(first posted 10/24/2017) I was searching my parents’ house the other day to find the most treasured mementos from my childhood – my collection of every issue of Australian Which Car? magazine – when I stumbled across a storage crate of brochures. When I was a kid, my parents would take me to the Brisbane Motor Show each year (when it still existed) and I would dart from stand to stand to collect all the brochures and swag I could get my hands on. Some of the best marketing collateral on hand were reprints of my favorite kind of car magazine article: comparison tests. Mercedes-Benz was happy to reprint this 1994 comparison from British Autocar magazine where their S500 was deemed to be the best car in the world.
Luxury sedans have long fascinated me and this is an intriguing lineup. Just looking at this fleet, you get a strong sense of what each car brings to the table… Mostly.
The S-Class had solidity and technical brilliance. The 7-Series had dynamic poise. The XJ was brimming with old-world charm. The LS was the epitome of smoothness and refinement. The Fleetwood was big and simple. But then there were the Continental and Q45.
The Ford Taurus-derived Continental was out of its league here but countered with a much lower price than all bar the Fleetwood. Autocar found it to be a disappointment, however, with its sleek styling, modern interior design and trick suspension and features failing to adequately disguise the family sedan underneath.
British car magazines can be notoriously critical of American and, to a lesser extent, Asian cars. However, the author of this piece fondly recalled the Seville STS of the previous year’s comparison test. Incidentally, I’d love to get my hands on that comparison test.
This generation of 7-Series looks lean and athletic for a flagship luxury sedan, but just a tad too much like the 5-Series for my liking. The 7-Series sported the only five-speed auto of the group. How quaint. Aren’t we up to 10 speeds now?
The tested Fleetwood was seen as a relic. Going against the grain, I liked the styling of the 1993 Fleetwood a lot more than the dated Brougham it replaced. But, sadly, Cadillac really phoned it in with the interior. It had been stripped of the brightwork that made the old car’s cabin so distinctive (if not exactly tasteful). In its place was plastic, plastic and more plastic, making Cadillac’s biggest sedan look more like a LeSabre inside. At least the new Fleetwood had more grunt than before (from 1994), as well as a big Caddy should, with its powerful LT1 V8. Still, despite the Fleetwood’s outsized and somewhat crude charm, perhaps the new ’94 DeVille Concours would have been a better entrant in this comparison with its smooth DOHC Northstar V8 and more tasteful interior.
The Infiniti seemed to be pursuing the BMW model of driving excitement but couldn’t achieve quite the same balance of ride comfort and handling ability. The 1994 facelift may have added conservative wood and chrome accenting but it arguably made the Q45 more handsome and more in keeping with the general feel of the segment. Sadly, Infiniti lost confidence in the brand image it was initially pursuing and the next-generation Q45 would be softer and more conservative. Infiniti got their mojo back with the 2003 G35; the third-generation Q45 was also a more compelling offering but by then the Q45 line had become irrelevant and unnoticed.
The Jaguar looked lithe and classically handsome. Unfortunately, that athletic styling restricted cabin space.
The LS has faded into the background as of late, so it’s easy to forget just how impressive the first-generation was.
Not to sound like a broken record but, y’know, maybe if Lincoln had built a sedan off of the MN-12 platform…
Finally, the Autocar crew had some very kind words for the Audi A8, which couldn’t be featured in this comparison as it wasn’t yet available in North America. They were absolutely right about one thing: the first-generation Audi A8 was a beautiful car. It also made Audi relevant in the full-size luxury segment for the first time, the preceding Audi V8 having gone fairly unnoticed by the public.
All in all, this was a fantastic comparison test. Do you agree with Autocar’s verdict? Which luxury sedan would you have preferred, had you won the lottery in 1994?
Sorry, I’m a domestic guy, but after getting a 1990 LS 400 for free from my uncle, I have bought several more, as I believe they are simply the best cars ever made. Funny in hindsight that S class was the start of the downfall for MB. The W126 that preceded it (owned a few of those) being the second greatest car made, and then they redesign it into that horrid monstrosity.
None.
