Luxury Sedan Comparison

In spite of ever-escalating price points, the demand for luxury cars-indeed luxury goods as a whole-continues to increase. And why not? Life's short, be comfy. When we last evaluated five full-size luxury offerings ("Luxurious Maximus," Oct. 2000), the Mercedes-Benz S500 Sport was the winner. But the new-for-'01 Lexus LS 430 made big points in creature features and value. Now, Infiniti reenters the fray with a new-from-the-ground-up flagship offering, the '02 Q45, promising to raise the technology and performance bar again. Does it? We invited this trio, plus another three, to square off and go at it again. Jaguar has now bolted a supercharger onto its top-of-the-line Vanden Plas sedan's V-8, and we brought a Cadillac Seville STS along to see how a domestic leader fares in this class. Yes, based on size, a DeVille might've been a more logical contestant, but we tested and reported on it at least three times last year, so it's a well-known entity by now. In order to reduce the price gap we had to wrestle with last time, we went for a more moderately equipped Mercedes S430 instead of a highly optioned S500; there's still a price gap between it and the Lexus, but it's no longer $25 grand. And to maintain a measure of continuity with the first Lux Max comparo, we brought along another Audi A8 L, which fared very well in that contest.

Disclaimer: Getting evenly matched, short-term test cars out of manufacturers' press fleets isn't difficult-it's impossible. Contrary to popular belief, they're not built to our order for any given test. As you'll see, one huge aspect of today's luxury cars is features, particularly those of the electronic kind. What's standard on this one is optional on that one, but only if you get the package that includes things not offered by the one over there. We tried to get non-Sport-package-equipped cars, yet four of the six were so equipped. So, even though we are, of course, comparing specific cars, we'll try not to give any one an advantage-or penalty-for having or not having some specific doodad. Moral: Shop individual and packaged options carefully.

In the days before satellite concierge services and CD players, luxury cars were about style: the statement they made about you when you pulled up in front of the theater, the club, or your favorite five-star eating establishment. It's still important; though, like music, remains a question of personal choice. Infiniti has drawn up a clean, gimmick-free shape that's certainly not unattractive. Its exterior jewelry, particularly the lighting, is handsome, and its flanks are commendably gingerbread-free. But little about the Q says "elegance" or "luxury" either. It almost reminds us of a 13/10ths-scale Mercury Sable, which again isn't bad. But is it enough for this crowd?

We also thought the Lexus LS 430's styling might grow on us since the last test, but it really hasn't. It still resembles a combination of Toyota Avalon (no surprise there, given the family connection) and the previous-generation Mercedes S-Class. It's a little tallish looking, and the wheel design is flat boring. Again, its buyership must be happy with it, but it's not a car that draws oohs and aahs...

...like the Jaguar does. Maybe it's the hoodline that sculpts itself over four round headlights, or the tapered tail, or the sleek greenhouse, low stance, chrome trim, or even that little Leaper on the hood. This platform received its last substantial visual update in '95, and the basics have been around a decade longer than that. Yet she's still an elegant looker and garnered more positive commentary than either of the brand-new Japanese cars.