38.7 MPG - "Realistic" Conditions

Nearly at the 1000 mile mark and I just had my third visit to the pump. Boulder is a nice place to live because driving isn't too necessary when you have a bike, work in town and love the bike path system. That means filling up doesn't happen too often. I netted 38.7 MPG on this tank (well 3/4 tank). Driving condition were more probably more "realistic" this time. Mostly in-town driving than highway, and the weather got cold (below freezing), so warming the car up and having the heater/defroster on were probably factors. Still, I'm not disappointed with 38 MPG at all.

I noticed that when the defroster is on, the car idles a little irregularly. I'm guessing this is because of the size of the motor vs. the work it's doing with the defrost. When asked for power during idle, the idle drops to about 500 rpm and ramps up to about 800 rpm before settling in again.

Departure for a big California/Oregon/Idaho road trip is slated for Thursday and I am excited to see how the car feels after long days in the saddle. Pics and reports will be flowing like the "salmon of capistrano." : )