If I won a lottery in that period I’d have moved to Thailand. Establish as my base of operations and travel the world. No car necessary, except ones with a meter and light on the roof, and the odd rental.
Come to think of it, I still would.
That seems no too long ago, but if you look at the streets and highways, only these cars you see are that generation of Mercedes, which is said the last Mercedes built without cost restriction altought I think it is just myth
Nevertheless, that is well built machine. With a reputation as long life, I am surprise not to find Lexus LS. I guess most likely its owners did not keep up its maintenance. With proper care, LS can last up to 400k. I recall Consumer Report once had a guy with a LS close to 1 million miles!?
I had a few LS400s. One over 600,000 mi, another with almost 900,000, one with 375,000, and yet another with 780,000. the 780,000 mile one I was able to take it to almost 150 mph just fine. ALso couldn’t tell when the engine was on, always turning that key making that horrible screech. These cars routinely go half a million miles and more. The car with almost 400,000 mi was free from my uncle, and he admitted to never taking care of it. he never changed the oil, or did routine maintenance. Yet it ran so smooth, and I kept it for almost 10 years, and it was dead reliable.
Why The Town Car Is not There?By The Way You See More Lexus 400 Today Than The Rest After 22 Years.
I assume LS400 can last longer, but in central Jersey where I reside, I do not see them anymore, but I do see few W140 Benz sedans running around even its V8 engine does have problems. In the commuting parking lot, I see three of these parked daily, there is also a w126 too. So I puzzle why LS does not out last the W140.
Maybe because the LS400 uses a timing belt? Some people seem to forget that timing belts are a wear item that causes much grief when it’s ignored and when they do the results aren’t pretty.
Its a mix of belt, age, expensive parts, stuff like the absurd starter removal proccess, and the Lexus ES300 highly outselling the LS when they were new. I rarely see LS’s myself, despite their super reliable reputation.
As for the Town Car, while a good car it was never as sophisticated as the Continental listed, and it’d be silly to feature both cars.
Re early LS: Timing belt yes. Interference no, surprisingly enough!
All of these cars except maybe the B-body based Cadillac and the Lexus have insane maintenance costs. Parts sharing is not always a bad thing. The Continental looks surprisingly good in red.
Although if I were to pick a 1994 car for today, it would be an Impala SS for resale, or a Toyota Camry for a daily driver.
My son has a 96 Camry that has been in the family since new. Two aunts owned it before him. I don’t know if was a lack of maintenance or what, but it is a POS with 167K on it. I honestly expected more. I could have given him my 2001 Aurora with 210K miles and NO issues. The Camry has had issues from day 1. Wouldn’t start. Turns out the tilt wheel has to be in just the right place for it to make all the connections to start. Electrical gremlins. Rides like a buckboard. Truly awful car. It must be an exception though. So many people love them and still drive them.
My experience with Camrys is just not inspiring enough to ever want one. I’d rather have a car with some kind of personality. Yes I may be the world’s only Camry hater?
It’s very common to see some unreliable Toyota Camrys, especially those neglected examples and the so called reputation doesn’t help the situation ( when the owner sabotages the maintenance effort having the superb reliability in mind. ) Let alone other maintenance, some Honda Accord owners even sabotage oil changes thinking the engine is too good for that.
You would hear some horrors of car maintenance from the crowd of the no-brainer cars.
Fair enough, but we’re probably talking 15-25-year-old Camrys here, so it’s not unexpected that cars that old are having some issues. Now, consider this: how many 15-25-year-old VWs are still on the road?
And also agreed, proper maintenance is key. We are just getting ready to update our 2001 Odyssey to a 2007 Odyssey (just purchased, and I ordered brakes/filters/bulbs/tune-up items for it last night), with the 2001 having just turned 229K miles (and still running/driving great, albeit on the third tranny). It’s hard to let loose of the 2001 because I have maintained it so well and I suspect it still has a few years’ life left in it.
I’ll take the Impala BOTH for resale and daily driving!
I never did get that era of Camry, seeing a few recently their “high quality” interiors dont age too well, dash cracks and door peels, at least the cloth seats are tough..
