Gas Prices Up? TOP-3 Fast, Fuel‑Efficient Cars
Fast, reliable and fuel-efficient cars that won't drain your wallet
Gas Is Expensive. Here Are 3 Fast, Fuel-Efficient Performance Cars.
If you want zero maintenance anxiety and maximum real-world fun every day: Buy the Civic Type R. It's the easiest to own, the most fuel-efficient, and it's genuinely quicker than most people expect until they drive one.
If you want the fastest car on the list and you're okay budgeting for European maintenance: The CLA 45 AMG is the move. Buy one with full service history, treat it right, and it'll reward you with a driving experience that nothing else on this list quite matches.
If you want the most capable car in bad weather and you're not afraid of a mechanical hobby: The Lancer Evolution is special in a way that neither of the other two are. The AWD system is in a different league. It's a car you'll still be excited about after five years. Browse our full Evo collection here if you want to compare multiple years and specs.
Side by Side: Which One Is Right for You?
| Civic Type R | CLA 45 AMG | Lancer Evolution GSR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–60 mph | ~4.9–5.1 sec | ~4.1 sec | ~4.8–5.0 sec |
| Horsepower | 306 hp | 375 hp | 291 hp |
| Drivetrain | FWD | AWD | AWD |
| Transmission | 6-speed manual | 7-speed DCT | 5-speed manual |
| Fuel economy (mixed) | ~25–27 mpg | ~21–24 mpg | ~18–22 mpg |
| Reliability | ★★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Running costs | Low | Moderate-High | Moderate |
| Best for | Daily + fun | Presence + speed | Rain + corners |
All three are turbocharged four-cylinders in a world where V8 gas costs hurt. All three are faster than they have any right to be at their price point. And all three are available to test drive right now.
The Three Cars
- 2019 Honda Civic Type R Touring - the one that surprises people
- 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG - the luxury one
- Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR - the one with a cult following for a reason
Gas prices are painful right now. Everyone feels it, and nobody knows exactly when they'll settle down. But here's the thing, if you're shopping for a performance car, "fuel-efficient" doesn't have to mean slow or boring. There are cars that deliver real speed, real fun, and a whole lot less guilt at the pump than a V8 muscle car or a twin-turbo European luxury sedan.
We have at least three of them in stock right now. And they're worth talking about honestly not just the good stuff, but the full picture, because you should know what you're getting into before you buy.
Let's go through each one properly.
1. 2019 Honda Civic Type R Touring
What It Is
Honda took the platform that millions of people use to commute every day, dropped in a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder making 306 horsepower, bolted on a six-speed manual, and gave it proper suspension, Brembo brakes, and the most aggressive-looking body kit Honda has ever put on a production car.
The result is a car that does 0–60 in about 4.9–5.1 seconds—which puts it in the same conversation as a lot of cars that cost twice as much—while still getting around 22 mpg city / 28 mpg highway in real-world driving.
What It's Actually Like to Own
This is the honest truth about the Type R that most people don't expect: it drives like a Civic 80% of the time.
Traffic? Fine. Parking lot speeds? Fine. Rough Portland streets? Manageable. The adaptive dampers let you soften the ride enough that you're not getting beaten up every day.
Then you get on an on-ramp or an empty road and everything changes. The steering is sharp in a way that most modern cars simply aren't. The brakes are strong. The six-speed manual is one of the best gear shifts available on a car at any price. It actually rewards you for driving well, which is rare now that everything is automatic and electronically managed.
Reliability: This is the strongest point of the three cars. The FK8 Civic Type R (this generation) has a track record that matches the broader Civic platform—which means it just works. Long-term owners consistently report nothing beyond routine maintenance: tires, oil, brakes. The 2.0T engine in the Type R is not the same high-strung unit found in the Accord or the HR-V—it's a performance-tuned version, but Honda built it with longevity in mind. Shops don't dread them. Parts aren't hard to find.
Fuel: In mixed driving, most owners see 25–27 mpg. In purely city driving closer to 21–23 mpg. For a 300 hp car, those numbers are genuinely impressive.
The catch: The styling is polarizing. Some people love the aggressive wing, the triple exhaust, the wide arches. Others think it looks like it was designed by a 16-year-old with a spoiler obsession. It's not subtle. If you want to go fast without drawing attention, this isn't your car.
