FuelFacts

1987 Subaru Sedan/3Door 4WD Turbo MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

19–21
MPG combined (18–19 city / 21–23 hwy)
$2,714–$3,000
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 1987 Subaru Sedan/3Door 4WD Turbo good on gas?

At up to 21 MPG combined, the 1987 Subaru Sedan/3Door 4WD Turbo is worse than average for a Compact Cars — that class averages about 24.1 MPG across 6,481 EPA-tested versions, so it's on the thirsty side 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 1987 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 — $3.80/gal for regular gas as of 2026-07-05 — the most efficient trim runs about $2,714/year (roughly $226/month, about $18.10 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 714 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 →

1987 Subaru Sedan/3Door 4WD Turbo trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
1.8L 4-cyl, 5-spd manual, AWDREGULAR21$2,714
1.8L 4-cyl, Automatic 3-spd, AWDREGULAR19$3,000

1987 Subaru Sedan/3Door 4WD Turbo specs

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

Engine options1.8L 4-cyl turbo
Transmission5-spd manual · Automatic 3-spd
Drive typeAWD
EPA body classCompact Cars
FuelRegular

Other years of the Subaru Sedan/3Door 4WD Turbo

1989 Subaru Sedan/3Door 4WD Turbo1988 Subaru Sedan/3Door 4WD Turbo

Similar cars (Compact Cars)

1987 Mercury Lynx1987 Renault Alliance1987 Mazda 6261987 Renault GTA1987 Volkswagen GTI/Golf GT1987 Volkswagen Jetta GLI/Wolfsburg Edition

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.