Is Premium Gasoline Really Better For Luxury Vehicles?

The engineers at Swedish supercar company Koenigsegg used ethanol to boost both power and green credentials. Ford Motor Company has solved this problem by combining direct injection with turbo charging, which uses exhaust gases to boost performance. Jaguar is set to remedy that, with its "push to pass" button in the C-X16 concept shown at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. These examples -- and there are more like them being invented every day -- promise that the future of driving will still be fun, whether it's in a tiny city car with a direct-injected engine or a supercar with a "push to pass" hybrid booster button. When this ratio is higher, it uses fuel more efficiently. That kind of horsepower per pound ratio is going to deliver lots of fun with fewer fill-ups. The company's very limited edition CCXR model had an 806 horsepower engine -- when it was powered by gasoline. Is premium gasoline really better for luxury vehicles? Often, you'll find that Flex Fuel vehicles are big trucks and SUVs that drink fuel like a fish drinks water. The SKYACTIV-G gasoline engine, for example, uses a 13:1 compression ratio in North America, where the norm is 10:1. SKYACTIV-G vehicles in Europe have a 14:1 ratio, since more people in Europe use high-octane gasoline regularly.

Audi's V-8 engine has more power than the V-10 it replaced -- and it gets better gas mileage, too. Stenquist, Paul. "Turning Up the Pressure to Keep Gas in the Game." The New York Times. There are people who see the rising corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards -- 54.5 miles per gallon (23.2 kilometers per liter) by 2025 -- as bad news. Then there are others who have known the CAFE standards would have to rise, given the price of oil, U.S. Ethanol blends are designated by the letter E followed by a number; E85 means the fuel is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. This technology, which allows a driver to choose between regular gasoline or an ethanol blend, has been around for a while. It's powered by a supercharged 3-liter V-6 gasoline engine and an electric motor, just as most hybrids are. These people are called engineers.

These new engine technologies are ensuring that the future of driving will still be fun. And increased torque translates into more driving fun. They say that driving won't be fun anymore, that we'll all be forced to buy dull cars with high fuel economy scores. In a direct-injected engine, highly pressurized fuel is squirted directly into the combustion chamber at the top of the piston's stroke, near the spark plug. Most of the engines on the road today mix the fuel and air before introducing them to the combustion chamber. The compression ratio refers to the amount of fuel and air squeezed into the combustion chamber. One way to improve performance and fuel economy is to increase the compression ratio inside the engine. All this engine technology -- as well as weight-saving materials and a new transmission -- mean 15 percent lower fuel consumption and emissions and 15 percent more torque. All told, the new V-8 engine has more power than the V-10 it replaced -- and it gets better gas mileage. For more information about new engine technologies and other related topics, follow the links on the next page.

Higher octane gas on its own can solve some of this problem, but Mazda has developed a longer exhaust manifold that reduces the temperature and the chance of engine knock. The technology works, the batteries last and the gas mileage is some of the best in the world. They bemoan the death of the big engines, the V-8s that delivered lots of power and sucked up a lot of gas. The Flex Fuel logo on a Ford Fusion car parked on the lot at the Serramonte Ford dealership in Colma, Calif. Ford calls these engines EcoBoost. Or you could buy the F-150 with the EcoBoost 3.5-liter engine with 365 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque -- and that's in a smaller, lighter truck. You could buy the Super Duty with its optional 6.8-liter V-10 with 362 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque -- plenty for work or play. They saw the higher fuel economy requirements as a challenge, and they began to work on new technologies that would be good for the planet, good for our wallets and still cool. The Flex Fuel badge usually means the vehicle can use up to E85, as well as lower-percentage blends like E10.