|
|
|
|
IntelliChoice Value Rating
The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.
One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.
What is a good car value?
A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.
But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?
For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.
This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)
Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.
Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.
So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Review From Motor Trend Magazine
Newcomers: 2008 Toyota Highlander
Family size: 800-pound gorilla gets a bigger suit
By Kim Reynolds
One of the problems parents encounter when dropping their kids off at school is the obligatory wave. You know, a familiar Sienna or Odyssey minivan drives by, and you wave. Trouble is, there are dozens of Siennasseys in the lot, so you have to wave at each one just to be sure. This country's grade-school parking lots are crying out for something different-and Toyota's got a dandy new candidate in the 2008 Highlander. "But Highlanders are too small," weary new parents out there yawn. Well, not anymore, Mister and Missus Carpool. It's 3.8 inches longer, 3.3 inches wider, and 2.8 inches taller. It's bigger! Yes! Grown from the same structural seed that sprouted the Avalon and Camry, the roomier Highlander's interior is highlighted by an extractable (and stowable) center row that provides a unique kid corridor to the aft quarters (also more spacious and fitted almost universally across the lineup). The family-friendly theme continues with an adequate 3.5-inch rear-camera display on all but the base model, plus easy-reach levers that remotely fold down the second-row seats from the rear hatch. As with the Camry and Avalon, power for the traditional gasoline version is supplied by a 270-horse, 3.5-liter V-6 coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission. No surprise that acceleration is strong nor that the front-drive version's steering suffers momentary vertigo when you give it the stick from a stop. The Sport model's recalibrated steering software and stiffer springs don't cure this, but they nicely focus the handling of front and AWD models, with modest ride degradation.  This isn't a problem with the hybrid version (which is just about all carryover hardware) because it's outfitted just one way-with AWD. Notably, it also offers identical output to the gas Highlander, 270 combined gas-and-electric horsepower, making for a particularly elementary mileage comparison: According to the EPA's all-new, real-world 2008 mileage metric, the hybrid has a 37-percent economy advantage. It also offers an EV-mode button that theoretically instructs (though rarely allows) it to traverse up to three miles at 25 mph without firing the engine. More effective is the "Econ" mode that intelligently smoothes power changes if it deems the driver's accelerator foot is just being fidgety. So move over, you other grade-school haulers, there's going to be a bright new face you'll need to wave at. | 2008 Toyota Highlander | | Base price | $27,300-$34,150 | | Vehicle layout | Front engine, FWD or AWD, 5- or 7-pass, 4-door SUV | | | | | Engines | 3.5L/270-hp/248-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6; 3.3L/209-hp/212-lb-ft V-6 plus 167-hp/247-lb-ft front and 68-hp/96-lb-ft rear electric motors, 270-hp combined | | Transmissions | 5-speed auto; cont variable auto | | Curb weight | 4000-4650 lb (mfr) | | Wheelbase | 109.8 in | | Length x width x height | 188.4 x 75.2 x 68.1 in | | 0-60 mph | 7.0-7.7 sec (MT est) | | EPA city/hwy fuel econ | 17-27/23-25 mpg* (est) | | CO2 emissions | 0.75-1.02 lb/mile (est) | | On sale in U.S. | July 2007; October 2007 (hybrid) | | *2008 EPA test standards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RX and Highlander recall
"Toyota's recall involves 2004-05 models of the Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX 330 and early 2006 models of the...
07/13/2006 | 09:07 AM | joela
|
|
|
|
|
|
02 Toyota Highlander
My husband and I are considering buying an 02 Highlander. We want the flexibility of the storage capacity, as well as...
09/09/2007 | 02:09 AM | picots
|
|
|
|
| |