10 German Luxury Cars That Pioneered Innovation And Engineering

Summary

• The 2016 Porsche Panamera 4S Executive offers a wonderfully smooth drive and increased space for rear passengers.
• The 2003 Maybach 57 sets the standard for luxury cars with its focus on ambient luxury and attention to detail in the interior design.

Throughout the auto industry, very few nations are known for the building tank like luxury cars, quilte like Germany. Manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes constantly setting a new standard in the industry for precision engineering and the intricate detail that goes into every element of their cars. It’s not just the performance of these cars that stands head above shoulders from the rest, the attention to detail is also carried through to the interior, providing some of the highest levels of luxury in any road car.

Whether it’s the ultra-high-end expensive machines fit for royalty or the more affordable premium offerings, German automakers have set the bar high, when it comes to luxury. With the nation’s manufacturers even building models that lean more into the luxury car category and here are the 10 German luxury cars that put innovation and engineering at the very forefront.

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In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Car and Driver and Top Gear. The cars featured on this list were ranked based off each entry’s interior comfort, available technology and overall build quality, and how well each element comes together to provide the ultimate luxurious driving experience.

10 2016 Porsche Panamera 4S Executive

Best Feature: A Wonderfully Smooth Drive

The leading gas-powered sedan that Porsche has been making since 2009 is the Panamera model, which over the years has received many updates and facelifts to keep it at the top of the sports sedan luxury market. More than anything, Porsche is a brand known for its incomparable driving experience, something that is a prominent factor of the ’16 Panamera S and 4S models. However, Porsche decided to hone in luxury for the executive trim without sacrificing any of the performance.

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With a longer wheelbase, the Executive model creates a notable increase in space for the rear passengers especially. Although a 150-millimeter extension might not sound like much, it provides a welcome increase in legroom and a general increase in comfort. The ’16 Panamera 4S also includes an enhanced kit of equipment that the base model features, including adaptive air suspension, heated seats as well and roll-up sunblinds.

The more than comfortable bucket seats are equipped with high-quality leather to increase the luxury essence of the cabin, with the material also covering the steering wheel. Out of all German sports sedans, the Panamera 4S manages to provide the most luxurious cabin experience like no other, all while being as fun to drive as Porsche’s smaller two-door sports cars.

9 2003 Maybach 57

Best Feature: The Focus On Ambient Luxury

When thinking about luxury cars, a brand that will never fail to spring to mind is Maybach. Originally an independent luxury company separate from Mercedes, Maybach became a sub-brand of Mercedes in 2015, allowing the company to continue to produce the best luxury cars on the market.

One of the newer models created when Maybach was still independent in 2003 is the iconic Maybach 57, a car which, along with the Maybach 52 set the standard for luxury automobiles around the world in the early 2000s. The Mercedes S-Class range was already a great car, but the increased size, opulence, and performance took it to a whole new level.

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The interior space that the Maybach 57 manages to provide allows every passenger to have the most luxurious experience a sedan can provide, although this car falls partly into the limousine category. A large part of the attention went into the rear of the cabin, with reclining back seats surrounded by 12 ambient lights, completed with two entertainment screens fixed to the back seats.

Finished with soft leather for the seats and polished wooden trims, the Maybach 57’s attention to detail, right down to the center console’s buttons, is what sets it apart from any other luxury car of its time.

8 2019 BMW 7 Series G70

Best Feature: Minimal Yet Opulent Material Choices

BMW is a manufacturer that has been at the forefront of the German automotive scene, producing countless sedans, wagons, and SUVs that appeal to such a wide market. In 2022, BMW released the latest generation of the largest sedan in their fleet, the 7 Series G70.

This model was designed with luxury and comfort at the forefront, with the car maximizing every element that leads to that high-end experience only German cars can offer. The interior follows a flowing, monolithic design style to achieve a prestigious feel when inside the car, topping anything else the company had produced beforehand.

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The combination of smooth leather and soft-touch plastic is what brings the interior of this car together, creating an interior that maybe doesn’t have as much wow factor as other luxury sedans, but is undefeated in terms of elegance and richness.

