>Once we got our Weekender in the fall of 05, we sold our 92 Subaru

Older-generation Subarus were not known for economy, and this
included the 2WD Legacies.

>(always
disappointed with the mileage; it's the dang 4WD)

I rented a 94 Toyota Carib (a Corolla Sprinter wagon; the first
version sold in the US in 1984-1988 as a tercel and the last version
sold there was the 68-91 version, sold there as a Corolla, and was
sold up to 93 built-up from NOS parts; note that the Sprinter line
has different external panels & some generations window-frames to the
"normal" Corolla range , though otherwise identical), a
Japanese-market 1.5 auto. While it performed only just well enough,
its economy was noticable. It was a full-time 4WD. VERY few Caribs
were FWD-only... I've only heard of one example. "Normal"-bodied
Corolla wagons are normally FWD but in Japan 4WD was available from
1988.