What Separates "Near–Luxury" from "Luxury"?

"E. Julius" (soonerfrommi)
02/01/2015 at 16:01 • Filed to: None

Or "entry–level luxury" if you prefer. I can see classifying something like an MKZ as "near luxury" since it's based off of the mass market Fusion, but what about something like a 3-series or C-Class? These aren't tarted up mass market cars and can be optioned quite "luxuriously" in my opinion.

Does it just have to do with the fact that they can come pretty sparsely equipped? In that case wouldn't it be inappropriate to apply to the model as a whole?

Personally, I think it's entirely marketing so that people don't actually feel like they've "made it" when they buy one, then they'll be insecure and want the bigger model.

DISCUSSION (31)

44444444444 > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:05

I'd say compare it to something like an Audi S6 or BMW 5 series. Those are legitimate luxury. If the features are near identical it's luxury. Just because it's based off of a Fusion doesn't mean it's not luxury. Platform architecture means a lot of cars are the same underneath.

bob and john > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:05

i think the difference is that the Lincolns are just ford with really nice interiors.
the actual luxury cars are designed from the ground up to be lux.

E. Julius > bob and john
02/01/2015 at 16:07

I addressed that in the first paragraph. The thing is, 3-series and C-Class are typically referred to as being in the "entry level luxury" or "near luxury" segment as well.

E. Julius > bob and john
02/01/2015 at 16:08

Hence the source of my confusion.

bob and john > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:09

I've heard entry level lux. as its the smallest car you can get.

never heard of them as near lux though...

E. Julius > bob and john
02/01/2015 at 16:12

Well perhaps I was conflating the terms unnecessarily in my head. I just thought I'd heard the whole "compact executive car (more marketing BS)" segment referred to as both.

bob and john > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:15

the compact exec car is more of a euro thing then american.

doesnt matter to me at the end of the day.

E. Julius > 44444444444
02/01/2015 at 16:22

This is what I'm getting at. I want somebody to give me a good reason why the 5 series (to use your example) is on one side of the divide and a 3 series or ATS wouldn't be (besides some guy at BMW deciding that's how they'd sell the most cars)

E. Julius > bob and john
02/01/2015 at 16:24

"More of a euro thing" used to describe practically the same market for practically the same car. It doesn't matter to me either—I think it's all a load of bull. That's why I want to know if there's actually a good answer to this question or if I'm right.

bob and john > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:28

there is a difference if a car is built from the ground up as a luxury car or is just a more main stream car that they threw more sound deading and leather at.

you notice it. hence the 'near luxury' and 'luxury' glass.

as for the euro. no duh. they have their own dialect. they call cigarettes fags, as an example. dont be surprised when they use different words for other things.

actually, i dont even need to go to europe to use that example. here in thunder bay, people call backpscks "pack-sacks" i've never heard that before in my life.

44444444444 > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:28

The quality of the interior/ride. I'd image the 5 series is a lot nicer on the inside—more leather and less plastic per unit volume? Also one needs to remember that BMW/Audi/everyone are always moving upmarket. The 3 series of today has the same crap as a 5 series 10 years ago.

duurtlang > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:34

I don't really like the 'luxury' car wording. To me it has more to do with build quality than features. Throwing some electronic features and some cheap leather in a cheaply built car makes the car more luxurious, but does it make it a' luxury' car?

A friend of mine used to own a 1986 Mercedes 200D (w124). Slow (0-62 in 16 seconds), manual everything including the 4 speed transmission but excluding steering, cloth interior, you name it. No features whatsoever. It, however, was built as a tank and drove as one as well. It oozed quality, even after all those years and kilometers. That, to me, makes it a 'luxury' car. Or an 'executive' car if you will. Much more so than a car of the same size and age with more features but with far lower build quality.

E. Julius > bob and john
02/01/2015 at 16:36

Evidently I haven't made it clear what I'm actually asking here…

E. Julius > 44444444444
02/01/2015 at 16:40

My mom has 2011 3-series with the leather and wood interior, and my sister's father in law has a highly optioned 2013 E–Class. I really didn't think the interior was so much nicer in the MB as to justify that point in the market being the cutoff. I don't know, clearly nobody else agrees with me so I must be taking some crazy pills.

bob and john > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:41

you are asking what the difference is yes?
a near luxury car is a tarted up non luxury car.
a luxury car is made with luxury in mind to begin with.

