The engineers of these cars clearly never have heard the phrase "you can't have your cake and eat it too."
10.) Chevrolet Corvette (C7)
16 City, 29 Highway, 20 Combined
The newest Corvette's 455 hp V8 can shut down half of its cylinders under low load, which allows the car to hit 29 MPG on the highway in 7th gear.
Let me just remind you that this is a car that will hit 60 MPH in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 195 MPH. What a car.
Suggested By: Patrick George, Photo Credit: Chevrolet
9.) Mazda Miata
22 City, 28 Highway, 25 Combined
Shockingly, the Miata has a lower highway fuel economy rating than the new 'Vette, but it'll be much easier to hit a nice high average in daily driving. That's the beauty of a Miata – you can drive it like a hooligan and you still won't pay the price at the pump.
Any generation of Miata will give you similar efficiency, but I have a feeling that the coming generation car will be even better.
Suggested By: Turbolence88 just kicked in yo, Photo Credit: Mazda
8.) Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG
23 City, 31 Highway, 26 Combined
The slow death of naturally-aspirated engines is sad for all car enthusiasts, but manic turbocharged 4-cylinder cars like this are doing much to cushion the blow. 355 hp and 31 highway MPG out of a 4-cylinder is something to be celebrated.
Suggested By: Bouowmx, Photo Credit: Mercedes-Benz
7.) Alfa Romeo 4C
24 City, 34 Highway, 28 Combined
This car is a testament to why weight reduction is a very good thing. Sure, you give up a lot of practicality if you own a 4C, but the performance and fuel economy benefits are well worth it.
Suggested By: Canc, Photo Credit: Jalopnik
6.) BMW 228i
23 City, 36 Highway, 28 Combined (8-speed automatic)
The 6-cylinder M235i tends to get all of the attention, but the 228i is our favorite here at Jalopnik. Its lighter weight makes it more fun to toss around, and the turbocharged 4 cylinder here has no lack of power with 240 hp and 255 lb/ft of torque.
We easily averaged 32 mpg in our Jalopnik Edition orange 228i with a 6 speed.
Suggested By: The Little Engine That Couldnt, Photo Credit: Jalopnik
5.) Fiat 500 Abarth
28 City, 34 Highway, 30 Combined
You won't be going terribly fast in a 500 Abarth, but that doesn't mean you won't be having fun. It's a city car that thinks it's a Ferrari (and is louder too), that is still incredibly practical and efficient.
Honorable mention goes to the Ford Fiesta ST, and the Mini Cooper S for getting similarly great fuel efficiency while being maniacally fun to drive.
Suggested By: Scootin159, Photo Credit: Fiat
4.) Honda CRX
29 City, 37 Highway, 32 Combined
Based on this list so far, you might be tempted to think that only modern cars can achieve a great balance of performance and efficiency, but Honda figured that out years ago.
By most accounts, the tiny CRX is a blast to drive and many claim that they can get well over 40 MPG out of them. If only Honda could make the CR-Z as good as this classic.
Suggested By: DennyCraneDennyCraneDennyCrane, Photo Credit: Honda
3.) Porsche 918
67 MPGe Combined
Thanks to its electric motor this 908 hp, sub 3 second 0-60 mph car is more fuel efficient than most cars on the road today. If you're one of those people who complains that "they don't make cars like they used to," give it up, because this is incredible.
Suggested By: TheBaron2112, Photo Credit: Porsche
2.) BMW i8
76 MPGe Combined
The i8 may only have a paltry 362 hp, but you wouldn't know that based on the way it shoots towards the horizon. BMW is ensuring that the future of the performance car will be fun, while still being as efficient as a modern car needs to be.
Suggested By: J-Tenno, Photo Credit: BMW
1.) Tesla Model S P85D
∞ MPG
Lamborghini Aventador levels of horsepower in a car that only runs off electricity. Clearly, we are living in a golden age of performance cars.
Suggested By: Titan-E34, Photo Credit: Damon Lavrinc via Jalopnik
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Top Photo Credit: BMW