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I drive a little but differently then most people. I try to go the fastest I can go, while getting the best mpg I can get with the way I drive. My car is rated to get 27mpg highway, and I manage to get at least 31 mpg city/highway combined on average- and as much as 33mpg with my automatic transmission. How do I do it?
I don't exceed 3000 rpm when I accelerate, and once I hit 3000 rpm & the transmission shifts, I ease the gas pedal slightly so I'm at around 1500 rpm, then I build more pressure on the gas on the next gear and I repeat this until I reach my desired speed. I also add more gas going downhill and ease up on the gas while going up once I reach the top of the hill. From my experiences, going 55 on the highway doesn't save gas- the faster you go (and the less you brake) the better mileage you will get- assuming you stay at a constant speed. I've cruised at 85 mph and have achieved 31 mpg, and it was mostly because I was holding a constant rpm/speed. The more you change gears and accelerate/brake on the highway, the worse mpg you will get.
Note that every car is different, so my techniques won't apply to all cars (like CVTs). You can't drive all cars like you stole it, unless you're willing to cough up the maintenance. I have a steady 192K miles on my car, so in my mind, I feel as if I mastered it's efficiency.
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