Active Eco-system

Asked by fishing46 Jul 07, 2013 at 09:45 PM about the 2013 Hyundai Sonata GLS FWD

Question type: General

I would like to know what the engine actually does when the system is operating?  Is it only meant for city driving usage?  Does it make sense to use it during highway driving or when the air conditioning is being used?  And, how much mpg improvement can one expect by utilizing the Active Eco-System?  I cannot find any information in the manual except basic stuff and the dealership never explained its usage.

7 Answers

199,785

This may help some. Active Eco, engaged by a dashboard switch to the left of the steering wheel, modifies engine operation so you get more gradual acceleration, and the transmission tends to shift to higher gears sooner and isn’t as quick to downshift for passing. Active Eco also cuts off the fuel supply during deceleration, and Hyundai says all this electronic management can increase fuel economy as much as 7 percent. This system restricts engine and transmission performance in favor of fuel economy, so in Active Eco mode your Sonata may feel less responsive accelerating up a hill or when trying to pass cars on the highway. You can turn it off if you’d rather burn rubber instead of saving fuel. Active Eco is standard on the Sonata SE and Limited and included with the optional automatic transmission on the GLS. The Sonata also has a green Eco indicator light in the gauge cluster that illuminates and acts as a pat on the back when the car is being driven efficiently, meaning that you are using a light throttle foot on your own and without the help of the Active Eco system.

80 people found this helpful.
199,785

Use it whenever you want to save fuel, which at today’s prices should be all the time.

18 people found this helpful.
150

I recently bought the 2014 Santa Fe with the Eco and so far I can't say I've noticed any improvement in my caa consumption. In fact I've joyoced worse mileage. I was able to 397km on 56L. Mostly city driving too. My 2010 got better mileage. Anybody else finding the same thing?

15 people found this helpful.
90

Thank you dandyoun for that really informative and valuable information about ECO mode, I didn't know the exact functions of the feature in my sonata, but assumed it had something to do with saving fuel. So whenever I was low on fuel I would kick it on. I do feel the difference in the acceleration (mostly because I have the 2.0 turbo which btw I love) although I do love to burn rubber with my turbo and love the paddle shifters, I feel like when I have the ECO mode active, the car seems like it drives a lot better and doesn't feel so "rinky dinky". It feels like the car is heavier and drives smoother. I will definitely be keeping my ECO mode on, and it also saves me gas too. Bonus!!! Also, on a side note. I absolutely love my decision to purchase this car, she is sleek, modern and has curves to die for. I love the sport rims with low profile tires, but I don't necessarily like how rough it rides, but I just assume that's because of the low pro rims n tires. But overall very satisfied with her.

9 people found this helpful.
10

j'ai une santa fé 2.2l crdi 197 ch et je trouve que je consomme beaucoup environ 9.0l/100klm meme en metant le bouton "eco active" je ne trouve pas de difference.. Une question y'a t'il un rapport entre se bouton "eco active" (vers le levier de vitesse) et la fonction au tableau de bord " driving eco" on/off sur le cadran de L'ODB ?? merci de vos reponses

1 people found this helpful.
60

My wife has driven her 2012 Chevy Sonic back and forth to her job (300 miles per week) for six years and always averaged 31.5 MPG. We bought a used 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe sport with a 4 cylinder like the Sonic. Very disappointed that even using the ECO the best we can squeeze out of this car is 23 MPG! What gives here! First foreign car we have ever owned also.

6 people found this helpful.

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