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Cheap High MPG Cars: 1994

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The names remained the same among the ranks of high MPG cars in 1994, with a notable exception.

The Ford Aspire was the only car to break Suzuki/GM and Honda’s firm grip on the Top Ten High-MPG list for the 1994 model year. The Aspire, a result of a collaboration between Kia and Mazda, replaced the Festiva in Ford subcompact lineup and remained a fixture through the 1997 model year.

Top Ten High MPG Cars – 1994 Model Year:

  • Geo Metro – XFi 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 53 city / 58 highway
  • Honda Civic – HB VX 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 47 city / 56 highway
  • Honda Civic – HB VX 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 44 city / 51 highway
  • Pontiac Firefly – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Chevrolet Sprint – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Geo Metro – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 49 highway
  • Honda Civic – 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 42 city / 46 highway
  • Honda Civic – 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 40 city / 45 highway
  • Suzuki Swift – 4-cyl., 1.3 liter – MPG: 37 city / 44 highway
  • Ford Aspire – 4-cyl., 1.3 liter – MPG: 36 city / 43 highway

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Cheap High MPG Cars: 1993

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The 1993 model year was “deja vu all over again,” with Honda and Suzuki-built cars edging out every other manufacturer in the Top Ten High MPG list. A good sampling of cars delivered over 35 miles per gallon highway in 1993, with vehicles from all the usual suspects. While GM’s Saturn division didn’t crack the top ten, it put in a solid showing with nine models eclipsing the 35 miles per gallon highway mark. With the departure of the Jetta diesel, Volkswagen fell out of the high-MPG club until the oil-burner’s return in 1997.

Top Ten High MPG Cars – 1993 Model Year:

  • Geo Metro XFi 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 53 city / 58 highway
  • Honda Civic HB VX 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 48 city / 55 highway
  • Honda Civic HB VX 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 44 city / 51 highway
  • Geo Metro LSi 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Suzuki Swift 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Geo Metro 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Honda Civic 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 42 city / 46 highway
  • Honda Civic 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 40 city / 46 highway
  • Geo Metro LSi Convertible 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 41 city / 46 highway
  • Suzuki Swift 4-cyl., 1.3 liter – MPG: 39 city / 43 highway

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Cheap High MPG Cars: 1991

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1991’s Top Ten High MPG list is dominated by GM-badged Suzukis, wearing Geo Metro, Pontiac Firefly, and Chevy Sprint nameplates. Eight of the top ten spots are taken by variations of the Suzuki Swift in both three- and four-cylinder form. (All run on regular fuel and are equipped with five-speed manual transmissions.) The convertible Geo Metro LSI is perhaps the most interesting of all … it’s hard to argue the fun factor of a ragtop with 46 miles per gallon on open road. Honda’s CRX HF was the sole non-Suzuki entry among the most thrifty, with 1991 ending its run.

All-in-all, 1991 wasn’t a bad year for high-MPG cars, with cars from Daihatsu, Dodge, Eagle, Ford, Hyundai, Lincoln-Mercury, Mazda, Mitsubushi, Nissan, Plymouth, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen joining the GM and Honda entries in breaking the 35 highway miles per gallon mark.

Top Ten High MPG Cars – 1991 Model Year:

  • Geo Metro XFI – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 53 city / 58 highway
  • Honda Civic CRX HF – 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 49 city / 52 highway
  • Pontiac Firefly – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 45 city / 50 highway
  • Suzuki Swift – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 45 city / 50 highway
  • Geo Metro – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 45 city / 50 highway
  • Chevrolet Sprint – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 45 city / 50 highway
  • Geo Metro LSI – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 45 city / 50 highway
  • Honda Civic CRX HF – 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 43 city / 49 highway
  • Geo Metro LSI Convertible – 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 41 city / 46 highway
  • Suzuki Swift – 4-cyl., 1.3 liter – MPG: 39 city / 43 highway

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Cheap High MPG Cars: 1990

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The 1990 model year saw the high-MPG field tighten, as gas mileage ceased to be the priority it was in the early years of the previous decade. While half of the top ten highest-MPG cars in 1990 carried a domestic nameplate, those choices were all imports. GM grabbed the top honors with the fuel-sipping three-cylinder Geo Metro XFI, a rebadged Suzuki Swift. (In fact, all of GM’s highest mileage offerings in 1990 were manufactured by Suzuki.) The Chevy Cavalier struggled to break the 35 MPG highway mark. On the other side of the domestic fence, just one model of the domestic Ford Escort broke the 40 MPG highway mark, as did the imported Ford Festiva. The two-seater Honda Civic CRX HF continued to produce respectable results, with a 52 MPG highway mark. The Jetta remained as Volkswagen’s sole compact diesel.

Top Ten High MPG Cars – 1990 Model Year:

  • Geo Metro XFI 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 53 city / 58 highway
  • Honda Civic CRX HF 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 49 city / 52 highway
  • Geo Metro 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Suzuki Swift 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Geo Metro LSI 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Chevrolet Sprint 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Pontiac Firefly 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 46 city / 50 highway
  • Honda Civic CRX HF 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 43 city / 49 highway
  • Suzuki Swift 4-cyl., 1.3 liter – MPG: 40 city / 44 highway
  • Volkswagen Jetta 4-cyl., 1.6 liter – MPG: 37 city / 43 highway

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Cheap High MPG Cars: 1985

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1985 marked a turning point for high-MPG cars in the United States. According to the EPA data, the number of vehicles exceeding the 40 MPG highway mark in 1985 dropped dramatically from the previous year. As the price of gasoline fell, so too did America’s appetite for small fuel-efficient cars.

The drop was most clearly seen at General Motors, as Buick, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile were all gone from the ranks of the 40+ MPG pack. Chevrolet’s 40+ MPG offerings were reduced to just 8 versions of the Chevette, Sprint, and Spectrum. (An exceptionally thrifty version of the 3-cylinder manual Sprint scored 53 MPG highway.) Pontiac had the 1000, Sunbird, and Firefly (which like it’s Sprint cousin, also scored 53 MPG). Chrysler-Plymouth offered the Plymouth Colt, Horizon, and Turismo, along with the Dodge Colt, Omni, and Charger. Ford’s 1985 high-MPG fleet contained the Escort, EXP, and Tempo, as well as the Lincoln-Mercury Lynx and Topaz.

The ranks of the highest-MPG imports contracted, as well. Honda’s Civic rode it alone with the highest MPG honor going to the Civic HF and Civic CRX HF which scored 51 and 54 miles per gallon on the highway, respectively. Nissan’s over 40 MPG entries were reduced to just the Sentra diesel, which delivered a very respectable 49 and 50 MPG highway. The 626 soldiered on at Mazda, while Mitsubishi offered just the Mirage. Volkswagen stayed the course with the Golf (formerly the Rabbit) and Jetta diesels. The Corolla was Toyota’s sole 40+ MPG offering in 1985.

The Portland Biodiesel Co-op has an excellent chart that shows the decline specifically in the number of diesel-powered vehicles from the 1960s through 2002.

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