Newswire:

Your Car’s A Gas Snob

As gasoline prices are predicted to skyrocket above $4.00/gallon this summer, automakers are unloading more bad news: More and more new cars that require premium price petrol are being introduced to the market. [USA Today]

The number of new vehicle models that need — or at least run better on — the priciest gasoline has steadily risen from 166 in the 2002 model year to 282 this year.

Here’s why: Automakers continue to turn to smaller, high-performance engines that need higher-quality fuel in order to get the job done.

In the meantime, hold on to your Hybrid, and stay away from these gas-guzzling models (as reported by USA Today):

• GM: “Besides for big engines such as the 6.2-liter V-8 in the GMC Yukon sport utility, premium is recommended for the miserly 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine on the Chevy Cobalt compact and Chevy HHR small SUV.”
• Mazda: “Premium is recommended on the MX-5 sports car and CX-7 crossover, and it’s required on the RX-8 sports coupe and racy Mazdaspeed 3. Failure to use premium in them could invalidate a warranty if it were found to cause a problem, says spokesman Jeremy Barnes.”
• VW: Premium is recommended for even the new compact Eos convertible, along with various versions of GTI, Jetta, Passat, R32 and Touareg. “People who buy VW are looking for a more sport-drive experience,” says spokesman Steve Keyes, and premium is part of the “trade-off.”
• BMW: While BMW calls for premium across much of its line, regular is OK as long as motorists understand that engine power will drop off 3 percent to 5 percent, says spokesman Rob Mitchell.

More fun news: On Sunday, the nationwide average for a gallon of premium was $3.708, 33.7 cents higher than regular at $3.371. After being adjusted for inflation — that’s a record.

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