The Official UCP 2007 Gas/Petrol Base Model Full-Size Luxury Car Comparison

[Kitdy]

So here it is. A few members mentioned knew I was making it. I put a lot of work in it but it is missing some data and may never be complete. I fear I may lose all the formatting I put into it by posting here but the original is available upon request. Well, here it is:

The Official UCP 2007 Gas/Petrol Base Model Full-Size Luxury Car Comparison
Preface

This is not meant to be a "be all end all" comparison of full-sized luxury cars. It is only a selection of non-subjective data that can be used to directly compare these cars. You will note that there are no statistics regarding handling, braking, road holding, or several other things. This is simply due to the fact that that data is too difficult to find. Features and interiors are also not compared as they are subjective; this means that this comparison is flawed at the outset; one of the most common draws to luxury cars is how good their interior is and how comprehensive / luxurious their feature list is.

Statistics regarding legroom, headroom, etc. can be found but were neglected to be entered in this comparison as there are simply too many different dimensions and I am too lazy to write them all down and convert them.

It is with these shortcomings in mind that the comparison has been devised, statistics are fairly comprehensive and everything from length, to acceleration, to price, to power to weight ratio has been included. Hopefully, this report will be an interesting and read for whoever reads it.

Each car represents the entry level full-sized luxury car for the company.

Not all figures are necessarily correct also unfortunately - for some cars only one mass is given even though their may be different variations of the car with more than one universal mass. This is just an example of a possible shortcoming of the statistics.

Prices listed are domestic prices for the individual cars.

I apologize for missing information for some non-American available cars; there is limited information that I could find about some of these models but I feel they should still be included.

Finally, this is a living document and there may come a time when I or another person decides to make it better by adding possibly a commentary, more statistics or more cars. I apologize for any mistakes and I hope you enjoy it!

Comparison

Units: Metric / European Imperial / American

Audi A8 3.2L V6

Statistics
Price: €62,900 EUR $84,789 USD
Engine: 3.2 L V6 DOHC
Drive: AWD
Power Rating: 194 kW 260 hp
Torque Rating: 330 N·m 244 lb.-ft.
Power / Mass ratio: 0.0996 kW/kg (approximately) 0.0606 hp/lb.
Torque / Mass ratio: 0.1695 N·m/kg (approximately) 0.0569 lb.-ft./lb.
Mass: 1947 kg (for 4.1L V8) 4288 lb.
Fuel Economy: 7.5 km/L C, 15. km/L H 17.7 mpg C, 36.2 mpg H

Dimensions
Length: 5062 mm 199.3 in
Width: 1896 mm 74.6 in
Height 1445 mm 56.9 in
Wheelbase: 2944 mm 115.9 in

Performance
0-100 km/h and 0-60 mph: 7.7 seconds

BMW 730i

Statistics
Price: €55,126 EUR $74,310 USD
Engine: 3.0L I6 DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
Drive: RWD
Power Rating: 190 kW @ 6,600 rpm 255 hp
Torque Rating: 300 N·m @ 2,500 rpm 221 lb.-ft.
Mass: 1880 kg 4144 lb.
Power / Mass ratio: 0.1011 kW/kg 0.0615 hp/lb.
Torque / Mass ratio: 0.1596 N·m/kg 0.0533 lb.-ft./lb
Fuel Economy: 6.8 km/L C, 13.3 km/L H 16 mpg C, 31.4 mpg H

Dimensions
Length: 5030 mm 198 in
Width: 1903 mm 74.9 in
Height 1491 mm 58.7 in
Wheelbase: 2990 mm 116.6 in

Performance
0-100 km/h and 0-60 mph: 7.8 seconds

Cadillac DTS

Statistics
Price: €31,378 EUR $42,345 USD
Engine: 4.6L V8 DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
Drive: FWD
Power Rating: 205 kW @ 5,200 rpm 275 hp
Torque Rating: 391 N·m @ 4,400 rpm 292 lb.-ft.
Power / Mass ratio: 0.1126 kW/kg 0.0686 hp/lb.
Torque / Mass ratio: 0.2148 N·m/kg 0.0728 lb.-ft./lb.
Mass: 1820 kg 4009 lb.
Fuel Economy: 7.2 km/L C, 10.6 km/L H 17 mpg C, 25 mpg H

