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Best Gas Mileage Four Wheel Drive

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Need a four wheel drive with the best gas mileage? Get ready to downsize. None of the best gas mileage four wheel drives (4WDs) are jumbo-sized sport utility vehicles (SUVs).

Simply put, the aerodynamics and vehicle weight of the bulkiest SUVs cause gas mileage to suffer, leading to many a painful transaction at the pump. The trick is to get small(er), lighter, and more slippery. Credit Subaru for getting the ball rolling with popularizing economical 4WD drive passenger cars in the early days. Since 1997, every vehicle Subaru’s offered in America has been all wheel drive.

These days, it’s not just Subaru. There are plenty of four wheel drive choices that are neither truck nor SUV. And forget the notion of pint-sized economy cars. You’ll find a generous helping of 4WD luxury from manufacturers including Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, and Lexus … in fact, you’ll find many of their offerings in the 2008 list of best gas mileage four wheel drives.

Purists will gladly share that there’s a difference between four wheel drive and all wheel drive (AWD). And surely there is … but for a great many folks, it comes down to two simple questions: will it go in the snow and will I go broke feeding it?

At the other end of the spectrum, the little Suzuki SX4 delivers plenty of bang for the buck, by combining the best four wheel drive gas mileage with a low sticker price (for those who don’t just think miles per gallon … but miles per dollar.)

Along with its corporate cousins, the Ford Escape Hybrid proves the exception to the rule as the highest all around mile per gallon (MPG) four wheel drive vehicle. If you can’t get a great deal on an Escape Hybrid at your local Ford dealer, take a look at the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. And if you happen to live in Southern California, the Mazda Tribute Hybrid HEV might be an option … as long as you’re able to snag one of the 350 Tribute HEVs built for this test market.)

2008 Best Gas Mileage Four Wheel Drives

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30 MPG Cars

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Thirty miles per gallon (MPG) on the highway isn’t too much to ask. As the chart below shows, the 30 MPG car isn’t a rarity in America these days. Alas, it’s not nearly as common as it was 25 years ago. Looking back at the lists of high MPG cars built in the early 1980s might be a surprise to some, for the lists were long and the fuel efficiency ratings were high. The 30 MPG car was not an oddity back then … it was more part of our nation’s mindset.

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Mazda B Series Pickup Truck Gas Mileage

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The Mazda B Series pickup doesn’t just deliver some of the best gas mileage ratings of all small pickup trucks sold in America, it’s also one of the longest running small pickup model lines sold here in the States. Their are two engine choices in the current B Series range. The regular cab 2WD 2.3 liter four-cylinder manual-transmission B2300 produces 143 horsepower and delivers a very respectable 26 miles per gallon on the highway. The B4000 is fitted with a 4.0 liter six cylinder engine rated at 207 horsepower.

Even though the Mazda B Series tops the charts of 2008 pickup truck gas mileage, it’s overshadowed by the B Series trucks produced in the early 1980s, when the B Series delivered highway mileage was as much as 60% higher than the current ratings. It was not unusual for Mazda B2000 pickups to achieve as much as 40 miles per gallon, back in the day.

The fuel efficient 2.5 liter turbo diesel engine, currently available in the B-Series overseas, could help Americans in search of a pickup truck that achieves better than 30 miles per gallon.

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Cheap High MPG Cars: 1995

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There were just creeping changes to the 1995 Top Ten High MPG list, as the Honda Civic Del Sol snuck into the ranks, along with the Nissan Sentra – 200SX.

All-in-all, Honda continued to hold half the list, while GM/Suzuki’s grip slipped a bit.

A bevy of Saturn models knocked on the door with 40 mile per gallon highway ratings. The Dodge and Plymouth Neon began their run, replacing the Mitsubushi-sourced Colts.

Top Ten High MPG Cars – 1995 Model Year:

  • 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
  • Geo Metro 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 44 city / 49 highway
  • Suzuki Swift 3-cyl., 1.0 liter – MPG: 44 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
  • Geo Metro 4-cyl., 1.3 liter – MPG: 39 city / 43 highway
  • Ford Aspire 4-cyl., 1.3 liter – MPG: 36 city / 42 highway
  • Honda Civic Del Sol 4-cyl., 1.5 liter – MPG: 35 city / 41 highway
  • Nissan Sentra/200SX 4-cyl., 1.6 liter – MPG: 30 city / 40 highway

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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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