5 Used Sports Sedans Ranked From Greatest To Worst Fuel Efficiency – Jalopnik

Sports sedans are an ideal choice for drivers who want one thing sensible however nonetheless need efficiency. They are designed to mix the practicality of 4 doorways, first rate trunk area, and room for small households with highly effective engines, sporty dealing with, and aggressive styling, even when some might be unassuming and unpretentious. 

This makes sports activities sedans versatile sufficient for a lot of events, be {that a} journey to the native retailer, dropping youngsters off in school, or a weekend outing with the household. It’s fairly onerous to go fallacious right here, performance-wise. But for all their breadth of expertise, sports activities sedans aren’t usually tuned for outright effectivity, as they have an inclination to prioritize uncooked energy and thrilling speeds as an alternative. Still, it’s attainable to rise up to 33 mpg out of a sports activities sedan (assume the 2024 Acura Integra), although at that degree, compromise does come within the type of energy output. The most effective sports activities sedans usually include smaller engines, which might imply higher gasoline economic system and decrease output within the 200-horsepower vary. 

However, as a result of this checklist was made with lovers and thrill-seekers in thoughts, we’re contemplating solely 300-plus-horsepower monsters. We’ve additionally excluded electrical fashions and caught to 2021-or-newer automobiles, so you’ll be able to profit from one thing fashionable with out really paying new-car cash. 

Part of the eighth-generation 5 Series that debuted for the 2024 mannequin yr, the BMW 540i xDrive Sedan is a good choice for each sporty-feeling driving and household use. It affords as much as 18.4 cubic toes of trunk area, and rear seats with a 40-20-40 cut up fold, permitting you to load longer objects whereas nonetheless having a seat or two in place for passengers. Passenger area can also be beneficiant by sports activities sedan requirements, notably up entrance the place the 540i xDrive serves up 39.1 inches of headroom and 41.3 inches of legroom. Those within the rear get 37.7 inches of headroom and 37 inches of legroom. 

As for efficiency, the 2024 BMW 540i xDrive Sedan packs a 375-hp punch courtesy of BMW’s B58 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six, which is famous for being pleasingly easy and responsive. As you’d count on, that output helps make the 540i xDrive a correctly fast sedan that sprints to 60 mph in precisely 4 seconds, in response to Car and Driver’s testing.

If you are contemplating this sports activities sedan, you will discover that used ones with fewer than 65,000 miles on the odometer begin from round $40,000, in response to CarGurus. Aside from the 540i xDrive, these contemplating a BMW are additionally more likely to have an interest within the 382-hp 2022 BMW M340i Sedan (26 mpg) or 2024 BMW 840i Gran Coupe (24 mpg).

A souped-up model of the common A3, the Audi S3 is a premium pocket rocket that matches into the sports activities sedan membership fairly nicely. At 177.3 inches lengthy, 71.5 inches huge, and 55.7 inches tall, it’s compact sufficient to string by slender streets, and for such a small automotive, there is a cheap quantity of cabin area. The entrance seats are snug and supportive, and three youngsters or two average-height adults will simply match within the again — although long-legged grownup occupants will not need to sit again there for lengthy durations, as there’s simply 35.2 inches of legroom to work with.

The S3 can also be poor in areas like trunk area (you get simply 8.3 cubic toes), but it surely greater than makes up for any such shortcomings with fantastically entertaining driving manners and an brisk engine. The engine is the EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, which makes 306 hp and 295 lb-ft, permitting the compact sports activities sedan to scoot from 0 to 60 mph in a powerful 4.3 seconds.

If that is not sufficient to get your blood pumping, there’s at all times the choice of the racier RS3 sedan. That mannequin will get a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five that returns an EPA-rated 23 mpg whereas producing 401 hp and 369 lb-ft. It was in a position to obtain a 0 to 60 mph time of three.3 seconds throughout testing by Car and Driver. If it is the one you need, you could possibly purchase a used model of the 2022 RS3 with fewer than 65,000 miles on the clock for lower than $50,000. The tamer S3 sedan, for its half, is priced from slightly below $30,000.

