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Car "Dude" Alan
Issue 165 -- 15 February 2007
Last week Evan talked about "green cars". I have found a study done by a company I have never heard of called CNW Marketing Research. This company has done an encyclopedic study of the life-cycle cost of a huge array of vehicles. Since it considers both cost and the environmental impact of the vehicle from manufacture to use to disposal, it is called "Dust to Dust, the Energy Cost of New Vehicles from Concept to Disposal". It is available at CNW's web site.
The non-technical version of the report is over 400 pages long and discusses in detail how the study was done. It was done over several years, so it considers a large array of cars, some no longer manufactured. The factors considered for the vehicle life cycle are exhaustive:
- New vehicle buyer perspective
- Fuel economy component
- Lifetime repair and maintenance
- Accident repair
- Design and development
- Manufacturing
- Administrative support
- Transportation to retail
- Dealership expenses
- Recyclables
- Non-recyclables
- Reusable
- Social energy expenditures
The table of all the vehicles studied is at the end of this article. I have also included their estimate of the total miles the car will be driven before it is scrapped. Of course this is an estimate, but also it is an average of cars totaled after an accident to cars that are just worn out. The table is displayed from worst to best.
I guess I am not surprised to find the very expensive luxury cars as the highest cost per mile vehicles. The surprise is to find the three Audis just above the worst four and the Lexus LS 430 just above them. Cars that are manufactured in very small quantities are summed by manufacturer, rather than individual models. That includes Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Ferrari.
Another surprise is to find the Honda Accord Hybrid not far from the bottom of the list at a cost of $3.295 per mile. It is even worse than the Cadillac Escalade ESV at $3.197 per mile. Also in this "close to worst" area are the premier "green" hybrids found in Los Angeles! The Toyota Prius is $3.249 per mile and the Honda Civic Hybrid is $3.238 per mile. That shows that they are really pretty bad when the whole life cycle cost is considered. Even the BMW 7-series is a lot better at $2.936 per mile -- and that is well below the average of $2.281 per mile.
Some really interesting "above average" cars are the Dodge Viper at $2.176 per mile. The Hummer H3 is even at $1.949 per mile. Not too surprising is the MINI Cooper S at $1.908, but that isn't close to the top of the list. Evan's old Pontiac Aztek is at $1.542 per mile. Shown on the list are the old Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro at $1.287 per mile.
What is the best? The Toyota Scion xB! It rates a rather astonishing (compared to what I've already mentioned) $0.478 per mile. The next best is the Ford Escort at $0.569 per mile. And if you really want to be surprised, you will find the Jeep Wrangler at number three with a cost of $0.604 per mile.
The best sort of interesting car is the Mazda3 at $0.980 per mile.
The best German car is the BMW 325 at $1.531 per mile. It is far from the best. The BMW 330 comes next (a rather close relative, of course) at $1.616 per mile. The Mercedes-Benz C-class sits at $1.699 per mile.
The list probably should be part of a decision when buying a car. It does show something about your cost of ownership, but is primarily aimed at the environmental cost of cars. I think that the celebrities arriving at this year's Academy Awards really should look at this list and get out of their Toyota Prius "limos".
Here is the whole list. Sorry that there are a couple of typos in the list that aren't my fault. The one that comes to mind right away is the estimated total miles for the Infiniti QX56 of 16,900. I assume that is 169,000, but I show their table as is. Note that CNW states that their margin of error could be as high as 15%, but that this is the only study based on hard numbers. Next week, I will give you more insight into the study.
