Full Size Luxury Sedan Comparison by Motor Trend

[Mark]

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Full Size Luxury Sedan Comparison by Motor Trend

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The guys over @ Motor Trend have put up this mega 11 page comparison between the large sedan offerings from all the usual suspects in the large luxury sedan game. But they didn't just make this a booring old comparison, they threw in all the non-traditional offerings that are available from automakers you wouldn't have expected 10, 5 or even 1 year ago.

Why all these large luxury sedans in this economic climate anyways? Despite the bad economy, almost every automaker has refreshed their luxo offerings and have pushed the bar foreward even more, blurring the lines between cars meant to be driven by yourself and those meant to be driven by a chauffeur. This isn't all that surprising-- before the big economic collapse, every automotive analyst and pundit declared the high end luxury market as the one which would see the biggest and most profound growth, and no doubt plans were laid for these cars in that climate. And so now, the competition has become fierce.

Motor Trend set out to compare these cars, head to head and see who is king amongst kings. First place, with the title RELUCTANT CONQUERER went to our favorite BMW 740i.

Here is a rundown on the cars which were compared and how they scored in the comparo:

1. BMW 740i
2. Porsche Panamera
3. Audi A8
4. Lexus LS 460
5. Jaguar XJL
6. Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid
7. Hyundai Equus

Here are some select quotes on what Motor Trend had to say about these cars:

BMW 740i

Prestige, panache, and style? BMW may not outrank Mercedes-Benz or Porsche when valets compute the mental tip calculus that determines which car gets parked closest to the entrance, but the Roundel identifies its owner as someone who cares more about driving than arriving.

Porsche Panamera

But it's in the handling department where the Panamera really distinguishes itself. "Forget a gun at a knife fight, Porsche's brought a bazooka to a bake sale," says Febbo. Not only is this the smallest and lightest car here, it's also the only one that makes no pretense of providing a plush ride.

Audi A8

The interior design and materials won us all over, prompting this gush from Febbo: "I'm convinced I'm in a car from the future. The interior of this A8 is a mix of 'Tron,' Apple, and a luxury space yacht."

Jaguar XJL

Right-brain thinkers may be excused for disregarding everything we write about the other six cars and simply rushing out and grabbing one of these, so strong is its emotional appeal -- or repulsion.

Hyundai Equus

But even ETs will admit the design, inside and out, is derivative and bland, and while the quality of the leather and wood trim will wow folks moving up from a Genesis (or TL or G37), the S-Class/7 Series buyer will sniff cost savings. There's no innovation here, as associate road test editor Carlos Lago wrote: "Hyundai has painted by numbers, while the rest have attempted making art."

Make sure to follow the jump to read the article in full on Motortrend.com

[Source: Motor Trend Magazine]

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[KSF]

wheres the quote for the S-class?

i see more S-class than the new 7

S is looking really good

[EmPower]

Originally Posted by Romiie

wheres the quote for the S-class?

i see more S-class than the new 7

S is looking really good

The S class has always been the quintessential plutocratic barge of choice, and will always be. Unless they stop making them that is.....

[Diver]

Motor Trend, ugh!

[MzSpeed]

S-class FTW!!!!...Hey shouldn't the Panamera be in the comparison with the 5-series, E-class and the A6-line that was posted on the main page before this?

[teezee]

Seems strange how the BMW placed no higher than 4th in any category , yet was selected as the overall "winner".

[EuroCarsOnline]

Originally Posted by MzSpeed

S-class FTW!!!!...Hey shouldn't the Panamera be in the comparison with the 5-series, E-class and the A6-line that was posted on the main page before this?

The Panamera is 195" long placing it between the 5 and the 7 in length. However it's price is not in the same category as the 5 Series. The V6 is roughly $86k.

Thanks for sharing Mark!

Regards,

[MzSpeed]

Originally Posted by EuroCarsOnline

The Panamera is 195" long placing it between the 5 and the 7 in length. However it's price is not in the same category as the 5 Series. The V6 is roughly $86k.

Thanks for sharing Mark!

Regards,

The 300HP V6 Panamera starts at $75K. Thats still not saying much because BMW 300HP I6 is $25K less. I had no idea the Panamera was that big and expensive.

[Imola.ZHP]

Originally Posted by MzSpeed

The 300HP V6 Panamera starts at $75K. Thats still not saying much because BMW 300HP V6 is $25K less. I had no idea the Panamera was that big and expensive.

^ I had no idea BMW made V6's...

[Wolf]

I think motor trend is a bit bmw biased, but what the hell i love bmws haha, and bmw never made a V6

[bavarian19]

Originally Posted by Imola.ZHP

^ I had no idea BMW made V6's...

[MzSpeed]

Originally Posted by Imola.ZHP

^ I had no idea BMW made V6's...

Sorry still new to cars (i got in the game late at age 23) . Growing up in Jamaica a camry and accord would be luxury (the 5-series and E-class to you guys) and evo, Honda and Subaru would be like the 335i and s4 (I'm talking some real old models too like evo 6).

Don't take my comment as there are no BMW or Mercedes in Jamaica. It's just that seeing them is like seeing a lambo or ferrari here (seeing a lambo or ferrari would be like seeing a veyron there)

[SoCali E90]

Originally Posted by MzSpeed

Sorry still new to cars (i got in the game late at age 23) . Growing up in Jamaica a camry and accord would be luxury (the 5-series and E-class to you guys) and evo, Honda and Subaru would be like the 335i and s4 (I'm talking some real old models too like evo 6).

Don't take my comment as there are no BMW or Mercedes in Jamaica. It's just that seeing them is like seeing a lambo or ferrari here (seeing a lambo or ferrari would be like seeing a veyron there)

so whats a veyron there?

[Ryan_T]

How were they comparing the BW and Mark Levinson sound systems with some base models in the BMW and Audi?

The B&O system in the A8 and A7 is among the best in-car audio systems, and they skipped it?

[MzSpeed]

Originally Posted by SoCali E90

so whats a veyron there?

The veyron in Jamaica is still a concept so you wont see one on the road there

[Desert_Fox]

Originally Posted by Romiie

wheres the quote for the S-class?

i see more S-class than the new 7

S is looking really good

S class is a woman's car from everything i've seen here in San Diego. There are five of them in our town of 15,000 people (lots of nice cars, upper scale area). One of them is owned by the gold-digger aunt of my gf, but I digress. The one male driver has the S65 AMG, while the women drive S550's, and the aunt has an S600. Nothing special about them to me, just a tuna boat. I'd argue people around here just buy them to show they have money, while at the same time they dont care too much about cars. (Aunt has literally said she just wanted the $60,000k more S600 over the S550 just because she wanted to one up her friend.)

7 series FTW.