I forgot that the Model 3 base didn’t come with power seats originally. I guess it wasn’t a luxury car then? but is now?

That’s kinda how I see it. I don’t think it’s wrong to do it that way. It’s cheap and efficient, reduces parts, etc. It’s how the Tata Nano rolls. If tesla does it, now it’s a revolutionary design that pushes the limits of simplicity and elegance. Slap some wood grain on there and it’s a luxury car!

The focus on the base model is odd. It seems like you care more about what the base model is than what is actually available in the cars that you can buy. Are you afraid someone might think the Camry you’re driving is a base model so you wouldn’t buy it? Is it the status issue that you’re worried about? 

Every new car is a luxury car today

Mercedes has always been a purveyor of nicely built taxis. :-)

I certainly do not consider my BMW 328i wagon or Volvo V70 wagon to be luxury cars. Premium, yes, but there is nothing particularly luxurious about either of them. The RWD BMW is definitely MORE premium than the FWD Volvo though - it’s a lot further from a Camry in how it drives, and it is rather better put together…

Depends on what you value. The buying process for a Tesla is nicer in the sense that you don’t have to deal with smarmy salespeople. Even BMW and Audi dealers have those. Service experience is better from Audi/BMW, but there’s not as much service for a Tesla.

Frankly, the term luxury needs to be heavily redefined, at this point I’m thinking Rolls Royce or similar. Calling a Merc “luxury” no longer seems to cut it, it a Rolls….yeah, I’d say that’s luxurious.

You see that bit of faux wood on the dash? It is luxurious.

This is where the Japanese really upended the luxury market - they democratized reliability and mechanical soundness. Once a $20,000 Corolla could do a problem-free 200,000 or 300,000 miles, the luxury makers needed new bells and whistles (that ironically they can’t make work as well as the Japanese can) to continue…

Is it possible your perception is changing how you evaluate them? If you covered the badges I think you’d find very few people who would sit in the new Prius and model 3 back to back and find the model 3 interior nicer in fit, finish, materials, ergonomics, or comfort. The model 3 is a different driving experience.…

“Luxury” doesn’t even really exist as it’s own exclusive class anymore. Basically every car cabin in this day and age, is a nice place to be. Hell, the 2020 Nissan Versa and Kia Rio both have a pretty nice interior, that can rival the Germans of 6 years ago. Most modern cars even drive as nice, or nicer, than the…

Build quality was the big differentiator in the Merc glory days. People would go on and on talking about the solid “thunk” you heard when you closed the doors, the same way people these days go on and on about ludicrous mode.

I sat in a sub-$40K C class when my wife was SUV shopping, and I was very disappointed. Crappy hard plastic all over the place...

My pickup’s interior is better than any of the BMWs I’ve owned.  Quieter too.

There are some luxury features in the Tesla, but their fit and finish is definitely not there.  There’s this one thing that they do, adding foam to their tires to reduce NVH, and that’s definitely a lux feature imo.

It all comes down to a matter of opinion. I hate minimalist interiors, and Tesla is the worst offender. The interior looks like the aesthetic equivalent of an Apple store, and the surfaces and materials are cold and utilitarian.

Not all BMWs are generally considered luxury cars - outside of the USA at least. A base model 328 with cloth interior and manual seats - not a luxury car. Or an X1, not a luxury car outside of the USA. So I guess I’d say no - many 3 series are not luxury cars. 

It Wikipedia says it - it must be true. 

First Gear: 82k miles on a rental car?