|
Manufacturer
|
Model
|
Dust-to-Dust
Est. Cost
Per Mile
($)
|
Est. Life
(miles)
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
Maybach |
11.582
|
257,000
|
| Volkswagen |
Phaeton |
11.213
|
241,000
|
| --- |
Rolls-Royce |
10.660
|
273,000
|
| --- |
Bentley |
10.555
|
271,000
|
| Audi |
allroad quattro |
5.595
|
202,000
|
| Audi |
A8 |
4.964
|
214,000
|
| Audi |
A6 |
4.963
|
189,000
|
| Lexus |
LS 430 |
4.734
|
223,000
|
| Porsche |
Carrera GT |
4.528
|
186,000
|
| Acura |
NSX |
4.453
|
192,000
|
| Lexus |
GS 430 |
4.416
|
181,000
|
| Infiniti |
Q45 |
4.243
|
201,000
|
| Porsche |
Cayenne |
4.146
|
193,000
|
| Volkswagen |
Touareg |
4.134
|
186,000
|
| --- |
Lamborghini |
4.009
|
121,000
|
| Jaguar |
S-Type |
3.989
|
165,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
SLK |
3.982
|
159,000
|
| --- |
Ferrari |
3.962
|
119,000
|
| Infiniti |
M45 |
3.876
|
126,000
|
| Lexus |
GS 300 |
3.861
|
131,000
|
| Ford |
GT |
3.851
|
116,000
|
| Land Rover |
Range Rover |
3.775
|
206,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
G-class |
3.711
|
237,000
|
| Toyota |
Sequoia |
3.672
|
175,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
S-class |
3.669
|
251,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
CLS-class |
3.668
|
237,000
|
| Hummer |
H1 |
3.505
|
379,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
CLK-class |
3.492
|
191,000
|
| Cadillac |
DTS |
3.471
|
190,000
|
| Nissan |
Armada |
3.450
|
162,000
|
| Lexus |
SC-430 |
3.407
|
165,000
|
| Cadillac |
DeVille |
3.385
|
203,000
|
| Volvo |
XC90 |
3.325
|
229,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
E-class |
3.313
|
256,000
|
| Lexus |
RX330 |
3.306
|
192,000
|
| Cadillac |
Seville |
3.305
|
162,000
|
| Ford |
Excursion |
3.304
|
269,000
|
| Volvo |
80-series |
3.301
|
202,000
|
| Honda |
Accord Hybrid |
3.295
|
117,000
|
| Cadillac |
XLR |
3.276
|
164,000
|
| Toyota |
Prius |
3.249
|
109,000
|
| Honda |
Civic Hybrid |
3.238
|
113,000
|
| Lexus |
LX-470 |
3.229
|
213,000
|
| Porsche |
Boxster |
3.224
|
157,000
|
| Cadillac |
Escalade ESV |
3.197
|
234,000
|
| Toyota |
Land Cruiser |
3.184
|
301,000
|
| Cadillac |
STS |
3.175
|
216,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Corvette |
3.158
|
162,000
|
| BMW |
5-Series |
3.140
|
207,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Suburban |
3.134
|
272,000
|
| GMC |
Yukon XL |
3.132
|
271,000
|
| Ford |
Expedition |
3.058
|
284,000
|
| Jaguar |
XK |
3.058
|
188,000
|
| --- |
Maserati |
3.055
|
162,000
|
| Infiniti |
FX35/45 |
3.029
|
173,000
|
| --- |
Aston Martin |
3.028
|
156,000
|
| Hummer |
H2 |
3.027
|
197,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
R-class |
2.960
|
164,000
|
| Honda |
Insight |
2.939
|
109,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Tahoe |
2.937
|
268,000
|
| Volvo |
50-series |
2.937
|
156,000
|
| GMC |
Yukon |
2.936
|
265,000
|
| BMW |
7-Series |
2.936
|
201,000
|
| Acura |
MDX |
2.845
|
195,000
|
| Porsche |
911 Carrera 4 |
2.830
|
151,000
|
| Jaguar |
XJ |
2.785
|
162,000
|
| Cadillac |
SRX |
2.782
|
171,000
|
| Chrysler |
Pacifica |
2.780
|
183,000
|
| Audi |
TT |
2.768
|
141,000
|
| Acura |
RL |
2.762
|
164,000
|
| Lincoln |
Town Car |
2.756
|
219,000
|
| Cadillac |
Escalade |
2.753
|
239,000
|
| Porsche |
911 Carrera |
2.738
|
164,000
|
| BMW |
Z8 |
2.733
|
177,000
|
| BMW |
M3 |
2.727
|
143,000
