Tiny Fiat 500 earns an unimpressive 30/38 MPG & 27/34 with automatic

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by Yaristeve

It's surprising to me that the auto trans has such a high mileage penalty. Trend lately is auto mileage is equal or greater than manual trans mileage.

I thought about that, and in a lower powered car (like the 500) the torque converter will eat a higher percentage of power, plus as a six-speed auto, it will shift more often, doubling the problem.
That's my take - happy to be told I'm wrong.