I managed 38.5mpg from my stock Xr2. Used some basic hypermiling tricks. Drove the speed limit or even a few under. That was with the stock .8 fifth gear. You can throw a .71 fifth in pretty easy.
Then I swapped the motor into my festiva and usually got around 40, but managed 47 driving home from the MACG, though I was driving across indiana at night doing like 45-50 the whole way.
35-40mpg is the EPA rating for the fiesta, and what the average driver will get with it. In the hands of an efficient minded driver 45-50 should be attainable.
