$10,000 Refrigerator Gets Chilliest Rating From Consumer Reports

A fridge that costs $10,000 scores poorly on efficiency, Consumer Reports says.

ByABC News
September 17, 2013, 10:44 AM
Fhiaba Series MG Stand Plus MG8991TST6/3U, a $10,000 Italian-made refrigerator was reviewed by Consumer Reports.
Fhiaba Series MG Stand Plus MG8991TST6/3U, a $10,000 Italian-made refrigerator was reviewed by Consumer Reports.
Fhiaba

Sept. 17, 2013 — -- Shelling out more for a household appliance, according to Consumer Reports, won't necessarily bring the best performance or bang for your buck. In fact you may get the opposite.

Case in point: a $10,000 Italian-made refrigerator that uses a lot of power relative to its puny capacity. In its newest tests, Consumer Reports said the $10,000 built-in Fhiaba Series MG Stand Plus refrigerator ranked last in its built-in refrigerator ratings with a total score of 27 out of 100.

"Built-ins as a category tend to be less roomy than other types of refrigerators. This Fhiaba bottom-freezer is especially so, with just 13.1 cubic feet of usable capacity, based on our measurements," Consumer Reports' Daniel DiClerico wrote on the magazine's website. "The lack of space hurt its energy efficiency score, which could also be a factor if you have a large household with significant food-storage needs."

"Even more concerning is the fact that it doesn't come with an EnergyGuide label, which consumers use to compare energy efficiency across various models," DiClerico told ABC News.

The top-scoring built-in fridge--the most expensive version of this appliance--was a Thermador Freedom Collection T36BB820SS, which costs $7,400 and scored 80 out of 100.

Here are some of Consumer Reports' ratings by fridge category and their scores:

1. Thermador Freedom Collection T36BB820SS, $7400: 80

2. Jenn-Air JS42PPDUDB[SS], $7200: 80

3. Bosch Integra 800 Series B36BT830NS, $7500: 78

4. Thermador Freedom Collection T36BT810NS, $8000: 78

5. Thermador KBUDT4265E[S], $8750: 77

6. Sub-Zero BI42S[S], $8000: 76

7. Miele KF1901Vi, $7200: 76

1. Samsung RS265TD[WP], $1300: 76

2. Samsung RS263TD, $1200: 76

3. Samsung RS267TD, $1600: 76

4. KitchenAid KSF26C6X[YY], $1950: 75

5. Bosch Linea 800 B22CS80SN[S], $2700: 74

6. Bosch B22CS50SN, $2300: 74

7. Maytag MSD2559XE[W], $1250: 73