No arguments please, European carmakers produce the best luxury cars. But if you are tasked with choosing American excess over Japanese high-tech laden luxury rides, who wins?
There are dozens of big American luxury rides to chose from, more recently SUVs stealing sales from traditional sedans and coupes. Cadillac and Lincoln both offer limo-levels of refinement in truck-sized machines decked out with as much or little bling as buyers desire. On the other side of the world, Asian carmakers, too, have caught onto the burgeoning excess in economic stability, offering western buyers ever more refined and upmarket luxury cars for less money, while drawing a little less attention.
America, land of the free, an industrial manufacturing powerhouse that builds some of the best luxury cars money can buy, but Asian carmakers are easily on par or better, and for less money too.
10 Cadillac Escalade
Nothing shouts in your face OTT bling quite like a Cadillac Escalade, the ride of choice for VIPs and rappers alike. This is the best luxury SUV for wannabe celebrities who, despite Cadillac's best attempts at making the 6000 lbs behemoth greener, are still going to be less than welcome at your local Friends of the Earth meet-ups.
The Escalade doesn't pretend to be anything other than a luxuriously appointed SUV on at the larger end of the scale, weight and size needing a big motor to move things along nicely. Under the hood you have a choice of engines, a diesel giving better gas mileage, but if you're going all out for luxury then best stock with the smoother 6.2-liter 460 HP EcoTec3 V8.
9 Lincoln Black Label Navigator
Another luxury SUV barge that really could do with a crash diet, the Lincoln Black Label Navigator is touted as the brand's premium offering, packing every refinement under the sun into pretty much the same oversized heavy footprint as the Escalade, only with a touch more restraint.
Marketed as "inspired by cooler breezes and wind-filled sails" might come across a bit nautical, but that's exactly how Lincoln perceive buyers spending their weekends down at the local yacht club. On the inside, a tastefully restrained cockpit trimmed in contrasting leather and wood-effect panels gives an air of luxury gin palace. All this luxury comes in at a shade under $100k, Lincoln even throws in a potent 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 to good effect.
8 Lucid Air
Move over Tesla, there is a new luxury EV in town! Not only is the Lucid Air more exclusive, but it's better looking, too, with a premium interior to match. If the striking looks and futuristic limousine interior don't win gearheads over, nothing will.
Entering production this year, the Lucid Air, if everything goes to plan, will have a Tesla-beating range of up to 517 miles between charges, without sacrificing performance. A custom tri-motor all-wheel-drive set-up produces 1080 hp, in theory, capable of sixty in under three seconds, and reaching a maximum speed of 168 mph.
7 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
Sticking with good old-fashioned gasoline-burning engines, Cadillac's forthcoming CT5-V Blackwing promises the best of both worlds. A luxuriously appointed leather interior in complete contrast to the fire-breathing split personality that is never more than a squeeze of the throttle away.
In standard trim, the CT5-V is merely passable with a mishmash of trim materials that don't quite gel, stepping up to the Blackwing, and Cadillac has a genuine Mercedes-AMG rival on its hands. Luxury sedan or quarter-mile monster? The numbers speak for themselves, 668 hp courtesy of a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 good for 205 mph.
6 Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition
America's answer to Europe's finest luxury sedans, the Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition has all the leather-trimmed niceties of BMW, Mercedes, and to a lesser extent, Bentley, for a more wallet-friendly price of $120,000. How does the Lincoln brand stack up against the cream of luxury motoring?
If we didn't know better, it would be easy to confuse the Continental with luxury heavyweights, the level of fit, finish, and quality materials are second to none. And then, those retro coach doors reminiscent of a Rolls-Royce Phantom screams class, stepping out of the latest, and possibly last, Continental is sure to get owners noticed.
5 Genesis G80 3.5T Sport Prestige
Hyundai premium brand Genesis has been on a roll of late, with a number of impressive launches and revamps, none more so than the upcoming 2022 G80 Sport Edtion. At this price point, you'd be hard pushed to find anything US-built that offers such impressive levels of refinement and quality.
Sure, the front grille takes some getting used to, but you'll never mistake it for another brand. On the inside, Genesis gives the G80 prestige a unique blend of modern technology and old-world wood and leather trim, crowned with what's surely a play on Bentley's famous spread wing logo. Under the hood, a silky smooth 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 turns out 375 hp, refinement over performance being the order of the day.
4 Lexus ES350 Luxury
Another Asian premium carmaker with their eye on the lucrative prestige sector, Lexus, the first of such Japanese up-marketing business models, dating back to 1989 with the original LS. Fast-forward 30 years and Lexus is still at the forefront of luxury cars, its current range includes sedans, coupes, and SUVs.
The ES series, Lexus premium mid-sized luxury sedan launched in 2018 and revised for 2021/22 with subtle styling revisions, keeps the ES350 looking fresh and contemporary. A similar approach on the inside, revisions confined to just necessities, the cockpit layout clean, and simple, adorned with the finest materials, Lexus the matter of understated refined luxury.
3 Mazda6 Signature
Mazda isn't a brand we'd normally associate with luxury offerings, in this company the Mazda6 is at the cheaper end of the scale, but still delivers a credible premium experience, signature upgrades adding a touch of class to the range.
The same 227 hp turbocharged 2.5-liter straight-four remains, performance was never an issue, Signature upgrades adding a touch more class with refreshed exterior paints options and a tasteful updated two-tone leather trim.
2 Genesis GV70
Based on the highly acclaimed G70 sports sedan, it should come as no surprise the GV70 is every bit as refined and luxurious, all with that premium badge up-front. The adoption of a higher ride height only adds the overall feeling of importance, something all SUV owners aspire to.
Why opt for the GV70 over its bigger G80 brother? Simple, Genesis dared to be different with their smaller SUV, curves and sumptuous leather give the package a more cohesive feel, special on the outside and even more special inside. Under the hood, a familiar line-up of two engine options, the more potent 3.5-liter twin-turbo delivers 375 hp and a smoother premium ride.
1 Hongqi H9
Admittedly the Hongqi H9 is an odd choice in this line-up, but given the impressive Rolls-Royce Ghost mimicking exterior, and luxury meets high-tech cabin, it would be hard to ignore China's best kept automotive secret.
Pop open the door and slide into one of the most luxuriously appointed cabins of any car on sale anywhere, Hongqi's H9 makes anything from US shores look positively ordinary. Luxury carmakers the world over should be worried. If we had to be super picky, a reduction in the amount of piano black surfaces and the entry-level model's 2-liter four-cylinder engine tarnishes an otherwise stunning car.