Badge inflation

Mercedes Benz SLMercedes and BMW are both guilty of padding their numbers. Not in a financial sense but rather in making their products appear larger than what they really are. This reflects an accurate understanding of how Americans value bigger things.

The forth-coming Mercedes SL550 has a 4.7 liter engine. It used to be that Mercedes would badge such a model as the SL470. No longer. BMW does the same thing with their 328i … the latest model has a 2.0 liter engine.

In Europe, this inflation is slightly less. The SL550 is badged as the SL500.

Engine sizes are going down, as vehicle manufacturers are figuring out how to get more power out of less engine. That’s a good thing. Fuel economy usually goes up when these changes happen. And then you save when you fill up at the gas station.

I long for the day when real numbers will be given for things.

Photo courtesy of Desertspotter.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

One Reply to “Badge inflation”

  1. I agree, but I remember being a kid and being in love with the hot rods from the 60s and 70s. I wasn’t the only american teen to feel that way. These cars came with giant motors that would suck a gallon of gas just starting up in the morning.
    Crazy..

Comments are closed.