Just a quick mpg question on some cars...
 

Alrite, this is definately going to be going against what most of you guys would suggest here and against my current civic's 40 mpg, but I'm somewhat looking into a new car (parents won't help me out if I get something more than 2-3 years old) and was considering something sporty-ish. The two main cars I'm looking at are the Civic Si and the MazdaSpeed3 - as much as I don't like paying more for gas, the Civic Si is actually a decent value for the better suspension and aesthetic upgrades alone over the Ex or the Lx that I would get. The Mazdaspeed though...well, they have them for roughly the same price as the Si at a dealership an hour from here.

Any ideas on the MPG's I could expect if I still drove relatively conservatively, somewhat like I do now - I wouldn't be flooring it, but the few times I would use the extra speed would be nice, albeit a waste. I'll also hate the gearing on these...3000rpm @60mph just doesn't make sense to me.

That...and any idea on the MPG of the Mazda3s? The only ones that I've seen on this site are the Mazda3's with the 2 liter.

Anyways...I've still got some time to decide, but the CR-Z won't be coming for a while and there aren't really many other cars that I'm looking into.

Wait. Are you looking at the MazdaSpeed 3 or the Mazda 3s? Big difference. Either way, they won't net you the mileage a Civic will. But the MazdaSpeed with blow the doors of a Civic Si every time.

In my experience, the occasional outburst of speed doesn't really affect average FE much at all, as long as it really is as rare as you're describing.

I'd pick the MazdaSpeed3 for here, the LSD would be nice for winter.

They both have LSDs I think. i'm sort of looking at the Civic, both LX (too bad DX doesn't have a stereo) or the Si, and the Mazda3s and MazdaSpeed 3.

And I'm basically refusing to buy an auto again; it puts me to sleep and I don't like fighting with it to shift.

But...i'm assuming I should expect 30 mpg or so with the Si or Speed, and maybe a tad higher for the 3s, right?

I imagine it'd be difficult to hit anywhere over 30 mpg in the Mazdaspeed if you can even reach that. I think most in the Mazdaspeed community claim mid 20's on the MS3. The turbo is set very high on boost from the factory, so you'll have to find a way to lower that, or you'll just eat gas trying to keep from going lean. If you're looking at the Civic DX or LX, I'd maybe consider the Mazda 3i over the s model. Yes, it's got a smaller engine and less HP, but from what I gather, it isn't that huge a difference in OVERALL performance because the 2.0 in the i model has a better torque curve. Either way, all cars considered are excellent on a AutoX course and would be a blast to drive. If that's the performance you have in mind, you can't really go wrong with any of them.

Well, i'm not exactly concerned about the engines. I greatly prefer the hatch 3 to the sedan...and figure that would be a little better for carrying my snowboard stuff to and from the mountain.

On the other hand, I'm dying to try autox sometime.

But mid-20s...hm. On the other hand, I could probably still take the current civic whenever my parents or brother won't be using it...meh.