'35km/L in a 2,000cc Alfa' - unless he was rolling down from corner baridi past olepolos - no F-ing way!
Anywho - Peugeot 205 1124 cc - 16-18 km/litre - excellent clearance and a real workhorse. Problem: no temp indicator and can give grief when it starts heating
Still away from Japan......and on to more serious stuff.....Mini 850 or 1000 - 18-20 km/litre. The added benefit with this is that when it comes to minor collisions you have to stifle your laughter when you come out to check the 'damage' and see that fast and sleek japanese aluminum foil is all chewed up and all you need is some rubbing compound remove the scratches and u r good to go

Also,the obvious down side (aka why I will NEVER buy a Jap car) - no one is going to jack a european/american/bris*** car.
The problem with equality is that we desire that it be with those that have more than us rather that those that have less