Great read, and I enjoyed the writing style, which is more colorful than the norm from U.S. car magazines (whose editors were much more skittish about serving up zingers that might insult a car maker’s advertising department). The MB facelift, designed to reduce visual bulk, being like a “fat man trying to suck in his gut” is one of many laugh out loud lines.
The other funny thing about the test is that groups of these cars wouldn’t realistically have been cross-shopped. The Europeans would have been considered together, and those buyers might have added the Japanese brands to the shopping list. But not these American cars, and vice versa.
I’m surprised that the E38 7 Series didn’t score higher accolades–it was the newest car of the bunch, and I thought very well done. That’s the car I would have picked to take home in 1994 as the best car for me, even if not the best car in the world.
Interesting you pick up the writing style, GN, as there’s a large omnipresent Aussie connection behind it. Autocar Editor-in-Chief was (maybe still is) Steve Cropley. He had come to England in the ’70’s from Wheels magazine here, along with some others like Mel Nichols, and helped shake up a very staid trade. Read an Autocar review from the ’60’s, for eg, and they’re hilariously dull and uncritical. CAR magazine in the UK ultimately had 7 Aus Editors. Motor Trend had one until just recently.
The invasion was all set off by an Australian editor of the local Wheels magazine in the ’60’s, Bill Tuckey, who brought in real criticism – and real cheek. The manufacturers were not happy. He was followed for many years by Peter Robinson, who bought a more sober but still fiercely honest ethic to the job learned from Tuckey. Robinson twice witheld the Car of The Year award as nothing was good enough, before management threw him out on the third try. The Aus-vasion changed English motor journalism forever, and spread to the US where only David E Davis was similar.
I firmly believe that the cheeky, demanding and sometimes harshly critical attitude that just demanded lazy carmakers do better, spreading to Europe and ultimately the US, actually forced permanent change to the cars we drive, for the good. There’s a hell of a tale, and an entertaining one, to be told one day.
Incidentally, the idea that the cars wouldn’t all be cross-shopped (undoubtedly true) but are still lined up here is one of those cheeky innovations, because all were in some way making claim to “bestness”; shown here to be rather dubious claims when a smaller or cheaper device could do everything better. Took ‘ole GM till bankruptcy to accept that it didn’t matter a damn if, say, the Lexus was smaller. These comparos screamed to their deaf ears, “It’s in a different league of better.” And buyers ultimately listened.
Wheels was a fantastic magazine in the Peter Robinson era. Its never been the same since he left.
I’ll never forget his expose of imported car prices. He didn’t exactly say it in the article, but the highlighted drop-caps of the major sections of the article spelled out R…I…P…O…F…F.
Vaguely remember the article, didn’t notice the caps! Ironically, I seem to recall James May was sacked from Autocar for doing same sort of thing with some long piece he was bored doing.
Phil Scott who replaced Robinson was very good too, but it just crashed after that. I rarely read it now.
I remember reading about someone doing that in an “annual car guide” covering everything on the market, so it would have to be that.
Missed this conversation the first time around, but I concur, Peter Robinson was just superb, as was Phil Scott. I have every Wheels issue, still subscribe, but more out of habit really. And here’s James May’s brilliant acrostic:
None of them would have served my needs in 1994. But needs don’t matter when you win the lottery. My frivolous money would have taken home the Jaguar. There is no better looking car in this bunch. Classy in every aspect. I wouldn’t have to worry about maintenance cost either after winning the lottery.
How foolish though. I would have invested that money and the dividends would have bought or leased regular vehicles for 23 years and counting.
If I this is the only cars I would have to choose from ( i will only by American) I would have chosen the Lincoln. I rember reading about them and I love the style. If I were to choose for longevity and 20 20 grind sight it would be the Cadillac. If I could choose any car in 1994? Oldsmobile aurora.
An entertaining read, Will. A couple of thoughts. First, that Lincoln really was a disappointment. My father had one of these, a 95 maybe? It was his last car and he was really proud of it. But it left me completely flat. I had the chance to buy it after he died but just couldn’t justify spending even used car money on it because it simply did nothing for me.
