Fast and Efficient

Flooring the gas pedal of a high-powered car can feel like dropping a match into a barrel of gasoline for conscientious car enthusiasts. More speed always means more fuel. But there's a subset of sexy, sporty cars that balance ultimate performance with fuel-efficiency.

We've singled out ten models with a 0-60 mph time of less than 6 seconds and EPA-estimated average fuel economy of 22 mpg or higher. The list is varied and includes roomy sport sedans, nimble roadsters, sleek coupes and even one hybrid.

"Driving a high-performance car and being concerned for the environment aren't necessarily mutually-exclusive issues," says Jim Kliesch, a research associate for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). "Regardless of what class of car you choose, there are 'greener' choices out there." For example, the Porsche 911 Carrera S -- an iconic sports car that most car enthusiasts would be thrilled to drive -- sprints to 60 mph in a scant 4.6 seconds but boasts an EPA rating of 20 mpg city/26 mpg highway. The Porsche Boxster and Cayman do even better with fuel consumption -- 23 mpg city/32 mpg highway -- thanks largely to their lighter weight and less-powerful engines.

Keeping a car light is one of the most -- if not the most -- important factor not only for fuel-efficiency, but also optimal performance. Two of the fastest models on our list, the little Lotus Elise roadster and Exige coupe, are also the most fuel-efficient.

This is possible because they're also the smallest and lightest cars on the list, weighing in at 1,984 pounds each, which is a few hundred pounds lighter than a Toyota Yaris hatchback, one of the smallest passenger cars sold in the U.S. The 190-hp 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine in the Lotus Elise and Exige would seem laughably wimpy in a Lamborghini, or even a Mercedes-Benz, but it's enough to thrust the featherweight Lotuses to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds while returning an EPA-estimated 24 mpg city/ 29 mpg highway.

"Reducing a vehicle's weight is the dominant factor in improving its fuel economy," says Marc Ross, a professor of physics at the University of Michigan. "All else being equal, decreasing a vehicle's weight by 10 percent enables about a 3 percent increase in fuel economy. Installing a more-efficient engine that's able to maintain the same level of performance at the lighter weight will result in around a 7.5 percent savings."

Technological advancements developed over the last decade also help make many of today's performance cars faster and more efficient than ever, Ross says. The hybrid-powered Lexus GS 450h sport sedan on this list is a prime example.

The GS 450h uses an electric motor/generator to boost the performance and efficiency of its V6 gasoline engine, which already benefits from technology like variable valve timing and electronic throttle control, features that optimize fuel delivery to the engine. Although it's 1,179 pounds heavier than a Porsche Cayman S, the Lexus GS 450h's 0-60 mph time is the same, at 5.2 seconds (that's the figure each manufacturer provides for their vehicle). What's more, the larger and heavier Lexus GS 450h actually gets better fuel economy than the Porsche Cayman S and can carry more people -- five rather than two.

But some say that a performance car's fuel consumption ultimately doesn't matter in a market segment where speed rules. "Sporty cars are purchased primarily because they're fun to drive and because of their brand and vehicle image," says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific Group, a California-based automotive research firm. "Fuel economy is not high on the motivator list among the folks who buy them," Peterson says.

Still, for automotive enthusiasts who like to go fast but are concerned about the environmental impact of the car they drive, ACEEE's Kliesch suggests that choosing a more-efficient model like any of those on our Top 10 list could strike a healthy compromise between what might otherwise be considered opposing interests. "These cars would be a match made in heaven," he says.

We did not rank the vehicles on this list (they're in alphabetical order) because the difference in acceleration times among the vehicles is so small.