Gas price and PT Cruiser

I was to our Dodge dealership on Saturday to buy brake pads, and looked over the PT Cruisers. Apparently, they started to move reasonably inexpensive option sets. There was one unit with $15,800 total sticker. I remember when they just started to appear, the cheapest was $18,000. But still, with 26 mpg, no cigar.

I used to lament about not having a 2L engine option on PT. It's the same bottom end engine, same accessories. But now I understand that it would only help the city cycle rating, not highway cycle. To get the economy anywhere near 35 mpg, the car needs different gearbox, different tyres, and, perhaps, different aerodynamics (maybe just better bottom and a low spoiler in front). In that order. Tellingly, the version with the manual gearbox is rated to 29 mpg.