Luxury is defined as that which is not a necessity, and is most often used to describe the enjoyment of goods and services that go above and beyond what is required to meet basic health, comfort, and happiness levels. As such, luxury means different things to different people, giving marketers broad leeway in using the term. For example, to a homeless family living in a shelter, almost any apartment is a luxury, but to a multi-millionaire, almost no apartments are luxurious. But in real estate, it seems that any apartment with central air conditioning is deemed to meet the standards of luxury living.
Enough about real estate. Within the automotive marketplace, the definition of luxury is defined primarily by brand, although that simplistic methodology is far from accurate in many instances. Case in point: Is the Acura RDX a luxury vehicle? What about the Buick Lucerne? For the purposes of this Vehix buying guide, we’re sticking with commonly accepted and agreed-upon brand definitions, which means the Acura is in, and the Buick is out.
Our selections are based on the results of J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction studies conducted in 2010, and the luxury vehicles included in this guide rated at the top of their respective classes in terms of one of the following criteria: initial quality, dependability, or overall vehicle appeal. There are 18 models that meet the measure, ranging from the Acura RDX at $33,480 to the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG at more than $210,000. Best of all, this guide meets nearly any need thanks to a healthy mix of coupes, convertibles, sedans, SUVs, and station wagons in the mix.
About Vehix Buying Guide and JDPower.com Ratings
Vehix 2011 Luxury Buying Guides features ratings by JDPower.com. Learn more about the criteria and ratings.
There are 18 vehicles highlighted in the 2011 Luxury Buying Guide. All vehicles are listed in alphabetical order.
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