Measuring your Hyundai Getz fuel consumption
Some Philippine Hyundai Getz owners have sent me email this past week expressing their concern about Hyundai Getz fuel consumption. One gentleman who is not a Getz owner has indicated that he wanted to buy a Hyundai Getz but changed his mind when he read about the Getz fuel consumption on Life With Gina, so I think it’s time we make an update on fuel consumption of our Hyundai Getz, and some of the best ways by which we can measure Hyundai Getz fuel consumption.
According to this article on Wikipedia, the two most common ways to measure fuel consumption are to measure the amount of fuel used per unit distance (how many liters of gasoline it takes to travel a certain number of kilometers; the higher the number, the less fuel efficient your car) or the distance traveled per unit of fuel used (how far do you travel per liter of gasoline; the more kilometers, the more fuel efficient your car). On Life With Gina, I use the latter method.
When measuring your Hyundai Getz’s fuel efficiency, it is vitally important to start with a full tank. From what I’ve been told by the folks at Hyundai Fort Bonifacio, the 1.1 Hyundai Getz has a 45-liter tank, with the fuel warning light going off when the tank hits five liters left. So when you’re going to measure your fuel efficiency, ensure first of all that your tank is as full as possible.
(For instance, at my most recent refuelling, the gasoline tank of the Petron station where I gassed up my Hyundai Getz hit 34 liters. I asked the gasoline station attendant to fill it to the brim - isagad in the local vernacular - and it eventually ended at close to 38 liters. If you’re computing for your fuel efficiency and you lose three to five liters, that’s anywhere from 30 to 75 kilometers lost in your computation, leading you to an inaccurate figure that makes your Hyundai Getz look less efficient than it actually is.)
Once your Hyundai Getz tank is full, set your odometer measure A to 0 and drive at will until you come close to empty. Once your fuel warning light goes on, get the total number of kilometers you’ve travelled and divide it by 40 (the theoretical number of liters it takes before the fuel warning light goes off), and that’ll give you a pretty good idea of the fuel economy of your Hyundai Getz.
Having said that, I started a new measurement this week, and I’ll post the results most likely by Friday. Right now, Gina is at around 130km and it hasn’t come close to the 3/4 mark, so I’m liking what I’m seeing.
If you’re looking for some tips on how to increase your Hyundai Getz’s fuel efficiency, this Wikipedia article has some pretty good ideas. My preferred ways of increasing fuel efficiency include optimal tire pressure and wheel alignment, coasting, and reducing the amount of stuff in my Hyundai Getz so that there’s less drag. (It’s hard enough when the driver weighs more than 210 lbs.)
What are some ways you try to increase the fuel efficiency of your car?
Update: My latest round of measuring reveals virtual 12km/L. Gina registered 479km at the 40L mark, when my fuel indicator light lit up, which brings her fuel efficiency to 11.975. For city driving that has you stuck in traffic from Taft Avenue to Quiapo to A. Bonifacio, that’s pretty good. Remember: fuel efficiency depends on traffic conditions, driving style, car maintenance, and a whole bunch of other factors.
nabasa ko pala ang 10++ Km/L sa unang post po ng bago pa si Gina. Understable naman daw iyon ayon sa mga nabasa ko. Madalas kasi pag bago pa ang car, mababa talaga ang mileage daw. Once nag break in na ang engine. Tataas na dapat iyan gaya ng sa advertised na mileage ng car. Kaya ayun, malamang mas okay na ang computation mo ngayon… Abangan! =)
Parang gusto ko din kasi ng Getz. Parang okay din ang 1.4L na manual, kaunti lang kasi price difference sa 1.1L.. madalas kasi kung bigger engine din mas hindi hirap kaya hindi din malakas mag consume nga gas (huwag lang ma trapik hehe).
Kamusta naman ang hatak ng 1.1L kung puno ang karga?
Hi Barny,
Pasensya na, medyo mahina ang Tagalog ko, ha. I’ll answer you in English.
The advertised mileage is still hard to deliver, bro, break in or now break in. Depende naman din kasi sa driving style mo, and, like you said, traffic. E kami, traffic talaga, kasi from Caloocan, dumadaan kami Quezon Avenue, tapos Nagtahan, Taft Avenue, South Superhighway o EDSA bago mag-Fort. Araw araw. Kaya talagang traffic to the max, expected lower fuel efficiency. Not necessarily the fault of the car; situation lang talaga namin.
We took Gina to Zambales in June. Puno yung kotse with me, my wife, my two kids, and all our baggage. As in puno. Kayang kaya niya yung trip, with matching mountains and highways.
Tama ka, bro. Bumili ka ng 1.4, definitely mas sulit at fuel-efficient yan.
