Toyota Canada announced the launch of the 2012 Lexus RX this week. No major news here, although the press release mentioned that the luxury crossover can now run on regular unleaded fuel.
What’s the deal with upper-crust car brands requiring super unleaded in their vehicles anyway? Why does a run-of-the-mill 3.5L V6 need premium fuel in a Lexus, but regular in a Toyota? In 2010, the ES 350 boasted 272 horsepower while the mechanically similar Camry got “only” 268. For 2012, the ES now gets the same horsepower count as the Camry, and runs on regular.
Premium unleaded typically costs 6 to 8 cents a litre more than regular. With an estimated 2,040 litres of annual fuel usage (a number pulled from NRCan’s fuel consumption guide) for the RX, buyers of the 2012 edition will save about $150 a year. While that may seem like an insignificant sum of money for the buyer of a $45,000 luxury vehicle, that’s no reason to simply hand it to those big bad oil companies.
In Lexus’ 2012 lineup, only the CT 200h, the ES 350, the HS 250h and the RX 350 can run on regular fuel. On the other hand, no Toyota model requires super unleaded.
Over at GM, they recommend premium in most of their performance models, but mention that it’s not required. That means if you put regular gasoline in these engines, their fuel management systems will decrease power to cope with the lower octane rating; truthfully, on a supercharged 556-hp engine, you might not feel any difference. You might feel a difference, however, in smaller, turbocharged engines.
Gladly, many mainstream models that recommend super unleaded can run on regular. On the other hand, since the published fuel economy ratings are based on testing performed with premium fuel, filling up the tank with regular when the manufacturer suggests you should use the higher-octane mix might have an impact on your real-world fuel consumption.
What’s the deal with upper-crust car brands requiring super unleaded in their vehicles anyway? Why does a run-of-the-mill 3.5L V6 need premium fuel in a Lexus, but regular in a Toyota? In 2010, the ES 350 boasted 272 horsepower while the mechanically similar Camry got “only” 268. For 2012, the ES now gets the same horsepower count as the Camry, and runs on regular.
 |
| Lexus RX (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Premium unleaded typically costs 6 to 8 cents a litre more than regular. With an estimated 2,040 litres of annual fuel usage (a number pulled from NRCan’s fuel consumption guide) for the RX, buyers of the 2012 edition will save about $150 a year. While that may seem like an insignificant sum of money for the buyer of a $45,000 luxury vehicle, that’s no reason to simply hand it to those big bad oil companies.
In Lexus’ 2012 lineup, only the CT 200h, the ES 350, the HS 250h and the RX 350 can run on regular fuel. On the other hand, no Toyota model requires super unleaded.
Over at GM, they recommend premium in most of their performance models, but mention that it’s not required. That means if you put regular gasoline in these engines, their fuel management systems will decrease power to cope with the lower octane rating; truthfully, on a supercharged 556-hp engine, you might not feel any difference. You might feel a difference, however, in smaller, turbocharged engines.
Gladly, many mainstream models that recommend super unleaded can run on regular. On the other hand, since the published fuel economy ratings are based on testing performed with premium fuel, filling up the tank with regular when the manufacturer suggests you should use the higher-octane mix might have an impact on your real-world fuel consumption.
 |
| Cadillac CTS-V Coupe (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |