The term "luxury" has undergone a drastic metamorphosis over the last decade with regard to the automobile. Items like air conditioning, electric windows, cruise control, remote keyless entry and even a power-sliding sunroof have become practically standard features on all but the most inexpensive, bare-bones models. For example, Honda's Civic (arguably the benchmark of basic transportation) comes with all of the above features, as well as a power driver's seat and CD player, for less than $16,000. With vehicles like these offering such a powerful combination of luxury and value, true luxury carmakers have been forced to reexamine, redesign and repackage their own models in an effort to capture buyers with cars costing over twice as much as the value-packed Civic.
Fortunately for these companies, a large chunk of Americans don't want to drive a compact car, even a nicely loaded one. These buyers have achieved a certain level of success in their lives and a small sedan, while perfectly capable and eminently practical, doesn't make the sort of statement that successful, upwardly mobile Americans want to make. However, these people haven't yet reached CEO status and aren't ready for that S-Class-7-Series-XJR test drive. It's this rapidly growing "near-luxury" segment that automakers hope to capture with their $30,000-$40,000 sedans.
Just as the market segment is growing, so is the number of offerings targeted at this demographic. Our parameters for this comparison test specified sedans priced in the $27,500-$40,000 range when equipped with a six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. After reaching a dead-end when trying to get a Catera from Cadillac, deciding the Oldsmobile Aurora was too dated, and having no chance to obtain the as-yet-unreleased Lincoln LS, we were left with eight combatants. Each of these models is a relatively new design, so none had the disadvantage of using an archaic platform or obsolete technology.
Of these eight players, seven were press vehicles supplied by the manufacturer and one, the Lexus, came from Event Vehicles Incorporated; Lexus claimed that instrumented testing was not allowed with their cars ( We wonder if Lexus has the same rule for Motor Trend or Car & Driver?). Fortunately for us, Event Vehicles can locate and supply cars for competitive testing purposes. They also work closely with Budget Rent-A-Car of Beverly Hills, which can supply unique or specialized cars for filming or rental purposes. Whether you need a Toyota Camry for slalom testing or a Ferrari 550 Maranello to "try before you buy," these people can help you out. Give them a call at 310/822-1700, ext. 163, or check out their Web site at www.budgetbeverlyhills.com for more information.
The test involved a day of instrumented testing at a track facility, plus two days of on-road testing over mountain passes, along crowded freeways and through city streets. Each vehicle was rated in four areas that included: 1.The numbers produced at the test track. 2. A rating based on a meticulous, 30-point evaluation. 3. An "off-the-cuff" personal rating of first through eighth place by each of Edmund's editors. 4. A value equation based on the "as tested" sticker price.
The "off-the-cuff" rating proved to be the most interesting (and perhaps the most telling) of the testing components because of numerous discrepancies between it and the far-more-methodical 30-point evaluation rating. This, and several other surprising results, will be discussed throughout this article. It should be mentioned that our use of percentage points in each of the above categories represents a basis of comparison and should not be evaluated with the standard "A-B-C" grading scale (in which case, even our winner would be getting only a C+). In typical "save the best for last" style, we will discuss each vehicle in reverse order from our eighth-place to first-place finisher. We will also have a chart at the end of the test showing how each vehicle performed on each component. Let the games begin!
