I can get 40MPG (US) highway with a 2015 Mazda3 and a somewhat aggressive driving style. City is usually low 30s.
The manual transmission is also one of the nicest I've ever driven.
These are great cars.
The manual transmission is also one of the nicest I've ever driven.
These are great cars.
I have an 07 Mazdaspeed3 that is getting long-in-the-tooth, and it gets terrible mileage (19 in town, high 20s on the freeway). The best I can say about the shifter is that you get used to it.
I don't think I need quite as much pep as my current car (plus all current hatchbacks that are comparable performance are north of $30k), and the 2.5L engine in the Mazda3 is nice.
I like the Mazda3 better than the Focus, but if I had to get a car today it would probably be the Focus ST.