Good write-up Chumbo. The mpg graphs do give the CVT a bit of an mpg advantage at interstate speeds, so I'm not so surprised by your numbers. They sound a bit better than mine at those speeds, which makes a lot of sense. And I do agree, I think the Mirage is a really good interstate vehicle. Sure the mpg drops a bit, more so maybe for the 5-speed cars. But it remains much higher than most other vehicles.
Cades Cove is an amazing place. Truly beautiful. Frequently you don't realize how stupid humans are until you go there and see idiots trying to pet baby bear. Where there's babies, mama bears are not far away. Luckily for the idiots, black bears are not as aggressive, but still, people have been hurt. I believe Dolly Parton spent her childhood growing up there, or very close to there. There are still houses there, but now no one lives there. It's all a state or federal park. There were families there, and signs posted with the same last name as mine. So a few years back I did some research to find out if I were related to them. Turns out, I'm not related to them at all, and my last name is not really who I am.
I'm going to quit being coy. It's not a huge deal. We're all great friends. My last name is Oliver. Lots of Olivers in Cades Cove. My research into my direct male ancestry determined that I have 0% dna relationship with ANY Oliver. Meaning: I'm not an Oliver. Turns out, I'm a Grady / Graddy. Back in 1858 or 1859, a Graddy man slipped into a very very young girl ... by accident I'm sure. When it was determined she was in a family way, she was sent away (to Chattanooga) to deal with it. That she did. Very strong little girl. By my account she was 13 when she had her baby, my great grandfather. At some point later, his mother married a man name Oliver. And so the misnaming began.
Sorry to derail the thread. I always felt close to Cades Cove. Turns out, Grady Hospital in Atlanta is named after my direct 4th cousin. Henry Woodfin Grady.
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View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.5 mpg (US) ... 18.1 km/L ... 5.5 L/100 km ... 51.0 mpg (Imp)