Dimensions
Length: 5273 mm 207.6 in
Width: 1900 mm 74.8 in
Height 1463 mm 57.6 in
Wheelbase: 2936 mm 115.6 in

Performance
0-100 km/h and 0-60 mph: 6.9 seconds

Jaguar XJ 3.0L V6

Statistics
Price: €64,000 EUR $86,273 USD
Engine: 3.0L V6
Drive: RWD
Power Rating: 179 kW @ 6,800 rpm 240 hp
Torque Rating: 300 N·m @ 4,100 rpm 221 lb. ft
Power / Mass ratio: 0.1162 kW/kg 0.0707 hp/lb.
Torque / Mass ratio: 0.1948 N·m/kg 0.0651 lb.-ft./lb.
Mass: 1540 kg 3393 lb.
Fuel Economy: 7.5km/L C, 16.1 km/L H 17.8 mpg C, 37.9 mpg H

Dimensions
Length: 5090 mm 200.4 in
Width: 1943 mm 76.5 in
Height 1448 mm 57 in
Wheelbase: 3033 mm 119.4 in

Performance
0-100 km/h and 0-60 mph: 7.8 seconds

Lexus LS 460

Statistics
Price: €45,201 EUR $ 61,000 USD
Engine: 4.6L V8 DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder
Drive: RWD
Power Rating: 283 kW @ 6,400 rpm 380 hp
Torque Rating: 498 N·m @ 4,100 rpm 367 lb.-ft.
Power / Mass ratio: 0.1467 kW/kg 0.0895 hp/lb.
Torque / Mass ratio: 0.2584 N·m/kg 0.0865 lb.-ft./lb.
Mass: 1927 kg 4244 lb.
Fuel Economy: 8.1 km/L C, 12.3 km/L H 19 mpg C, 27 mpg H

Dimensions
Length: 5029 mm 198 in
Width: 1875 mm 73.8 in
Height 1476 mm 58.1 in
Wheelbase: 2941 mm 115.8 in

Performance
0-100 km/h and 0-60 mph: 5.4 seconds
Lincoln Town Car - Signature Series

Statistics
Price: €31,2512 EUR $42,175 USD
Engine: 4.6L V8 SOHC, 2 valve per cylinder
Drive: RWD
Power Rating: 178kW @ 4,900 rpm 239 hp
Torque Rating: 389 N·m @ 4,100 rpm 287 lb.-ft.
Mass: 2100 kg 4467 lb.
Power / Mass ratio: 0.0848 kW/kg 0.0535 hp/lb.
Torque / Mass ratio: 0.1852 N·m/kg 0.0642 lb.-ft./lb.
Fuel Economy: 7.6 km/L C, 10.6 km/L H 18 mpg C, 25 mpg H

Dimensions
Length: 5469 mm 215.3 in
Width: 1986 mm 78.2 in
Height 1450 mm 58 in
Wheelbase: 2942 mm 117.7 in

Performance
0-100 km/h and 0-60 mph: 8.5 seconds

Mercedes-Benz S 350

Statistics
Price: €72,590 EUR $97,851 USD
Engine: 3.5 L V6
Drive: RWD
Power Rating: 200 kW 268 hp
Torque Rating: 350 N·m 258 lb.-ft.
Power / Mass ratio: 0.1063 kW/kg 0.0647 hp/lb.
Torque / Mass ratio: 0.1860 N·m/kg 0.0622 lb.-ft/lb.
Mass: 1882 kg 4145 lb.
Fuel Economy: 9.5 km/L C, 11.7 km/L H 22.4 mpg C, 27.6 mpg H

Dimensions
Length: 5076 mm 198 in
Width: 1871 mm 73 in
Height 1431 mm 55.8 in
Wheelbase: 3165 mm 123.4 in

Performance
0-100 km/h and 0-60 mph: 7.2 seconds

Volkswagen Phaeton - 5 Seater

Statistics
Price: €68,014 EUR $ 91,683 USD
Engine: 3.2L V6
Drive: AWD
Power Rating: 177 kW @ 6,200 rpm 237 hp
Torque Rating: 315 N·m @ 2,400 rpm 232 lb.-ft.
Power / Mass ratio: 0.0848 kW/kg 0.0515 hp/lb.
Torque / Mass ratio: 0.1509 N·m/kg 0.0504 lb.-ft./lb.
Mass: 2087 kg 4600 lb.
Fuel Economy: 5.7 km/L C, 11.2 km/L H 13.4 mpg C, 26.4 mpg H

