Forbes names "Most Affordable Luxury Cars"
One of our favorite non-auto-publications-laughably-doing-car-stories, Forbes has just issued its list of the most affordable luxury cars available today. Sound like an oxymoron? Well, it is, sort of, but their point is a logical one. Even the entry-level models from most luxury players are getting the toys from their bigger siblings. And even in cars that don't necessarily have more expensive siblings, they have had to adopt those features to stay competitive. The idea behind the article is to show us the most luxury you can get on a budget. And most of the choices are pretty sound. The trouble comes in where they start to make suggestions like, "Preparing to plunk down $61,715 on a brand-new Lexus LS460? Save your money. Instead, buy a $30,000 IS 250." The implication that the IS is somehow as good as the LS at a much lower price is ludicrous. They just tend to focus on features rather than performance or room or style, but it makes a decent buyers guide overall. These are solid choices in the near-luxury segment for the most part. Click through the read link to see photos of each along with some of the reasons it was selected.
[Source: Forbes via AIADA First Up]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Erik Ruggels 11:39AM (7/12/2007)
Perhaps the best quote to give us a quick idea of what kind of car people the Forbes crew are not?
" Even so, it comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission, a feature that once was found only on high-end BMWs."
Umm... ok... I love carefully crafted ignorance like that, neglecting the myriad of cars with 6MTs and instead signaling out BMW, yet another reason I trust automotive magazines to review cars; subtly dense comments.
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bmoredlj 11:52AM (7/12/2007)
You can't argue the fact that you would, indeed, save money buying a IS 250 instead of an LS 460.
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N2K9 10:17AM (7/17/2007)
I OWN an IS 250 2007 and I would rather have it than the LS The LS is sharp but my car is sporty, luxurious and an eye catcher. Besides, if you get it loaded, (I did) it costs about 36,000. Still a deal...
Bart 11:52AM (7/12/2007)
That's got to be one of the worst articles I've read in a long long time. Some of those cars simply just dont belong in a luxury line-up, and some of them dont belong on the planet at all.
Biggest annoyance is that they seem to equal six-speed manual to luxury. Welcome to the new age, sheesh.
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Shirley 8:33PM (7/18/2007)
What planet are you coming from? They are wonderful vehicles & have been for many years.
jeffinToronto 12:49PM (7/12/2007)
Great journalism. Take every mass produced luxury brand, and list their entry level car. Brilliant!
The authour must be a relative of one of the execs.
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zach 1:03PM (7/12/2007)
The sad part is that there are lots of Forbes readers who actually will make purchases because of that poor reporting/writing.
I imagine they are many of the same people who tailgate, camp in the left lane, and don't use turn signals...
oh well, what can you do?
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TrueDis 1:41PM (7/12/2007)
The real joke is that they consider the C30 a luxury car.
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omar 3:07PM (7/12/2007)
UMMM duh
If you were to read the european reviews, this is quite an excellent car. Volvo has marketed that car as a premium coupe like the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Mini Cooper, Merc Benz A Class, Alfa Berrera. This is a new segment of compact luxury cars if you did not know. To be exact and to the point with you also the Volvo C30 ranked first in the comparison test overall with the Audi and the BMW. Volvo is a registerd premium brand if you didnt know either, so their products are all luxurious, may be simple, but are luxurious.Great looking car the C30 is, I would buy one, but then again I own an 850 and 740
dsavant 2:04PM (7/12/2007)
And with a list like that, I can't believe they left out Acura's TSX 6MT - definitely fits the bill, lux marque, tons of options standard, and totally in the price range. Not to mention most entries highlight the availability of features that push the price up by serious $$$ if you added.
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geo.stewart 5:52PM (7/12/2007)
Acura is great for minimizing options and packages by putting 90% standard and then a tech pkg for hte nav system and others. I love it on the TSX and RDX.
Devin 5:08PM (7/12/2007)
"Great looking car the C30 is"
Ok Yoda...
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Tanster 5:50PM (7/12/2007)
they totally left out ACURA and had a Lincoln MKZ in there?
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Stoneman 6:02PM (7/12/2007)
Where's the Brilliance B6?
lol
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Gerard 6:20PM (7/12/2007)
I like the C30, but I'd take a Mini instead. Smaller and fun.
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mike7 7:25PM (7/12/2007)
Very Disappointing, not 1 car has any fuel-efficient optional engine choices. So, there's NO WAY to get a fuel efficient luxury car.
Volvo, 227 hp, and a rediculous 13hp/lb power to weight ratio, for example. So, there's no buyers that want, luxury, fuel-efficiency and safety?
Does Volvo even know who it's buyers are?
That's why they don't see more then 10,000 vehicle sales a year.
And yet, they have a 1.8 liter diesel in Europa.
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SOhp101 3:15AM (7/13/2007)
Forbes knows nothing about cars and I'm sure 99% of people who read this blog know that.
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G.K. 9:44AM (7/17/2007)
As Idiotic as this article is, I'm surprized they didn't suggest buying a worn out Yugo instead of a Lexus or BMW !!
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Mike 12:04PM (7/17/2007)
Acura TL? No wonder Forbes is the lightweight of car coverage...
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Cheryl 11:31AM (7/19/2007)
Hello? The Cadillac CTS has had a 6-speed manual transmission for years and is a heck of a lot better buy! I'll pass on the Lexus, thank you very much.
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