How Practical is Your Car? (Updated Draft)

"Jay, the practical enthusiast" (jay-m) 09/26/2020 at 07:08 • Filed to: None

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Recently !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the old Jalopnik quiz on our cars. Just like the old quiz my cars scored terribly. I decided to remedy this little problem by copying the new quiz and changing the scoring. I gave it a poorly thought out title and was called out about it. A better title would have been: My cars scored low on the how oppo is your car survey so I made my own and arbitrarily set up the scores to benefit my boring cars while also making your cool cars score lower.

But as several of you pointed out, with some changes we could make a quiz that more accurately reflected our cars’ practicality. Also, many of you challenged my very notion of practicality. What’s practical for a suburban family of 5 might not be the same for someone who needs towing capabilities or works construction or needs to go offroad. Many of the topics such as country of origin used old stereotypes about reliability and had no real bearing on how practical a vehicle is. Using comments from the last post I’ve updated the quiz (with a few notes in parenthesis).

Please do not post your new scores on this article. Instead comment on any other changes you would like to see and I’ll post the updated quiz tomorrow. Also, please don’t take this quiz so seriously, it was meant to boost my ego not yours.

1: Engine (Does this even Matter? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! recently !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in his Prius Z06. The best I ever got from my Mazda5 was 27. If anything, I think bonus points should go to any 8-cylinder or larger engines that return 30 mpg or more. At the same time 4-cylinder engines that return less than 25 mpg should be penalized.)

Rotary: - 42 points

8-Cylinder or larger: -50 points

6-Cylinder: 25 points

5-Cylinder: 26 points

4-Cylinder: 50 points

3-Cylinders or less: 22 points

Hybrid: 75 points

Electric: 100 points

1.b: More engine (Same as above, not really relevant to practicality.)

Carburetor: -100 points

Diesel (if more fuel efficient than gas option): 10 points

Diesel (if less fuel efficient than gas option): - 10 points

If no gas option: 0 points

1: Fuel Economy (Actual or EPA rated, your choice)

51 mpg or more: 100 points (50 point bonus if not hybrid or electric)

40 – 50 mpg: 75 points

30 – 39 mpg: 50 points

25 – 29 mpg: 25 points

20 – 24 mpg: 15 points

15 – 19 mpg: -5 points

14 mpg or less: -50 points

1.b: Cylinder Bonus & Penalty

8-cylinder (or larger) returning 30 mpg or greater: 20 points

6-cylinder returning 30 mpg or greater: 15 points

4-cylinder returning 25 mpg or less: -15 points

2: Aspiration (I would keep this because it is related to fuel economy)

Turbo returning worse fuel economy than NA option: -20 points

Turbo returning better fuel economy than NA option: 20 points

NA returning worse fuel economy than Turbo option: -15 points

NA returning better fuel economy than Turbo option: 15 points

If no comparison engine: 0 points

3: Body Style

0-doors: -40 points

2-doors: -35 points

3-doors: 10 points

4-doors: 35 points

5-doors: 55 points

3.b: Bonus Points

Hatchback: 25 points

Truck: 30 points (increased to match SUVs)

SUV: 30 points

Wagon: 35 points

Van (all sizes including mini): 50 points

Motorcycle: 5 points

Moped: 25 points

3.c: Usage

Tow bar equipped and used at least once a year: 20 points

Roof racks equipped and used at least once a year: 20 points

Bed/trunk/rear storage area used at least once a month: 20 points

Taken off-road at least once a year: 30 points

Take to a race track at least once a year: 50 points

Can hold a full set of tires: 10 points

Vehicle used to help a friend move (or even help yourself move) at least once: 50 points

4: Wheels Driven

Rear-wheel drive: 0 points (no more penalty)

Front-wheel drive: 15 points

All-wheel drive: 16 points

4-wheel drive: 12 points

5: Engine Location

Doesn’t matter unless:

Makes the car more fuel efficient (location optimized for less drag for example): 5 points

Increases the interior volume (cab-over minivan for example or front-wheel drive that allows for a flat floor ): 15 points (some people missed this bonus)

6: Transmission (still no manual penalty because manual)

Auto returning better fuel economy than manual: 10 points

Auto returning worse fuel economy than manual: 5 points

Manual returning better fuel economy than auto: 15 points

Manual returning worse fuel economy than auto: 0 points

Bonus:

Auto with better performance than manual: 10 points

If no option: 0 points

7: Country of Origin (Home Country of Automaker, not factory location) (doesn’t reflect reliability)

