MikieMike,

Your Mustang GT costs twice what my Yaris costs both new and used. (I just looked it up, average retail on a 2008 GT is about $20900, average retail on a 2008 Yaris is $11600) Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting the performance or "luxury" (???) of a Mustang GT. But, you need to accept that you ARE paying for it. And I'm not paying "$30,000" for my econobox.

The 31 mpg that you were able to squeak out of your Mustang (impressive 55% over EPA hwy, btw) does not equate to the 36 mpg that the EPA says my car gets... the EPA on your Stang is 20 Highway. So, apples to apples, babied in the same way, you should expect the 36 mpg econobox to get... not "30-35 mpg", but 55% over the EPA rating of 36 or... 55 mpg!

We're not talking about hybrids in this thread. We're talking about regular internal combustion engines.

Your observation about most of your fuel being used in acceleration is absolutely true. Modern fuel management systems in cruise mode (even in a big rumbling V8 ) will run quite lean and sip fuel as long as you keep your foot out of it.

I'd suggest opening your mind a little bit on the economy cars, though. Not saying you should rush out and buy one or anything, I know they're not for everyone. But, the modern Japanese econobox (Honda Civic/Fit, Toyota Yaris/Corolla, Nissan Versa/Sentra, etc) is nothing like the crapcan econobox of the 80's and 90's. The Japanese car makers know what the US market expects in a car, and they provide it. My Yaris isn't "fast", but it's quick enough to get out of its own way (0-60 in 9-9.5), it's stunningly roomy (seriously, go sit in one!), and it is quite comfortable. "Luxury"? No. But still quite nice.

Go take a closer look at some of these cars that you're bashing. Don't go in expecting them to accelerate like a muscle car, but evaluate them fairly. I think you might be impressed with what you can get for $12-15k. And they can be driven in a NORMAL fashion and return the MPG that you had to struggle for a week to get.

And if you DO go and check them out... remember that your GT is the highest end Mustang available, not the base model V6 with no options. Don't go looking at the bargain-basement base-model economy car. Look at one that is well-equipped with all of the comfort and convenience features that you want. For instance, look at the Yaris S rather than the base model. (nicer seats, more standard features), or the Honda Fit sport model, or the Civic Si, etc.