Cars.com Reveals Super Bowl XLV Commercials

Yep, that’s one of two Super Bowl commercials Cars.com will be airing Sunday, Feb. 6. This is the fourth consecutive year we’ve taken part in the big game.

This year, Cars.com’s commercials focus on our expert and consumer reviews and how they help deliver confidence to car shoppers.

Check out the second commercial below and let us know what you think in the comments.

The Best Pre-Super Bowl Car Commercials

It’s that time of year again: The Super Bowl is almost here, along with Cars.com’s newest commercials that will air during the big game. In honor of this ad-tastic season, we thought we’d give our take on some of the best car commercials airing now, before the year’s most-watched television event creates a whole new bumper crop for us to critique.

Do People Really Give Cars As Gifts?

The Budweiser Clydesdales and Coca-Cola’s Santa may have seemingly co-opted Christmas for marketing gain, but when car companies do it, it can still feel stilted. It’s hard to believe that some people are bequeathing five- or six-figure vehicles to one another for the holidays — with giant bows nonetheless. But according to Consumer Research, some people, in fact, do.

It may surprise you, but an estimated 14,994 new cars are expected to be given as gifts this season.

The number looks big, but out of a projected 980,000 new vehicles expected to be sold in December, these pricey presents make up only about 1.5% of all car sales. The number of people giving cars as gifts has gone down during the recent economic downturn. CNW Marketing Research says the peak of car gift giving happened in 2005, when 138,269 new and used cars were given.

The folks dishing out the dough for a gift like this are typically 30 to 60 years old and earn more than $100,000 a year, according to USA Today.

Gifters sometimes even use the big bow to give away their vehicles, too. Consumer Research says the bows are typically purchased by dealerships, but consumers can get the big magnet ribbon for $25 to $40.

It’s important to note that if you plan on gifting a vehicle, you should research your state’s tax code first. You could end up giving your recipient a burden rather than a reward.

Never Mind the TV Commercials, Do People Really Give Cars as Gifts? (Consumer Research)

2011 Acura TSX: Best Station Wagon Commercial Ever

There are those among us who love station wagons. They like that you can get a large cargo area without a high step-in height. They don’t mind having the vantage point of a car rather than the higher-riding SUV.

That’s why this new commercial for the Acura TSX SportWagon called “Transformation” is so terrific. While most owners won’t take a highway off-ramp at the same speeds as the commercial's stunt driver does — and probably shouldn’t — watching the sedan transform into the wagon while doing the maneuver is a treat for wagon enthusiasts. We also appreciate the type of transformation going on in this ad, which is far removed from the over-CGIed effects of the recent "Transformers" movies.

A video of the making of the commercial is below.

The 2011 TSX SportWagon goes on sale later this year.

Best New Car Commercials

Now that we've announced that Cars.com will have two commercials at Super Bowl XLV, it got us wondering what the best car commercials on the air are right now. Is it just us or have there been some creative, undeniably effective new ads out this year?

Perhaps in a fractured media world — Twitter, Facebook, YouTube ... and TV — automakers have simply had to step up their advertising game, or maybe new products like the all-electric Nissan Leaf simply cry out for attention-grabbing marketing.

Whatever the reason, here are a few of the commercials we like in no particular order. Chime in with your favorites and give us grief for any that we missed.

Cars.com Heads Back to the Super Bowl

We’re pleased to break the news that Cars.com will air two 30-second commercials during Super Bowl XLV. This is the fourth consecutive year we’ve taken part in the biggest television event of the year. There’s also some football involved, we hear.
 
The ads are being developed by DBB and will highlight expert and consumer car reviews as part of our “Confidence Comes Standard” campaign. You can check out last year’s Super Bowl spot below.

World Cup Meets Muscle Cars: Dodge Challenger vs. Britain

Dodge will debut a new commercial during the World Cup soccer match between the U.S. Men’s National Team and England. It’s a bit odd, and we’re not even sure what to think of it, really.
 
It’s historical, sort of, and features George Washington running down redcoats behind the wheel of a black Dodge Challenger. OK. …

The commercial’s tag line is, “Here’s a couple of things America got right: cars and freedom.”

Since we’re so speechless, please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Toyota Latest to Clutter Wrigley Field

Here in downtown Chicago, we’re celebrating a Stanley Cup championship by the Blackhawks. In Wrgileyville, Cubs fans are lamenting yet another change to the historic Wrigley Field.
 
On Thursday, after getting city approval, the Cubs erected a Toyota sign as part of a sponsorship with the automaker. It’s the first of its kind at the field and measures 360 square feet.
 
As you may imagine, Cubs fans for the most part aren’t thrilled. And since the team can’t generate much to talk about on the field, plopping a giant sign in the outfield gives fans a lot not to like about Toyota.

Toyota Sign Goes Up at Wrigley Field (Chicago Breaking Sports)

Ford to Debut New Explorer on Facebook

Next month, Ford will roll out its overhauled Explorer SUV on Facebook, the social media megasite, instead of on the traditional auto-show circuit. Some call it a risky move, but considering Facebook’s expansive reach and buzz-generating ability, we’re guessing this might become the norm in the future.
 
USA Today talked to a number of Ford representatives about the untraditional unveiling, and one said that they weren’t going to show photos of the Explorer on a cliff. Meaning, Ford knows most users are taking the SUV/crossover to soccer practice and not rock climbing.
 
After all, the mass acceptance of the Explorer in suburbia is how it became such an icon in the 1990s and why the vehicle is now based on a crossover platform instead of an SUV one. However, the teaser images on the Explorer’s Facebook page all show the vehicle in outdoor settings that most buyers will likely never traverse.

Ford calls these “realistic yet aspirational.” All four of the teaser images are above and below. Tell us in the comment section if you think they fit Ford’s goals.  

New Ford Fiesta Ad Slams Other Fords

One tagline for the official onslaught of Ford Fiesta marketing and advertising reads, “The Fiesta gets 40 miles per gallon. 21 hybrids do not." It’s a powerful statement that will definitely grab the attention of consumers who don’t regularly follow our site.

Because if they did they’d know that the 21 hybrids Ford is talking about includes — or should — five Ford models that don’t achieve 40 mpg highway. They include the Ford Fusion Hybrid and its Mercury Milan Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ siblings, and the Ford Escape Hybrid compact SUV and its Mercury sibling, the Mariner Hybrid.

To learn which other cars get 40 mpg on the highway, you can check out our guide to high-mileage cars here. If you’re wondering which other hybrids don’t get 40 mpg highway, they include some pricey ones such as the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, Lexus LS 600h L, Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

To give Ford its due credit, none of the Fiesta’s direct competitors come close to 40 mpg highway, with the Toyota Yaris coming closest at 36 mpg highway. The car is just reaching lots now, with Cars.com's national inventory showing just 39 Fiestas. Check out the image gallery of an SE hatchback in Medford, Mass. here.

Why Ford's Fiesta 2011 Launch Is a 'Pretty Big Deal' (BrandWeek)
Cars.com 2011 Ford Fiesta Review