The infotainment system is another fantastic feature of the 7 Series G70 model, with the spacious back seats getting an updated control unit and a new entertainment package. For those longer journeys, the 7 Series G70 was equipped with all the highest quality features that a luxury sedan could ever need. The hefty 4.4-liter V-8 also provides a great deal of speed, too.

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7 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K

Best Feature: Industry-Defining Cabin Design

Turning the clock back to the ’30s, Mercedes-Benz was already establishing itself as a leader in the luxury automotive scene, competing with the likes of Britain’s Rolls-Royce. In 1936, Mercedes released the 540K, a car designed solely to provide the best experience imaginable, becoming the pinnacle of luxury for the German brand.

As well as the highly praised performance that meant the car could reach 100 miles per hour (making it one of the fastest cars of its time), the interior truly set a new standard in the industry for everyone else to chase.

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With the cabin featuring the finest woods, leather, and fabrics, the 540K instantly became one of the most desirable luxury cars on the market. The car was particularly popular with Hollywood stars of the ’30s, those of whom all wanted a type of opulence and luxury that only Mercedes could provide. Being the first car of its type to feature a four-wheel independent suspension system, the ride of the 540K was so much smoother than others in its class.

As well as the interior screaming luxury, the smooth, flowing exterior design helped the car to win ‘best in show’ at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance auto show recently, showing just how monumental and timeless the level of luxury that the Mercedes 540K still produces almost 90 years after release.

6 2015 VW Phaeton LWB

Best Feature: Almost Silent While Driving

Volkswagen is a brand known worldwide, being one of the leaders in many different categories, such as hatchbacks, sedans, and SUVs. A car that doesn’t get anywhere near enough attention is the 2015 VW Phaeton.

Although being discontinued in 2016, this car was the epitome of luxury for the leading German automaker, providing an elegant yet practical interior with a wonderfully smooth ride. A feature of this car that received perhaps the most praise was how well-insulated the car’s cabin is, meaning that both engine noise and wind noise are practically non-existent with the newest Phaeton model.

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As well as the smooth ride, the interior provides an excellent amount of space in the rear, especially in the car’s long wheelbase form. The space that the ’15 Phaeton managed to provide was levels above the majority of other German luxury sedans at the time. The design style leans into the simpler, more vintage side of things, which is entirely up to your preference, whether it’s to your taste or not.

Despite this, the Phaeton is kitted out with all the easy-to-navigate tech you could need on the road. Using the finest woods and leather for the trim and upholstery, you will no doubt be greeted with a classic style of luxury travel combined with the top modern standards for smoothness and comfortability when on the move.

5 2023 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe

Best Feature: Provides The Best BMW-Style Luxury Without Sacrificing Performance

The newest mass-production car to feature on our list, the ’23 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe, without a doubt manages to rival the 7 series regarding outright luxury, being a testament to what modern technology can do for the ultimate driving experience.

Providing elegance in an understated yet effective manner, the interior of the ’23 8 series Gran Coupe draws from the rest of the manufacturer’s luxury fleet without sacrificing any of the performance that the model has been known for over the years. The performance is provided by the silky-smooth powertrain options and responsive steering, making the car wonderful to drive. Very few cars have managed to pair speed with luxury and comfort like the 8 Series.

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Fitted with all the modern amenities and top-notch materials, the ’23 8 Series is truly in a class of its own with the mass-production market. With supportive and electronically adjustable leather seats, you won’t ever feel uncomfortable in the car.

In the rear of the cabin, the four doors mean that there’s ample legroom for everyone. The 4-door 8 Series is also more driver-focused than most other cars on this list, with a unique driver seating position to maximize comfort and control when behind the leather-trimmed steering wheel.

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4 2022 Audi A8 L Horch

Best Feature: A Great Combination Of High-End Materials

At the time of its release, the redesigned Audi A8 L was the most advanced German luxury car on the market. The 2010s saw so much development in terms of technology to improve the luxury experience of cars in general, with manufacturers such as Audi using their sedans to explore the capabilities of these advancements and set new standards in the industry.

The A8 L was also one of the lightest luxury sedans on the market at the time, but Audi decided to take things even further at the start of the 2020s. Producing the A8 L Horch, this car is designed to rival Maybach for the companies’ Chinese market.

