• by Karl Greenberg , August 11, 2009

"Size Matters" could have been the title of a new joint study from Tustin, Calif.-based AutoPacific and Campbell, Calif.-based IntelliChoice.com. The study suggests that despite the economy, gasoline prices and guilty consciences, Americans are not trading in big vehicles for little ones. Sure, they want better fuel economy -- but they don't want to sacrifice size, comfort or functionality.

The joint study, something of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup-type combo, combines AutoPacific's survey-based owner input on owner delight with their vehicles with IntelliChoice's analytical cost-of-ownership data. The study scores 196 cars, trucks, crossovers and SUVs based on Auto Pacific's survey of some 32,000 owners and IntelliChoice's own data on cost of ownership, including fuel efficiency, resale value, and maintenance.

Large and luxury vehicles dominated the study and resulting Motorist Choice Awards. One hundred six of the top 107 vehicles are large cars, luxury cars, sport utility vehicles, crossover SUVs or minivans. The top 34 vehicles are large cars. The firms say the BMW 1-Series, at number 35, was the only small car to score in the top 100. Toyota Prius, the next-highest-scoring small car, was 107th.

James Bell of IntelliChoice said the dominance of big vehicles must reflect the vehicle satisfaction scores more than cost of ownership. "Not that large vehicles necessarily do poorly in cost of ownership; the Lexus LX (a large luxury SUV) is behind Prius or Jetta TDI, so they do well, but it's really a case of the automakers hitting their target buyer and meeting the expectations of drivers," he says. "Obviously, people driving them are not looking for the ultimate in fuel economy but for a good solid way of getting down the street."

He says three of the OEMs whose vehicles have scored well will tout the results in marketing. One of them is Chrysler's Dodge division, whose Challenger did well in the study. "Challenger is selling reasonably well based on sex appeal and newness, but also from a value perspective."

He says that people who own it are saying they are satisfied with cost of ownership. Bell says the value story lets the automaker tell a larger story about the car. "This is the first time someone has praised Challenger beyond emotional things like its design, or Hemi engine; it's more holistic: the car not only looks great and is priced fairly but is also not the worst place to put one's money."

Strangely, Ford is nowhere to be seen. That surprised AutoPacific president George Peterson, who says that while his firm's owner-delight survey data ranks Ford high in several segments, hard data on things like resale value pulled the company out of the running. "I would think given what's happening to Ford now, their market price, the fact that they haven't taken bailouts, their vehicle quality would mean resale value would be strengthening," he says.

What isn't a surprise, he says, is U.S. consumers' preference for larger vehicles. People are not so much trading large vehicles for smaller vehicles of a different type as changing types of vehicles without compromising size. "If you think about crossovers, they are not that much smaller than products they are replacing, such as Chevy Traverse versus [traditional large SUV] Chevy Suburban. The Traverse is smaller on the outside but holds as much as the Suburban, so what you are really giving up is towing ability," he notes.

Peterson says AutoPacific has just completed a large study suggesting that people are not downsizing, but opting for more fuel-efficient vehicles of the same size.

"I'm a perfect example," he says. "I had four Ford Expeditions in a row, and then I got a Ford Flex, which does about everything Expedition did but better. Ever since the early 1990s, people have been asking for better fuel economy, more maneuverability, and a better ride."

He says the new study asked respondents to rate importance of fuel economy on a 1-5 scale. Those who responded "5" were then asked about vehicle size. Peterson says 90% responded that they would want a vehicle of the same size; 8% said "bigger," and only 2% said "smaller."