That Lexus really was a great car. It did almost everything the Europeans could do but avoided the insane maintenance and upkeep costs. I loved the look of the Infiniti and with money no object might have chosen one, but the Lexus was the better car.
The American efforts are just embarrassing here. Even after Lexus showed how to do it we couldn’t manage it. Big and cheap seemed to be the only things the US luxury cars could excel in. At least the big rwd versions were durable too.
I agree, the Lexus and the Caddy would be the two most likely to survive intact with most systems still functional.
It’s not that hard to keep all the systems in fully functional condition in the Fleetwood, I just don’t quite enjoy its build quality though.
Mine is 99% functional with a broken shift indicator cable in the car, the only thing that is off from the factory standard.
I have two major beefs with the Cadillac.
The first is the quality of materials and workmanship, particularly with the interior. That car doesn’t look any more luxurious than a contemporary Chevrolet Caprice.
The second is the exterior styling. The wheelbase looks too short in comparison to the car’s total length. The height of the rear quarter panels and deck lid exacerbates that problem.
Otherwise, I can see the appeal of a tough, “old-school” American luxury car, particularly as the years and miles pile up.
Cheap for sure – it’s noteworthy that the Cadillac was priced at just a fraction of the others – £28 000, compared to £65 000 for the Benz, and even £35 000 for the Lincoln.
American luxury cars weren’t designed to please British motoring journalists, so it’s no surprise that they did not find them to be their cup of tea. They did please their intended audience however. Also, as has been said, buyers did not cross-shop this group of cars, so this isn’t a very relevant comparison test.
In any case, had I hit the lottery in ’94, the Fleetwood would have been my choice, none of the others in this group would have been considered. A Town Car would have been my second choice. Unfortunately, there were no RWD luxury offerings from Chrysler in ’94, but a beautiful new New Yorker (LH) would certainly not look out of place in my long lottery-funded driveway.
As for real-world long-term longevity, I honestly cannot recall the last time I’ve seen any of the imported sleds from this article on the streets in running condition. However, we can hop in my still-beautiful ’87 Chrysler Fifth Avenue (M Body) and within 10 minutes I will show you about a dozen Fleetwoods and Town Cars of this era, still in daily service. Snarky magazine articles like this may be entertaining to read, but I’d never base a buying decision on them. 23 (almost 24) years later, the real world survivors are proving my point.
While I agree with what you say, ultra-long-term longevity probably isn’t a consideration for buyers in this class. I’d imagine most of these cars would be leased and changed every few years or whenever a new model came out, to keep up the image of success.
I had a ‘98 Continental. It was great. Excellent power and fuel economy. Just the right amount of technology. And, I am glad Lincoln didn’t do a 4-Door MN12. That platform was overweight and grossly package inefficient.
Of the vehicles in this test, only the Japanese models aged well. A 1995 Town Car was very durable, but didn’t stir the soul. In reality, none of these stirred the soul, except for the package-inefficient Jaguar and it’s dubious electronics quality.
Cadillac and Lincoln were simply way out of their leagues compared to the rest of these high-end offerings n 1994. Even the Jag with all it’s notorious reliability issues was better. For me, it would probably have been the Lexus all the way.
The 740, obviously. But I think everyone could have guessed.
The E38 7 Series has been my favorite 7 Series and one of my favorite BMWs of all time ever since I was a little kid. Seeing it in Tomorrow Never Dies was a major part of its iconic status and aspiration for me, although I’d predictably be more apt to have purchased a 750 with the V12, because why not?
The W140 S Class has also always been a car I admired however. Again, this was another one of those “aspirational” cars I frequently saw driven by the rich and powerful in person and in film/TV as a child. It’s certainly a car I can find more faults with, but I still appreciate it and retain a desire to own it.
The Q45 would be my third choice, but after that none of the rest do much for me. Great read though!
I remember the ads for the Lexus telling how they simuladed the aging of wood and lether in the cabin.
And the story about how BMW went back to make their V12 better after seeing the Lexus V8.
The first ads for the Q45 showed no cars only trees and nature.
The pre-facelift Mercedes-Benz W140 had small “antennas” sticking up when the car was put in R.
