In our 8 months of Honda Civic ownership, we could never get anything near what the EPA suggested. If you drive normally, not crazy or mad in anyway, you will get 32 US mpg (7,4 l/100km) tops. In suburban driving, it averaged more like 26 US mpg (9,0 l/100km). I think the window sticker said 30/40 which is laughable, compounded by the fact that the 5-speed auto was geared to be absolutely useless.

I think the all-time record for useless gearing for cheating the EPA is the Chevy Impala, which run 130km/h @ 2000rpm in 4th gear and had a first gear that stretched to 90km/h.