[QuantumBunnii]

Hello all,

I've just recently transitioned from a 2001 Auto Kia Rio to a 1997 Honda Civic DX (also auto) under the unambiguous conviction that it got better gas mileage: virtually every website I've visited stated that it always got between 30 and 39 mpg. However, this does not seem to be the case for me. In fact, the Civic has a much bigger tank and seems to deplete to empty given the same miles. I have calculated my MPG various times, and have received an average of app. 21mpg. Is there any reason why this should be so? I know the car has cool-air intake, but I drive at max 55 mph on highways, and it doesn't seem to be the prodigious economy car it has been made out to be. At best, it seems to be on equal standings with the Kia.

Also, incidentally, I've noticed that cops pull me over a LOT more in my Civic. I actually drive much more economically-- and therefore (at least seemingly) safely-- but they seem to be glued to the conviction that if a car looks old and... civic-ish... there must be something wrong with the driver. I've never gotten pulled over *once* in my Kia within a year; within a month I've gotten pulled over 5 times with the Civic.
Has this ever happened to anybody else? I'm starting to think that keeping my Kia would have been much more 'economical', just because it appeals to the fatuous minds of cops.