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I drive a well-maintained, mid-90s Corolla with a manual transmission. I get 34 mpg in mixed-use driving, sometimes better. Granted, I'm exceeding the "ratings" for my car, but I'm not sure how--I cruise along at 75 or 80 on the freeway, just like everyone else around here, just like I poke along in second in local city traffic (just like everyone else around here).
From what I hear, new safety features add weight to cars. But it seems like Honda and Toyota have been pushing the envelope on mileage improvements, and I imagine they will continue to do so. It's disappointing that Smart, which is selling something even smaller than the Fit or the Yaris, can't match the mileage ratings.
Fortunately, my car has a few years left in it (another benefit of Toyotas--they run forever, and mine doesn't even have 100K on it, despite its age). Guess I'll wait for a plug-in hybrid or something.
