Strain the gnat, swallow the camel

I saw a commercial yesterday while watching the little football I could muster about the new 2011 Ford Edge. It's a beautiful car that I would love to own with some great technology. But that's not why I'm writing this post.

The marketers of this vehicle thought it would be smart to show how the technology in the car could help save money. They touted the car's ability to show you the most fuel efficient route. They also have a way to look up the cheapest gas in the area. Those are great features and the user interface looks quite stunning, especially with the animations. But there's one catch here:

You're spending $35,000 MSRP on a vehicle.

$35,000.

How much gas would you have to save to make that up? How many "fuel efficient detours" would you need to embark upon to make that up?

I'm fine with people buying a car because they like it, because they want to drive fast, for the convenience, or even because they want to look cool. Go ahead. Have some fun in life if that's what you want to do. But don't go buy a $35,000 car so you can find the most fuel efficient route on the way to work.