My wife is thinking about trading in her Elantra for a Pontiac Vibe or the Toyota Matrix, since they're both the same car.
A local college kid bought our old 32" Sony TV via Craigslist, and the big monstrosity fit quite nicely in his Vibe, with room to spare.
It kinda reminded me of my old Ford Fiesta (German Ford, not the Korean Festiva) and the amount of interior space that little car delivered.
I'd like to find another early Fiesta, they did well in SCCA, too.
Regarding octane, if they bump compression to increase efficiency and horsepower from small-displacement mills, you'll see more cars requiring the higher-octane fuel. Everything old is new again.