Don't forget about driving styles also, I'm not reving to the limits of the car, I'm nowhere near the redline, don't see the need for it on these types of drives. We don't cruise around town in second gear either with the engine at the verge of vtec cutin, just in the gear it will drive along in without lugging. However if I have an interesting road in front of me that I find challenging I will drive the car like it wants to be, provided the traffic will allow it. During this type of driving gas mileage drops of considerably, but not below 20mpg.