1) To me that would suggest "yes", if you can count on the instant mpg-o-meter to be really accurate. For some engines/cars, shifting at higher RPM can work out better. In mine personally, the lower the better, but peak BSFC comes in under 2000RPM which is unusual.
2) If you can get up a hill without downshifting, that suggests to me that your top gear wasn't tall enough.
I can see gearboxes with more gears causing more drag (more moving parts) but they're probably a net win, up to a certain number of gears.
3) I dunno how big they are inside but the fuel economy numbers look a little underwhelming on paper. Civic hatch is rated 5mpg better in both city and highway, and it's a bigger car with a lot more horsepower. Having never sat in one it wouldn't have been my first choice based on that.
EDIT: I don't mean to disparage your car. Rather, these were just completely under my radar, and nothing drew my attention to them. I had to look up what they look like. 33mpg in winter is certainly not bad, and you might be looking at cresting 40 when the weather warms up perhaps? Would love some interior pictures and subjective thoughts on the car.