RCM Fox HiMiler
With the founding of RCM from Dominion and the bankrupt Mont Royal several models were simply rebadged with the new branding, but for the Fox subcompact the branding change came with a facelift. Introduced in 1974, the Fox was a rushed attempt to enter the subcompact market following the fuel crisis. While already in development, it was released a year early with less than stellar quality and roughly 10cm cut from the wheelbase of initial prototypes, but it was cheap and it sipped gas.
The 1977 facelift improved upon some of the quality issues but the car was still lackluster compared to the rest of RCM’s lineup. At least the engine was better, the 1.6L SOHC I4 having been updated as well to improve reliability and power, even if 53 hp and 75 lb-ft is nothing to phone home about.
The HiMiler model came with some unique decals as well as features to allow it to boast an impressive 31 MPG. These features included base model elements, such as a blank plate in place of a radio to save weight, driver’s side mirror only to cut down on wind resistance, a four speed manual transmission only to avoid power losses from an automatic, but what it did get that was different was sleek hubcaps to further cut down on wind resistance and some special low rolling resistance tires, as well as the removal of the back seat.
The Fox HiMiler was purely built as a no frills commuter car to maximise fuel economy and as such anyone looking for something better suited for a family car was directed to other trims of the Fox.