Sliding into the high-bolstered, low-slung seat in a Ferrari or McLaren is one thing. But that’s a minuscule piece of the performance car pie, and certainly not one that appeals to everyone. Some would prefer to ride in the lap of luxury whilst still experiencing the giddy feeling that comes from quick acceleration. We’re talking about serious performance luxury cars.
If that sounds too broad, think of these common denominators: ridiculously comfortable seating both in front and back, intricate interior detail and finishing, most likely a stretched-out sedan, and certainly horsepower figures higher than 400. And tons of technological features.
The most extreme Jaguar sedan built to date, the Jaguar XJR575 can hold its own against most sports car coupes on the market today. It has a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 575 bitumen-melting ponies for a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds. But it doesn’t just ravage the road with power.
The XJR575 is seductive, even if ultra-powerful sedans aren’t your cup of tea. And when you climb inside, there’s a new experience awaiting you. Diamond-stitched leather, carbon-fiber veneer, ice-blue interior accent lighting, bullet-nose vent louvers, and a completely digital cluster display are standard. Massive dual headrest screens are available, along with airplane-style fold-out trays. Just don’t try to use them when the driver is giving the car all its got.
You aren’t flying under the radar when you drive the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The moment you arrive with the chrome Pantheon grille in view, everyone takes notice. What the Rolls-Royce family is best known for is league-leading pampering. The Phantom goes next-level with it, including a starlight LED headliner, impeccable two-tone leather interiors (all bespoke, of course), lambswool floor liners, power rear window shades, a champagne cooler, and much, much more.
But even the driver gets pampered, assuming it’s you and not a top-hatted hired hand. It has a 6.75-liter V12 that is hand-built, just like the rest of the Phantom. It makes 454 horsepower and is slower than most with an acceleration time of 5.6 seconds from 0-60mph. But it’s not that you need all the power in the world, just the ability to use it when you want.
Officially, the Bentley Mulsanne Speed is the most powerful sedan in the world. What’s particularly amazing is that you don’t know it by looking at one of these gorgeous, awe-inspiring performance luxury cars at face value. The Mulsanne Speed looks all business, from its squarish profile and round headlights to the 21-inch five-spoke wheels and chrome detail. Inside, it oozes luxury with diamond-stitched seats and door panels, piano-black accents, and more buttons than a Cessna in the center stack.
Related Search Topics (Ads)
Yet, the sound from the rifled exhaust pipes says it all. The Bentley Mulsanne Speed has nothing short of 530 horsepower and 811 lb-ft of torque, propelling this three-and-a-half-ton megalodon to 60mph in 4.8 seconds. If you feel like it, 190mph is an easy Sunday afternoon cruise for the Mulsanne Speed.
This isn’t your typical business sedan from Bimmer. The BMW Alpina B7 raises the standard on its own 7 Series, as well as performance luxury cars, to a new height. It’s like an M model, but less obvious at first. It has exquisitely tailored interior details like 20-way power massaging front seats and hand-stitched Merino leather seats all around.
Yet, this one heads more in the direction of performance than luxury. Under the hood is a TwinPower Turbo 4.4-liter V8 with an incredible 600 horsepower. Top speed is 193 miles per hour and it captures a run to 60mph in just 3.6 seconds.
Your favorite lawyer TV show’s main character has probably exited the rear door of cars like this. The Mercedes-Maybach S650 is the epitome of what German performance luxury cars are about, all wrapped in one tidy, gloss-black and chrome package. Actually, the color choice is up to you. The S 650 is a stretched-out sedan with impeccable style. Massaging heated and ventilated front and rear seats, a panoramic roof, LED ambient interior lighting, true wood trim, are all standard, and that doesn’t even touch on its tech features.
And under the bonnet, you’ll find a 6.0-liter bi-turbo V12 that churns out 621 horsepower. It accomplishes a 0-to-60 run in 4.6 seconds. And despite the displacement and performance, efficiency is taken into consideration with Eco Start/Stop, reducing fuel costs at idle. As if fuel costs are a concern for Mercedes-Maybach S 650 owners…
A brand new design comes into play for the Lexus LS series in 2018. The Lexus LS 500 has a bold yet business-like appearance that includes the three-dimensional hourglass grille, LED signature lighting and dramatic body lines. Inside, the LS 500 is all-new also with retro-style door handles, hand-pleated door panels, organic wood accents, heated and ventilated massaging front and rear seats with butterfly headrests, and an available 2,400-watt Mark Levinson 3D-surround sound system. There’s a 24-inch full-color heads-up display system and even a Kiriko glass interior trim option, which is the first of its kind.
But what makes this car one of the best performance luxury cars is found under the hood. A V6 is being used for the first time ever in the LS series. It’s a twin-turbo 3.5-liter that makes 416 horsepower and 440 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s not the most powerful on the list, but its 4.6-second 0-to-60mph time is nothing to shake a stick at, and certainly not the slowest.
Related Search Topics (Ads)
