It appears the debate has concluded & Cummins has been found as superior. Also it appears gas mileage conclusively varies State by State. This can be verified by my attached pic. As shown, in New Mexico a CTD gets incredible gas mileage. I'm sure everyone will agree this is without dispute, as we all have acknowledged the EVIC is infallible and phenomenally reliable and accurate! While I don't recommend going under 15 MPH in certain areas, on my local streets this never presents a problem, in particular when behind a (s)low rider.
Ok.... as far as places sucking out one's soul! I find New Mexico to not be that way for me. All politics & current mask wearing policies aside, I've no desire to move. I lived in plenty of States north to south and east to west by the time I was 18. I've traveled to nearly all (except very far NE) in my life. Been in NM since 1982 when transferred here courtesy of the USMC as part of recruiting duty & have literally traveled every road and been in every town in the State (Cloudcroft included per elephantrider's question). I like waking up to clear blue skies; a bad day is when I can't see 100 miles. We have four real seasons. I can open-carry, concealed-carry, or both at the same time. Most of the folks I know agree that gun control means using both hands. The food is great, and we have lots of wide open spaces for "recreating." I can snow ski in the mountains up north and water ski in the south on the same day. Tons of State parks and federal lands to take my camper to. Yesterday the best local diesel price was $3.09 - at a Loves truck stop, no less. My driving habits in town are pretty set - I drive my truck like it's a truck. If I want a speed demon with incredible acceleration to race from red light to red light, I have an Audi A7 in my garage for that. (OK it's my wife's car, but....). The city driving I do usually means never having to wait for more than one light cycle to get through an intersection. I know the regular roads I travel have the lights timed for the speed limit so there's much more moving than stopping. Stop and go on the interstate for miles on end is not the norm. Out of town, the interstates have a 75 MPH limit; that's plenty for me. Driving over that just doesn't save any time realistically in getting to my destination; I've done that math. Plus, driving the speed limit gives me that much more time behind the wheel of an incredible machine. I don't need a 50 gallon tank; my current fuel capacity is greater than my bladder capacity!