 |
Search WikiMobile |
|
|
Log In: |
|
|
Create an Article |
To submit a new article, enter the name of the page you wish to create and
click "Create Article."
|
|
Top 10 Understated Luxury Cars 2008 | Best Luxury Cars
|
|
Autotropolis Picks Best Luxury Cars:
Ratings and Review on the top 10 best luxury cars for 2008. Unbiased Information to help you research the best car price this year.
Rate and Review our Top Picks
|
|
|
You may also be interested in: Top 10 Executive Cars for 2008 | Top 10 Expensive Cars for 2008
2008 Best Understated Luxury Cars
A car that looks like it is going 100 miles per hour sitting still can be a blast to drive, but there are a great many buyers who prefer the sedate styling found in upmarket luxury sedans. Automakers are producing vehicles in all price ranges and body styles that look like they could be featured in the next science fiction movie thriller. These current styling trends are ideal for the image makers, pop stars, and celebrities, but fortunately there are still many choices for those who want the finer aspects of a vehicle wrapped in a package that is sophisticated yet conservative.
There are plenty of modest vehicles out there, but most of them are rather uninspired. Their designs are dated, their engines are based on nearly vintage technology, and while these automobiles may make great people movers and be quite luxurious, they are not what we were looking for when we compiled our list. Our top 10 selected sedans exuded quality, confidence, sophistication, performance, and comfort.
|
|
Computing the Rankings
|
|
A total of 10 luxury sedans were selected as the best understated luxury cars of 2008. In 2007, we capped the base MSRP of our list at $75,000, however this year we have opened up the competition to any luxury sedan with an introductory MSRP of $100,000 or less. This allowed us to include the flagships of understated luxury, including the 2008 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
The sedans were chosen and ranked based on style, fit & finish, performance, price, comfort and luxury features. Style was the primary consideration when selecting these vehicles, and by far the curvy 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is the vehicle that pushed the style boundary the furthest in this category. The most reserved styling belongs to the 2008 Lincoln Town Car, which has maintained the same basic body lines for the past decade with only relatively minor updates. All-in-all, sedans with updated yet relatively staid designs won out, with the S-Class being at the top, followed closely by cars from Cadillac, Lincoln, Lexus, and Toyota. Our secondary list of top 10 selections came from a pool of luxury sport utility vehicles, crossovers, and wagons. These rankings were based on the same basic criteria as our sedans.
|
|
When we talk about understated luxury, we are talking about cars that offer more substance than flash. To be specific, we are thinking about sedans that don't scream "look at me!" The uninitiated might not even give some of these cars a second look. However, this doesn't mean these cars are inexpensive.
There is nothing understated about an introductory MSRP of $86,700, but our winner for best understated luxury car for 2008 -- the 2008 Mercedes-Benz S-Class -- doesn't go out of its way to flash its luxury and makes no apologies for its sticker price. The 2008 model is up $950 over the 2007 model, which is just a touch over 1 percent. Compare this to year-over-year price increases that can reach 2 or 3 percent for other vehicles.
If the "entry level" 2008 S-Class S550 with its 7-speed automatic transmission with overdrive backing a 382-horsepower 5.5L V8 isn't enough for you, there is an S65 AMG model propelled by a 604-horsepower V12 available for $181,800. That is 114-horsepower more than Ferrari's F430 Coupe, which runs over $170,000.
|
|
|
Top 10 Best Understated Luxury Car List (as rated by Autotropolis.com Editors):
|
| 2008 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
MSRP From: $86,700
Visit Research Center
|
| 2008 Cadillac CTS
MSRP From: $32,745
Visit Research Center
|
| 2008 Cadillac STS
MSRP From: $43,215
Visit Research Center
| 
| 2008 Lincoln MKZ
MSRP From: $30,790
Visit Research Center
|
| 2008 Toyota Avalon
MSRP From: $27,075
Visit Research Center
| 
| 2008 Lincoln Town Car
MSRP From: $45,040
Visit Research Center
|
| 2008 BMW 7 Series
MSRP From: $75,800
Visit Research Center
| 
| 2008 Lexus LS
MSRP From: $62,000
Visit Research Center
|
| 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
MSRP From: $31,600
Visit Research Center
| 
| 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
MSRP From: $67,950
Visit Research Center
|
|
|