|
| Volkswagen |
Golf/GTI |
2.697
|
151,000
|
| GMC |
Savana/G Van |
2.692
|
272,000
|
| Nissan |
Titan |
2.691
|
169,000
|
| Ford |
Econoline/Club Wagon |
2.686
|
258,000
|
| Lexus |
GX-470 |
2.686
|
177,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
SL-class |
2.686
|
169,000
|
| Lincoln |
Navigator |
2.617
|
201,000
|
| Saturn |
L-series |
2.534
|
164,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
CL-class |
2.533
|
188,000
|
| Land Rover |
Discovery |
2.525
|
203,000
|
| Nissan |
Murano |
2.510
|
178,000
|
| Toyota |
Tundra |
2.509
|
191,000
|
| Toyota |
Highlander |
2.490
|
156,000
|
| Land Rover |
LR3 |
2.489
|
222,000
|
| Dodge |
Ram pickup |
2.484
|
231,000
|
| BMW |
Z4 |
2.483
|
147,000
|
| Infiniti |
QX4 |
2.483
|
151,000
|
| GMC |
Express/G Van |
2.482
|
253,000
|
| Volvo |
70-series |
2.482
|
185,000
|
| Mazda |
RX8 |
2.482
|
139,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
M-class |
2.482
|
215,000
|
| Ford |
Freestyle/Windstar |
2.481
|
206,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Silverado |
2.450
|
239,000
|
| GMC |
Sierra |
2.450
|
232,000
|
| Chevrolet |
SSR |
2.442
|
143,000
|
| Land Rover |
Range Rover Sport |
2.420
|
206,000
|
| Dodge |
Sprinter Van |
2.420
|
381,000
|
| Honda |
Civic |
2.420
|
178,000
|
| Chevrolet |
HHR |
2.397
|
169,000
|
| Buick |
Rendezvous |
2.392
|
168,000
|
| Ford |
F-Series |
2.392
|
268,000
|
| BMW |
X5 |
2.368
|
166,000
|
| Lincoln |
Aviator |
2.347
|
191,000
|
| Pontiac |
G6 |
2.342
|
159,000
|
| Mercury |
Mountaineer |
2.336
|
171,000
|
| Volkswagen |
EuroVan/T4 |
2.294
|
159,000
|
| |
Industry Straight Average |
2.281
|
178,739
|
| Chevrolet |
Classic |
2.269
|
229,000
|
| Volvo |
60-series |
2.269
|
161,000
|
| Infiniti |
QX56 |
2.269
|
16,900
|
| Dodge |
Ram Van |
2.267
|
227,000
|
| BMW |
6-Series |
2.267
|
173,000
|
| --- |
Lotus |
2.267
|
121,000
|
| Honda |
Odyssey |
2.267
|
192,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Outlander |
2.266
|
183,000
|
| BMW |
X3 |
2.264
|
167,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Montego |
2.264
|
152,000
|
| Buick |
LaCrosse |
2.245
|
165,000
|
| Subaru |
B9 Tribeca |
2.240
|
147,000
|
| Pontiac |
Montana SV6 |
2.239
|
166,000
|
| Subaru |
Impreza |
2.225
|
137,000
|
| Pontiac |
Grand Am |
2.224
|
192,000
|
| Nissan |
Pathfinder |
2.220
|
158,000
|
| Chrysler |
Town & Country |
2.218
|
171,000
|
| Hyundai |
Tucson |
2.215
|
146,000
|
| Mazda |
Tribute |
2.212
|
153,000
|
| Buick |
Terraza |
2.212
|
179,000
|
| Ford |
Fusion |
2.202
|
192,000
|
| Mercury |
Milan |
2.202
|
189,000
|
| Honda |
Pilot |
2.197
|
156,000
|
| Lincoln |
Zephyr |
2.196
|
179,000
|
| GMC |
Envoy |
2.196
|
202,000
|
| Ford |
Econoline van |
2.195
|
281,000
|
| Toyota |
4Runner |
2.193
|
176,000
|
| Nissan |
350Z |
2.193
|
156,000
|
| Dodge |
Caravan/Grand Caravan |
2.181
|
164,000
|
| Toyota |
Sienna |
2.180
|
158,000
|
| Honda |
Accord |
2.180
|
209,000
|
| Buick |
Rainier |
2.180
|
176,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Montero |
2.177
|
157,000
|
| Dodge |
Viper |
2.176
|
118,000
|
| Saab |
9-7X |
2.169
|
143,000
|
| Dodge |
Stratus |
2.165
|
201,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Venture |
2.144
|
173,000
|
| Saturn |
Relay |
2.143
|
162,000
|
| Pontiac |
Montana |
2.142
|
166,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Montero Sport |
