5 Top Retro Eco-Supercars: Best Fuel Sippers of the Past 34 Years

Prius is the fuel-economy king, but for how long? Bruising gas prices, new federal regulations and a wave of hybrids, plug-ins, clean diesels and electric vehicles are combining to change the U.S. fleet. But this isn't the first time companies have looked to fuel efficiency instead of horsepower. Following twin energy crises in the 1970s, a new breed of cars began to appear. They were small, streamlined and, by today's standards, underpowered. But they scored big at the fuel pump. In 1975, the Environmental Protection Agency began tracking the gas mileage on all vehicles sold in the U.S. In 24 of those 34 model years since, one or another of these five cars has been the most fuel-efficient car in the country. All fuel economy numbers are updated to reflect the newest EPA testing regime. Back in the day, they would have been even higher.

By Jy Murphy

Published on: October 23, 2008

The All-Time Stingiest: Honda Insight

It seems a bit unfair to put a hybrid

Best Non-Hybrid: Chevy Sprint

The age of the fuel injector had begun decades ago, but even by the 1980s, the Sprint didn't care. With a computer-controlled carburetor, a 48-hp, three-cylinder engine and a curb weight under 1600 pounds, the Sprint achieved 44 mpg city and 53 mpg highway, and it won the fuel economy title in 1986, '87 and '88. Suzuki engineered the car, basically an American version of 1985's mpg champ, the Suzuki SA310, and many of its basics carried through to the Geo Metro of later years (see Geo Whiz). The Sprint was available as a two-door or four-door with no change in fuel economy. A turbocharged and fuel-injected version made 70 horsepower and would zoom to 60 mph in 9.4 seconds, but mileage dropped to 37/43. The base model, with a sticker price around five grand, came with AM radio; load it up and you got FM too, plus a cassette tape player and a digital clock.

Geo Whiz: Geo Metro XFI

A couple of years ago we were calling automotive experts around the country to ask whether you could build a 100-mpg 4-passenger vehicle with today's technology. A great many experts said something like, “Sure. Take a Geo Metro, rip out everything but the seats, cover the wheel well openings and detune the engine for a top speed of 50 and you're there." We never tested that proposition, but there's no doubting the Metro's economy—the model's seven mpg titles are matched only by the Insight. The Metro XFI was especially frugal, winning five straight years beginning with the 1990 model that achieved 43 mpg city and 51 mpg highway with a 5-speed manual. Many owners reported highway economy over 60 mpg, and the 10.6-gallon tank was good for 500 or more miles between fill-ups. Like the Insight and the Sprint, the Metro featured a 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder engine. The Metro's powerplant weighed only 134.5 pounds, thanks to numerous aluminum components, and made 49 hp and 58 lb.-ft. of torque. But since the car weighed just over 1600 pounds, it had descent zip. It was reliable, affordable—base msrp was $5995—and with the rear and passenger seats down, you could carry along a 5-ft. foosball table. Game on.

Geo Whiz: Geo Metro XFI

A couple of years ago we were calling automotive experts around the country to ask whether you could build a 100-mpg 4-passenger vehicle with today's technology. A great many experts said something like, “Sure. Take a Geo Metro, rip out everything but the seats, cover the wheel well openings and detune the engine for a top speed of 50 and you're there." We never tested that proposition, but there's no doubting the Metro's economy—the model's seven mpg titles are matched only by the Insight. The Metro XFI was especially frugal, winning five straight years beginning with the 1990 model that achieved 43 mpg city and 51 mpg highway with a 5-speed manual. Many owners reported highway economy over 60 mpg, and the 10.6-gallon tank was good for 500 or more miles between fill-ups. Like the Insight and the Sprint, the Metro featured a 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder engine. The Metro's powerplant weighed only 134.5 pounds, thanks to numerous aluminum components, and made 49 hp and 58 lb.-ft. of torque. But since the car weighed just over 1600 pounds, it had descent zip. It was reliable, affordable—base msrp was $5995—and with the rear and passenger seats down, you could carry along a 5-ft. foosball table. Game on.

Original Champ, Still Contending: Honda Civic

This is the only vehicle on our list that you can still get with that new-car smell. The Civic has been EPA champ six times, in three different decades, beginning with the Civic CVCC in 1975, the first year the EPA kept track. Perhaps no other model in U.S. history has such a consistent record for fuel-efficiency and reliability in one package. The most economical so far was the 1986-'87 Civic coupe HF, that delivered 42 mpg city and 51 mpg highway but lost the title in those years to the Chevy Sprint. The thriftiest yearly champ was the 1989 Civic CRX HF, a two-seater that got 41 mpg city and 50 mpg highway with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder and 5-speed manual transmission. Perhaps more relevant is the economy of the four-passenger Civic sedan; since 1986 the mid-grade model has never achieved less than 24 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, and in the last decade the figures are 25 mpg city and 33 mpg hwy and better. In the late 1970s, four passengers in a CVCC meant bruised knees for those in the backseat, but highway economy was about 40 mpg. The 2008 Civic has a spacious backseat, the usual expected amenities, and an umpteen-star safety rating. Our mileage on a recent highway trip? About 40 mpg. And that wasn't even the hybrid version.