Living in Denmark you did not see many of theese cars.
A few BMWs, M-Bs, Lexi and Jaguars, but no Lincolns, Cadillacs and Q45s.
(But I read C&D!)
Except the W140 and Q45, all the rest can be seen in the campus parking lot. My vehicle is a Fleetwood, the only example in the lot, besides several more Lincoln continentals in various condition. Jaguar XJ from the ’90s is still favored by the local people and it’s surprisingly common.
A younger looking boy drives this BMW, and the condition is fairly good. It’s not rust free, but good enough for a regular college guy ( however, it still falls behind those garage queen cars in the hands from a group of late teens and early 20s )
What car?
The Mercedes-Benz with double glazing and power soft-close doors and trunk!
This test shows the dynamism of the market. In 1989 “Car and Driver” pitted the then new Lexus LS400 and Infiniti Q45 against the W126 S-Class, the XJ40 Jaguar, the 7-Series and the downsized Cadillac Seville Touring Sedan. The Lexus and Infiniti came out on top in that one. Now which one would I have chosen? Possibly the Jag, Bimmer or Infiniti (just to be different) – to me the Lexus still looked like a big Cressida and in 1994 I already had a Cressida.
The headline “So You Win The Lottery” looks innocuous enough, but it too is of its time. John Major’s government had just introduced the 1994 National Lottery in the UK – the first state sponsored lottery since the 18th century (I think), and one that created some significant social changes in Britain, as well as funding all manner of cultural and sporting investments – the 2012 Olympics came to you in large part thanks to the Lottery.
A year earlier, the headline would have read “So You Win The [Football] Pools” or “The Premium Bonds”. Subsequently, the newspapers have enjoyed over 20 years of stories about lottery winners buying and then crashing their supercars…
Just baum:
I’ve been a regular reader of CAR for about 45 years, so knew a couple of the editor’s of which you wrote. Also have read Autocar and flipped through Which Car a few times, when I could find them. For the longest time I marvelled at how Australia could manage to produce such a long line of great car journalists.
That said, had this story appeared in CAR (not likely, though, do to the magazine’s anti-Japanese bias) the Jaguar would have won, or certainly made a very strong showing. The American cars would have been the butt of considerable jokes. The winner, by the slimmest of slim margins would have been the Mercedes-Benz with BMW and Jaguar splitting the difference for the number 2 spot.
Actually, as soon as I saw this article it reminded me strongly of a CAR comparison test when the W140 S Class was launched. The headline was along the lines of “what is the best car in the world?”.
They didn’t test anything American (unavailable in the UK except as a private import, and for all their merits the Cadillac and Lincoln were not really competing with the others), declared Rolls to have no claim to the title, and tested the Merc against a 750i, LS400, and bizarrely a Series 3 (!) XJ12 as the XJ40 was only available as a six.
IIRC, the S Class shaded the Lexus and the Jag came last by a country mile. I remember being surprised the Series 3 was still in production.
Dan, I really do attribute the long line back to that one editor of Wheels in the ’60’s, who, I should add, newly-encouraged some flair in writing too. The English were more class-conscious, perhaps, certainly more reserved then, and the Australians arrived not just with attitude but a brashness (or crassness the English might say!)) that appears to have stormed the citadel. You’re quite right, though, for all the brio, magazines remained parochial and your guess as to CAR’s version is spot on. Helped circulation, doubtless, but let all the irritating conspiracy geese out there claim that the journos were all paid-off and captive, etc. They weren’t, just a bit blinkered, and occasionally a bit heated by patriotism.
I remember that comparison, Tonito. The Series 3 was still going only because they didn’t have the V12 in the XJ40 yet, and if IRCC, for some reason that took major re-engineering of the newer car.
Six years late to reply, but I didn’t read the article first time.
The story was, but it could have been an urban myth, Jaguar didn’t make the engine bay wide enough for a vee engine because they didn’t want to use the Rover V8 (ex Buick) engine so made sure it wouldn’t fit.
My luxury car choice for 1994 would be either a Lexus LS400 or Cadillac Fleetwood, my family car choice for 1994 would be either a Buick Regal 4 door (with the 3800 V6) or a Honda Accord.
