Premium Pain at the Pump

USA Today has an enlightening story today about the trend of new cars that require or recommend premium fuel. As we’ve tested new cars and refueled them here at Cars.com, that’s something we’ve noticed too. According to Kelley Blue Book, the number of cars that fit the premium bill rose from 166 for the 2002 model year to 282 for the 2008 model year. That’s a sharp jump.

The story says that you can take a step down in octane no matter what the car requires, but in certain high-performance engines – like those with turbochargers — there will be a noticeable impact on the overall performance of the car. In the case of sporty Mazda models like the CX-7, MX-5 and Mazdaspeed3, not using premium could invalidate the warranty (if the switch causes mechanical problems). Still, even economy cars like the Chevy Cobalt recommend premium fuel. 

Are premium fuel costs making you downgrade at the pump? Have you noticed a difference in your own car? Let us know in the comments.

More cars use pricier premium gas (USA Today)

Comments

[J]

Dave,
Some more accurate info.
The 2008 Cobalt that recommends Premium is the 2.4L "high output" model only.

[J]

Plus, the Cobalt is an economy car, but that was a "sporty" model that is recommending premium fuel.
Why won't you mention about the Civic Si which requires premium fuel.
I can't find anything about the Corolla XRS and the Sentra SE-R Spec V. But I am not expecting them to be anywhere different from the Si.

[Dave T.]

yeah, but that's not like the SS' engine as far as performance. But yeah, it's an uplevel trim engine.

[J]

Dave,
There is a little difference between recommended and required. So could you find anything about what kind of fuel does the Sentra SE-R Spec V and the Corolla XRS recommend or required?

[Tony]

True problem is not cars - the people.
People demand sporty, fiesty cars. This is why manufacturers are making more and more cars with premium fuel use or with 17/18 inch wheels, with leather interiors and glass roofs. And less cars with basic trims.
Do you know that a compact cars 10 years ago rolled on 14 inch wheels and today 16-17 inch.
Do you know that because of this cost of replacing 4 tires went up by $300-$500, depending on tire.
If people will not demand performance, manufacturers will make cars that use cheapest fuel possible.
Same models we drive here in Europe come with diesels or just smaller engines. They not as fast from 0 to 60 but more economical.

[J]

Tony,
You are absolutely right on that one. I would prefer my car come with 15 or even 14 inch wheels and tires. And that's one of the reasons why I chose a Civic EX over the Mazda3 s.
Diesel is a good alternative. It has "tons" of torque and better mpg. However, with the price hike that we have now in the States, it is hard to see it to become an alternative.

[Dave T.]

J,
I'd point you to Ask.cars.com where we routinely answer this question.

[Ron]

It's simply rubbish that one must run any car on premium fuel. I've owned M Series, 911's, and twin turbo Audi's and all of them ran perfectly fine on regular gas. Of course you'll derive more hp on premium, but if the car runs, it runs. Do you really need to maximize all of the hp when jetting back and forth to work or the store? No you don't.

[J]

Dave,
Thanks for the advice. Found the Sentra SE-R Spec V but not the Corolla XRS.
So you want me to ask this there?

[Mart]

Ron,

My answer to that would be, if you aren't going to bother with all the horsepower of those expensive cars, why even bother buying them?

For me, if you are gonna buy a high performance car then you should pay up for the expensive gas.

On an urban runaround, notsomuch...