Thursday, July 15, 2010

TG’s Configurator Challenge


If you've got yourself a copy of the new issue of TopGear magazine, you'll know we have devised a new game with online car configurators. It is a good game.


The challenge is to make the most expensive car possible: not as an overall price tag, but as a percentage of its starting price. In other words, can you double a car's original price on options alone?
Our best effort? A mark-up of 102 per cent on the Mini One, including a spectacular - and unnecessary - set of 17-inch alloys at £1,605. But we reckon you can do better. Below are five of our best efforts, with links to the configurators, but there are more out there. Many more.
The only rule is that once you've chosen your start car, you can't change the engine: no claiming you've specced a BMW 318i over £50,000 when you've actually changed it into an M3.
Use the comment-devices below to show us your finest work, and be warned: successful speccing is a more complex science than it might first appear to be. Happy configuratorising!


Mini One: 102 per cent mark-up

Start price: £12,620

End price: £25,550

Mini's configurator    http://mini.co.uk/html/ecom/ecom.html

Audi A1 1.6D: 94 per cent mark-up

Start price: £13,545

End price: £26,295

Audi's configurator    http://ak4-uk.audi.co.uk/entry


Mercedes A160: 89 per cent mark-up

Start price: £14,090

End price: £26,600

Merc's configurator    http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedkingdom/mpc/mpc_unitedkingdom_website/en/home_mpc/passengercars/home/new_cars/models/a-class/w169/configurator.html


BMW 116i: 83 per cent mark-up

Start price: £17,610

End price: £32,145

BMW's configurator   http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/ecom4/frameset/0,,1156___bs-MQ%3D%3D%40bb-S08%3D%40sit-bmwuk,00.html


Fiat 500 1.2: 70 per cent mark-up

Start price: 9,265

End price: £15,725

Fiat's configurator    http://www.fiat.co.uk/showroom/?id=10023#showroom/new_500/configurator