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A 3-series is not a luxury car, nor is the A4. The 5-series and up are luxury cars. For Mercedes, it's E-class and up. Quietness, ride quality, and comfort. It's the kind of think you don't notice when you get in. You notice it when you get into a non-luxury car. Things like more sophisticated door seals, more layers of lamination in the glass, liquid-filled bushings, active antiroll bars, more adjustable seats with power every which way, memory for all those settings, a seat that slides away from the steering wheel that moves up and away, making getting into the car much easier, comfort six hours into a trip, a much better stereo, little or no noise from outside, better crash protection (on average), prettier materials, little nets here and there to hold your stuff, a little flashlight for when you have to change a flat in the dark, exterior lights to make getting out and in easier in the dark, interior lights in all the nooks and crannies but without that blinding dome light, plush and soft floor materials, no exposed bits, exterior trim that doesn't brake, little tie downs in the trunk, little hatches here and there to store stuff, under-body sound damping so you don't hear every pebble...
Oh, and then there's the dealer experience. It's not even close. Not by a million miles.
Sure, you can get a VW in leather, but it's still a VW. You can base an Audi on the same chassis, but it's lipstick on a pig. Lexus doesn't get decent until the G series. The is series is blah for luxury. Fun to drive, though. Porsche? The 996 feels like an 80s Honda with leather. The 997 is decent but nothing to write home about. After that, I haven't sad in one. CTS? The 1st gen was made of glue and shit. The 2nd gen was OK. Haven't looked at the current gen because, well, I don't believe that third time is the charm.
But how do I really feel?
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