Luxury Cars Brand
It's common to see "requires 91 octane gasoline for best performance" on the fuel door of sports or luxury cars. So, we scratch our heads when we see the same premium recommendation on a family car, hybrid or non-performance car. According to AAA's FuelGauge Report, the price difference between regular and premium gas is 32 cents nationally. Spending an additional $4.80 on a 15-gallon refuel isn't an insignificant amount of money, and you could save it if you buy a similarly efficient car at a similar price that runs on regular gasoline.
Below is a list of cars that you may not guess recommend or require premium fuel. The manufacturer's fuel recommendation from the owner's manual or consumer website is listed alongside each vehicle.
Truthfully, most cars can run on regular gasoline even when they "recommend" premium. It's the "requires" premium you'll have to watch out for and read the owner's manual fuel requirements carefully. A modern engine's computer can compensate for lower octane gasoline to run the fuel safely, though there's typically a tradeoff in performance and fuel economy.
High-compression engines and engines using superchargers and turbochargers are more susceptible to engine knocking and need higher octane fuel to keep fuel burn in control. Usually relegated to performance and luxury cars, high compression engines and turbochargers are finding their way into more pedestrian cars because in many applications they increase the efficiency of smaller engines.
2013 Acura ILX Hybrid
Owner's manual: "Unleaded premium gasoline, pump octane number 91 or higher. Use of lower octane gasoline can cause occasional metallic knocking noise in the engine and will result in decreased engine performance. Use of gasoline with a pump octane less than 87 can lead to engine damage.
2013 Chevrolet Volt
A GM representative has told us the Volt can run on regular in an emergency, but premium should be used for maximum fuel economy and performance.
Owner's manual: "Use premium unleaded gasoline with a posted octane rating of 91 or higher. If the octane is less than 91, you could damage the engine."
2013 Dodge Dart Aero with turbocharged 1.4-liter
Dodge's most-efficient Dart trim level is the Aero that has a 41 mpg highway rating with a six-speed manual transmission and turbocharged 1.4-liter engine. The Aero has some aerodynamic features that other turbocharged Darts don't, and when running on premium gas, this specific model delivers the 41 mpg estimate.
2012 Fiat 500 (non-turbo)
Owner's manual: "Your vehicle is designed to meet all emission regulations and provide satisfactory fuel economy and performance when using high-quality unleaded gasoline having an octane range of 87 to 91. The manufacturer recommends the use of 91 octane or higher for optimum performance."
2013 Lexus GS450h (hybrid)
Owner's manual: "Use of unleaded gasoline with an octane rating lower than 91 may result in engine knocking and significantly reduced performance. Persistent knocking can lead to engine damage and should be corrected by refueling with higher octane unleaded gasoline."
2013 Lexus RX 450h (hybrid)
The Lexus RX 450h is a luxury SUV that uses premium – not uncommon – but the non-hybrid RX 350 recommends regular gasoline.
Owner's manual: "Ratings achieved using the required premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher. If premium fuel is not used, performance will decrease."
2013 Mini Cooper (non-turbo)
EPA's Fueleconomy.gov: Recommended fuel: Premium
2012 Mitsubishi Outlander GT with 3.0-liter V-6
Owner's manual: "To get maximum performance, premium gasoline is recommended."
Electric iQ Joins Car-Sharing Programs
An all-electric version of Scion's iQ microcar is set to join several on-campus and urban car-sharing programs throughout the country.
"Toyota developed the iQ EV specifically as a city commuter, for use in an urban environment, where driving distances are likely to be short, charging opportunities numerous, and its compact proportions beneficial," Chris Hostetter, vice president of strategic planning for Toyota Motor Sales, said in a statement.
The outside of the iQ EV gets unique wheel covers with black vents, a front charging port in the redesigned bumper, two-tone paint colors and functional battery cooling vents in the headlamp assemblies. Inside, the EV gets heated seats, a 7-inch multimedia display with navigation, leather-wrapped steering wheel, sculpted center console, plug-patterned blue-gray cloth seats with white stitching and metallic ice-blue trim throughout the cabin.
While there is no word yet on whether the iQ EV will be available for the consumer market, Hostetter assured these car-sharing programs "will further expand Toyota’s comprehensive portfolio of advanced technology vehicles." About 90 iQ EVs will be made available, and Toyota will announce more program details during the next couple of weeks.
