...you think you have a luxury car? Maybe not. Read about luxury 2016 style. Now keep in mind you are talking about a big sticker price, too, but we can dream, can't we? What's new in luxury...more luxury, luxury gone 21st century and beyond. This article is based on an MSN autos article with some of our insights as consumers, who, like most of you can dream!
Massaging seats: How about the big buck Bentley Mulsanne: Reclining rear seat? Yep! "Heating and ventilation?" Of course! In seat massage? You betcha and five different types of massages with 10 different levels of power no less (can we just buy the seats?). MSN Auto states: "The Mulsanne knows how to take care of you."
Luxury leather: MSN Auto says: "Diamond stitched leather or Alcantara has also been proliferating throughout the luxury segment. It's gained in popularity not only for the fact that it's synthetic (no dead cows) but also because it's carbon-neutral, which should appeal to the ultra-luxury EV and hybrid crowd."
Driverless features: Why bother the driver with the details of driving? And, Mercedes-Benz has certainly taken the lead with systems that can steer their, what MSN Auto calls, flagship S-Class" down the highway of life while taking care of some mundane driver jobs like acceleration and deceleration. Drivers of high dollar cars are convinced they like features like this. However, I always wonder if features like this take driver's focus off driving. I'm a better driver when I drive a manual transmission but maybe I am old fashioned.......not to mention poor.
Why go to the movies for surround sound? MSN Auto states: "At 450 watts and with 19 speakers, the Mark Levinson surround sound system found in the Lexus LS is the most modest system in the bunch. The bespoke 20-speaker, 2,200-watt Naim for Bentley system is the most powerful."
Aromatherapy: Now this is edgy! No more little pine scented trees if you are driving a real luxury car. MSN Auto states: "Scents....Mercedes-Benz and BMW have embraced scents for luxury cars." Rolls-Royce and Bentley models tend to let the luxurious leather to do the fragrances while the rest have yet to add scents. MSN Auto tells us that "Mercedes-Benz offers four aromas, and BMW offers eight as part of the Ambient Air package." Necessary? Is this over the top? However, MSN reports "Two of the big three German luxury powerhouses thought it important enough to include on their flagship sedans...The S-Class is standard with 'Freeside Mood' but can be had with 'Sports Mood,' 'Nightlife Mood,' or 'Downtown Mood.'
Now what's sports mode smell like? Sweaty uniforms, beer, pot, popcorn and hot dogs?
You never drive alone, beckon the onboard concierge: So, your luxury car doesn't want you to feel alone and if you need anything, its there for you says the voice inside the car and hopefully not your head. My mind runs amok dreaming of a new movie based on what happens when a sinister $100,000 car takes over your life. We can take it at face value and say your car manufacturer loves you. MSN Auto sums it up:...."if I spent close to $100 grand on something, I'd want a little TLC, too." [...and I would want the massage, the herbal tea, bath salts and caviar.....maybe!]
"Star Wars" Keys: Let's listen to MSN Auto's words, "BMW really knocked it out of the park with this one. I mean, the key has a tiny screen on it (don't forget to charge that, too), and once a few legal hurdles are crossed in the U.S., you can even park it from outside the car by using just the key. Mercedes-Benz appears to be planning a response by allowing the next E-Class to use your smartphone and an authentication app to replace the traditional key. Aston Martin has a glass crystal key, and Volvo has matching leather on the fob of the new XC90. These ain't your grandmother's keys."
Real Wood Interiors: Authentic woods have returned to the most luxurious end of luxury, and woods have been selected more than ever before. Lexus takes it up a notch with the Shimamoku steering wheel, which takes 67 steps over 38 days to complete. The result is a meticulously assembled and beautiful steering wheel.
Both Bentley and Rolls-Royce encourage customers to cut down a tree down from your own property and they will use its wood in your vehicle. So go and walk the north 80 and come back with a great tree for that sumptuous wood grain that will remind you that you are a land baron or baroness. Hey, no trees from Flushing Meadows, okay?
You are "connected" all the time and now you vehicle talks to itself as well!
The super luxury cars of today and tomorrow are galloping toward GPS connectivity for various systems in your vehicle. For example, the transmission and suspension in the BMW and Rolls-Royce have transmissions and suspensions connected to GPS data preparing your vehicle for various road obstacles ahead like pavement changes due to construction and other factors that might make your ride less than perfect.
Fast and sporty and expensive: MSN Auto's article states: "With the introduction of turbocharging as the de-facto way to achieve power and emissions goals, the luxury sedan has entered the era of big power while retaining a feeling of luxury. The Bentley Mulsanne Speed's 530 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque are exhibit A, and despite a hefty 6,041-pound curb weight, it has both a supple ride and a 13.5-second quarter-mile time."
...lets dream on together!