I'm not calling you a liar. And that quote comes across harsher than it was meant. It's more about published numbers in general (by the auto manu's) and people on these threads informally relaying their first impressions since selling off their diesels without hand calculations or even a whole lot of time behind the wheel of the new vehicle. I only responded because so much of the past two years has been this new mantra that current engines are achieving the same efficiencies as diesel, but that claim seems to vanish once the vehicle is outside a relatively small window of parameters based on my experience testing various vehicles over that two year span of time trying to find the much heralded gem of diesel-level efficiency in gas fueled engines. I ended up back in a diesel wagon because I couldn't find one.
The trip computers aren't accurate, as you now acknowledge, and have corrected your report to a more realistic average of 33mpg. But that's not even the point, since the 38 is perfectly reasonable with a stick and some techniques (I don't know if you have an auto or stick, but it'd be harder to finesse those numbers with an auto). The point I was trying to make is that a diesel's fuel efficiency doesn't seem to drop as precipitously as a gasser's does when loaded up or exceeding the efficiency range (generally around the speed limit on US highways and also roughly correlating with a centered speedo needle...straight up on the dash).
As you hopefully remember from your diesel days, you got ~38 mpg regardless of how many people were the car, how much luggage you were hauling around, and regardless of how (reasonably) fast you drove--even if it was over the speed limit.
That is, driving around 65mph in your gasser is reported to be netting you ~38 mpg but as soon as you go up a hill, load up the weight, or just press that throttle aggressively (even simply passing someone) and the mileage plummets.
Those characteristics don't generally hold true when I'm driving my diesels. I get 38 no matter what (closer to mid-40s in my beetle)...and the speed limit around here is 70 with people average 85...and we always get around 38 regardless of how frequently we choose to keep up with them.
So I do apologize that my comments may have seemed a bit rough toward you since they weren't intended to call you a liar or anything even remotely close to that sentiment. I do, however, take issue with the math you're presenting and I think it's fair to calculate your numbers.
Anyway, as you acknowledge yourself now even while expressing outrage that I pointed out some concerns with your mileage reporting, 38mpg is under the best or near perfect conditions...hence the grain of salt (which I've never understood that term to be calling someone a liar; rather always considered it a statement to mean that the claim is possibly exaggerated or maybe won't be true for others for whatever reasons--not attributed to malice/lying, however).
I mean, the number you posted here are straight from the dash indicator, which is known for widely inaccurate claims so I'd simply point out that my skepticism seems to have been justified. The spec sheets claims you'll get 23/34, 27 combined. The 33 seems like a reasonable average, especially if you're doing more freeway driving than city rather than 50:50 you estimated (it'd also be more inline with average driving in the US). But again, that doesn't mean I have any reason to think or call you a liar and I did not do so in my post.