Q: Hi, I'm considering leasing a new '09 Acura TSX. The brochure says it requires premium, 90 octane (whatever that is) fuel. I called Acura and they confirmed this, they said I go could use regular fuel once in awhile but they don't recommend it. Can anyone tell me why? And more importantly, can I just use regular fuel? Fuel is expensive enough right now... Also, I know the car lacks power and room, but I'm ok with that. However, I would be interested in knowing if there is a better car out there with the same features and in the same price range.
A: All new Acuras require Premium fuel (the old RSXs not type-S didn't). The reason is the compression of the engine. The Premium fuel prevents the engine from knocking, and Acuras use higher compression to making more power out of a smaller engine, as well as make it last longer (a lot of luxury cars also require synthetic oil as well). Luxury cars are made to be the best in quality, this includes the engine. The engines in most luxury cars will last 200k+ miles if you take care of them. This is why the compression is higher, and why they require premium fuel. A better car? Depends on your mindset. I was set on a Civic before, until I realized for the same price I could get a better, faster car with more features, just a slight MPG difference. A Civic Sedan EX-L with navigation would be a nice car kinda like the Acura. Much cheaper, 36 mpg on regular fuel, and built to last. And then you could go for the Accord EX-L with Navigation, which in my opinion is a better car overall anyway. And you would be paying about the same price as the Acura.