Even $3 gas isn’t enough to make fuel economy a priority for most new-car shoppers.
It ranked 18th among 56 buying considerations for shoppers early this year, says CNW Marketing Research, but it fell to 21st in September as pump prices began to retreat.
A low monthly payment was tops in the CNW’s surveys, followed by quality, styling, visibility and the manufacturer’s reputation.
Other factors that beat fuel economy were passenger protection; front air bags; interior conveniences, such as cupholders; and the sound system.
Safety got the call when Mike Carter bought a 2007 Hyundai Sonata in August.
Carter had three fuel-sippers on his shopping list, the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Nissan Versa, but with a 17-year-old daughter starting to drive, he chose a large sedan instead.
The Long Island, N.Y., dentist says he liked the Sonata’s extensive safety features and the “more substantial” protection of a bigger car.
“There’s a tremendous number of huge cars around here,” he said. “Those other cars were just way too small and didn’t have enough power for getting onto expressways.”
Price was the next selling point for the Sonata, which Carter says was nearly $3,000 less than comparable versions of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
“People buy based on what they think the future is going to be, and a large percentage think gas prices will stay the same or go down,” CNW President Art Spinella said of fuel economy’s declining priority.
In surveys, CNW asks consumers intending to buy a new vehicle what they think gas prices will be in six months. That’s the average time most people spend researching and shopping for a new vehicle.
In September 2005, 78 percent of consumers expected gas prices to go up and 11 percent saw them going down. But in September of this year, only 37 percent expected higher prices, and 25 percent thought they would go down.
As recently as July, 10 percent thought pump prices would fall.
Research by J.D. Power and Associates reached similar conclusions. Mileage ranked eighth among 20 buying considerations in Power’s annual APEAL study, two spots behind performance.
The APEAL (automotive performance, execution and layout) study is based on responses from 63,000 purchasers of 2006 vehicles. They were asked after 90 days of ownership what they liked about their vehicles and what was important in their purchase decision.
The top four considerations were reliability/durability, interior comfort, workmanship and exterior styling. Buyers also ranked the vehicle’s image ahead of mileage.
“A lot of people think gas mileage is No. 1, and it’s not,” said Tom Libby, a statistician with the Power Information Network. “Other considerations carry greater weight when they shop for a vehicle.”
Indeed, Audrey Abernathy says fuel economy was secondary in her decision to buy a Mini Cooper. It took a back seat to the “purple haze” exterior color and the ease of parking the diminutive hatchback.
“Now I can get into parking spaces I couldn’t fit into before,” said Abernathy, a copy editor from Washington, D.C.
Comfort and safety were priorities for Rod Fugate, a retired engineer from Lincoln, Neb., who drives his V-6-powered Buick Lucerne about 15,000 miles a year.
He says he averages 20 m.p.g. around town and 30 on the highway by minding the speed limit and using a light, smooth foot on the throttle.
Couldn’t he do better with a 4-cylinder car?
“When you figure out how much you’re paying at the end of the year, it’s not that much more,” he said of his Lucerne. “It’s maybe a couple of hundred dollars more per year.”
Higher pump prices have been widely cited for the sales decline in large sport-utilities in recent years, but J.D. Power’s sees that more as a case of buyers choosing from a growing number of alternatives, including car-based crossovers, than higher pump prices.
Large SUVs fell 21 percent last year, to 582,000, and are down 21 percent this year. Crossovers on the other hand have grown 6 percent in 2006, led by robust sales of small models such as the Honda CR-V, Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Torrent.
Large pickups declined only 0.4 percent, last year, to 2.5 million, and have slipped 13 percent this year.
“Owners of large SUVs have a choice, whereas buyers of large pickups don’t. If they need a big cargo bed and towing capacity, they have to buy a pickup,” Libby said.
But a large SUV owner can turn to crossovers for all-wheel-drive and car space plus better mileage, he said.
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Most appealing
According to the 2006 J.D. Power and Associates 2006 APEAL (automotive performance, execution and layout) study, these are the factors shoppers consider when buying a car: %%
Reliability/durability 61%
Interior comfort 51%
Workmanship 49%
Exterior styling 48%
Dealer 41%
Performance 40%
Image 37%
Gas mileage 34%
Safety 33%
Passenger capacity 30%
Advanced technology 29%
Maintenance costs 26%
Price 25%
AWD/4WD 25%
Resale value 24%
Cargo capacity 23%
The deal 19%
Warranty 11%
Environmental impact 7%
Other 5% %% – – –
Weighing the options
According to CNW Marketing Research, these are the attributes most car shoppers found “somewhat important” or “extremely important” in September polling: %% Low monthly payments 94.11%
Quality 92.41%
Exterior styling 91.53%
Visibility 91.26%
Manufacturer’s reputation 90.36%
Price vs competition 88.49%
Status 87.92%
Ergonomics (driver) 85.46%
Seating capacity 81.63%
Passenger protection 81.13%
Sticker price 80.82%
Air bags — front 80.55%
Conveniences (e.g. cupholders) 71.37%
Sound system 68.94%
Ergonomics (passenger) 68.43%
Low APR 65.26%
Comfort and convenience 64.33%
Ease of use of controls 59.92%
Cupholders 59.21%
Interior appearance 58.56%
Fuel economy 57.69%
Overall safety 56.31%
Luggage capacity 55.83%
Anti-lock brakes 54.21%
Low downpayment 52.88%
Handling and performance 51.26%
Special wheels 50.93%
Engine design 48.64%
Extended warranty 45.27%
Air bags — side 43.99%
Tilt steering 41.06%
Power seats 40.62%
Horsepower 40.27%
Sport or handling suspension 36.62%
Rural radio reception 34.71%
Disc brakes 34.27%
Power sideview mirror 31.62%
Child-seat attachments 31.42%
Environmental design/engineering 27.72%
Entertainment center 26.66%
Leather seating 25.01%
Low cargo-loading height 24.19%
Clear coat 24.13%
Adjustable pedals 23.88%
4WD/AWD 23.79%
Sunroof/moonroof 22.22%
Remote door locks 21.93%
Roadside assistance 19.93%
Stain-resistant seats 14.88%
Chrome trim 14.52%
Towing capabilities 11.76%
Cellular phone/OnStar/similar 10.86%
Hybrid 8.93%
Spoiler 4.31%
Wood or woodlike trim 4.06%
Body cladding 1.27%
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rpopely@tribune.com
