That's the difference.
FWD *handling* will never seriously compete in a sport sedan segment.
Otherwise.... yes.

I think there's a misconception here about how mileage will magically go from 15-17 MPH to 20+ just by "Breaking in" the motor. With today’s' modem engines, "breaking in" it really not necessary [yes the manual will tell you to limit your throttle for the 1st 500 mi], but it is a recommendation, not a prerequisite. There have been lengthy white-papers done from ASE/ASME on this subject matter - you may get 1 maybe 2 MPG more after 5K mi on the motor driving in the motors optional efficiently range - but it's not a guarantee either. I can tell you also that from my own experience, I was getting 15 MPG new on my ‘05x and after about 5K, it only went up to 16-17 MPG no matter now efficient I tried driving.

This motor is a great motor, but like all designs there are deficiencies - in this case it is efficiency.

I have an '07 Sport now that I'll have for a few days [350+ mi] - I'll post the MPG when I dump it off on Fri.

Im doing 16.5 MPG (per the fuel economy program on the navi) on the second tank full @ 482 mi on the odometer. I think thats pretty good considering it's still brand new. Thats with mixed hgwy/city driving. My 04 sedan (both 07 and 04 auto) avg about 17.5-19 MPG, so I think thats pretty good for a brand new car.

Maybe my math is rusted .... but isn't 9L/100 km something close to about 26 mpg ??

That mpg @140 kmph (~88 mph) isn't too bad !!

Please correct me if my metric-to-US translation is messed up !!

I've had two full tanks so far. I am averaging ~ 17-18 mpg, which is a mix of city highway driving. I am still in my break-in, so I have been not been getting on it. The two onboard indicators have backed up those numbers.

I have a heavy foot. My '04 used to get about 28-29 mpg on pure highway miles running anywhere between 70-80. I confirmed this several times between DC and Raleigh and DC and New York!

I just find that they are completely different beasts. In some ways, I think the TL-S is actually SPORTIER than a G35. I just love honda and ferrari engines, you probably laugh when i make that comparison but they are both low torque high horse power engines(compare some ferrari and Type R dynos, they are very mathematically similar, add the E46 engine to that mix too) and I love it. When you get into the sports car arena, low torque is just relative(low compared to HP, not low as in lacking). The G35 on the other hand is always relaxed when accellerating; it has a bully feel to it(the engine). The TL-s on the other hand pulls nicely but never feels relaxed and it doesn't hit its stride until the upper end. I actually love that about the car. Both engines are great, and I say this because they have been perfected. The G35 is a large V6 which has been tweaked and tuned to deliver a lot of HP, but you can still feel what it originated as. The TL-S engine is originally a small displacement overachieving engine (way moreso in the past when it was still the 3.2L).

FWD vs RWD/AWD also makes a HUGE difference, but it isn't the only reason for my comment. The rides on both cars are very different, and I couldn't just categorize one as harsher and the other as softer, they have their own feel about them. I drove the TL-S, G35S, G35x, and 335i coupe and I just feel they are all great but different cars. I could not name any of them pareto optimal in entirety, they each have their own unique traits which make them special. It's very very rare to find a car that is better in every area than another car EVEN if you don't care about price. Sorry if this doesn't explain my thoughts any better...hard for me to articulate on this topic.

ROFLMAO

Mazdaspeed 3. GTI. Civic Si. It's thinking like that, "FWD *handling" will never seriously compete" is what brought us the BMW 1 Series. Even many BMW fans will admit that the insistence on RWD compromises that vehicle. Although the 135 is insane........

Today for the heck of it while on the highway I reset the MPG and after 10 miles or so I was getting 26mpg. After coming off the highway within a few minutes the average dropped to 21 mpg.

My guess is the 07 is going to be a beast around town and ok on pure highway.

Your math is fine.

It did show 9L/100km while cruising, but obviously it went all the way down to 15L/100 ore more after I came back into town, doing 100% city driving.

I should report again when I fill up next time (almost all city driving).

Just want to give it a little bump before I head to bed...would anyone report on this topic?