I know exactly how miserably cold Overland Park can be since my folks lived near there for 8 years before migrating back to Denver (dry cold is so much better than damp cold!). So I understand your reasoning, and my commute is also only 7 miles so I am in the same boat.

For warmup the absolute best thing to do is just start driving, but I know on cold days that sucks. And the one thing I miss from my Mazda 6S is the heated seats.

But this just highlights again how any surveys or blanket statements about mileage just have way too many variables to be meaningful.