I drove up through North Jersey this weekend, and seeing those lines for gas, I am glad I get 400 miles to a tank. That being said, I averaged 33 mpg on that trip. This was mostly driving long stretches of country road at 50-55 mph.
The EPA tests are based on the old tests to deal with Los Angeles smog. "City" is to recreate driving through LA streets, averaging 20 mph. "Highway" is an average drive on the 405 freeway (back when you could drive on it) at 50 mph. These tests were adopted into the CAFE laws, and as such do not represent real life for most people. If you drive like the test, you will see these numbers.