Thanks for writing in! Bisita ka ulit, ha.
I just want to ask if na try mo n yung e10, since its cheaper naisip ko na magswitch to that kind of fuel. Sabi nung casa pwede nmn daw gamitin yun pero d ko p na try kc may mga nababasa ako sa mga forum na panget daw and may nagsasabi nmn na ok daw sin ce makakatipid ka lalo na sa city driving. Whats your take on this?
Hi Ron, thanks for writing in.
A few months ago, I asked the folks at Hyundai Fort Bonifacio about e10, and according to them, wala pang iniisue ang HARI tungkol sa e10. Pwede but untested.
The main benefit, aside from being cheaper, is that it’s supposed to be more environment-friendly, which I like. However, the main con is that it’s untested in terms of long-term effects sa cars natin.
I also haven’t heard about whether e10 is more fuel efficient than regular fuel. I have heard that because the fuel has ethanol, it evaporates faster and therefore you end up using more e10 fuel than you normally can use. Note: that’s just what I heard; I don’t know whether it’s fact.
So, I decided huwag na lang muna, kasi the newer models, including our Getzes, MAY be compatible, but if they aren’t, ang matitipid natin sa gasolina baka mabawi din pag nasira ang kotse natin dahil hindi pala maganda para sa engines.
These, however, are just my thoughts about it.
Thanks for writing in; I should probably do some research and make a deeper post on it. Thanks again!
Hi,
I must be the person you were referring to who changed his mind about the Getz. I am still in the market for a fuel efficient car. In the meantime, I am still using my regular car which gets between 6 and 7 kms. to the liter. Incidentaly, the fuel consumption was the same when it was new in Feb. 2008 and now that it is 5 months old.
Now, I am more confused. Would it be safe to say that I can get more mileage out of a 1.4L given the usual explanation that a larger engine in a small body would deliver more fuel efficiency?
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Gann,
Regarding E10, i used it occasionally… check your Getz manual, it said E10 can be used. No mileage difference on my case. If you are really adventurous… load P500 of Shell E10, and P500 of Petron unleaded… i noticed my getz runs on steroid with those combo.
(im not a chemist, perhaps an alchemist… so dont ask me why it “feels” like it runs on steroid).
Hi Marc,
The main difference between the 1.1 and 1.4 Getzes is its engine. The 1.4 Getz has a Double Overhead Camshaft (DOHC) engine, while the 1.1 has a Single Overhead Camshaft (SOHC) engine. The 1.4 Getz’s engine runs cooler, is quieter, and reacts faster to your driving, especially when you’re in situations when you need to shift gears quickly.
In theory, yes, the 1.4 can deliver better fuel efficiency because it is a larger engine in a small body. Furthermore, the DOHC engine offers better FE for its buck because it’s built to be more fuel efficient and responsive. (A downside is you may have to replace the timing belt every 350,000 kms or so, but who holds onto his car for that long?)
In real life, however, like we said earlier, traffic conditions can greatly affect your car’s FE. I’m stuck in traffic ALL THE TIME. I kid you not. It sucks. So I definitely get less FE because I’m stuck in traffic all the time, and Gina just sips the gas while we’re waiting. Tsk tsk tsk.
Hi Ramon,
I know the manual said pwede, but I wanted to be sure so I asked, and they said the main office wouldn’t confirm it.
Hahaha on the ’steroids’ comment; I’m not sure I’d like that for my Gina, but please, by all means, rocket all you’d like!
Okay na ah, 12Km/L para sa traffic na traffic. =)
I use a slightly different and maybe more accurate way of measuring fuel economy: I reset the trip meter after filling up the tank until the pump stops automaticaly - not to the brim since it’s not good for your car (different topic).
Several days later when my fuel gauge reads about 1/4 full, I fill up the tank the same way at the same pump and maybe at the same time. I don’t wait for it to go below the 1/4 mark since my fuel pump might suck up the sediments that have settled at the bottom of the tank.
Next, I take note of the number of kilometers traveled and divide that by the number of liters loaded and I get my fuel economy reading.
that mileage is pretty good already for city driving. my isuzu hilander also gets close to 10 kilometers to a liter.
Hy,
I’m a Getz 1.4L 16 valve owner.. I bought it in last year in December. I’m very happy with my car!! My wife has a Toyota Yaris / Echo 2006 and she likes my car more than hers, because she says it is more comfortable and faster… I agree with her, mostly referred about the cars speed performance..
But I have noticed that my Hyundai is les FE than the Echo… in the city I have achieved with my car 40 KM / gallon. Can somebody tell me about a much better result achieved FE??