Japan: 20 points

Korea: 19 Points

Sweden: 10 points

America: 2 points

Australia: 1 point

France: 0 points

Germany: -15 points

Britain: -20 points

Italy: -25 points

Eastern Bloc: -30 points

India: -40 points

Other: -41 points

Final Assembly in country other than origin: -5 points

7: Horsepower to Fuel Economy (this is in addition to the cylinder bonus)

0-100 hp: 30 points if 30 mpg or greater

101 – 200 hp: 40 points if 30 mpg or greater

201 – 330 hp: 45 points if 30 mpg or greater

331 hp or more: 50 points if 30 mpg or greater

9: Age ( to be replaced by safety)

5 years or newer: 20 points

6 – 20 years old: 10 points

21 – 30 years old: 5 points

31 – 45 years old: 0 points

46 years or older: -20 points

8: Safety

5 star crash rating (or other country equivalent): 30 points

ABS: 20 points

Stability control: 15 points

Side curtain air bags: 15 points

Front air bags: 10 points

Crumple zones: 5 points

Rearview camera: 5 points

9: Seats

1 seat: -10 points

2 seats: 0 points

3 seats: 50 points

4 seats: 20 points

5 seats: 25 points

6 seats: 30 points

7 or more seats: 40 points

10: Cup holders including ones in door (removed penalties and modified !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! suggestions)

0: 0 points

1: 1 point

2: 5 points

3: 10 points

4: 15 points

1 cup holder for every seat: 25 points

more cup holders than seats: 35 points

11: Reliability (sorry !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I didn’t add the oil change intervals)

$1000 in repairs in the last year: -40 points

$1000 in repairs in the last 3 years: -10 points

No repairs in the last 5 years: 50 points

12: Other (Bonus Points) (removed convenience options that don’t actually make a car more practical)

Sliding doors: 25 points

Power windows: 5 points

Remote power door locks: 5 points

Power driver’s seat: 7 points

Power passenger seat: 3 points

Air conditioning: 30 points

Rear seat air conditioning vents: 40 points

3rd row air conditioning vents: 50 points

Dual zone climate control: 30 points (in addition to A/C points)

Heated front seats: 20 points

Heated rear seats: 30 points

Cooled seats: 20 points

Ventilated seats: 15 points

Heated side mirrors: 15 points

Remote start: 10 points

Massaging seats: 50 points

Folding rear seats: 20 points

Seats fold flat to make a bed: 30 points

Video entertainment system for the kids: 30 points

Under seat storage: 15 points

Built in umbrellas: 15 points

Power outlets: 5 points each

Ice scraper (built in): 5 points

power tailgate window: 20 points

rubber floor mats / covering: 20 points

Point Key:

Negative Points: Yeah, you drive an insanely cool car, impractical, but we’re all a little jealous anyway.

0 points: How with all these options and variables could you end up with exactly zero points?

1 – 100: It’s a start but there are better options out there.

101 – 200: You’re trying to balance practicality with other needs.

201 – 300: Passengers love riding in your Civic.

301 – 400: Modern luxury SUVs are fantastic.

401 or more: Minivans and Priuses are awesome, aren’t they?

My bird IS the word > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 07:44

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Add a penalty for how expensive your car is?

Svend > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 08:12

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Okay, so I had 600 points.

Now as the ones below no longer matter,

-50 Engine,

-41 Country of Origin,

-20 Age, and

-7 Power Driver’s Seat

Which makes it 482,

but +50 for no repairs.

Now at 532 points. Still a great result.

barnie > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 08:18

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Cool! I got 425 points on a 2001 Subabru Legacy E wagon over 156 for the last quiz . Used 34 mpg w/ AC on the highway. Doesn’t sound right, though.

What’s “underseat storage”? Sully’s probably storing lint and french fries down there but it’s 15 points. I taped the rear vents off for better front seat AC but, again, it’s 70 po ints here.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > barnie 09/26/2020 at 08:39

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One of our cars a tray under the seat that slides forward and can actually hold a lot. On another car the entire seat bottom lifts up to reveal a large storage compartment. 

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Svend 09/26/2020 at 08:40

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I think you were the high score on the last one.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 08:43

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I’m guessing my SS will fare better than my M3. =)

Jay, the practical enthusiast > My bird IS the word 09/26/2020 at 08:51

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The problem with that is the cost of a car (or any product) is relative to income and other expenses . An expensive car might have less of an impact on the budget of someone making 6 figures versus a cheap car for someone making minimum wage.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 09:09

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How about the ability to carry 8 ft long boards without having to tie them down?

Svend > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 09:17

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Yay. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 09:24

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I have an issue with AWD only scoring one point better than FWD. Frankly, 4wd is probably the most practical, since you can run it 2 or 4, especially if it’s pushbutton and not manual locking hubs. If RWD has to be zero, I wouldn’t give FWD more than 5, but I’m not sure they should be different, especially with FWD getting points for flat floors. Also, longitudinal RWD setups are easier to service in many cases, which is more practical for DIY.

