more than likely it was a fuke. If you can repeat that performance and mpg multiple times in various weather, THEN we've cracked the code and can all start hammering it off the line. I very much doubt it, though.

I really really think it was a fluke. Sort of like the occasional tank or commute that is in WTF territory, good or bad.

Guess it was a fluke. I'll see if I can recreate it this weekend. It has to be some time when I'm not thinking about FE and looking at the eco light is a no-no. Maybe I'll put a piece of black tape over the light to prevent peeking. I just remember racing around and then thinking "boy, I bet my mpg sucks after that commute", then thinking WTF when I looked at the readout in the 30s. I happened more than once. Could have been the combination of certain road and traffic conditions that allowed jackrabbit starts and aggressive passing but also included lots of open downhill coast that maximized eco. Dunno.

Hmm maybe it is, my street driving consists of just steady accelerations and trying to get it to maybe a bit higher than speed limit (i hear the mpg is best for HAH around 55) and then playing the eco game by feathering the gas the best I can. And thats almost the same with my highway driving except I might jack rabbit a bit in the beginning to get to make target speed. I rarely try to speed up to make a light, and almost always stop way before a light and coast my way to a complete stop. And also its kind of funny, what kaymack had said about jetting about town without regard for the eco light, because I have done that a lil bit being late for a night class and when I check my mpg it dropped from 25.1 to around 24.2ish. Do you think the problem was maybe I didn't break in my car properly and over time it will see better days? or is it all strictly based on my driving?

your car is still very very new.
but its mostly your driving. That's not criticism. We all started out that way, for the most part. It sounds like you want to change...adopting hybrid habits is a little like a 12-step program

Read through the threads in the HAH forum about acceleration- the evidence generally weighs in on the 'take it easy' side, though it is not 100% settled yet. Its tempting to get up to speed quickly, especially since the HAH is sooo good at that, but an ICE running at full load is a poor excuse for efficiency. Keep the load as constant as you can- that means slow acceleration up and slow deceleration down.

Forget about how fast the car can be, and concentrate on how efficient it can be. You and I know how fast it is already. Like dessert, its ok to splurge now and again, but save it most of the time.

I'm actually kind of glad that is it my driving that is bringing the poor mpg my way and not the fact that my car might be a lemon. But I am going to keep my eye out on driving tips to further better my mpg, and maybe one day I can pull down a 34.3 mpg as well. Cheers. Jeremy.