Dimensions
Length: 5055 mm 197.1 in
Width: 1902 mm 74.9 in
Height 1450 mm 57.1 in
Wheelbase: 2881 mm 112.3 in

Performance
0-100 km/h and 0-60 mph: 9.4 seconds

Conversions

Numbers below are correct to three decimal places

€1 Euro = $1.348 USDs
$1 USD = €0.741 Euros
£ 1 GBP = €1.487 Euros
€ 1 Euro = £ 0.672 GBP
1kW = 1.341 hp
1hp = 0.746 kW
1 N·m = 0.738 lb.-ft.
1 lb.-ft. = 1.356 N·m
1 km/L = 2.358 mpg
1 mpg = 0.424 km/L
1 in = 25.4 mm
1 mm = 0.039 in
1 kg = 2.204 lb.
1 lb. = 0.454 kg

Sources

http://autos.yahoo.com
http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com
http://motor.terra.es
http://www.answers.com/
http://www.bmw.com
http://www.cadilac.com
http://www.carspotlight.com
http://www.conceptcarz.com
http://www.forbesautos.com
http://www.lexus.com
http://www.lincoln.com
http://www.mercedes-benz.co.uk
http://www.mercedes-benz.de
http://www.volkswagen.de/
http://www.wikipedia.com

Mistakes

Please excuse any mistakes and let me know about them... I am currently looking at the max min category (which I May revamp and make a ranking category) and I think I am missing a max/min. Also some numbers, spelling, etc. may be off.

Thanks

To Ferrer and Fleet 500 helping me narrow down the cars, The_Canuck as well and for getting rid of the RL, and once again to Fleet 500 for his diehard patriotism to the LTC that inspired this comparison.

[Fleet 500]

Good job, Kitdy!
I like the Town Car's mileage... the city figure is a little more than I expected.

And your specs for the cars I am familiar with seem spot on! Right down to the tenths of an inch for wheelbase and overall length.

[Ingolstadt]

What is the car that's under Lexus LS? Only specs available.

May i suggest for the car brand and model to be of a larger font with bold and underline? and the subsequent titles (price, weight, etc) to be bolded?

EDIT: I just saw it from your links, is it Lincoln? and perhaps you could add in Maserati Quattroporte?

The most surprising thing is, from a 4.6 ltr V8, the Lexus had 380hp whereas the Cadillac had 275hp, and another most surprising one is that the XJ weighs only 1540kg !! wow! almost that of a GTR.

[drakkie]

and another most surprising one is that the XJ weighs only 1540kg !! wow! almost that of a GTR.

They applied a lot of aluminium in the car...Apparently the GTR is a bloody heavy POS

[Ferrer]

I have to say I'm quite impressed by the Cadillac DTS, altough putting all that power through the front wheels doesn't seem a clever idea. I'd personally prefer the much more modern STS.

Of the others the fastest is clearly the Lexus thanks to having the most powerful engine here, and a very honourable mention here for the Jag, dubbed by people as old in another thread, it's the most frugal of the bunch and as fast as other more powerful cars. Lightweight ftw.

[Kitdy]

Good job, Kitdy!
I like the Town Car's mileage... the city figure is a little more than I expected.

And your specs for the cars I am familiar with seem spot on! Right down to the tenths of an inch for wheelbase and overall length.

Thanks! I thought it is pretty damn good!

What is the car that's under Lexus LS? Only specs available.

May i suggest for the car brand and model to be of a larger font with bold and underline? and the subsequent titles (price, weight, etc) to be bolded?

EDIT: I just saw it from your links, is it Lincoln? and perhaps you could add in Maserati Quattroporte?

The most surprising thing is, from a 4.6 ltr V8, the Lexus had 380hp whereas the Cadillac had 275hp, and another most surprising one is that the XJ weighs only 1540kg !! wow! almost that of a GTR.

I may do some formatting but if you want to see the original just give me a shout.

I have to say I'm quite impressed by the Cadillac DTS, altough putting all that power through the front wheels doesn't seem a clever idea. I'd personally prefer the much more modern STS.