Power open/close rear hatch door?

3 zone climate?

Your repair costs are super arbitrary and have no reflection on how long a vehicle has been owned. I would change that up to reflect an average repair cost per year over the length of your ownership. Because sometimes things break. You might have had to put a new transmission in last year, but it’s at 300k and is 20 years old. Thanks a reliable car that loses points in your current system. And it's this meant to include regular scheduled maintenance like timing belts? What about a clutch?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 09:46

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74 1 on the R500

350 on the E55

200 on the Africa Twin

85 on the Monster

Points for heated steering wheel/grips?

Brickman > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 09:57

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155 for me S10

503 for ZR2 :D   (added AWD and 4X4 points together since it has both)

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 10:03

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No love for the inline 5? my Volvo wants some bonus points !

Tareim - V8 powered > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 10:36

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7: Country of Origin (Home Country of Automaker, not factory location) (doesn’t reflect reliability)

Ahem *cough* lucas electronics *cough*

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/broken-down-1840344393

shop-teacher > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 10:55

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I think you did a great job on this one! This seems to be a genuine reflection of practicality. I personally feel that wagons should be equal with SUVs. They’re the same amount of practicality. Not that 5-points on a silly quiz really matters  though :)

shop-teacher > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 11:02

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Oh, one other comment, I don't think wheels driven should be in there are all.

smobgirl > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 11:24

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Add a bonus for being able to live in it 

My bird IS the word > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 12:05

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Good point.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 13:03

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My Xterra absolutely swept, I think it’s 542 although I did lose count at one point. 

CobraJoe > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 13:13

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Dont forget convertible as a body type, that usually affects p racticality.

Als o, I’d suggest adding the number of parts replaced as a negative to reliability. Replacing the same $10 part once a month is about as bad as spending $500 for a single repair, in my opinion.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 14:03

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Edit: include spare wheels!

Full sized spare: 10 points

Space saver: 5 points

No spare: - 5 points

I like this new revision. Making a sedan 0 points as a practicality baseline seems to make sense even if I don’t get any points.

I think there should be points for 3 inches or more of sidewall because curbing your wheels is no fun.

Your reliability scores make no repairs the only option if you have less than $1000 of repairs over 3 years. Maybe reword that one.

I think there should be 5 points for an both an exterior AND interior trunk latch that isn’t a key fob or key hole. I wouldn’t even get points from it but it is convenient.

And the mpgs can vary quite a lot in how you interpret it. My car’s not indicator is hilariously inaccurate so I think I can arbitrarily decide I do enough highway driving to bump it over the 30 mpg threshold. It’s really hard to say though.

I definitely think there should be a certain power to weight ratio that is penalized on the high and low end and a power to weight ratio that is rewarded in the middle. Because passing is important but not THAT important.

25 lbs per horse or more: - 5 points

15 - 25 lbs per horse: 5 points

1 - 15 lbs per horse: - 5 points

I’m looking forward to the final version of this quiz.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 14:05

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Well the same size of wagon as SUV will have smaller wheel well cutouts so more usable interior space. Not a huge difference though.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/26/2020 at 14:06

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Not all FWDs have flat floors. I have a big ol exhaust hump in mine. 

shop-teacher > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/26/2020 at 14:35

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The SUV usually has a taller roof, so that's a wash. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 14:57

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Yeah but vertical space is less usable and it has a higher lift over. Not sure it is a 5 point difference in practicality but it's at least a 1 point.

shop-teacher > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/26/2020 at 15:12

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Higher lift over, yes. But no crouching down to load an SUV.

Lol, we're really splitting hairs now!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 16:00

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I never said a slammed wagon. Really the most practical boyd style is the van but a wagon is like a van with a lower roof while an SUV is like a van with a higher floor. 

shop-teacher > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/26/2020 at 16:24

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I agree, and that's precisely why I think they're equally practical. The van is most certainly the most practical, no contest.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 18:39

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I would remove the front airbag bonus since they have been mandated pretty much everywhere in the world for so long now.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 18:45

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I think the safety & c onvenience features should be de-emphasized a bit. My 528i scored almost as high as my Grand Cherokee (420 vs 446) despite being way less practical in actual life. This was mostly due to hitting nearly all points in those two sections.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 19:14

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BUT TE WHEEL WELLZ!

for Michigan > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/26/2020 at 20:45

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Why does my 128i score a 390!? 

for Michigan > for Michigan 09/26/2020 at 20:51

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I missed the thing at the top saying not to post scores. But I do feel like that’s absurdly high for a compact coupe.

shop-teacher > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/26/2020 at 21:17

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Uh huh, but roof line.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 21:26

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Roofline smphoof line. If I weren't on my phone I'd put an X6, a CHR, and other examples here. 

