The Height Of Luxury
Top Gear South Africa|August 2016

A modern limousine no longer resembles a stretched saloon: these days, luxe is SUV-shaped

The Height Of Luxury

If you walk, a bicycle is luxurious. If you cycle in the rain with cramping calves, a bus becomes an affluent lifeboat, even if you do have to share the top deck with a man who smells of boiled cabbage and defeat.

But if you have to deal with the vagaries of public transport on a regular basis, and eventually people who smell of far worse than vegetables and melancholy, then even a 1989 Toyota Corolla that whiffs lightly of damp Alsatian and long-dead cigarettes can seem rather grand. And thus we find that any concept of luxury is always a mutation formed though the lens of situation.

But a luxury car’s always had a bit of a blueprint: long and limousiney. In fact, when the concept of a luxury car was formed, there were far fewer niches to fill, and hence far less opportunity for cross-pollination and side-stepping of the hierarchy. Up till now a traditional luxury car has been a barge, weighed down with marquetry and self-importance; but when we talk about the contemporary experience of luxe, the game’s moved on. These days, a luxury car doesn’t need to be a wallowing mobile humidor. Modern global luxury is SUV-shaped.

You want examples? Major upscale brands have realised that to fully crowbar sales in blossoming markets like China and Russia, they need an SUV. Maserati has the Levante, Lamborghini is planning the Urus, and even Rolls-Royce has a tall car in the pipeline. Far from being an evolutionary dead end, the SUV has made a comeback as the flag-bearer for posh.

This story is from the August 2016 edition of Top Gear South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 2016 edition of Top Gear South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TOP GEAR SOUTH AFRICAView All
Variety Show
Top Gear South Africa

Variety Show

We’re in a golden age of fast cars. This is going to be blast, unless, of course, there’s a slight medical emergency...

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2019
Heat Seekers
Top Gear South Africa

Heat Seekers

Welcome to the world of wind-in-your-hair motoring... presuming you have hair, that is...

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2019
Stage Craft
Top Gear South Africa

Stage Craft

A GP circuit, all to ourselves... so what do we do? Head off and find some dirt roads. Because rally

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2019
Hot Wings
Top Gear South Africa

Hot Wings

Move over, road-legal minnows, it’s time for the serious machinery to pound the circuit...

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2019
Drives - S'Charged Thunder
Top Gear South Africa

Drives - S'Charged Thunder

Let’s start with the name: Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic, or SVAD for short.

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2019
Circuit Breaker
Top Gear South Africa

Circuit Breaker

Petrol A45 AMG takes on electric Model 3. Now, who turned out the lights?

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2019
The Need For Speed
Top Gear South Africa

The Need For Speed

Breaking the 480kph barrier has become an obsession for the hypercar manufacturers. Here’s the story of how Bugatti got there first

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2019
Man On The Moon
Top Gear South Africa

Man On The Moon

How TG faked our Moon landing – not with Stanley Kubrick, but with a trip to Cancún.

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2019
Voltswagen The People's EV?
Top Gear South Africa

Voltswagen The People's EV?

Ten years down the line, will the answer to every car-buying question be “Just get an ID.3”?

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2019
Rover's Return
Top Gear South Africa

Rover's Return

Carrying the Defender into the modern century is intimidating but those put off by Discovery’s looks can now stay within the brand.

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2019