@Draigflag In the U.S. if anyone gets 35 mpg combined and up we're doing good. I'll only truly understand UK cycle if I travel some day and I would pick a diesel variant for a rental vehicle probably with a manual. All the good cars us enthusiasts want here in the U.S. are in the U.K. Our journalist throw it in our face daily. They always say we tested it but you can't get it. Whatever. At least our regulations recently got better since we get 4 to 5 new diesels this year as they were almost completely banned in the last 3 years. Some of the fuel efficient cars we have now are excellent. Here the Fiesta 1.0 usually averages 39-40 combined which is super high. Even more for hypermilers, etc. Usually people average 45 mpg in one when most of the hybrids hit the same numbers and don't have all the good driving dynamics and torque thrust.

car-enthusiast, be aware that US gallons, which are used in the US and some Latin American and Caribbean countries, are smaller than UK gallons.
A US gallon is 3.79 litres (to two decimal places) and a UK gallon is 4.55.
My car averages 54 UK mpg but only 45 US mpg!
Any UK mpg figures you read need to be divided by 1.2 to get an equivalent US figure.

Yea I hear you there, always disappointed just how boring the car market is in the US, must drive you guys nuts. Its ok if you want to waft around in a big slow thirsty SUV with zero character and a slushy gearbox, or a big bland sedan that handles like a yacht. Just not enough people who appreciate a good car or a good road to support the limited market.

Having said that, the older generation with their stubborn old fashioned attitudes towards certain brands are slowly dying out, and other marques are making it back to the US thank God. Alfa, Fiat, hopefully soon Renault or Citroën/Peugeot, cars with style and character that are actually awesome to drive and handle like a stabbed rat!

@JockoT Thanks for the conversion. So despite all conversions many numbers probably end up close to the same. I'm sure there's still a bunch of UK cars that dust ours here in the U.S. We still have the occasional few that hypermile their hybrids and claim 70 mpg but how sustained are those numbers? It's not a big deal relatively but it's nice for number crunchers who have turned it into a money-ball game. It's like the nerd's sport you could say and I don't mean that offensively. I've gone the full gamut of driving styles with different vehicles over the years. I beat every economy number people tell me I can't if I decide to, all safely and not annoying to other traffic.

@Draigflag (warning lots of info ahead) Here's one that easy to source if you Google this - and I stand by this - only 22% of Americans know how to drive a stick! No one teaches driving a manual at all. At driver's education courses for first drivers all of the cars are automatics. Even in rural or farm areas many still don't drive a stick. I agree with the whole anti-SUV sentiment. Blame that on the 1991 Ford Explorer, because it set off the true wave of super-sizing. My main cars have all been subcompacts, some even with one-size up interiors. They just about all rival what our 1998 era Toyota Camry was (midsize) back then. Most will not like this comment but the best car I ever drove for cities (parking, turning circle, interior space) was a 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage MT. It's effortless. Easy clutch, super sharp turn radius. It makes slow 90 degree turns like nothing I've ever driven. For the U.S. you don't even have to parallel park it's so small, you can just slip in forward most of the time. Everything is perspective but the smaller categories of vehicles have charm. There's more enigma there than with an 4-8k lb washing machine. Those cars are even easy to overtake even with a 74 horsepower car on a freeway.

Thanks to everyone for replies. Technically I should be on another forum category or start a new post. I can easily go on specific tangets. Cars are my hobby. I like to find the answers to automotive questions that aren't so easy to come by. Then when that happens I know what can be worked with and also help others. There is a market gray area, most of it's opinion but when your cars aren't reliable or you're not in a situation to easily replace one the learning curve can be fast. So there's my late true intro. A preference to drive smaller cars and even understand car culture abroad. It never gets dull. I just had to ask a few questions from car people and this seems like the right place.