Back to the topic at hand, I should mention that our current 2001 Corolla and 2007 Civic have been extremely reliable and have required only normal routine maintenance. They both get 35-40 MPG as well.
Having owned well over 100 autos including 9 Mercedes and other luxury cars, I am convinced that reliable, simpler designs with a minimum of gadgetry with less servicing requirements will provide the least cost as well as best overall satisfaction.

You can even put a bumper sticker on the back "Go ahead and smirk... mine is paid for!" and then smile all the way to the bank.

Just based on my long auto experience!