Premium versus Regular

The Show
12

I own a 2006 Mini Cooper with an automatic transmission. I tried a full tank of 87 octane instead of the recommended 91 octane. The car turned into a SLUG. The car has only 116 horses to start with and it seemed like it lost 40% of the power! After two tanks of Premium 91 octane, the power came back. Merging onto the interstate was scarry with the 87 octane on board. So - I guess if I was CHEAP I would have bought a Chevy Aveo for $14k instead of a sporty MINI at $20k. Moral of the story is that if the car is designed for 91 octane, you only get the performance you paid for by putting in 91 octane.