Absolutely. 30-40 MPG can be had in MANY cars out there. My 135i will return >30, and my saab will return nearly 40 MPG.
67hp in a 2500-3000# car is all that is necessary for safe acceleration and merging. If people want to mash the go pedal and not care about physics, that is their problem. It isnt an issue of staying with the flow of traffic, as Ill out accelerate the bus, tractor trailer, etc in the next lane over - are they not traffic too?
There is a huge entitlement attitude on the part of the "go fast" crowd, especially comical are the ones who think they are more skillful/capable than the rest and therefore deserve to drive in excess of the lawful limit.
There is nothing wrong with driving a car gently to optimize efficiency and economy. ANYONE can get >30 MPG out of the typical car these days if they just know how to drive and respect physics. It doesnt mean that WOT shouldnt be done, that redline shouldnt be hit, but it should be a controlled process, not stomping the go pedal and punishing the car for not moving as fast as one wants when it is cold.