2.123
|
142,000
|
| Acura |
TL |
2.122
|
171,000
|
| Nissan |
Quest |
>2.118
|
160,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Uplander |
2.117
|
156,000
|
| Audi |
A3 |
2.096
|
139,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Eclipse Spyder |
2.079
|
119,000
|
| Ford |
Freestar |
2.069
|
161,000
|
| Mercury |
Monterey |
2.069
|
159,000
|
| Volkswagen |
Passat |
2.052
|
192,000
|
| Cadillac |
Escalade EXT |
2.048
|
221,000
|
| Volkswagen |
Jetta wagon |
2.046
|
136,000
|
| Acura |
CL |
2.022
|
182,000
|
| Nissan |
Xterra |
2.022
|
191,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Eclipse |
2.021
|
144,000
|
| Hyundai |
Santa Fe |
2.019
|
151,000
|
| Dodge |
Magnum |
2.019
|
183,000
|
| Ford |
Five Hundred |
2.018
|
172,000
|
| Lincoln |
LS |
2.017
|
156,000
|
| Volkswagen |
Jetta |
2.016
|
132,000
|
| Pontiac |
GTO |
1.995
|
146,000
|
| Kia |
Optima |
1.994
|
161,000
|
| Kia |
Sedona |
1.994
|
138,000
|
| Hyundai |
Sonata |
1.980
|
162,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Avalanche |
1.978
|
234,000
|
| Pontiac |
Torrent |
1.974
|
162,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Endeavor |
1.974
|
153,000
|
| Dodge |
Charger |
1.974
|
172,000
|
| Toyota |
Celica |
1.969
|
139,000
|
| Toyota |
Avalon |
1.967
|
201,000
|
| Nissan |
Maxima |
1.966
|
193,000
|
| Chrysler |
300/300M |
1.961
|
192,000
|
| Toyota |
Camry |
1.954
|
198,000
|
| Mazda |
MPV |
1.953
|
156,000
|
| Ford |
Escape |
1.950
|
161,000
|
| Hummer |
H3 |
1.949
|
207,000
|
| Mercury |
Mariner |
1.948
|
151,000
|
| Toyota |
RAV4 |
1.948
|
162,000
|
| Lincoln |
Mark LT |
1.944
|
192,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Diamante |
1.932
|
151,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Malibu |
1.919
|
163,000
|
| Subaru |
Baja |
1.909
|
157,000
|
| Isuzu |
Trooper |
1.909
|
209,000
|
| Jaguar |
X-Type |
1.908
|
169,000
|
| Suzuki |
Verona |
1.908
|
152,000
|
| MINI |
Cooper S |
1.908
|
161,000
|
| Acura |
RSX |
1.908
|
159,000
|
| Volvo |
40-series |
1.897
|
162,000
|
| Pontiac |
Solstice |
1.880
|
153,000
|
| Lexus |
ES 330 |
1.852
|
172,000
|
| Infiniti |
I30/I35 |
1.851
|
188,000
|
| Subaru |
Legacy |
1.849
|
156,000
|
| Saturn |
Vue |
1.847
|
161,000
|
| Lexus |
IS 300 |
1.833
|
162,000
|
| Volkswagen |
Beetle |
1.828
|
171,000
|
| Subaru |
Forester |
1.825
|
165,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Equinox |
1.821
|
189,000
|
| Honda |
Ridgeline |
1.807
|
163,000
|
| Honda |
Element |
1.807
|
142,000
|
| Mazda |
Millenia |
1.802
|
136,000
|
| Buick |
Lucerne |
1.802
|
177,000
|
| Mazda |
Mazda6 |
1.796
|
162,000
|
| MINI |
Cooper |
1.795
|
169,000
|
| Pontiac |
Bonneville |
1.782
|
183,000
|
| Infiniti |
G35 |
1.777
|
172,000
|
| Audi |
A4/S4 |
1.774
|
169,000
|
| Dodge |
Intrepid |
1.772
|
178,000
|
| Ford |
Mustang |
1.758
|
181,000
|
| Isuzu |
Axiom |
1.735
|
142,000
|
| Acura |
TSX |
1.725
|
169,000
|
| GMC |
Safari |
1.725
|
202,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Astro |
1.725
|
205,000
|
| Mercedes-Benz |
C-class |
1.699
|
171,000
|
| Toyota |
MR2 Spyder |
1.683
|
162,000
|
| Cadillac |
CTS |
1.680
|
160,000
|
| Mazda |
Mazda5 |
1.679
|
171,000
|
| Land Rover |
Freelander |
1.674
|
158,000
|
| Saab |
9-3 |
1.636
|
182,000
|
| BMW |
330 |
1.616
|
176,000
|
| Chrysler |
PT Cruiser |
1.612
|
192,000
|
| Buick |
Park Avenue |
