 24 when I used to look. Most of my driving is highway commuting to work at 80 mph. There is no way to go slower as most people are driving faster than me even though the speed limit is only 70 mph.

What bothers me even more is that the gas tank is so small. I feel like I am always at the gas station.

Oof...that's rough Rick. What's your engine rpm at cruising speed? I think mine's about 2500 @ 75mph (2.0l CVT). Do you have a lot of junk in the trunk (I mean the car)

 

[Bloo]

I am very disappointed with my SX Turbo’s fuel economy numbers. On I-40 through NM and TX, I was only averaging 24.4 mpg highway with 78 mph average speed. I fill it up with 88 grade gas because in Northern NM and TX, their lowest grade is 86. Through OK, MO, IL, and IN, I average 26.8 mpg. I use adaptive cruise control and HDA on all of the highway driving. What is going on? What confuses me more is that during the break-in period on the hills and valleys of Northern Arizona, I average 30mpg city driving with SMART mode!

I had better mpg with my previous vehicle - a Mazda 2.5 liter Turbo AWD!

Hiya Fox !

I think cruise control could be killing your milage - especially on hilly terrain. You've only a 1.6l engine, so the turbo spools to maintain the speed your CC is calling for. The Mazda's larger engine didn't need the turbo to maintain speed, so it used less fuel.

How about trying a week without cruise and see where that goes. Make a conscious effort to work with the terrain and traffic. You want to accelerate with a turbo, not cruise with one.

Anticipate hills by speeding up beforehand and feather the go-pedal while ascending. Allow the car to decelerate a skosh below 80 so that you're not maintaining speed with the turbo.

Look ahead for traffic slowdowns. Leave enough room so you can react by letting off the gas without hitting the brake. Adaptive cruise can't see ten cars ahead, but you can.

Good luck !

 

[Ricky10]

Oof...that's rough Rick. What's your engine rpm at cruising speed? I think mine's about 2500 @ 75mph (2.0l CVT). Do you have a lot of junk in the trunk (I mean the car)

No, I don’t keep any extra crap in my car. I’m actually in good shape as well if I do say so myself...ha!
I never check out my RPMs. I will have to check it out. Especially in cruise control vs not.

 

[firefox111]

Hiya Fox !

I think cruise control could be killing your milage - especially on hilly terrain. You've only a 1.6l engine, so the turbo spools to maintain the speed your CC is calling for. The Mazda's larger engine didn't need the turbo to maintain speed, so it used less fuel.

How about trying a week without cruise and see where that goes. Make a conscious effort to work with the terrain and traffic. You want to accelerate with a turbo, not cruise with one.

Anticipate hills by speeding up beforehand and feather the go-pedal while ascending. Allow the car to decelerate a skosh below 80 so that you're not maintaining speed with the turbo.

Look ahead for traffic slowdowns. Leave enough room so you can react by letting off the gas without hitting the brake. Adaptive cruise can't see ten cars ahead, but you can.

Good luck !

Really? No way! I bought the Seltos SX Turbo for its on demand power, HDA with ACC, LKA, LFA, etc.. i’d rather be stress free during a 1,800 mile drive than achieve higher mpg by NOT using these features. I’m still disappointed by this 1.6L turbo’s fuel management system. There’s got to be something that KIA engineers can tweak the system to achieve better fuel economy at higher speed. The highways I travel on have speed limits of 70 mph in IN, IL, and MO, 75/80 in OK, 75 in TX, NM, and AZ.

 

[Ricky10]

No, I don’t keep any extra crap in my car. I’m actually in good shape as well if I do say so myself...ha!
I never check out my RPMs. I will have to check it out. Especially in cruise control vs not.

I was about 2500 RPM’s driving at 75-80 mph, with or without using the cruise control on a flat highway. I actually thought it would be higher with the cruise set, but it didn’t seem to make any difference.

Really? No way! I bought the Seltos SX Turbo for its on demand power, HDA with ACC, LKA, LFA, etc.. i’d rather be stress free during a 1,800 mile drive than achieve higher mpg by NOT using these features. I’m still disappointed by this 1.6L turbo’s fuel management system. There’s got to be something that KIA engineers can tweak the system to achieve better fuel economy at higher speed. The highways I travel on have speed limits of 70 mph in IN, IL, and MO, 75/80 in OK, 75 in TX, NM, and AZ.

Yes, cruise control is a must for me either way. Seems as though it won’t be too long until all vehicles will at least be a hybrid. The Seltos would be a perfect candidate too with its small stature. However, is it just me or does the Seltos seem to be very non-aerodynamic? I have never had a vehicle that I have noticed so much wind noise along the windshield and side windows. It probably also has a significant impact on the mpg

 

[clanchefan]

My SX is relatively new - just a tad over 5000 miles BUT sometimes I am in my car down the street with my car idling for an hour at a time while I am downloading something as I live in a remote area. Even with that, I am averaging 32.9 MPG. I have been putting premium gas in since I purchased the car - a new behavior and I don’t even know if it matters but.... doing it anyway.

I am very disappointed with my SX Turbo’s fuel economy numbers. On I-40 through NM and TX, I was only averaging 24.4 mpg highway with 78 mph average speed. I fill it up with 88 grade gas because in Northern NM and TX, their lowest grade is 86. Through OK, MO, IL, and IN, I average 26.8 mpg. I use adaptive cruise control and HDA on all of the highway driving. What is going on? What confuses me more is that during the break-in period on the hills and valleys of Northern Arizona, I average 30mpg city driving with SMART mode!

I had better mpg with my previous vehicle - a Mazda 2.5 liter Turbo AWD!

 

[Driven1]

My SX is relatively new - just a tad over 5000 miles BUT sometimes I am in my car down the street with my car idling for an hour at a time while I am downloading something as I live in a remote area. Even with that, I am averaging 32.9 MPG. I have been putting premium gas in since I purchased the car - a new behavior and I don’t even know if it matters but.... doing it anyway.

Reading all the comments about gas mileage....isn't the projected mileage by the car manufacturers assuming motorists are driving the speed limit on average? I would think driving 5 to 7 mph over still yields pretty good mpg. But 75-80 mph to me is not anywhere near the speed limit in NY on the LIE or parkways. So at 75-80+ I wouldn't expect good gas mileage. Slowing down, which isn't popular will get more desired results. 32.9 MPG is reasonable i think.

 

[firefox111]

On my route from Northern AZ to Western IN, speed limits are between 70 to 80. If you drive at speed limit or lower, you may be bulldozed by semis that go 3 or 5 even 7 mph over the limit. Truckers are very aggressive even on the right lane!

 

[Driven1]

On my route from Northern AZ to Western IN, speed limits are between 70 to 80. If you drive at speed limit or lower, you may be bulldozed by semis that go 3 or 5 even 7 mph over the limit. Truckers are very aggressive even on the right lane!

I totally get that. In NY speed limit is 55 on the expressway. No one does that speed and it’s a big problem. It also builds in obvious speeding tickets. In NYC the speed limit is 25. There are speed cameras and red light cameras in the city and on Long Island too. That aside would think 75-80 mph greatly reduces mpg performance. The manufacturers should put out what speeds the expected MPG is based on realistically so consumers at least know. EV vehicles will take over circa 2028-2030. I guess there will be electricity usage taxes of some kind to make up for the gas revenue.
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