The W140 gets more love now than 25 years ago.
They are starting to show up at classic car shows, the ones I’ve seen were in an absolutely spotless condition.
Cult-status for the V12.
CC effect happened to me today. I saw a first-series LS400 in two-tone gold at the railway station this afternoon. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry (man with a crossbow holding someone hostage near my oldest son’s school was the reason for my rush ?) I’d have got a picture. I will endeavour to get one tomorrow.
Lexus for me, but it would have to be an actual 1994, not the ’95 second generation they tested here. The restyle left me cold compared to the earlier car, especially the Avalon-like front end.
I dislike the 95-97 LS400 for that exact reason! As a child barely learning to discern between car models I used to think the LS was simply a Lexus Avalon. The 98 refresh is probably my favorite of the three “generations.”
Yep. The worst aspect, at the time, was the Avalon debuted before the next LS did, so we all know how that can go. Not only that, but when you compare the first LS to the second, it went like this; rounded outside, squared inside for gen one. The second gen did boxy outside, rounded inside. I much prefer the former, regardless of the extra power and interior space.
I find these apples to oranges comparison tests to be quite entertaining. It doesn’t matter that not all of these cars were cross-shopped because lets face it, the vast majority of people reading this test were not going to be buying a flagship sedan. If I had the money in 1994 I would have bought the S500 but today, if I could find a very well maintained one, I’d get an XJ12. I still occasionally see all of the cars in this test on the road except for the Infiniti and the BMW.
Even tho I despise timing belts I’d go with the LS400, thankyouverymuch 🙂 .
Geez, I really had to think about this, because all of these cars are different in various ways.
When it comes to these six, the order I would choose them in is as follows.
Mercedes Benz S500: This would be choice Numero Uno. I always wanted one when I was little, it was my dream car for the longest time, and its the last S-Class I have any strong fondness for. It might be a case of “Never meet your heroes.”, but I would easily take it in a heartbeat, and no other luxury sedan from the 90s would be as high priority to take in my opinion.
Cadillac Fleetwood: It’s the last big traditional style Cadillac, of course I would choose it. The looks aren’t as good as some other sedans, and the LT-1’s Optispark is always something to watch out for, but I love my big American sedans and this would be a great way to get that same feeling in a car that’s more suited for daily driver duties.
Jaguar XJ12: This may be surprising, but I’m a big fan of these XJs. The looks are primarily the deciding factor, and the fact that it can get a smooth ride without wallowing around when it turns is a plus. I’ve heard these are notoriously cramped, which considering my 6’2 frame might be a problem, and I would rather have the Inline 6 in it rather than the V12. But, even with that, it’s still something I would pick with very little hesitation.
BMW 740: I think the BMW is a great looking car, and if I wanted something with more handling prowess, I would easily choose that. But, when it comes to big sedans, Ride comfort trumps handling to me, so I would rather take something with a bit suspension that’s softer. Also, these 7 series are mechanical nightmares, overloaded with gadgets that can and will go wrong and a devil’s advocate choice between a V12 that’s not the most durable engine and a V8 notorious for failing like made. They are beautiful, but I would rather not have a massive money pit.
Lexus LS400: The most reliable of all the choices, the one that was the biggest game changer, the one that put the Japanese on the map. And I personally think it’s too boring to consider. I know these cars will last forever with simple maintenance, I know the driving dynamics are very good, and I know these are high quality, but it lacks personality. All the other cars I listed, even though they are more flawed, have certain character to them in some way, and character counts for me a bit. The LS400 feels very sterile to me, and I would rather go for something else.
Infiniti Q45: The car that could. I never understood what the Q45 was trying to be, was it meant to be a BMW style sports sedan, or was it meant to be something along the lines of the LS400? It always seemed to me like something Nissan made without wondering what its concrete purpose was. Maybe it does have a mission and a purpose, but it always seemed a bit confused to me. Plus, you rarely see these anymore, which is a huge concern in terms of longevity.
