What's the most important car feature?


I remember a survey by Mori for Euro NCAP back in 2005 which asked given a car suited their lifestyle and it was affordable to buy and run, if they would then rank the most important additional features. The top feature according to the survey was safety which must have pleased Euro NCAP.


At the time I thought the rest of the results aligned with car features I'd been selling since 1966.


A few things bothered me.

• respondents denied style and prestige were important
• comfort was not mentioned
• it didn't explain why buyers bought 4x4 SUVs instead of MPVs
• it didn't account for buyers buying less than safe cars - SUVs at the time

When a car buyer visits a showroom they normally say they're just looking. When the salesperson asks them what they're looking for they mostly say they don't know. In the next breath they might say, 'I like the look of that.' If the salesperson suggests a car they may say, 'I don't like the look of that.' It kinda indicates style is important.


When buyers are looking for a family car they'd normally consider a 4x4, SUV or MPV. 4x4 buyers wouldn't consider MPVs and visa versa. They never seemed to entertain the idea they might make a car comparison between the two. I never understood why a family would buy a 4x4, SUV in preference to an MPV.


Generally MPVs were more spacious and versatile, they drove and handled like cars, they were more economical and a lot safer. However the way some buyers talked about their 4x4s revealed they thought them more prestigious.


As it turned out 4x4 SUVs were no longer a viable proposition by 2007. Crossovers have since saved this sector. A Crossover is an SUV body style built on a car platform so they now drive more like cars, are more economical and safe.


One feature of Crossovers is they are two wheel drive with four wheel drive as an option. As a 2WD car a crossover offers no more than an MPV and will normally be less spacious and versatile but more expensive. So why not buy an MPV? Because there's still a difference in style and perceived prestige.


There's little difference between the style of a Crossover and MPV but it seems to matter.

A Crossover/SUV is a tall two box estate car body style. It has an engine in one box and the passenger and cargo areas are merged in a second box.

Exactly the same could be said for an MPV but they normally have a more sloping windscreen with the line continuing into a sloped bonnet. MPVs have the appearance of a one box vehicle without a bonnet.

Crossovers and SUVs have prominent bonnets. That's the difference.


It's difficult to understand why people pay more money for a SUV than an MPV because of style and prestige when an MPV is normally cheaper and has more space and versatility for the family.


It seems no matter what people say in surveys style and prestige is important. It's a bit like people saying one thing and doing another.

Regards
Ralph