To some, the terms “high performance” and “fuel efficient” might seem oxymoronic when applied to sports cars, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Sure, some of the quickest cars on the planet get dismal fuel economy, like the 691-horsepower Lamborghini Aventador Roadster that’s rated at just 12 mpg in combined city/highway driving and roars to 60 mph in just 3.1 seconds. On the other hand, a base Porsche 911 Carrera that gets to 60 in a sufficiently swift 4.6 seconds and is rated at a combined city/highway 28 mpg, which is equivalent to what a far more passive compact crossover SUV attains these days.
We combed through the Environmental Protection Agency’s posted fuel economy ratings and compared them against the published acceleration times for all makes and models to identify 15 sports cars that can leap from 0-60 mph in less than six seconds, yet maintain a combined city/highway rating of 20 mpg or better.
Like all the cars presented in this slide show, the Alfa Romeo 4C is estimated to attain 20 mpg or better in city/highway combined driving, yet can reach 60 mph from a standing start in under six seconds. 4C: 24/34/28 mpg city/highway/combined; 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds; MSRP (2015) $53,900.
