10 Most Luxurious Cars In the World

Luxury cars often use higher-quality interior materials and have features that aren't available on lower-priced models — engines, transmissions, sound systems, telematics, safety features — and are packed with more amenities.
Brand and trust are intertwined, and trust is a key element of luxury,” says Arnold. “We trust that a luxury good is the best quality. Before the crash [in 2008], many, many brands positioned themselves as luxury. Most disappeared when conspicuous consumption was out of fashion. Familiar brands like Cartier or Hermès passed through.”


The trusted survived, and trust certainly allows the C-class to be cast as a luxury car. Readers ranked Mercedes third among automotive brands that convey luxury, behind Rolls-Royce and Bentley, even if other responses suggest they don't consider the C-class a true luxury car. More exclusive cars like the S65 AMG and the SLS throw substantial weight into shaping Mercedes' image.


In the chicken-and-the-egg context of brand and luxury, Bentley's Lewis notes that “the brand is only as good as the product.”


“It all comes from the product,” he says. “Our customers are very demanding. They have long experience with ours and other luxury brands. If after a week in a Mulsanne they couldn't tell what justified the price premium compared to an S-class, we'd fail.”


Luxury is not technology. The 2013 Ford Taurus Limited drips technology: adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, cross-traffic and collision alert, back-up camera and parking aids, full voice command, heated seats—or, just about everything in an S-class. The Taurus is luxurious in some sense and costs $42,000 with the EcoBoost 2.0-liter four-cylinder, but it isn't a luxury car.