E. Julius > duurtlang
02/01/2015 at 16:47

I'd say that's the one solid argument I've heard , and I've definitely noticed that in the nicer cars I've driven. I feel as if I may have thrown people off the trail of what I was actually asking about in my original post. I'm less concerned with the (obvious) distinction between something like the Lincoln and a 3 series and more concerned with why a C-Class is "entry level" but the E and everything above are just "luxury". If anything, I'd say there's a bigger difference from the 5 series to 7 series buyer than there is from the 3 to the 5, so why is the line for marketing purposes drawn between the 3 and the 5?

44444444444 > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:50

Then I'd wager it's overall build quality as well.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:50

"Entry level" - looks nice, buy possibly not the best materials. Wood-colored plastic, like my wife's Sable.

"Near" - almost fully loaded and superior materials. Heated this, leather that, no disturbing slats of plastic.

"True" - wood grain grown from old growth trees that were watered with orphan tears in the amazon, leather from moon cows, and tons of technological features you never knew existed, don't need, and won't use often enough to justify purchasing.

E. Julius > bob and john
02/01/2015 at 16:54

I thought I pretty clearly illustrated that I knew that in the first paragraph. What I'm really getting at (which, I admit, could have been clearer), is a reason why the 3/C/A4 range are in one "luxury" category and the 5/E/A6 are in another. Specifically, a reason grounded in the actual cars themselves, not the buyers or the marketing of the car. Size makes sense to an extent, although it doesn't really fly with me since I don't subscribe to the "bigger is better" school of thought. I don't know, I guess I'm just thinking about this in a way nobody else is, because it's not making sense to anybody.

bob and john > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 16:58

ok, THATS much better worded then before.

honestly? nothing. the bigger cars may offer one or two things on the mid size/large compared to the small, but its not that big of a difference

also, i'm not 100% sure on this, but the bigger cars could come standard with more items then the smallers cars. this would make the most sense to me. that, and my second point below

you COULD blame it on the american idea of luxury..at one point, their idea of luxury was just more space. even if the car was still plastic fantastic on the inside, with was kuxury because it had space.

TL;DR: no, no real difference.

E. Julius > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/01/2015 at 16:58

So you've got "entry" and "near" flipped according to Peter Black's scheme. Goes to illustrate none of this makes any sense. Just trying to get people to blow more money on stuff they think will make them feel good.

duurtlang > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 17:00

What you're describing is something I don't recognize at all, probably because I'm not American.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 17:02

Could be semantics. My interpretation of language just makes me think "entry" as "base," "near" as "close to true as possible." Although I have seen oppo "near" be used to describe non-luxury brands with "luxury-like" interiors, like the Kia Sedona.

E. Julius > duurtlang
02/01/2015 at 17:02

ah it's all stupid junk anyways. This post was a waste of time.

E. Julius > bob and john
02/01/2015 at 17:03

EXACTLY! Sorry, I've been stuck in a train for the last few hours and my internet is being super crappy, so can't into writing right now : /

E. Julius > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/01/2015 at 17:04

Yep, just a bunch of words.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 17:13

More important for the other party. For example, a '15 Sedona driver would likely never describe his own van as luxurious. He/she would say it's great, really nice, great interior etc. However, you see some patrons of certain auto makes go out of their way to describe the same Sedona vehicle as "faux" or "near/sub-entry" luxury (which are negative terms in this context, because you're emphasizing what they are NOT [luxurious] rather than what they ARE ["really nice!"], reminding you who is the moral authority on what qualifies as luxury.

E. Julius > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
02/01/2015 at 17:20

There's the crux of the matter right there. It's all just a mind game.

McLarry > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 17:59

Space, I guess...3/C/A4 are considered 'compact executive' saloon cars, where the 5/E/A6 are full-size 'executive' saloons; the even bigger 7/S/A8's would then be 'luxury' saloons. At least that's how I understand it...

clickSucka > 44444444444
02/01/2015 at 19:38

Drive a 5 then a 3...Won't take long, 2-3 seconds, to see and feel the difference.

ranwhenparked > E. Julius
02/01/2015 at 20:20

"Entry luxury" typically refers to smaller luxury cars - compact luxury models like the C-Class/CLA-Class/3-Series/4-Series/1-Series/2-Series/ATS, etc., but also to midsize luxury models that are priced closer to the smaller cars rather than to other midsize models.

The MKZ is actually larger than some "full size" cars - eg, the Chevy SS, but is positioned as a midsize luxury car that's priced closer to the compact models from the Germans, so it falls into the entry luxury category.

In the past, the term "upper medium priced" used to be used for the segment, and the cars were typically marketed under specialized brands - Hudson, Clipper, Mercury, Chrysler, Buick - so as not to dilute the luxury marque too much. Then, everyone realized that the snob appeal of the luxury brand was a huge draw, so the luxury names started stretching down into the category instead.