Weekly Top 3: MPG Marketing Tricks
As noted in my teaser post, automakers currently find themselves in an awkward transitional period. Consumers suddenly want maximal fuel-efficiency, yet most manufacturers are saddled with gas-guzzling fleets that offer only a few efficient alternatives. So what are they doing about it? Calling Madison Avenue, of course. This week we'll highlight three ways in which marketing mavens are trying to pull the wool over your eyes with misleading MPG claims.
1. Quoting fuel economy figures from manual-transmission models. Sad but true -- Americans just don't buy manuals anymore. So why are Ford and Chevrolet quoting their MPG figures from manual-shift models? Take the Ford Focus, for example, whose "35 miles per gallon" are all over the airwaves these days. Yeah, sure -- if you get the manual transmission. But if you go for the slushbox, as do the vast majority of Focus buyers, the EPA says 33 mpg is your ceiling, not 35 mpg. Chevrolet is employing a similar subterfuge with its Cobalt XFE, which boasts "the best standard fuel economy in its class" at 36 mpg, according to Chevy's website, but is only available with a manual transmission as of this writing.
2. Mentioning only highway MPG. Our favorite example of this is a current television ad in which Ford favorably compares the Focus' fuel economy to that of the Toyota Prius. "The Focus gets 35 mpg," the ad trumpets, "and the Prius gets 45 mpg!" Point being that it makes economic sense to buy the considerably cheaper Focus instead.
Now that may be true, but not for the reasons Ford supplies. First of all, note that the 35 mpg figure is already misleading due to the transmission trickery noted in (1). But more importantly, unless you live and work on the median strip of I-80, you're going to be doing a mix of city and highway driving, and this is where the Prius really shines -- and the Focus falters. The Prius actually does better in the city than on the highway, to the tune of 48 city mpg, while the Focus (with either transmission) gets 24 city mpg. Thus the Prius' EPA combined estimate is 46 mpg, while the Focus' combined number is 28 mpg. In other words, the Focus gets nearly 20 mpg less than the Prius in real-world driving, as opposed to the 10 mpg disparity highlighted in Ford's commercial.
This is possibly the most common variety of marketing tomfoolery at the moment, so be vigilant. When an advertisement -- or a car salesperson -- quotes you a fuel economy figure, your first question should be: "Yeah, but what does it get combined?"
3. "Best-In-Class Fuel Economy" -- but by how much? This is another ubiquitous tactic at present, and really it's just an up-to-date variation on a tired old theme. For years we've heard that car X "has the most standard power in its class," only to find out -- if we're willing to put in the time -- that car X makes 162 horsepower while rival car Y makes 161, not to mention that car X might be heavier than car Y, thus making it slower...etc. Well, now the go-to gambit is "best-in-class fuel economy." The operative question here is, "Best by how much?"
A good example is the aforementioned Chevrolet Cobalt XFE. Sure, those 36 highway MPGs are "best in class." But by how much? Remember the (manual-shift) Focus' 35 highway mpg? That's right -- the Cobalt XFE is "best in class" by a measly 1 mpg. As such, the marginal fuel-economy benefit of going with the class-leading Cobalt is negligible, even projected over many years.
Moral of the story: It pays to do your research. Marketing firms are in the business of twisting the truth to benefit their clients -- so you, the intelligent consumer, should be in the business of fighting through their smokescreens and making sure you're getting what you want out of your next car purchase.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com
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- S.B. True August 1, 2008, 11:00 AM
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- Auto Leasing, Car Buying, Fuel Economy, Used Cars
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I think it would be great if more people decided to try a manual in order to get better fuel economy. They might like it. And they'll save on the MSRP too.
Maybe it's because I'm a car guy and know the truth behind most of these tricks......maybe I'm used to the concept of advertising always stretching the ttruth, sometimes to the point of being almost outright lies. So I don't see anything wrong with these tricks.....it's not a big deal.
I'm sure that anybody knows that you never take what is said in ANY advert as complete truth, so why is this case any different?
There have been worse offences, like that dealership Lee Scott showed us where the Murano was claimed to have 26 mpg hwy by a dealer....that's just criminal.
Blackadder5639,
Our local Ford dealer has "29 MPG Highway" on the window sticker on their Ford Mustang GT's. Now THAT'S criminal.
And not to mention that GM is currently running a campaign saying they have the most cars that get 30 mpg.
The whole thing is pretty silly because marketers are trying to latch onto current events (obsession with fuel economy) distill it into a single number, and use this as a sales tool. In actuality, once you get over about 25 mpg, the savings above that are modest. But sadly, it works with some people who can't see the big picture.
But that's the point of advertising: To play up your most positive feature. And as long as they're quoting EPA figures (which means that all cars figures are equally accurate, or inaccurate, as it was), they're not lying.
Now if someone is suckered by the ads, I've got no sympathy for them. After all, this is ADVERTISING. And anyone with half a brain should be able to look at what the ads claim with a slightly askance attitude.
Oh yeah, we're living in a society where making a stupid decision is never the decider's fault. It's always the fault of the manufacturer.
Advertising positive points is just fine, as long as it's not misleading. For example, Toyota advertises the highway MPG on gas cars, but city MPG on their hybrid(s). That's pushing it, but I'll still give it to them.
Advertising the high end of the highway range crosses the line, because it deceives people by using a different measurement than anyone else (including the manufacturer). Advertising 43mpg for a Kia Rio, like my nearest dealer, is flat out fraud.
I really laugh at this new tactic they are trying where they say how many miles the car or truck can drive between fillups. On TV they are advertising that the Mercury Mariner can drive 420 highway miles between fillups...then in the fine print it tells you it has a 17 gallon tank. They are trying the same with the GMC Arcadia and Saturn Outlook. If I put a 100 gallon tank behind my car, I could go 3000 highway miles between fill-ups, but my gas bill would be 400 bucks...they forget to mention that part!