Of the others the fastest is clearly the Lexus thanks to having the most powerful engine here, and a very honourable mention here for the Jag, dubbed by people as old in another thread, it's the most frugal of the bunch and as fast as other more powerful cars. Lightweight ftw.

So what do you think is the winner guys? The TC has a lot of space but is slow and handles badly, the Jag is very light weight and good on gas, the Lexus is the most powerful, the DTS has a lot of power but it is FWD,the Phaeton is slow heavy, and bad on gas, etc etc.

We need some arguing!

[Ferrer]

For me the Jag, altough the facelift really puts me off. Of the remaining probably the S-Class with the A8 a close second. I think that including the base 3.6-litre STS would also be a good idea to see how a modern American car competes with the European and Japanese oposition.

[fisetdavid26]

Nice job Cameron! I am very impressed by the performance of the Lexus, it's amazing.

[Fleet 500]

Kind of hard to say which one is the "winner." How would it be determined?
I, of course, would pick the Lincoln Town Car for the type of driving I most often do... a real luxury car (meaning big on the inside... 60+" of shoulder room), comfortable seats, smooth and reliable engine, nice ride, etc.

For the other type of driving I like (blasting from light to light, burning some rubber), then I would pick a '69 Dodge Coronet R/T 440 Magnum.

[Ferrer]

a real luxury car

I hate when you make these generalisations. What makes you think that the others aren't real luxury cars?

[Fleet 500]

I hate when you make these generalisations. What makes you think that the others aren't real luxury cars?

Some of the "other" luxury cars just don't have the interior width. I just can't see a car which is 71-72" wide and having only 55-56" of shoulder room (which isn't enough to comfortably seat 3 people in the back) being described as a "luxury" car. Or, not a "roomy luxury car."

Then there's the ride, too.. some are too firm to be a luxury car, IMO. Same thing with the seats... some are too firm to be "luxurious," you should sink into the seat of a luxury car- leave the firm seats for sports cars.

[Ferrer]

Some of the "other" luxury cars just don't have the interior width. I just can't see a car which is 71-72" wide and having only 55-56" of shoulder room (which isn't enough to comfortably seat 3 people in the back) being described as a "luxury" car. Or, not a "roomy luxury car."

Then there's the ride, too.. some are too firm to be a luxury car, IMO. Same thing with the seats... some are too firm to be "luxurious," you should sink into the seat of a luxury car- leave the firm seats for sports cars.

I've been in a Jaguar XJ and as far as I was concerned that was a very good luxury car. The interior was comfortable and had a good built quality and the ride was comfortable too. At the same time it seemed to be able to be driven without leaning onto its door handles when cornering. As for roon, it was more than fine for me.

[Fleet 500]

I've been in a Jaguar XJ and as far as I was concerned that was a very good luxury car. The interior was comfortable and had a good built quality and the ride was comfortable too. At the same time it seemed to be able to be driven without leaning onto its door handles when cornering. As for roon, it was more than fine for me.

I agree. I wasn't referring to Jaguar. I meant "luxury" cars like Lexus, Acura, Infiniti and in some cases BMW and Volvo.

Remember, I did say IMO (in my opinion) and I don't lean on the door handles when I corner, one arm is on the steering wheel and one is usually on the armrest.

[Kitdy]

I don't see what's wrong with Lexus Fleet 500. For the price it does very well in performance and though it is not as big as the town car it is quicker and likely handles better. If I had to take my pick, I'd probably take the Lexus because I am more of a performance enthusiast. For space though, the TC cannot be beat. It all depends what you are looking for. I also would wager that some of the more expensive European cars probably have nicer interiors than the TC.

[Fleet 500]

I don't see what's wrong with Lexus Fleet 500. For the price it does very well in performance and though it is not as big as the town car it is quicker and likely handles better. If I had to take my pick, I'd probably take the Lexus because I am more of a performance enthusiast. For space though, the TC cannot be beat. It all depends what you are looking for. I also would wager that some of the more expensive European cars probably have nicer interiors than the TC.

All of the cars you listed are going to be picked by someone; it depends on the person.
The Town Cars do have a nice interior, especially the L-Series, and a good buy costing around $45-50,000 compared to $80,000+ of some European models. A nicer interior is not worth $30,000 to me!