1.556
|
179,000
|
| Saab |
9-2 |
1.553
|
171,000
|
| Pontiac |
Aztek |
1.542
|
168,000
|
| Isuzu |
Rodeo |
1.542
|
184,000
|
| Chrysler |
Concorde |
1.531
|
183,000
|
| Isuzu |
Ascender |
1.531
|
161,000
|
| Jeep |
Commander |
1.531
|
208,000
|
| BMW |
325 |
1.531
|
171,000
|
| Saab |
9-5 |
1.529
|
162,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Monte Carlo |
1.506
|
189,000
|
| Jeep |
Grand Cherokee |
1.495
|
209,000
|
| Honda |
CR-V |
1.478
|
156,000
|
| Suzuki |
XL-7 |
1.477
|
165,000
|
| Ford |
Thunderbird |
1.477
|
171,000
|
| Mazda |
MX-5 Miata |
1.471
|
182,000
|
| Mitsubishi |
Galant |
1.465
|
153,000
|
| Pontiac |
Grand Prix |
1.465
|
161,000
|
| Buick |
Century |
1.455
|
174,000
|
| Honda |
S2000 |
1.455
|
162,000
|
| Mercury |
Sable |
1.447
|
201,000
|
| Ford |
Taurus |
1.446
|
206,000
|
| Hyundai |
Tiburon |
1.439
|
192,000
|
| Dodge |
Durango |
1.429
|
184,000
|
| Mercury |
Grand Marquis |
1.418
|
207,000
|
| Ford |
Crown Victoria |
1.417
|
212,000
|
| Suzuki |
Grand Vitara |
1.414
|
171,000
|
| Ford |
Explorer |
1.404
|
203,000
|
| Mazda |
626 |
1.397
|
171,000
|
| Nissan |
Altima |
1.381
|
153,000
|
| Buick |
LeSabre |
1.372
|
183,000
|
| Chevrolet |
TrailBlazer |
1.363
|
187,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Impala |
1.357
|
174,000
|
| Chrysler |
Crossfire |
1.323
|
131,000
|
| Kia |
Sorento |
1.320
|
143,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Blazer |
1.295
|
209,000
|
| Pontiac |
Firebird |
1.287
|
173,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Camaro |
1.286
|
179,000
|
| Hyundai |
XG350 |
1.285
|
151,000
|
| Chrysler |
Sebring |
1.283
|
164,000
|
| GMC |
Canyon |
1.283
|
188,000
|
| GMC |
Sonoma |
1.283
|
187,000
|
| Kia |
Amanti |
1.263
|
162,000
|
| Suzuki |
Vitara |
1.257
|
158,000
|
| Isuzu |
Rodeo Sport |
1.225
|
162,000
|
| Kia |
Sportage |
1.168
|
159,000
|
| Buick |
Regal |
1.167
|
152,000
|
| Nissan |
Frontier |
1.160
|
171,000
|
| Toyota |
Tacoma |
1.147
|
173,000
|
| GMC |
Colorado |
1.125
|
184,000
|
| Dodge |
Raider |
1.124
|
175,000
|
| Jeep |
Liberty |
1.099
|
189,000
|
| Mazda |
B-Series |
1.088
|
193,000
|
| Dodge |
Dakota |
1.014
|
172,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Cobalt |
1.013
|
169,000
|
| Toyota |
Matrix ** |
1.011
|
162,000
|
| Pontiac |
Vibe |
1.011
|
161,000
|
| Mazda |
Mazda3 |
0.980
|
164,000
|
| Ford |
Ranger |
0.968
|
188,000
|
| Kia |
Rio |
0.964
|
162,000
|
| Sentra |
Sentra |
0.962
|
164,000
|
| Suzuki |
Aerio |
0.888
|
159,000
|
| Dodge |
Lancer |
0.872
|
154,000
|
| Kia |
Spectra |
0.864
|
158,000
|
| Hyundai |
Accent |
0.852
|
151,000
|
| Scion |
tC |
0.845
|
139,000
|
| Suzuki |
Forenza |
0.840
|
143,000
|
| Ford |
Focus |
0.803
|
169,000
|
| Chevrolet |
S10 |
0.779
|
172,000
|
| Mazda |
Protégé |
0.772
|
161,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Aveo |
0.765
|
142,000
|
| Sunfire |
Sunfire |
0.758
|
157,000
|
| Chevrolet |
Cavalier |
0.757
|
152,000
|
| Scion |
xA |
0.736
|
156,000
|
| Toyota |
Corolla |
0.732
|
169,000
|
| Dodge |
Neon |
0.728
|
148,000
|
| Hyundai |
Elantra |
0.723
|
162,000
|
| Saturn |
Ion |
0.709
|
161,000
|
| Toyota |
Echo |
0.703
|
157,000
|
| Geo |
Tracker |
0.699
|
153,000
|
| Jeep |
Wrangler |
0.604
|
207,000
|
| Ford |
Escort |
0.568
|
192,000
|
| Scion |
xB |
0.478
|
189,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
