Investigate and Compare the Top Five Affordable Luxury Cars on the Market for 2011

The luxury vehicle market has changed significantly since I first began driving in the mid seventies. Back then the U.S. luxury sedans reigned supreme and the few imported luxury cars that were around town barely came out of their garages due to our rainy or snowy weather.

Now you can find a luxury car at the drive-thru of fast food joints, or resting casually across two parking spaces at the local drug store, point is you can find a luxury car just about anywhere you go these days. When I think about the luxury models from just ten or fifteen years ago i see mostly Detroit steel, and now it is a mix of foreign and domestics. One interesting fact is that some major players have bowed out completely from this market sector.

Once upon a time Ford had at least three or four models a year in the luxury class, but now they have left that niche up to the folks over at their sister company Lincoln. The space left behind was filled immediately by some really nice yet affordable imported luxury models. So to narrow this field down to just five affordable luxury cars I had to pick the handful of crucial specifications that make a luxury car into a class act. Here are my selections of the top five best luxury cars.

1) 2011 Volvo C30 2 door hatchback with 2.5 Liter in line 5 cylinder Turbocharged engine with 20 Valves. MSRP $24,600 With 227 horsepower this sprite little turbocharged Volvo can really get the daily driving jobs done quickly. on top of all this tech stuff this is a really cool looking car. Surprisingly good fuel economy and performance with 21 mpg city and 29 highway. fuel tank holds 15.9 gallons which takes the car 334 miles city driving, and 461 highway miles per tank of premium fuel. one downside to this model is the cloth seats. it does have the standard 8 way power seat for the driver and optional power glass sunroof. with 17 inch tires this car handles curves like a sports car. seats 4 and has 15.3 cubic feet of storage.

2) 2011 Audi A3 2.0T Premium Quattro 4 door Wagon AWD 2.0 Liter in line 4 cylinder Turbocharged engine. MSRP $30,850 Comes standard with a potent 200 horsepower DOHC 16 Valves. mileage is great at 21 mpg city, and 28 mpg highway. 332 miles city, and 442 miles highway. 10 cubic feet of storage. seats 5 adults, has leather interior and 17 inch wheels.

3) 2011 BMW 1 Series 128i 2 door Coupe 3.0 Liter 24 valve DOHC in line 6 cylinder engine. MSRP $29,450
best in class 230 horsepower, with leatherette seats. offers 18 mpg city, and 28 mpg highway. with the 15.8 gallon fuel tank this car can go 252 miles city driving, and 392 miles on the highway. seats 4 people, optional power glass sunroof, and rolls on 17 inch wheels.

4) 2011 Infiniti G Sedan G25 4 door Sedan 2.5 Liter 24 valve DOHC V6 cylinder engine. MSRP $30,950
Interior is leather. has a 14 gallon tank which takes you. 19.5 cubic feet of storage space and seats 5 adults. optional power glass sun roof. 17 inch wheels.

5) 2011 Lexus IS 250 4 door Sedan 2.5 Liter 24 valve DOHC V6 cylinder engine. MSRP $32,145
more than adequate 204 horsepower. leather seats, with 13 cubic feet of storage space, and seats 5. standard power glass sun roof. fuel economy is 19 mpg city, and 27 mpg highway. 17.1 gallon tank takes you 325 miles in city, and 462 miles highway. 17 inch wheels.

Sources:
Local newspaper advertisements, Local Dealerships, and visits to Cleveland Auto Show.

For detailed model information please visit the following manufacturer web sites:

www.volvocars.com/intl/All-Cars/Volvo-C30/Pages/default.aspx
models.audiusa.com/a3
www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/vehicles/2011/1/default.aspx
www.infiniti.com/global/en/models/g-sedan#/models/g-sedan
www.lexus.com/models/IS/

My all time favorite car site:
www.edmunds.com/

Thank you for reading my articles here on Associated Content - Yahoo!