USED CARS - Luxury Cars Reviews

The following report was originally published on ConsumerSearch to cover new cars manufactured and sold in the 2006 model year, and so can offer a good guide as to which cars from past model years are good bets as used vehicles. We are keeping this report on our site as a convenience to our readers who may be shopping for a used car.

We analyzed almost a dozen sources to identify the best luxury cars, including comparative luxury-car reviews from Automobile Magazine, Car and Driver and Motor Trend. Automobile magazine has the most current comparison review, covering three 2006 luxury cars in depth. Car and Driver also tests three cars head-to-head, but not the same cars tested by Automobile. Motor Trend's review covers two low-production performance versions of more mainstream luxury cars. All three reviews include extensive road tests on highways, city streets and formal proving grounds. Consumer Reports ranks well in our All Reviews chart with a good luxury-car review. Editors consider data some dedicated car magazines ignore, such as fender-bender repair estimates and crash-test results. Consumer Reports, however, does not test performance in as much detail as other, more automobile-specific reviews.

The huge land-yachts that defined the luxury-car class in previous decades have lost favor to smaller, sportier vehicles. While all of the cars in this report are roomy for at least four adults, they are also powerful and agile enough to appeal to driving enthusiasts. Auto-reviewer Edmunds.com points out that features formerly found only in luxury cars -- such as side-impact airbags, CD players, remote keyless entry and high-end audio systems -- now come standard even on some economy cars. Today's luxury cars still have a lot of features, but what distinguishes them from more pedestrian fare are subtle elements like high-end materials, build quality, interior design and technology.

Best luxury car overall: Lexus LS 430

In reviews, the Lexus LS 430 (*est. $56,525) often wins as the best luxury-car in the premium class. Critics note that every piece of it is constructed with care, from the placement of its stereo speakers (to optimize sound separation) to the quality of the stitching on its standard leather seats. This year the LS 430 Lexus wins a Best Buy award at Consumer Guide, and wins Best-in-Class for cars over $40,000 at Kiplinger's. Kiplinger's editors note that the Lexus LS 430 has topped the luxury car category in its reviews for six years. At Intellichoice.com, the Lexus actually wins two awards, including Best of Luxury Class and Best Overall Car Over $23,000.

In a multi-car roundup at Car and Driver, editors compare the LS 430 to five of its peers in the luxury-car class. The Lexus wins for its best-in-class ride and refinement. Writer Patrick Bedard notes that the Lexus' seats are comfortable for passengers of any shape and size, and that its wood trim is so radiant that it appears to be battery-powered. He also cites the car's many optional luxury touches for rear-seat passengers, such as power-reclining seats, heaters and coolers in the cushion, a massage function, window shades, light dimmers, door closers, a refrigerator and an independent back-seat air conditioner.

On a more mundane level, the Lexus LS has also earned one of the highest reliability records of any vehicle, proving that peace of mind is a form of luxury, too. Standard safety equipment for the Lexus LS 430 includes antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, front-side airbags, curtain-side airbags, rear-head air bags, rear-seat head restraint and dynamic-head restraints and a tire pressure monitoring system. In government fuel economy tests, the Lexus LS 430 scored estimates of 18 mpg in city driving, and 25 mpg on the highway.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class (*est. $64,900 to $127,950) may have a lot of cachet, but critics say the Lexus LS 430 rides more smoothly and quietly, and is a much better value. Critics note that the Mercedes S-Class sedan remains one of the standards against which other high-end luxury-cars are judged, but explain that the car (which was introduced in its current form in the late 1990s) is showing its age in styling and handling. A redesigned Mercedes-Benz S-Class is scheduled for introduction in 2007.  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

The Acura TL and the Lexus LS 430 were chosen as best in more reviews than any other cars with four picks each. The Acura TL also is a winner in the Sports Sedans category elsewhere on this website, but since it has many luxury touches, it makes it to Fast Answers as a luxury car as well. The Lexus LS 430 scores two wins at Intellichoice including Best of Luxury Class and Best Overall Car Over $23,000. It also racks up wins at Consumer Guide, Car and Driver, and Kiplinger's. The Infiniti M35 , Audi A6 and BMW M5 scored three picks each, with a noteworthy award for the M35 at Autobytel where it is deemed "Best New Luxury Car" and a Best in Class award for the M5 where it is crowned "Smart Choice Highest Retained Value". Among the luxury class, there simply isn't as much to criticize, and aesthetic, subjective measures can matter more than performance scores to many buyers.