Lincoln Continental: This car just doesn’t compare. A Taurus in fancy clothes. It’s just out of its depth. If it were a Town Car, it would be tied with the Fleetwood. If I wanted a Lincoln that did the high tech route better, I would take a Mark VIII instead.
Sorry for the long post, but, I had to really think long and hard about this.
To be frank, one reason Autocar and other UK mags ever test an American car is to entertain us Brits with tales of how poor they are, with a side dish of flash, bulk and understeer. Amusing, at first, then you realise its all out of context, and that a Jaguar in Missouri or Nevada is no more at home than a Seville in Sheffield.
What is also apparent is that, for cost and image factors, few would be cross shopping the American cars with the German ones, either in the US or Europe, and even Autocar couldn’t bring themselves to include a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit.
But that last ever Jaguar V12 is still very tempting.
You’ve got to admit, though, the entertainment factor could be considerable.
I agree context matters – a LandCruiser is an absurdity in England, a sensible tool of survival in outback Oz – but to point out that industrial understeer and poor quality are, well, poor qualities, put steel beneath the satire. The US no longer makes embarrassing rubbish like this Caddy, and I doubt any but the 70+ age group or some younger sentimentalists regrets it.
I reckon the Silver Spirit also wasn’t there because it was ACTUALLY a ’60’s design underneath – the Caddy just looks it – and it’s flash, understeer and poor performance would’ve caused parochial shame.
They were damn right the Jag is the only one that can claim to be beautiful. And with a V12…
Lots of love here for good old reliable Caddy’s and Lincoln’s and I understand the domestic affection for them in the US, but last time I checked, one can still buy S class and 7 series (even large Lexus) in the US but big traditional American luxury cars seem to have all vanished. Perhaps the US market lost interest in them too? The Germans really do have the large premium luxury market sewn up.
It seems like big luxury SUVs have taken over the niche once occupied by the Fleetwood and Continental.
The ’90s isn’t my favourite period for cars in general, but let’s see about this lot:
– Mercedes: pregnant panzer styling, but otherwise good.
– BMW: nice-looking car, but hard ride + seats = no good in this category.
– Lincoln: awkward styling, cheapo chassis, dull engine. Pass.
– Cadillac: a grandma in clown’s clothing. GM brings a knife to a gun fight.
– Infinity: zero charisma — unforgivable in this class.
– Lexus: still a bit too Benz-like, but otherwise ok.
– Jaguar: lovely looks, V12 magic, but how long will it run?
– Audi: understated, technologically advanced, spacious. Probably the best of the group.
Of course, if I won the lottery, the 4-door 1994 car I’d likely consider would be the Tatra 613-5, the last of the breed. Don’t know how it would have fared if compared to this crowd, but that’s neither here nor there. It belongs in this category, if only because of its stats: Rear-mounted DOHC air-cooled alloy V8 — 3495cc, 200 bhp, 229 lb/ft — 0-60mph: 7.9 sec. — V max: 138 mph — ’94 UK price: GBP 30,000…
Oh, 613-5 yes please. Retrofitted with the chrome, of course.
Lexus LS. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to keep running. And built like nothing else.
The only one of these I’ve owned was a short-wheelbase ’95 XJ6…admittedly not a V12 but a beautiful car. Mine was very reliable and easy to work on…reminded me of an E28 BMW in that regard. TINY interior, low seating position, huge transmission tunnel, almost nonexistent rear seat legroom. Found out the hard way that the radiator is 6-cylinder specific, cost something like $1300 and there is no aftermarket equivalent. The lower radiator hose was over $400…scary parts prices scared me off.
If I had to buy one today I’d get a clean Lexus LS or go back a few years and grab a 90-91 Fleetwood Brougham (the old boxy one) as long as it had a 5.7L in it. The newer Fleetwood leaves me cold. My ex-wife’s grandmother used to drive one, silver with gray mousefur seats (she hated leather), wire wheels and Vogue tyres. Beautiful car, until it got stolen and the stripped remains were found in East St. Louis.
The Fleetwood, for some reason, is posed in front of an M60 tank (1st generation), which included a diesel engine and a British gun (105mm L7). By that time, however, Royal Ordnance had developed the 120mm L11 used in the Chieftain.