2. 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG
What It Is
For years, the CLA 45 AMG held the record for the most powerful production four-cylinder engine in the world. The 2.0L turbocharged AMG engine produces 375 horsepower (some markets quote 355 hp—this depends on spec), paired with AMG's 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and 4MATIC all-wheel drive.
The result: 0–60 in about 4.1 seconds. That's the quickest car on this list by a meaningful margin. It's also, by a meaningful margin, the best-looking car on this list. The CLA's four-door coupe shape is genuinely elegant in a way that a Civic hatchback and a Lancer Evolution aren't.
For Portland, the 4MATIC AWD actually means something. In rain, in wet leaves, in the occasional snow run toward the mountain, this car stays planted.
What It's Actually Like to Own
Here's the honest conversation you need to have with yourself before buying a CLA 45 AMG.
Mercedes built the first-generation CLA 45 AMG to be fast. They pushed that 2.0T engine very hard. And at some mileage point—often between 60,000 and 100,000 miles—some of these engines show wear on exhaust valves and valve seats that costs real money to repair. Turbos on high-strung engines like this work hard, and when they go, the bill isn't small.
It's not that every CLA 45 AMG falls apart. Plenty of owners drive them for years with no major issues. But you should budget for it differently than you would a Civic. These are not cars where you skip an oil change and nothing happens. AMG maintenance intervals and AMG-quality parts cost AMG prices.
Electronics can also be a nuisance. MBUX (or the older COMAND system on this generation) occasionally throws gremlins. Suspension squeaks. Interior rattles over rougher roads.
The upside: When it's running well, nothing on this list feels as polished. The interior is genuinely premium. The exhaust note is better than the other two. It accelerates with a smoothness that the Evo and Type R can't quite match at the top end. And it looks like it costs $90k even though you're buying it used for well under half of that.
Fuel: Expect around 21–24 mpg mixed. Not as impressive as the Type R given similar power, but not bad for a German performance car either.
The catch: Buy a clean one with documented service history, budget a maintenance reserve, and don't buy one with deferred work. The ones that have been neglected are headaches. The ones that have been maintained properly are genuinely excellent cars.
3. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR
We also have multiple Evo models available if you want to compare years and specs.
What It Is
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is the kind of car that has a Wikipedia page, a dedicated forum network, multiple YouTube channels devoted entirely to it, and a fanbase that treats it the way some people treat air-cooled Porsches.
The Evo X GSR runs a 2.0L turbocharged 4B11T engine producing 291 horsepower, paired with a close-ratio five-speed manual and a full-time AWD system with active yaw control and active center differential—two pieces of technology that Mitsubishi spent decades developing in World Rally Championship competition.
Stock 0–60 is around 4.8–5.0 seconds, which puts it between the CLA 45 and the Type R on a straight line. But on a twisty road or in the rain, the Evo's AWD system does things that feel almost unreal. It rotates through corners in a way that rear-wheel-drive cars can't match and front-wheel-drive cars don't approach. It was designed, from the ground up, to go fast on imperfect surfaces.
Portland roads—with their bumps, curves, and six months of wet weather—are basically what the Evo was built for.
What It's Actually Like to Own
The 4B11T engine is robust in stock or lightly modified form. Owners routinely see 150,000–200,000+ km on these motors with proper maintenance. It's not a fragile engine.
The complexity is in the AWD system. The ACD/AYC pump is a known wear item and can be expensive to repair or replace when it goes. It's not a question of if it eventually needs attention on a high-mileage car—it's a question of when and whether you caught it early. Shops that know Evos can handle this without drama, but a shop that doesn't know Evos will charge you for the education.
The good news: the Evo community is massive. Parts availability is strong. There are specialists who know these cars inside out. You're never going to be stranded without options the way you might be with something more obscure.
Fuel: Expect 18–22 mpg in real-world mixed driving. It's the thirstiest of the three, mostly because the AWD drivetrain and the aggressive tuning demand more from the engine. Still dramatically better than a V8.
The catch: If the car has been modified, do your homework. The Evo platform is one of the most tunable platforms in existence, which means some examples have been pushed hard. A stock or lightly modified Evo with clean history is a completely different ownership experience than a heavily modded one with unknown history. Check carefully. Ask questions. Ask to see records.
Prime Motors Co 2627 SE Holgate Blvd, Portland, OR 97202 (971) 512-0578 sales@primemotorco.com primemotorco.com
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