I would also bet that 50 - 70 % of the buyers of this car can barely afford it in the first place. Slap on top of that poor FE, and they can't afford to drive it at all.

And for the guy to be "ashamed" of the mileage performance, shame on him. The first thing he SHOULD say to a stranger is, I can get 25 MPG without sacraficing any performance.