OK Summerwolf, now we have a base line to go by. Something needs to run in the 13's, 12's or better to be considered a performance car by your standards. There's nothing wrong with that, but remember we all have our own standards that we judge things by.
Since I'm from the "Muscle Car" era, anything that can run in the 15's or better stock, was (and as far as I'm concerned still is) a performance car.
When it comes to handing, the Crossfire coupe can run a slalom close to, and better than, some of the cars you mentioned so there shouldn't be any argument there.
But since we're talking about what needs higher octane and what can get by on less, it should be a question of compression ratio and nothing more.
Expecting your engine management systems to take care of the lack of octane by dialing back your timing, is not the best way to go if you expect not to have "gasoline" related problems with your engine at some point down the road.
We have a 10.5:1 compression ratio, and that's why we need higher octane. An '06 Viper (that some may consider a performance car) has a 9.6:1 compression ratio, and Chrysler feels it should use the same octane as the Crossfire.
I realize gasoline prices are terrible, but skimping on the type of gas you put into your sports car just isn't the smart way to go about saving money.