These Are the Worst Luxury Cars Money Can Buy

“Infiniti QX80. Every time I see one I think ‘But why though?’. Nothing has changed on this aging dinosaur since 2011 other than the price.”

The QX80 is one of those cars where Infiniti hopes you’re confusing the definitions of “big” and “luxurious.”

Suggested by: regnis78

“Acura Integra. Don’t pretend it is a luxury/premium product. It is lipstick on a pig. Ok a good pig to start with but it does not justify the positioning as a premium product. Buy a Honda Civic instead.”

It might be a Civic in lipstick, but it’s a fun Civic in lipstick.

Suggested by: fabsic

“Cadillac XTS. Despite the combo of air suspension and Magneride, they ride horribly. Ninety percent of the XTS’s content was available on the Impala for fifty percent of the price.

“The only things not available on the Impala were the twin-turbo V6 (no one ordered it anyways), the CUE system (a buggy glitchy mess with expensive screens prone to de-lamination), the air ride/Magneride combo (rode like garbage and expensive to fix) and AWD (either a glaring oversight or an attempt to upsell customers into the Cadillac, depending on how cynical you feel).”

Given the choice, would you rather have a Cadillac XTS or a Chevrolet Impala with a few thousand dollars?

Suggested by: Nick Dixon (Facebook)

“Anything from Mansory. The Mansory Urus that just got posted is a stark reminder that they can ruin anything. Here is a recent Mansory Rolls Royce Dawn. I’ll leave you to find your own eye bleach.”

Take something refined and actually luxurious, and make it awful. That’s always been the Mansory way.

Suggested by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

“Isn’t the answer basically anything from 1980's Cadillac or Lincoln? Exception maybe being the Allante? Just uninspired, badge engineered, premium priced peak malaise vehicles riding the coat tails of old folks who still considered the brands to be the pinnacle of American automobiles? I mean, they’d be cheap to acquire today, but they certainly weren’t new compared to the competition.

“And wouldn’t the Lincoln Blackwood be ‘worse’ than the Mark LT? At least the LT had an open truck bed so you can use it as a truck. The Blackwood had that strange carpeted “trunk” with a hard tonneau on it. Maybe you could remove the top and put a tarp down in there if you wanted to haul some bags of mulch?

“Of course a ‘luxury pickup’ is a bit silly in general, but I see a lot of Ford F-150/250/350 Platinum, Limiteds, and King Ranches around here and GMC Denali pickups. So someone must like spending almost $100k on a pickup truck with leather.”

There are a lot of luxury pickups that could have earned a spot on this list. But the distinction of actually making it here goes to the one that started it all.

Suggested by: VicVinegar

“Right now any brand new Infiniti or Lexus (except the LC500) are the worst luxury car buys

“Infiniti we all know why.

“Lexus however because like Infiniti they’re just aren’t competitive like at all. Cases in point UX NX RX RZ LX IS ES LS RC those are just not good in any way.”

If you think about it really hard, is there a Lexus that you’d happily pay MSRP for in today’s car market?

Suggested by: Naveen Krishnamurthy (Facebook)

“Used Mercedes S-class. There are a billion little modules that can break and they use a vacuum pump for the door locks which means that any one problem in the vacuum system can cause a failure of the door locks. Not to mention all of the things that break will be expensive.”

Nothing says luxury like a dashboard filled with warning lights.

Suggested by: klone121

“I’m going with the new Grand Cherokee. It’s hideous, looks poorly constructed in person and will likely have the build quality and longevity that are hallmarks of FCA vehicles.

“Plus it’s going out of its way to be retro shitty on fuel consumption.”

File this one away with the QX80 as car makers that confused “big” and “luxurious.”

Suggested by: BiffMagnetude

“Is it fair to say this, is it low hanging fruit? The build quality/fit and finish and to a lesser extent materials are so bad people debate if it’s even fair to say it’s a luxury car even if the performance and tech/features are there. Combine with poor PR and owner experience.”

Well, actually, El Grumpo, Tesla is the new king of luxury here in America. So there can’t possibly be anything wrong with its cars.

Suggested by: @El_Grump0 (Twitter)

“Any base model ‘entry level’ car from the luxury brand of a major company. Things like Acura, Lexus, Infinity, Cadillac, Lincoln, and so on. Those lower trim models are generally just badge engineered cars from the cheaper nameplates, just with a luxury package thrown in, something you could have bought from the cheaper nameplate for far less.

“Then you have to consider that some shops (dealers for sure) will charge you more because you’re driving a Cadillac instead of a Chevy, even if everything about the car that matters and/or is being fixed is the same as the cheaper brand.

“Sorry, but until you get into the top tier cars from luxury brands, the differences between a normal car and a luxury car are negligible.”

Would you rather save some money, but have to explain why you bought a Chevrolet? Or, take a hit to the bank balance while having the joy of being a Cadillac owner?

Suggested by: slicks30r

“Has anybody been able to get through 30,000 miles on an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio without a catastrophic engine failure?”

Nothing says luxury like sitting by the side of the road waiting for a tow truck.

Suggested by: neverspeakawordagain

“Maserati, most of their competition is already one or two generations ahead of their current lineup, which already dates back to 2013 for the most part.”

Hopefully, the impending release of the GranTurismo EV and the stunning MC20 can do a decent job at repairing Maserati’s reputation.

Suggested by: Jamal Fringe (Facebook)

“The Mercedes-Benz GLE 350. The GLE 350 which is a pretty big vehicle available with a 3rd row of seats, is powered by a 2.0l 4 cylinder churning out 255hp. The interior is vinyl. Half of the owners polish their turd with the ‘AMG Line’ exterior. They’re clad in ugly black plastic and have as many fake air intakes and vents as an SN95 Mustang.”

No, you tell us what you really think, Pmb2012.

Suggested by: pmb2012

“Looking at Lincolns website they sell four SUVs that are literally just gussied up Fords. And considering that you can spec up the equivalent Ford for less money, why wouldn’t you do that?”

Is the prestige of the Lincoln brand really worth that much more than Ford?

Suggested by: drg84

“Any of the BMW X SUVs, but especially the X4 and X6. Not only are they ugly but also appear to be driven almost entirely by awful people. The XM is so willfully ugly and unnecessary that it might take the crown when it comes out.”

You can make a car luxurious, but you can’t always make its owners appreciate the finer things in life.

Suggested by: Joseph Lynn (Facebook)