Kia Borrego - Luxury Defined?
Kia's tagline for their new Borrego SUV is "A New Kind Of Luxury SUV." Their new commercial (see above) seems to mock traditional luxury vehicle advertising while at the same time suggesting that the Borrego is a luxury vehicle. That really got me thinking, what exactly is considered a "luxury vehicle?"
There is little doubt that when think of a Jaguar, Mercedes Benz or even a Cadillac that you are thinking luxury. These brands, along with others like Audi, BMW, Lexus and Land Rover market themselves as purveyors of vehicles that are aspirational, exclusive and, well, luxurious. But what really defines luxury? Is it price? A Toyota Camry can cost more than a BMW 1-Series. Is it reliability? Honda's are considered more reliable than a Land Rover. Is it features? Almost every option you can get on a Mercedes Benz is available on a VW or Nissan. Is it the dealer experience and/or customer satisfaction? Saturn ranks as high for customer satisfaction as BMW (according to JD Power). Is it exclusivity? Jaguar sells more vehicles in the us than Suzuki.
Can a vehicle from a non-luxury brand be considered a luxury vehicle? Kia's parent company, Hyundai, is now marketing their excellent Genesis sedan as a luxury vehicle. Take away the Hyundai badge (as they did from the front) and most drivers would say they were sitting in a luxury vehicle. But will the public accept the idea of Hyundai or Kia as brands producing luxury? VW tried this with their Phaeton sedan. It was every bit as good as the flagships from Mercedes, BMW and Lexus, but the public refused to accept the idea of a VW that could top $100K, so it would eventually fail in this country. Then again, their Touareg SUV has a sticker price that can reach over $60K, yet it sells successfully.
Defining luxury could be like defining beauty or obscenity, you just know it when you see it. What do you think?
- Posted by
- Lee Scott October 2, 2008, 12:00 AM
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- Buying New Cars, Question of the Week
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- Hyundai Genesis, Kia Borrego, Luxury
I really think that luxury originally meant the top-tier, with designs, features, and materials you not seen on lesser (read: non-luxury) vehicles. At one point power windows, locks, cruise control, leather seats, sunroof, etc. were all part of the exclusive domain of luxury cars.
I believe that as the cost to add all of the goodies to cars has come down and these features have mostly become commonplace across the board, luxury has changed to really just be synonymous with the brands that used to be the only ones with the unique qualities above. So, it's possible to have a Hyundai, Kia, Chevrolet, Saturn, etc. that are every bit as luxurious as many of the other brands now, but people will still only consider the car a "luxury" car if it wears the right badge.
Addendum: In essence, it's possible to find many cars that have all the requirements to be considered luxurious today, but only certain brands have the heritage of luxury, and that's what sticks with most people.
No, the Kia Borrego is NOT a luxury vehicle. They're kidding themselves in marketing it as such.
Luxury vehicles are defined mainly by price, exclusivity, prestige, refinement and features. The Boreggo is not expensive (for its class of vehicle) and neither is it prestigious or have luxury features.
By features, it's about both gadgets and subtleties. There are gadgets like adaptive cruise control that currently remains available only in luxury vehicles. Then there's the subtleties. My Protege has leather seats and that's great! A Mercedes wouldn't be great with leather seats: the leather would have to be thick, soft, smell good......be some expensive kind!
Price. Lee, well, remember that when we consider the practicality of the Camry, it's far cheaper than the 1-series. In fact, only a wealthy person or one with lots of spare cash would buy a car like the 1-series, which is almost useless (from a practicality standpoint). If you compare a 5-series and a Camry (both mid-sized cars with similar practicality levels), the Camry is FAR cheaper.
Saturn's customers are happy with the service because it exceeds their expectations, but that does make Saturn service better than Lexus'? I doubt it.
You're also confusing exclusivity and unpopularity. The Jaguar is exclusive because only few people can have it (i.e., the rich or very well-to-do). Meanwhile, everyone who can buy a car can have a SUzuki but theychoose not to buy it because they don't like it (i t's unpopular)....not because they can't have it. Big difference.
In terms of features, refinement and (with the Phaeton) price, the Phaeton and Genesis are luxury vehicles. But the Genesis lacks prestige and exclusivity and the Phaeton lacks prestige. Hence, they're not true luxury vehicles but, instead, luxurious vehicles.
BA: I agree with what you said. I was just playing devil's advocate.
Ultimately, it is all about snob factor, whether it is luxury cars, clothes, jewelry or electronics. The laws of diminishing returns makes most "luxury" items a purchase of desire and not necessity (or value).
I take exception to the notion that "Luxury vehicles are defined mainly by price, exclusivity, prestige, refinement and features."
That's what the automakers would want you to believe.
To me, the question is whether I am having a luxurious experience when driving.
Not whether my neighbor assumes I do. The fact is that many so-called luxury vehicles only deliver the fantasy.