Nissan Does Hard Work and Finds Best Car Seats for its Cars
"Nissan safety engineers have spent thousands of hours evaluating hundreds of child-safety seats by installing them in all the rear seats of current Nissan and Infiniti vehicles," the automaker said in a statement. On Nissan's and Infiniti's Snug Kids websites, parents can find the results of the tests and see which car seats work best in each Nissan vehicle. The site also lists installation tips and how to achieve the best car-seat fit. ca-pub-9001569916608432
Getting car seats into the car isn't nearly as important as making sure they're installed correctly, however. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the use of car seats reduces traffic fatalities by 71% in infants and 54% in toddlers, but most safety seats aren't installed correctly. Nissan's Snug Kids site also lists NHTSA's common installation errors. Check out the graphic below for five of the biggest ones.
2014 Chevrolet Corvette To Debut at 2013 Detroit Auto Show
GM's latest announcement about the next-generation Corvette is all tell and no show. Chevy announced that the 2014 C7 Corvette will meet the press and the public on Jan. 13, 2013, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Instead of a teaser photo, however, the automaker released the new car's badge.
The Crossed Flags logo — worn by the Corvette since its 1953 debut — gets a more angular look for 2014. "The flags are much more modern, more technical and more detailed than before — underscoring the comprehensive redesign of the entire car," Ed Welburn, GM vice president of global design, said in a statement.
Details are slim about the seventh-generation Corvette, but GM did say that it'll be almost entirely new. "There are only two carryover parts from the C6 used in the C7 — the cabin air filter and the rear latch for the removable roof panel," Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer, said in a statement.
Chevrolet said it'll continue to rollout 2014 Corvette details on its Facebook page and through Twitter, @Chevrolet (#Corvette). Check back with us as we learn more.
Lexus LF-LC Concept Part II: It's Blue
The Lexus LF-LC hybrid supercar concept at Detroit's 2012 North American International Auto Show was one of the most stunning vehicles of the show, with a wild attention to detail and exotic looks. A second variation, clad in a striking blue, debuts to an Australian audience at the Australian International Motor Show, which opens to the public on Friday.
In addition to the color change, we also learn the concept's power output racks up a combined 500 horsepower from the electric motor and gasoline engine; details about what powered the LF-LC were scarce in Detroit.
Driving the LF-LC is a next-generation hybrid system featuring a high-energy battery pack that's smaller and more powerful than what's used in Lexus' current hybrid lineup. The LF-LC is still a concept, but it indicates the direction Lexus could take with upcoming cars.
See our coverage of the original LF-LC concept for additional details, and check out more photos below.
2013 Chevrolet Impala: Car Seat Check
It's been seven years since the Chevy Impala underwent its last redesign. It's long overdue for one, but the Impala and its fans won't have to wait much longer: The redesigned 2014 Impala is due to hit dealerships in early 2013. Until then, we have the 2013 Impala, a full-size sedan that can seat five or six passengers. Our test car could seat five and fit three child-safety seats across its large backseat.
The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver's seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. We also install the convertible seat in the second row's middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit. If there's a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible.
Here's how the 2013 Impala did in Cars.com's Car Seat Check:
Latch system: Like many GM cars, the Impala has five Latch anchors with two sets in the outboard seats and a single anchor in the middle seating position, allowing a child-safety seat to be installed in the center seat. Though the anchors are slightly buried between the seat cushions, they were easy to use because it wasn't hard to push the cushions out of the way. It was a little more difficult to use the middle Latch anchor, however, because it was crowded by the middle and outboard positions' seat belt buckles. Three tether anchors sit on the Impala's rear shelf. The anchors are under plastic covers and easy to use.
Booster seat: The Impala's outboard seats have large fixed head restraints that could be problematic for some booster seats. It didn't push our high-back booster's back too far forward, however. The seat belt buckles are on stable bases, making it easy for younger kids to buckle up by themselves.
Convertible seat: The forward-facing safety seat fit easily in the Impala — even with the fixed head restraint pushing the car seat forward slightly. The convertible's rigid Latch connectors easily grabbed onto the Impala's anchors.
To fit the rear-facing convertible, we had to move the front passenger seat forward. The front passenger had just enough legroom to sit comfortably.
Infant-safety seat: We also had to move the front passenger seat forward a lot to accommodate this rear-facing car seat. The front passenger wasn't comfortable with the seat moved so far forward.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Three
Editor's note: For three car seats — infant-safety seat, convertible and booster seats — to fit in a car, our criterion is that a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat.
