FuelFacts

1985 Lincoln Continental MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Fuel grade varies by trim — see the breakdown below.

17–22
MPG combined (14–20 city / 22–26 hwy)
$3,259–$3,353
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Varies by trim
gas type

Is the 1985 Lincoln Continental good on gas?

At up to 22 MPG combined, the 1985 Lincoln Continental is about average for a Midsize Cars — that class averages about 23.0 MPG across 5,710 EPA-tested versions, so it's middle-of-the-road for its size.

Real-world MPG vs the EPA number

The EPA figures above come from a standardized dynamometer test, not the open road — real-world MPG typically runs a bit lower depending on your driving, climate and terrain. That's true of every car on this site, old or new.

This 1985 model was originally EPA-tested under the pre-2008 2-cycle method, which didn't account for highway speeds over 60 mph, air-conditioner use, or cold starts. When EPA overhauled the test for model year 2008, city ratings fell by about 12% and highway by about 8% on average industry-wide — and EPA retroactively adjusted every 1984-2007 rating to the stricter standard so old and new cars could be compared fairly. The MPG above is already on that modern scale — the window sticker on this car when it was new likely showed a higher, pre-2008-method number.

At today's AAA national average price — $4.78/gal for diesel gas as of 2026-07-05 — the most efficient trim runs about $3,259/year (roughly $272/month, about $21.73 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 682 gallons a year. We don't estimate a cost-per-fill since exact tank size isn't in the public EPA dataset, but the per-100-mile figure scales to any tank. Current national average gas prices →

1985 Lincoln Continental trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
5.0L 8-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, RWDREGULAR17$3,353
2.4L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, RWDDIESEL22$3,259

1985 Lincoln Continental specs

What the EPA test-car listings record for this model year — every combination sold is a row in the trims table above.

Engine options5.0L 8-cyl · 2.4L 6-cyl turbo
TransmissionAutomatic 4-spd
Drive typeRWD
EPA body classMidsize Cars
FuelVaries by trim

Other years of the Lincoln Continental

1992 Lincoln Continental1991 Lincoln Continental1990 Lincoln Continental1989 Lincoln Continental1988 Lincoln Continental1987 Lincoln Continental1986 Lincoln Continental1984 Lincoln Continental

Similar cars (Midsize Cars)

1985 Chevrolet Citation II1985 Audi 5000S1985 Chrysler Executive Sedan/Limousine1985 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL1984 Volvo 760 GLE1984 Pontiac Phoenix

Cars that take premium · Cheapest cars to fuel · Where fuel grade depends on the trim · Fuel guides

2 trim(s) · EPA FuelEconomy.gov data retrieved 2026-07-24 · fuel prices AAA national average as of 2026-07-05.