Clay-

My HCH CVT is 1 month old today and I filled up the tank for the second time last night. First tank was much like yours. I started to get pissed halfway through while it sat at 35 or 37, but it started to rise quickly once I got a feel for the car, and I finished off just over 40 MPG. The second tank involved carrying passengers more than 50% of the time (bear in mind how much REAL gas you actually save when carpooling) and consequently running the AC often since I live in Florida. Even considering, and more or less doing nothing differently whatsoever, the tank was 429 miles at over 45 MPG. Did I use some techniques here and there? Sure; it's part of the game. But nothing at all different from the car's first tank and that's a pretty steep rise considering. I'm only 50 miles into my third tank but the dash is telling me 49 MPG right now. For all the tricks and hints and subtleties you can employ to try to stretch that gas, your car will naturally and independently run more efficiently with or without your help the more time it's had to settle into its own groove. It's just what they do, pretty nice for us. Don't get me wrong, I use some of the tricks when I think it's reasonable given circumstances, but the worst case scenario for a hapless driver who cares nothing for MPG will still have his/her car showing steady improvement every tank for quite some time. Good luck, and remember - we bought these cars in large part so that we DIDN'T have to freak about about how much fuel we were greedily overconsuming.

 

Hahah. Wow. Now THAT is an astute observation, and way too true! That >smack!< sound you hear is my hand slapping my forehead.

I'm going to go back and give you a bunch of those brownie points, or whatever they are called.

Edit: "Reputation" points. Bah. I like "Brownie points" better. :-)