[elhigh]

How hard you accelerate is really a per-vehicle measurement. Some respond best when babied, others do better when given a bit more welly.

Generally it appears the thrust is to spend less time in the low speed, low mileage regime. Go ahead and throw a few more dinosaurs on the boiler right now and get up to cruising altitude quickly, and you can then back off the power for longer and ultimately enjoy a lower overall consumption.

Hybrids are a special case: if the battery pack is in good condition, drawing more on the battery means burning less fuel to achieve cruising speed, at the cost of more battery charging on the fly. If you have some downhills to take advantage of however, you can get that energy back for minimal energy investment.

Regarding feeling like you're slowing people down: set the cruise control at the speed limit. No one gets to criticize if you're doing the speed limit, and the cruise control will not be cowed. It just goes. Yes, you take a bit of a hit in the economy by using cruise, but you may get it all back and then some if you can maintain a lower, more economical speed because of it. Lose some, win more.