Back in the '90s I owned a Ford festiva that consistently achieved 44 MPG on the highway. A '92 if memory serves me.
In '96 or '97 I leased a '97 Ford Aspire that I used for traveling. It was equipped with a 5 speed standard trans. The MPG varied wildly on it but generally stayed at 49 MPG steady state with cruise enabled on the highway. In one instance while I was traveling I topped off the tank..I was in the southeast corner of Utah, if memory serves me...and drove to Jackson Hole WY which was 61 or 62 miles away. When I arrived there I topped off again and put in less than 1 gallon of fuel. Like I said, the MPG varied wildly.
The accomplishments of the Automakers with their Hybrids and other high MPG vehicles are ridiculous. They announce them as though they are so proud of them.
Of course my good experiences were from the '90s. Where I work we received a '93 Chevrolet C-1500 full size pickup, long bed, 305 V8, 4 speed auto trans. That achieved 26 MPG on the highway. In '03 my workplace purchased 2 '03 Chevrolet Half ton full size pickups...Silverados...long beds, V6 engines, 4 speed tans. with OD. They push it to get 17 MPG. But that's city stop and go driving. They don't get out on the highway. The '93 achieved about 19 to 21 MPG in city stop and go driving.