Required != Recommended.

What engines can do with regard to protecting themselves from low octane or how other manufacturers design the octane requirements for their engines is not really relevant to why it is or is not logical for MINI to recommend the same octane for their turbo and non-turbo engines.

 

Just a warning note: I parked my Clubman nose-down in my moderately inclined driveway, engine running, with two "candy corns" showing on the gauge (and 66 miles-to-go showing on the computer). The engine died from fuel starvation. It took a gallon of gas to reach the fuel pickup so I could re-start.

 

Nope. There is a big difference between the words. Also from a legal standpoint. I do see your side of it, but on the technical side of it, there is a gap in-between the two.

Required, is no ifs ands or buts, damage will occur.

Recommended is you will see the best performance from this, but can run without damage or problems on min octane.

on a side note, why/what is the symbol "!=" supposed to be?

ANNNDDD after a web search... after all these years... != is "does not equal" I always thought it was a typo. like how the and symbol sometimes turns up with the symbol AND the word...

 

FWIW the only time I ever ran out of gas in my MINI the computer was showing that I still had 60+ miles to go. My new regimen is to always fill up before the last two candy corns turn red. I don't know whether running out of gas damages anything but I do know that I don't like standing in the hot sun waiting for the tow truck to arrive with a gas can.

 

Ditto. MINI replaced the fuel sender under warranty because I ran out while it read I was "good to go", but it didn't seem to make any difference.