I just made it over 1,000 miles on the odometer on my 2006 PT Cruiser. Best I have gotten so far has been 25.5 mpg.
Stuff that works for me. The key is to lower gas use, mpg improvements is part of that but other changes in how you and when you drive a car can impact total dollars spent on gas..
The mobil 1 helps me a bit on mpg. Carry the least amount of weight, remove stuff you really don't need to carry. I reset the auto transmission so it would not remember how the dealer drove the car from the donor dealer to the selling dealer. I pumped the tires up to 35 psi as suggested by the door sticker but did not like the bouncy feel. I brought it down to 32 psi. They were set at 30 PSI as received from the dealer. Drive slower. I get better mpg at 55 than at 65 mph. anticipate traffic lights. Turn it off when safe if you think you will sit there idling more than 60 seconds. The first things the UPS guys do is turn off the engine when they make deliveries. Keep the windows rolled up. Use the A/C.
No magic bullet that I have found so far on my PT Cruiser for huge mpg increase. What does a Neon with the same engine get MPG wise ? How does its gearing compare to the tranny in the Cruizer ? The Cruiser, even though it is not shaped like a brick, has more air drag than a conventional car. I don't think you can do much about that but sell it. I wonder if adding a scavenger tailpipe (tilted downward outlet) would do any good (or harm)