Super Bowl Sunday means millions of people gathering together to watch the Big Game. Since we are an automotive data and analysis firm, we couldn’t just sit, eat mini-hotdogs, and enjoy the game. We had to rate the automotive commercials.
But instead of analyzing these ads based on humor, production-quality, or other typical approaches, we used Vincentric's Dynamic Cost to Own technology to measure the lifecycle costs for each vehicle advertised as part of the game day festivities. The cost to own and operate a vehicle is a vital piece of information when purchasing a car - and if you lost any bets on the Patriots last Sunday then every dollar counts even more.
Unless otherwise specified, we assumed the advertised vehicles were from the 2012 model year. In some ads it wasn’t always clear which trim level of the vehicle was shown, so we made some assumptions based on the ad storyline. For the purpose of this analysis, we assumed the cars would be driven 15,000 miles annually for a total of five years, although the Vincentric lifecycle cost calculator allows users to customize lifecycle term anywhere between 6 and 84 months and an annual mileage from 7,500 to 40,000.
RESULTS
|
Estimated Cost of Ownership
|
|
Make
|
Model
|
Trim
|
Year
|
Expected
Cost per Mile
|
|
Chevrolet
|
Sonic
|
LS 4D Hatchback
|
2012
|
41.93 cents
|
|
Fiat
|
500
|
Sport 2D Hatchback
|
2012
|
43.84 cents
|
|
Hyundai
|
Veloster Turbo
|
2012 3D Coupe 6sp
|
2013
|
43.90 cents
|
|
Chevrolet
|
Sonic
|
LTZ 4D Hatchback
|
2012
|
44.61 cents
|
|
Toyota
|
Camry
|
SE 4D Sedan
|
2012
|
46.63 cents
|
|
Ford
|
Focus
|
SEL 4D Hatchback
|
2012
|
48.19 cents
|
|
Honda
|
CR-V
|
EX-L 4D Utility AWD
|
2012
|
50.57 cents
|
|
Volkswagen
|
Beetle
|
2.0T 2D Coupe
|
2012
|
54.20 cents
|
|
Kia
|
Optima
|
EX 4D Sedan Turbo
|
2012
|
57.15 cents
|
|
Chevrolet
|
Volt
|
4D Hatchback
|
2012
|
57.92 cents
|
|
Suzuki
|
Kizashi Sport
|
SLS 4D Sedan AWD w/Nav
|
2012
|
61.83 cents
|
|
Hyundai
|
Genesis Coupe
|
R-Spec Sedan 3.8L
|
2012
|
61.97 cents
|
|
Cadillac
|
ATS
|
Base 4D Sedan
|
2013
|
72.13 cents
|
|
Chevrolet
|
Camaro
|
SS 2D Convertible
|
2012
|
73.77 cents
|
|
Chevrolet
|
Silverado
|
LTZ 1500
|
2012
|
77.57 cents
|
|
Lexus
|
GS
|
2011 GS 350
|
2013
|
90.90 cents
|
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
SLK
|
350 2D Roadster
|
2012
|
93.49 cents
|
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
C63
|
AMG 2D Coupe
|
2012
|
103.23 cents
|
|
Audi
|
S7
|
Audi A7 5D Coupe
|
2013
|
106.13 cents
|
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
CLS
|
550 4D Sedan
|
2012
|
115.25 cents
|
|
Mercedes-Benz
|
SL Roadster
|
SL550 2D
|
2012
|
164.30 cents
|
|
Acura
|
NSX Supercar
|
Nissan GTR
|
2014
|
169.26 cents
|
When the calculations were done, we found that the Chevrolet Sonic LS had the lowest ownership costs at about 41.9 cents per mile. The vehicle with the highest ownership cost was the Acura NSX Supercar, which was four times higher at $1.69 per mile. Of course buyers like Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld probably aren't too concerned with the NSX's ownership costs. The chart below shows the range of ownership costs for all twenty two vehicles based on cost per mile to drive.
We’ve provided a more in-depth look at the cost of owning these advertised vehicles, on the following pages.
It wouldn’t be a complete analysis of the vehicle advertisements if we didn’t mention Chrysler’s "Halftime in America" spot, which is shown below. The two-minute ad made no mention of Chrysler and its products other than a few images and the brand logo in the closing spot. So we wouldn’t want to drill down and analyze the vehicles when that was not the commercial's objective. But when it is time to focus on these vehicles, we’ll be ready to calculate what they cost to own.
"Yeah, it's halftime, America," Eastwood said. "And our second half is about to begin."
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