Cadillac’s CT4 is on the market in a number of totally different flavors, together with the Premium Luxury. Although it got here commonplace with the 237-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-four, patrons may choice the CT4 Premium Luxury with a 2.7-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine good for 310 horsepower and 350 lb-ft. 

CT4s with the two.7-liter engine obtain their greatest mpg by routing that output to the rear wheels, granting as much as 25 mpg mixed. Fitting an all-wheel-drive system drops that determine to 24 mpg. That slight hole disappears whenever you transfer as much as the punchier CT4-V fashions, although, as each the rear- and all-wheel-drive fashions return 23 mpg from the identical 2.7-liter engine. 

The CT4-V is uprated by 15 hp and 30 lb-ft of torque, leading to a peak output of 325 horses and 380 kilos of twist. If you are trying on the 310-hp CT4 Premium Luxury fashions, well-looked-after examples with fewer than 65,000 miles on the clock might be had from round $24,000. However, it’s not till round $29,000 that you will discover a 2021 CT4-V. 

No matter which one you go for, you rise up to 38.3 inches of headroom up entrance and a beneficiant 42.4 inches of legroom. Sadly, there’s not as a lot room within the again (36.5 inches of headroom and 33.4 inches of legroom) and also you additionally need to make do with simply 10.7 cubic toes of trunk area. 

Whether it is value or economic system, the CT4’s closest competitor on this checklist is the handsomely styled Kia Stinger. In rear-wheel-drive GT-Line type, its base 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder returns 25 mpg mixed, matching the CT4 Premium Luxury. AWD variations drop that to 24 mpg. All that is on prime of the stout 300 hp and 311 lb-ft you already get from the turbo-four.

Still, if you end up wanting extra muscle, there’s the choice of a 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V6, which produces 368 hp and 376 lb-ft within the GT2, although gasoline economic system drops to twenty mpg in each RWD and AWD fashions.

Whether you get the extra environment friendly or the extra highly effective model, you will discover that inside area is first rate sufficient, with entrance passengers benefiting from 38.3 inches of headroom and 42.6 inches of legroom. For their half, occupants out again get 37 inches of headroom and 36.4 inches of legroom. 

At 23.3 cubic toes, the cargo space is large enough to accommodate an inexpensive quantity of drugs, too, and you will additionally like that the 2023 Stinger is on the market from round $27,000 for sub-65,000-mile examples.

Due to its relatively restricted rear-seat area, the stunningly lovely second-generation Mercedes-AMG CLA-Class may not be the primary automotive that springs to thoughts whenever you consider a sedan to your small household, however the AMG CLA 35 is probably as enjoyable to drive as small luxurious sports activities sedans get. At the guts of all of it is a 2.0-liter turbo-four that produces 302 hp, permitting the dash from relaxation to 60 mph to occur in 4.4 ticks.

While that is blisteringly fast, it’s fully attainable to up the ante even additional with the wilder AMG CLA 45, which makes 382 horsepower from its turbo-four. Its 0-to-60 time is a lightning-quick 3.7 seconds. This mannequin additionally has a comparatively frugal-for-a-sports-sedan economic system determine of 23 mpg, regardless of being the CLA-Class’ most excessive providing.

If, nonetheless, you’d relatively not take care of the restricted area within the rear, you could possibly at all times go together with the 320-hp Integra Type S. That mannequin achieves 24 mpg whereas providing 36.4 inches of headroom and 37.4 inches of legroom. By comparability, the AMG CLA fashions include 35.7 inches of rear headroom and 33.9 inches of rear legroom. The Integra Type S is even forward on cargo area, boasting 24.3 cubic toes in contrast with 11.6 cubic toes for the CLA 35.

Keep in thoughts, although, {that a} used Integra Type S will likely be priced about the identical because the AMG CLA 35 if it has fewer than 65,000 miles on the clock. A cursory look at CarGurus listings reveals that glorious examples of the Integra Type S will set you again slightly below $37,000, on the very least. The AMG CLA 35, in the meantime, prices from round $35,000.