BTW is my extended username at the “and 1 more” length? Or wait, does that even matter now with author names gone?

shop-teacher > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/26/2020 at 21:32

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Those are hatchbacks.

Your extendo name cuts off at "Carless Col..." On my phone

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > shop-teacher 09/26/2020 at 22:00

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I thought about going with ‘Cruze Commander’ but I have been functionally carless for over a month so IDK. Felt I needed to spice things up but my initial handle is long enough to limit shenanigans.

So we are talking about proper longroofs then. In that case, there are still plenty of practicality reducing sloping rooflines but just not as many. It is indeed CLOSE to a tie, but I'd still rather load a wagon in most use cases.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > BaconSandwich is tasty. 09/27/2020 at 00:53

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Storage capacity should be given points but I don’t know factor it in.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/27/2020 at 00:56

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I tried to fix it but I’m still not sure if this even makes sense. This is harder than I thought it would be.

11: Reliability (unscheduled repairs only, not to include scheduled maintenance)

$1000 or more in average yearly repair costs: -40 points

$500 - 999 in average yearly repair costs: -20 points

$250 - 499 in average yearly repair costs: -10 points

Up to $249 in average yearly repair costs: 0 points

No repairs: 10 points for each year owned

Jay, the practical enthusiast > shop-teacher 09/27/2020 at 00:57

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The whole reason I made this was because I was upset about a stupid quiz :)

Jay, the practical enthusiast > CobraJoe 09/27/2020 at 01:01

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Should a convertible get points since it’s probably easier to load and unload?

Reliability is a tough one to factor in. That part is harder that I expected. This is my new formula per AMGs suggestion:

11: Reliability (unscheduled repairs only, not to include scheduled maintenance)

$1000 or more in average yearly repair costs: -40 points

$500 - 999 in average yearly repair costs: -20 points

$250 - 499 in average yearly repair costs: -10 points

Up to $249 in average yearly repair costs: 0 points

No repairs: 10 points for each year owned

Jay, the practical enthusiast > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/27/2020 at 01:03

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I put it in because before I had a penalty for old cars and now I’m rewarding all of us with cars from the 90s and newer.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > for Michigan 09/27/2020 at 01:06

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Because it’s a luxury SUV now :)

Jay, the practical enthusiast > for Michigan 09/27/2020 at 01:07

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No, I’m glad people posted scores because I can see some of the bonus points are way off.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > shop-teacher 09/27/2020 at 01:11

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I left it in because I feel like in some places / situations it is still important and practical.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/27/2020 at 01:13

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I’m going to try to lower those safety and bonus points.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/27/2020 at 01:39

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I revised and added as much as I could but since I’m lazy I tried to keep it as minimal as possible. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/27/2020 at 01:50

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You’re good. You can’t and shouldn’t implement every suggestion.

shop-teacher > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/27/2020 at 07:01

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Eh, whatevs. You have more points to dual zone AC than any drive wheels. I have that though ... In my nearly 15 year old base model pickemup :)

shop-teacher > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/27/2020 at 07:02

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I have found this silly debate to be great fun :)

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 09/27/2020 at 09:50

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This is true

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/27/2020 at 10:00

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I wouldn’t try to make one of these! Can’t be easy to have it all make sense at the end.

I like your tiers, but unless you’ve got something less than 5 years old 99% of people here will get 0 points. I would say 10 points to the 249 tier. If someone with a 10 year old car says they’ve never done any repairs, they’ve either not noticed something needed fixing or they’re neglecting it, maybe even 5 years . And people have different levels of what they actually care to fix; for example I’ll fix every stupid little thing even if it’s not totally broken, like the light in a button that shows you’ve turned the defrost on. Most people will only do things that directly affect whether/how the vehicle actually drives, and even then it’s a huge maybe (suspension bushings for example).

Are you including warranty repairs in this? Or just things the owner has had to pay for?

CobraJoe > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/27/2020 at 10:28

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Easier to unload the back seat, but less room for passengers (depending on the vehicle design I guess), and definitely less dedicated cargo room.

Maybe it’s not as bad overall as I’m thinking, but it feels very limited compared to the hatchback version I used to own.

Looking at cost alone for reliability would favor people who can do their own repairs. I don’t have a good method to suggest to modify that section, but I know I have never spent $1000 in a year on car repairs, and I’ve owned some pretty unreliable cars.