What's this? I read in Consumer Reports that Mini requires premium gas?
Umm, that's news to me...

Anyone running on regular gasoline? What is your experience?

Premium gas only is a deal breaker for me.

Tanks

 

premium gas for the MINI Cooper S model
regular gas for the MINI Cooper model

 

on the inside of the fuel door it says a minimum of 91 octane gasoline is required. since most mid grade is 89 and premium is 93, sadly that means premium. I ran regular for a long time but recently switched to mid grade and it makes a difference in performance and gas mileage. Every now and then i put in a tank of the high dollar stuff and it runs like a champ.

Regular gas wont kill your car, it just wont run to it's potential.

 

Also, there's a thread with more information here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=50189

 

OK thanks, I'm getting the big picture now. Maybe not such a deal breaker after all. If I do what the mfg suggests, the car will perform to it's optimal specs.
Here's the link to what was contained in crunchyfrog's NAM link suggestion about gas matters:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041008.html
It's just a little shock to have learned being tied to premium gas prices.

 

But the nice thing is, no matter how high gas prices get, most stations still sell mid-grade for only $0.10/gallon more than regular, and premium is usually only $0.10/gallon more than midgrade, just like a few years ago when regular was only $1.80/gallon.

The higher the gas prices get, the less additional money it takes to use premium, percentage-wise. I really don't mind spending the $2.60 extra to fill an empty tank with premium compared to regular, considering that filling an empty tank usually costs $45-$50 or more.

 

+1. Driving more (because it's more fun than in my previous car) and decreased MPG (because my previous car was an econobox and I'm a leadfoot) are more at fault for paying more at the pump (for me) than having to pay the extra 20 cents per gallon for premium gas over regular.

 

What he said.

It really would not matter to me. The gas mileage is so good I do not mind putting in premium.