My car gets an average of 27 mpg, and about 30 on the freeway. I drove my car two-three hours at least four days a week for five years. I was a college student who also worked full time, and I spent a lot of time in my little car. The hatchback has been a great asset to have in a small car. I was able to fit a bunch of stuff in it. I am a crafter and would often load up that little bug to go to shows, and it never failed me. I have never had any mechanical (knock on wood) issues with my car. I did notice that my tires wore out fairly quickly at about 30,000 miles. The breaks that came with the car are still on it at almost 80,000 miles. The heater and air conditioning work great. It gets up to 110-115 in the summers, and the air conditioning has never failed. On the flip side it gets down into the 20's in winter here, and my car has never failed to start right up! My car cruises right along at 70 mph. If you try to go over 80 it gets a little shaky. Because the car is so light, it will hydroplane fairly easily. It does fine on the ice if you stay around 15 mph. Again, because the car is small and light, if it is super windy out, I would not suggest going over 60 mph.