Walk into any luxury auto dealership and the experience entails a sense of affluence, delight, solidity and unequivocal lavishness. The experience of buying and entering into the luxury car market is not only about the car, but the engineering and design marvels of these vehicles.
The auto luxury world invokes the iconic brands that constitute the German Big 3: Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Each brands contributes to the senses and expectation of fine engineering artistry with smooth handling, exceptional craftsmanship with superior performance.
Mercedes-Benz initially carried this authoritative badge of excellence, backed by some of the most sophisticated manufacturing in the world. BMW and Audi improved and innovated on these engineering successes and proved to be worthy competitors in the luxury auto market. Building on the excellence of German manufacturing, all three brands have excelled as leaders in safety, technology and performance for the luxury car aficionado.
For decades, marvelous engineering has placed these cars on a different level, but who takes the trophy when comparing such iconic brands as Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi?
Mercedes-Benz doesn't just look the part of luxury, with sleek leather interior and stunning wood trim to make anyone feel at home in their vehicle. Underneath it all plays the part of a master workhorse.
Those that work hard and drive hard have little time to squander and thus love their Mercedes-Benz. The flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class puts her best foot forward. This beautifully designed vehicle represents a line of spectacular cars that follow no one, but instead are emulated by many.
Design, safety, luxury and fine driving is nothing but expected performance of this Mercedes. Get a massage chair, watch a movie or select an aroma while driving or being driving in this masterpiece. Infotainment system innovation coupled with smart home application integration have created a seamless luxury experience for the consumer that moves beyond the pleasure of simply driving their vehicle to becoming a personal office and assistant.
The flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class, with a V-8 engine under the hood, springs from 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds, living up to its heritage of quick response and race car performance from a respected F1 team.
This machine uses every gallon of gasoline efficiently, wasting nothing. For those loving solitude in their interior to distract from the chaotic road, Mercedes Benz is the car to drive. The technology of Mercedes-Benz has always moved ahead of the crowd and innovates valuable safety features by utilizing breaking systems, accident detection and avoidance technologies. Mercedes-Benz is one of the pioneers in autonomous driving and will continue to build on this technology with partners in Silicon Valley.
BMW has long fought to be the luxury leader, outselling Mercedes-Benz and Audi over the past few years due to the success of over 40 models to their brand. It is sleek, fun to drive and a world competitor in the land of luxury. The name BMW invokes a sense of opulence, exuding confidence and presenting eminence.
BMW focuses on their top producing 5 series, Roadster, 6 series and 3 series, as well as many other established engineered marvels and motorcycles.
The BWM 3 and 4 series are the best selling luxury vehicles in North America for entry level luxury buyers. Standard luxury features are found throughout, but what is most impressive lies under the hood. BMW has consistently innovated their TwinTurbo technology to provide unparalled power to those that require it.
Audi has successfully established themselves as a new player in the luxury automotive space, currently surpassing Mercedes-Benz and BWM as the leader in luxury sales. With the huge success of the A3 and Q7 SUV, Audi has firmly planted themselves in the minds of luxury consumers searching for excellence.
Audi has continually focused on efficiency that leads to elegance and flawless design. Their cars handle beautifully. However, Audi's focus on efficiency proves to be a challenge in the luxury offerings Mercedes-Benz and BWM owners expect. Audi has instead delivered on performance, including the R8, an exotic every day sport cars that turns heads any where it is seen.
Audi is truly a luxury car with all the amenities expected. Their premium speaker system and infotainment system is a nice asset. In some models, sunroof and heated seats are part of the package.
All three manufactures have begun to focus on electric car design to help reduce their carbon footprint. Mercedes, BMW and Audi all help lead the forefront with Tesla in doing so. With autonomous driving, the move towards your own personalized driver is only a small step away.</p>
These luxury dealers are stepping up the use of technological innovation, forcing one another into better products, but Mercedes-Benz has always been ahead in this game. With their intelligent driving system, they are developing new designs and using innovative technology in a big way.
A choice of the best is riddled by brand loyalty and luxury features, but consumers cannot steer away from reliability, engine efficiency, maintainence cost, drivability and comfort. No matter how loyal, the assurance a car offers when the key turns the ignition and you are driving down comes down to so many personal choices.