I’d go for the Lexus myself.
I thought these were 1994 model year cars yet the Jaguar is a 1996 model sold in the US. I have a 1994 XJ V12 and is an XJ40 body. AFAIK the XJ40 was in production and sold in the US through 1995. The last year for the V12. The 1996 XJ300 came with v8s and that is the body style in this article. Could someone more knowledgeable clear this up because I am confused.
I believe that the X300 series of the XJ6 was available for the 1995 MY in the U.S. The V8 X308 series followed the final six cylinder XJs in 1998. The two series were almost identical in styling.
I had a long wheelbase ’97 XJ6 (first year) which added five inches of wheelbase, with much more rear seat leg room. These have noticeably longer rear doors. The roof line was also higher in the rear for greater headroom. It was still a beautiful car, at least to my eyes.
The front seat was a bit cozy for someone that was six feet tall, as seat travel was limited. The boot was wide but very shallow. I thought that performance and handling were more than satisfactory with the six.
Back in ’97, I chose a three year old Seville STS, I wouldn’t have considered a Fleetwood, too old fashioned. I was still a Mercedes and BMW fan back then.
If I won the lottery my choice today would be a Lincoln Aviator in Blackwood trim. Of course, if I did win the lottery I certainly wouldn’t restrict myself to ONE car!
Wow. I just love articles like this one. In fact, I think that I’ve read this article many years ago when it first came out.
Anyhow, what a nice bunch of luxury sedans!!! Not SUV’s, but cars. I wouldn’t refuse any one of them then and I’d still take any of them today if low miles and nice condition. It did leave me scratching my head just a little because the go-to Cadillac in 1994 should have been the DeVille Concours. It would have been front drive, but I think it would have matched up better overall. Plus the Lincoln was a front driver. Either that, or why not go with the Town Car? Maybe it said in the article, but it’s too difficult to read it all due to small print even when I click on the images. But if I were looking for one of these today with 20 years and many miles on them, I’d probably go for the Cadillac due to the lower overall cost and easier to get parts for the 5.7L V8.
Stay tuned. One of these cars is in my current fleet, and you’ll hear about it very soon.
Nice!! I love the anticipation. haha. Any hints?
Nope! Just gotta wait a couple of weeks. 😛
If you were in England and won the lottery in 1994, you could have gotten a Bristol. I mean, why wouldn’t you? They might have even built you a Beaufighter, if you asked nicely.
Or if you weren’t that adventurous, or perhaps because Tony Crook wouldn’t let you into the (only) dealership, an Aston.
Only the Lexus and the Jag are worth having the three german brands are just junk now but plenty of old LS400s and Jags are running around still.
Okay, I’m the contrarian, no surprise.
I’d like to try an Infiniti without the active suspension. I suspect it would ride softer but without feeling like the dampers were full of marshmallows. 150mph speeds are impossible here, and I suspect its cornering capabilities would handle local back-road bends just fine. Infinitis are like hen’s teeth here (IIRC they came-and-went twice during the nineties), and I could always put JDM badges on it (Nissan President JS) to confuse folk even more.
I have the model ready and waiting……
In those days, with lottery money, I would consider the Audi A8, with it’s aluminum body, 4 wheel drive and a V8, and a little Audi DTM and rally racing history.
Or a black Caddy to pretend I’m in a Scorsese movie.
I remember being asked by friends a similar question, “If money was no object, which car would you own?” “Jaguar”, was my answer. “Jaguar? Don’t you know that it isn’t a very dependable car?”
My honest answer – and the answer to this article:
“If money was no object, why would I have only one car?”
I’d own all of these and change daily.
Of all these at the time, I’d pick the Cadillac in a dark red with bordello red interior or the closest available, not because its the cheapest but because its the only one that didnt have leather upholstery standard – I’d far rather have cloth or velour. I also really like the styling of this particular model Caddy, but would have to agree the interior is a bit of a let down after the prior generation. In a nice red it would still be acceptable though. I dont care much about handling and like a boulevard ride, I prefer a cruiser to a sports oriented car