I think the idea was to take what the cars prepped the way the average user/enthusiast preps them... So in that respect, it was an alright comparo, IMO.
However, I think I'm inclined to agree with ya. If they got a Pug enthusiast of the same ilk as the FrogEye owners, the story probably would have been different.
Unfortunately, it seems there are more people into making newer cars ~look~ and ~sound~ fast rather than actually making the things perform.