Want to know what true luxury is?
…park one of these cars in your garage!
The concept of luxury is as old as civilization itself, and thousands of years later, we’re still pondering what it means. Luxury is defined by Webster as “something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary”, or “an indulgence that provides pleasure, satisfaction or ease.”
In finding true luxury in the automobile industry, vehicles that are price-driven and limited to the high net-worth and high fashioned-minded personalities are such that fall in this category. These vehicles are not driven by everyone in the society and spotted once a while.
Luxury is a blend of many ingredients – some less tangible than others- that includes quality, function, beauty and trust the brand must have established over the period.
The automobile industry is one industry that has defined luxury in the kind of products that it churns out to satisfy its many admirers.
Currently, some vehicles that define true luxury are noted for their stylishness and beauty. Such include the following:
The beautiful Maserati GranTurismo coupe was launched in 2007, and in 2010 they made an even more attractive (and more expensive) version – a cabriolet. They announced they would stop making it in 2014. Maserati GranTurismo S was introduced in 2008. This beast has a 4.7-liter V8 and 434 horsepower, reaches 62 mph in 4.9 seconds. Its top speed is 183 mph, which is more than great for a vehicle that weighs 1.8 tonnes. It is one of those things that can’t be described with words, so take a look at the photo, or even better – schedule a test ride if you can. It can be yours for roughly $150,000.
This hybrid has a 135 kg 4.6-liter V-8 engine, and 2 electric motors. It develops 887 horsepower (608 coming from the engine and 279 coming from the two electric motors), 7-speed auto-shift manual transmission with overdrive, 4-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS), integrated navigation system, side seat mounted airbags, curtain 1st row overhead airbag, driver and passenger knee airbag, airbag occupancy sensor, 20″ magnesium wheels, cruise control, ABS and driveline traction control, all-wheel drive.
The Spyder is capable of developing 62 mph in just 2.5 seconds. The battery power lasts about 12 miles. Another innovation was brought in: 4 wheel steering. The starting price is roughly $848,000, and it’s a limited edition. What else do you get for that money? Well, take a look at the photo.
This amazing coupe comes with a 6.2-liter V-8 engine, supercharger, the strenght of 638 horsepower at 6500 RPM, top speed of 205 mph, and magnetic selective ride control with 2 modes: sport and tour. This car is fairly lightweight (1.5 tonnes). It does look like a sports car, but at the same time it is elegant and classy. If you want it, you can get it for $112,000 – $130,000.
With its twin-turbo 6.75-liter V8, this machine is truly impressive. It is actually the only Bently model with such engine and rear wheel drive. Despite its weight (2.6 tonnes), it feels light, fast and powerful and reaches 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Quite good for a „heavyweight“ car. For years, Bently has been a symbol of status and class. If you want a luxurious car, you have found it – available at the price of $306,000.
The 5.9 V12 engine is just one great thing about this four-door hatchback. With 470 horsepower and capable of reaching 60 mph in 5 seconds, it is powerful enough, no matter how crazy you are. It comes with a six-speed touchtronic automatic transmission. Its interior is as impressive as its exterior: memory seats with heating and cooling, walnut trim, leather, and powerful sound system. This is not just a high quality car. It looks amazing, too. It can be yours for $201,000.
For a car that only weighs 1.5 tonnes, Lamborghini Aventador is incredibly powerful. With a 6.5-liter V12, reaching 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, and top speed of 217 km/h, ‘the fighting bull’ will leave you breathless. And so will its price – $400,000 – $440,000. As for the LP 700-4 model, they announced they would produce only four thousand cars. The production is, of course, very slow, but it’s worth waiting.
Beside its looks, the most impressive thing about this car is probably its engine: 6.2-litre V8 LT1 – a small block engine with three great innovations: active fuel management, variable valve timing, and direct injection. It comes either with a six-speed automatic transmisssion or seven-speed manual. Compared to the previous generation, there is one downside – considerably decreased luggage space. However, this car is amazing in so many ways, and if you buy it, luggage will be the last thing on your mind.
This beauty is not here yet, but we are looking forward to meeting her. It is planned for 2015. The previous models came with an impressive aluminum V6 VTEC engine that Honda is famous for, and we expect the 2015 NSX to be even more impressive. Honda stopped making NSX in 2005, and after a long break, the production will start again with an amazing new model. Honda lovers are expecting it with impatience, and so are we. They haven’t revealed much about it, but the photo from the International Car Show in NY 2012 should tell you quite enough.
If you want luxury, that is exactly what you get – inside and out. We’re talking about fancy interior: leather seats with heating, touch-screen indicators to help you park the car easily (hey, you don’t want to scratch this one!), auto-dimming mirrors to help you at night, turbocharged engine, eight-speed smart stop-start transimition and much more. With top speed of 149 mph and 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, it is a fairly decent car. The price ranges between $45,000 and $95,000.
The 2015 Rolls-Royce Phantom is a 4-door, 5-seat Sedan, available in 2 trims, ranging from the Sedan to the EWB Sedan. Upon introduction, the $407,400 Sedan is equipped with a standard 6.8L, 12-cylinder, engine that achieves 11-mpg in the city and 19-mpg on the highway. an Automatic transmission is standard. The $480,175 EWB Sedan is equipped with a standard 6.8L, 12-cylinder, engine that achieves 11-mpg in the city and 19-mpg on the highway. an Automatic transmission is standard.
The 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari is a 2-door, 2-seat Coupe, available in 1, the Base. Upon introduction, the $1,416,362 Base is equipped with a standard 6.3L, 12-cylinder, engine that achieves 12-mpg in the city and 16-mpg on the highway. an Automatic transmission is standard. The $1,416,362 Base is equipped with a standard 6.3L, 12-cylinder, engine that achieves 12-mpg in the city and 16-mpg on the highway. an Automatic transmission is standard.
This list wouldn’t be complete without some version of the mighty Bugatti Veyron. We’re shining our spotlight on the the Mansory Vivere edition here, because not only is it one of the fastest cars in the world, it’s one of the most expensive.
Augmented by German witch doctors Mansory, the 1,200-hp Veyron starts out as a Grand Sport Vitesse Roadster, only to be adorned with a gorgeous carbon fiber body, a new spoiler package, upgraded LED lights, a rebuffed cabin, and a redesigned front grill. Further classifying the Veyron as a work of art, maps of historic race events like the Targa Florio are laser etched into the exterior and interior. Oh, and it can do 254 mph.
