[Fat Charlie]

A puny engine isn't slow... if the car isn't too heavy for it and you aren't hiding what little power you've got behind an automatic transmission.

Sure, stomping your right foot and letting cubic inches make your problems go away isn't something you can do any more, but if you're thinking about fuel economy at all, you should have left those days behind no matter what you're still driving. That said, I'm having a horrible year for mileage this year because my driving pattern changed radically. My pleasant (never thought I'd call it that) good mpg run to work in the mornings became a frantic run on the interstate between 70 and 80. Morning mpg in the high 50s turned into a struggle to keep it over 40, and I didn't see a single tank over 50 all summer.

But I could do those long, high speed runs and still turn in tanks in the 40s. Ignoring the still good mileage, I can do long, high speed runs. I can even move through traffic. You just need to pay attention to everything, predict what people are going to do and prepare yourself by getting ready to be in the right gear at the right speed at the right time. That's all.

On the plus side, when you don't need to drive like a maniac you're going to get some great mileage. On the other plus side, you can still drive like a maniac if you feel the need to. But the real adjustment is in driving for mileage- thinking ahead and taking a longer view than being first to that red light or passing that one car to be one car farther ahead in line. Once you get in the habit of conserving momentum, underpowered cars aren't underpowered- they just aren't excessively powered.