Did luxury cars peak in the 90's?

"Scott Keelan" (ScottKeelan) 09/15/2013 at 10:01 • Filed to: None

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For the past few weeks I have been infatuated by the first and second generation Lexus LS400 and it wasn't until recently that I discovered why: luxury cars reached their peak in the mid 90's and the LS400 was a perfect example. Let me explain why.

In my opinion there are five core components of a car that must be well designed in order to make it great: engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, and chassis. The specifications of these five components will vary depending on the purpose of the car under consideration. For example, the key components of a sports car are designed to achieve a different goal compared to those of a luxury car.

What are the design and engineering goals of a luxury car then? A luxury car must be (in no particular order) comfortable, quiet, spacious, relatively engaging to drive, safe, reliable, powerful, well put together, high quality, and nice to look at.

You might be thinking that there have been plenty of cars around the time of the LS that achieved these goals and I agree with you. Cars such as the Mercedes W126 series, BMW E38, first generation Audi A8, and Jaguar XJ were all incredible luxury cars. I am not trying to argue the LS400 was the best, it would be impossible to pick one car from this group as the best luxury car because it ultimately comes down to personal preference.

The point I am trying to make is that a car like the LS400 had a perfect combination of the five core components listed earlier and excelled in every category a luxury car is expected to.

If you were to take the owner of a new LS460, S550, 740i, A8, or XJ and ask them to drive a 1995 LS400 for one month I doubt they would complain that the cabin is too loud, that rear legroom is inadequate, or that the engine lacks power. Instead they would probably criticize the lack of Bluetooth, touch screens, night vision, wifi connectivity, hybrid badges, 19-speed transmissions and massaging seats.

Car manufacturers made awesome luxury cars in the mid-90's. The cars were so good that since then they have had to create new perceived luxuries and pack the cars with unnecessary technology and gimmicks in order to attract new buyers. Cars like the LS400 exemplify the foundation of what a luxury car should be. No more. No less. That's what made the 90's great.

Nibby > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 10:04

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Not gonna lie, massaging seats really spoil you.

hike > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 10:11

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I kind of agree. I feel that luxury cars now are just to dang complicated. For instance, how many bangle butt 7-series are on the road now? Not a ton because service and parts are so expensive and there are so many things to break. A 90s Lexus though? I still see plenty. They will run just as long as a Camry and it is still plenty luxurious with a lot of space, quiet cabin, and plenty of smooth power. All it is missing is a few simple modern touches like bluetooth, which can be added pretty easily.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 10:17

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Yes.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 10:19

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I agree.

I drive a 1996 W140 S600. And so far there's nothing that fall of yet.

and i always thinking that missing from my S-Class is just a satnav, which iscan simply added by yourself. The car is still very comfortable, very quiet (if you close the window) , and really fast. I miss none of the i-Drive or Command or whatever it is.

pianomanzero > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 10:25

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I'd never really thought about this before.

I've driven a few luxury cars since the 90s, mostly German ones, but never one from the 90s back to back with its counterpart from the 2000s.

It might be interesting and fun to put together a side-by-side comparison of '90s luxury cars and their 2000s counterparts just to test the theory.

HammerheadFistpunch > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 10:30

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I think the key here is that luxury used to mean solidity and solitude, not gizmos and distractions. Luxury has changed to include the later so its hard to say these new cars arent just as luxurious since the bar has moved, but it terms of the foundations of luxury, the 90s era luxo barges really nailed it

shinsen > hike 09/15/2013 at 10:36

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I will make a conscious look out for how many lexus ls400 compared to the bangle 5 and 7 series

hike > shinsen 09/15/2013 at 10:38

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I still see a ton of Bangle 5, but I don't see too many Bangle 7 anymore, or even old A8 and S500. It's almost like they all disappear when a new model comes out.

Slave2anMG > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 12:54

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Lotta truth in this. Luxury meant quiet, graceful, understated, powerful without flash. Look at that LS400 - very understated. W126 Benz, the same way. Had presence without geegaws. Top end cars now are way over the top - electronics and more electronics. I don't find them appealing.

shinsen > hike 09/15/2013 at 13:33

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To prove your point, ls 1 and bangle butt 0 on my dog walk today.

Looking good!

911e46z06 > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 18:25

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Agreed. Knobs & buttons beat the hell out of touch screen & voice command.

cuts_off_prius > Scott Keelan 09/15/2013 at 19:09

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These looked so cool.