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11 years old, bald tires, tuned up, it gets 29-30 MPG. Sure, not the 40 or so touted, but it can acclerate.
And it takes off like a bunny.
They've had Smart Cars in Japan for years- the Civic used to be the size of a Smart Car (c. 1972). And in '72 the Civic had a lot of pep.