Photos: Audi, Subaru Are luxury cars really necessary? Do you really need to buy a $35,000 Audi A4 when a $22,000 Subaru Legacy will do?
With everyday cars becoming so good, the luxury marques are finding it tough to add enough amenities and gizmos that differentiate their rides from the average Honda, Toyota or Mazda. Today, you can get all sorts of technology in the $16,000-$40,000 range that used to be available only in Mercedes or Lexus territory. You can even put Nappa leather on the seats of a Kia. Or, vice versa, you can find some pretty cheesy pieces inside a Mercedes CLA.
With everyday cars becoming so good, the luxury marques are finding it tough to add enough amenities and gizmos that differentiate their rides from the average Honda, Toyota or Mazda. Today, you can get all sorts of technology in the $16,000-$40,000 range that used to be available only in Mercedes or Lexus territory. You can even put Nappa leather on the seats of a Kia. Or, vice versa, you can find some pretty cheesy pieces inside a Mercedes CLA.
Yes, luxury cars such as the newest Mercedes S-Class take ride, feel and atmosphere all to new levels that still separate those vehicles from the rest of the pack. And we all know that the plusher rides are pacesetters for the engineering that ultimately reaches most average cars. But not long ago, we stepped inside the new 2015 Hyundai Sonata and found it lavish enough that we thought it was their upmarket Azera. Their Genesis delivered so much smooth power with the base V-6 that we had to double-check with the PR rep to make sure there wasn't a V-8 under the hood. In a recent post, we felt we could extract more fun from the cheaper Chevrolet Camaro 1SS than a Corvette Stingray.
Sidebar: See what happens when Car and Driver slices into the wood trim of three different cars.
-- "Into the Woods," p. 22, Sept. 2014 issue
So, with that said, let's take a look at seven higher-end models (with base MSRPs in parentheses) and see if you could really survive with the less costly or more plebeian alternatives:
Do you really need a . . . or can you survive just fine with a . . . ?
Mini Cooper S hardtop ($24.1K) Ford Focus ($16.8K)
Audi S3 ($41.1) Subaru WRX ($26.3)
Mercedes GLA ($33.3) Ford Escape($22.6)
Audi A4 ($35.5) Subaru Legacy ($21.7)
Mercedes CLA ($29.9) Kia Optima ($21.7)
Lexus ES ($36.6) Buick Regal ($29.7)
Range Rover standard wheelbase ($84.2) Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit ($48.2)
We understand that the addition of comparable options might bring the prices closer. Let us know if you feel strongly about the choices or if you'd like to add some of your own alternative picks to the list. Are these apples vs. oranges, or do we spend unnecessary dollars on prestige badges?
Tell us what you think.
Do you really need a . . . or can you survive just fine with a . . . ?
Mini Cooper S hardtop ($24.1K) Ford Focus ($16.8K)
Audi S3 ($41.1) Subaru WRX ($26.3)
Mercedes GLA ($33.3) Ford Escape($22.6)
Audi A4 ($35.5) Subaru Legacy ($21.7)
Mercedes CLA ($29.9) Kia Optima ($21.7)
Lexus ES ($36.6) Buick Regal ($29.7)
Range Rover standard wheelbase ($84.2) Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit ($48.2)
We understand that the addition of comparable options might bring the prices closer. Let us know if you feel strongly about the choices or if you'd like to add some of your own alternative picks to the list. Are these apples vs. oranges, or do we spend unnecessary dollars on prestige badges?
Tell us what you think.
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