Regardless, people tend to make purchases based on the perceived value, not based on component cost.

I mean, is Slate going to do a car comparison and create an argument for consider horsepower per dollar (or cubic feet of storage per dollar, or seats per dollar, or whatever metric you fancy most) when purchasing a vehicle? I mean, does it really cost thousands of dollars more to produce a 6-cylinder engine over a 4-cylinder, plus a beefier transmission and driveline components? Of course not.