[QUOTE="Eric"] For one thing, the Sonata with automatic transmission is rated slightly higher than the Chevy Cobalt, a much smaller car. Does anyone believe a Chevy Impala, at 3,553 lbs., with a V-6 really gets 31 mpg, even on the highway at the speed limit, consistently? For that matter, can it be true that a few models get better highway mpg with the auto tranny than with the stick?[/QUOTE] It is possible. I rented a large Buick a few years ago (I can't remember the model name now, but it was, I believe, the largest model) for a trip from Corning, NY to Boston. I drove 70-75 both directions and that car got 31 MPG for the trip! I was amazed. My minivans never got above 27 on a trip and typically got 25 at those speeds. However, that car may have been terrible in local driving, I don't know. My minivans got 22 or so in local driving, they just never got much more than that even on a trip. [QUOTE] Bottom line is that EPA sticker figures must be viewed with extreme skepticism.....[/QUOTE] Absolutely! Matt