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The exterior of the car was heavily stylized in comparison to the regular A8, with the interior remaining in a class of its own. The amount of materials used to create the opulent interior is much more than most, using real wood trimmings, leather, chrome, and suede to highlight rich colors and create a wonderful contrast throughout.

The Horch version of the A8 L provides 13 additional centimeters of wheelbase length compared to the LWB standard model, with the majority of the extra space being dedicated to increasing the rear legroom. Out of all the luxury Audis released over the years, the ’22 A8 L Horch is without a doubt the most luxurious out of them all.

3 2003 Maybach 62

Best Feature: The Best Rear Passenger Experience

The same year as the full release of the Maybach 57 saw a similar car released onto the luxury market, in the form of the Maybach 62. A longer version of the Maybach 57, the 62 was envisioned to be a car you would purchase if you’d rather be chauffeured than drive the car yourself.

Also based on the Mercedes S-Class of the time, the Maybach 62 was a much longer car to allow for more attention to be put toward the rear of the cabin. To accommodate the increased size, Maybach also fine-tuned the Mercedes engine to produce even more power, leading to one of the smoothest-driving cars in the world.

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The Maybach 57 features a lighter tan color scheme, the 62 took a different route that might be even more stunning. Following a monochrome black-and-white color scheme, the Maybach 62 uses grand Nappa leather to cover the majority of the cabin, with over 100 handcrafted pieces of wood trim filling the gaps along with carbon fiber.

With a length of 6.2 meters (hence the 62 nameplate), the rear seats have so much space to recline and even provide leg rests for longer journeys. The Maybach 62 was the car that reaffirmed the company as the top of the range for luxurious automobiles.

2 1963 Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser

Best Feature: Hydraulic System For Ultra-Smooth Interior Features

The first thing that you’ll notice about the Mercedes-Benz 600 ‘Grosser’ is its sheer size. Coming in at 18 feet long, this car was massive even by ’60s standards. In 1963, the 600 Grosser was considered the best car that the company had ever produced, being the perfect blend of elegance, performance, and beauty.

Being the first limousine in Mercedes history at the time to feature a V-8 engine, the power matched the size, leading to a wonderfully smooth drive for the 600 Grosser. Also, the car was fitted with air suspension to assist with smoothness, with the 600 Grosser’s ride still being one of the best in the world.

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As well as the exterior design, the 600 Grosser’s interior was also the pinnacle of luxury for the ’60s. As you’d expect, the car was super spacious for all passengers. Once the most expensive car in the world, you would have most definitely gotten your money’s worth with the lavish woodwork on the doors and dashboard, complemented by the most durable leather trim for the seats.

The rear seats can also be reclined due to the length of the car, with separate refrigerated storage compartments. With a state-of-the-art system named ‘Comfort Hydraulic’, the myriad of interior components made the typical juddery electric noise disappear when using just about any feature. There were so many different personalization options for the car that no two 600s were ever the same.

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1 2023 Mercedes-Maybach S680 Haute Voiture

Best Feature: Unique Bouclé Trim

The Mercedes-Maybach sedan range was already the peak of luxury sedans by the late 2010s and early 2020s, but the German outfit wanted to cement their place at the very top. Announced in 2022 for the 2023 model year, the S680 Haute Voiture is a limited edition version of the base model, which already costs upward of $200,000 depending on chosen options. Hailed as drivable art, the Haute Voiture model draws the majority of its inspiration from high fashion, perhaps the ideal place to take notes regarding opulence and luxury.

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The exterior of the car remains as stunning as you’d expect from a Mercedes-Maybach, with the Haute Voiture model featuring a two-tone color scheme of dark blue for the top half of the car and rose gold for the bottom half. As spectacular as this is, the real magic of the S680 Haute Voiture is on the inside.

The most notable addition to the S680 Haute Voiture is the Bouclé trim surrounding the seats, a material that’s woven from yarn. The unique appearance features blues, beiges, and rose golds, the material matches the exterior paint style, as well as providing the ultimate luxury, high fashion-style cabin appearance.

Also featuring linen and mohair floor mats, there isn’t an element of this car that doesn’t achieve the maximum level of luxury and comfort, with the limited 150 model run earning the top spot from the most luxurious German car of all time.