Big luxury sedans tease Philippine market

THE BMW 7 Series takes full advantage of the lightness and design that makes the new car truly a standout.

IT IS INTERESTING how the sedan market has changed. A fair amount of the four-door car segment has shifted over to things that sit a bit higher off the ground. As a result, our stalwart sedans don’t always seem to get as much attention as they used to.

The difference in all this lies in the niche segments that actually seem to have taken over—those of sports sedans and big luxury sedans. And now, thanks to modern technological advances, those two are becoming more intertwined than ever.

The Philippine luxury sedan market, and indeed perhaps the more discerning of the world market, has been dominated by the usual suspects:

the big Audis, Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs in alphabetical order.

The S Class Mercedes-Benzes and their earlier ancestors have long been the rides of choice, and while much of the smaller sedan buyers may have moved to SUVs, that big car demand is still there and is more demanding than ever.

The three-pointed star pretty much shaped this segment for the modern world, making it the entry point for new technologies to longer wheelbases as a regular offering.

Mercedes-Maybach S-Class

In the Philippines, there was a rather quiet release into the market of one of the biggest boys on the planet. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is for those that have seen the best and want more.

The Maybach itself was offered to the world previously as an ultraluxury limousine, but you have to say that the S-Class is tough to go up against.

The current Mercedes-Maybach cars are meant to offer the best of both worlds, with extended wheelbases allowing extra spaciousness and intense attention to detail creating interiors that can truly be described as sumptuously elegant.

We particularly like details such as the analog clock with individually milled and applied numbers and indicators made of fine metals, with watch company IWC lending a design hand.

On the outside, design elements such as a striking rear door that seems to flow seamlessly into the body make the Maybach distinction clear.

The rear seat backs are further behind the glassed C-pillar, which means that there is privacy and protection for the occupant even when the rear door is opened for them.

BMW 7 Series

The new BMW 7 Series was launched globally as well as locally this year, and it is very significant in that it was pointing more clearly than ever toward what is now possible in modern luxury cars and how well new technologies can be holistically integrated into the whole driving and riding experience.

The 7 has always been, as BMW has been, skewed toward dynamic performance as what differentiates it from the segment competition.

This has its downfalls though, as the tautness of ride needed for a good dynamic drive tended to be counter to what most moneyed buyers truly wanted in terms of comfort and plushness.

This new 7 is possibly the 7 that for once really stands out as a truly unique individual luxury automobile as opposed to something always compared to others.

Its technologies are truly in service to the whole drive as opposed to just being put in for the sake of existence.

Modern production techniques like laser welding and the strategic use of lightweight metals combined with the ability to use constantly-adjustable suspensions have created a car that is as big as it needs to be (the long wheelbase is now so popular that many markets don’t bother with the regular) while being able to handle in a manner more like the old 5 Series than the big old previous 7s. Plus it looks more stately than ever.

THE MERCEDES-MAYBACH S-Class is for those that have seen the best and want more.

The best example of how well-sorted out this new car is comes when you look at the regular wheelbase smaller diesel engine variant, which sadly doesn’t get as much respect as the bigger longer petrol-burning models.

That shorter 7 takes full advantage of the lightness and design that makes the new car truly a standout in the niche.

Audi A8

The other big European luxury sedan in this segment is the Audi A8, which tends to appeal to the highly technically-involved.

It is a car that in many ways is more predictable than the others most especially in Quattro or S8 form.

Audi has always had the ability to put together interiors that are sumptuous in feel while still being completely ergonomically correct, and their top-level A8s are the perfect showcases for this.

You can run their up-specced A8s, Quattros and S8s through slaloms as though they were an entire class smaller, and this has been true even before all the modern computer-controlled advances have really taken over.

Further advancement of Audi’s big sedan should continue in that same tradition. Those who get it, get it.

Lexus LS460L

Past the big three European makers that tend to dominate this market, we have the Japanese cars that truly do need to be assessed for any intelligent decision. The Lexus LS 460 L (again the long wheelbase proves more popular than the regular in many world markets) is a car that combines the luxuries and abilities as well as any other makers but adds certain key point that many buyers find increasingly important.

It has the technological wizardry of suspension tuning and engine ability that will make most buyers, drivers and riders happy, and it also has the value and reliability history and familiarity that intelligent gearheads demand. It is almost the automotive equivalent of having your cake and eating it, too.

Honda Legend

A recent luxury launch in the Philippines from the Japanese brands was the Honda Legend, another example of a company that remembers its beginnings and intends to keep them in mind as they move ever upward.

Their flagship has been well-received all over the world and is now available in this market with a technologically forward, gas-electric hybrid powerplant system.

It has to be said that some people think cars such as the LS and the Legend do not exactly belong in the same market segment as the other cars we have mentioned, but then it also has to be said that we have all heard that before.

Whatever may be thought, it is quite clear that vehicles from brands such as these are just the right mix for an increasingly large portion of the market.

Bentley Flying Spur

and Rolls-Royce Ghost

We also, of course, have the sedans that live above everyone else in terms of exclusivity and price. Cars like the Bentley Flying Spur and the Rolls-Royce Ghost are truly unique vehicles, best purchased bespoke in order to really appreciate the exceptional vision and execution behind the brands.

Spending some solid time behind the wheel of such cars gives you a clear idea of why they have always been head and shoulders above the rest, pushed forward of course by the “spare no expense” mantra behind them.

The Bentleys have always been the sportier, more enthusiastic cars of their stratospheric niche, the Rolls-Royce motorcars the more sedate and somber.

The same modern technologies that are blurring distinctions all across the automotive landscape are at work here as well, and you have massive heavy luxury sedans that handle surprisingly well.

These cars will never make the numbers that the others do, and they don’t even want to really. They are statements as much as they are transportation, and will and should only really appeal to a very specific part of the market.

Porsche Panamera

If you want to skew heavily toward the sporty side as opposed to the luxury side, the Porsche Panamera is the obvious choice.

Smaller than the other behemoth sedans, it has managed to change many a purist mind because it brings along the appropriate levels of luxury and comfort while still making a four-door sedan handle the “Porsche” way.

The Panamera is, at the limit, probably the best handling production four-door around.

Those that appreciate what makes Porsche unique will see it in this quick executive drive, though there are of course many Stuttgart die-hard enthusiasts that would go with any of the company’s exceptional sports cars before giving the Panamera a try.

It all depends on what you are looking for. Which points out exactly how wide and varied the segment has become.

The way sedans and the sedan market has evolved is truly interesting. Four-door cars used to be the basic bread-and-butter vehicle for most people for most markets, but that has changed as buyers look for SUVs, smaller city cars, pickups or MPVs.

As such, the sedan is now almost a niche product, appreciated by executives and those that need to arrive in a particularly dignified manner.

With all the surrounding vehicles now being able to do double-duty (pickup trucks and SUVs that ride like cars) or being able to do the same job more efficiently (small city cars with most of the appeal of their bigger siblings, such as the Audi A1) or with sports cars now being workable daily drives, perhaps the sedan has moved up the ladder permanently.

The fact that the words “luxury sedan” now force us to include such a wide variety of vehicles is testament to that.