Best Large Luxury Cars For 2023 (2023)

Deputy Editor

Long the standard against which other full-size luxury sedans are measured, it’s highly unusual to see the S-Class anywhere but at the top of the pack, but its victory this year is a very narrow one. BMW’s new 7 Series wows with similar comforts and performance but some truly unique features at a lower price and though it leans heavily on style and value, so does Genesis. In many respects though, the S-Class is still the gold standard of this class. ‘Twas ever thus.

While both BMW and Mercedes layer on loads of technology features, the latter’s MBUX infotainment system is easier to use. Both offer six and eight-cylinder power, but the base-model S 500 is quite a bit more powerful than the 740i, and faster overall. Both offer sybaritic confines, but the S-Class has fractionally more room and a prettier styling inside and out. (though that last point is in the eye of the belolder). Genesis’ new G90 offers iconoclastic style and lots of standard gear, but both Germans offer more speed and much larger back seats.

The S-Class, as usual, just does everything exceedingly well even if the price is pretty steep at nearly $115,000 to start. Notably though, BMW offers three years of compimentary maintenance and Genesis a decade-long powertrain warranty, among other extras. Both the S 500 and S 580 are dynamic to drive despite their weight and plenty fast, with one of the comfiest and plushest interiors on the market. If that’s not enough though, later this year the all-conquering Mercedes-AMG S 63 hot rod will return after a two-year absence, upping the S-Class’ game once again albeit at a towering $200,000+ price.

Arch rival to the S-Class since the 1970s, the BMW 7 Series is all new for 2023 and for the first time seems to have landed all of its punches against its Mercedes opponent. While BMW prides itself on performance and driving satisfaction, the 7 Series has to fill a dual role of sports sedan and luxury limo. To an extent, that’s always given it a very different personality and one less about all-out luxury than the Merc, but this new version matches its opponent in lots of ways while costing less.

BMW’s designers have crafted the largest, most luxurious 7 Series ever without sacrificing its sporty DNA. There are two gas versions to start with, the six-cylinder 740i (375 hp) and the V8 760i (536 hp), but there’s also a fully-electric version, the i7, and a plug-in hybrid 745e will arrive this summer. While it’s not an M3, the 7 Series is a sharp driver with keen handling for a car the size of Ford Crown Victoria, and more than capable of keeping up with the S-Class. It features a huge cabin with rear seat space fit for NBA centers and only fractionally less room than the S-Class or Audi A8.

It’s uncontroversially handsome on the outside and the cabin is beautiful, too, with crystal-like detailwork and wild options including a drop-down movie screen and cashmere-blend fabrics. BMW has also integrated its new curved display dashboard and iDrive 8 operating system, but if the new 7 has weak spots, they’re the complexity of these systems and that its best active-safety gear is optional. The new 7 Series also overachieves in other areas, besting Lexus’ hybrid LS in fuel economy, having much more rear seat space than Genesis and offering more cargo room than Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

As soon as Genesis teased its new G90 in the fall of 2021 it was clear that it would have a major impact on the luxury sedan class. The up-and-coming Korean luxury brand has been churning out hit after hit for the last four years, and with its 2023 redesign, the G90 has morphed from an almost Cadillac Brougham-like traditionalist to the most stylish vehicle in the class. Sleek, muscular and extroverted, the G90 is unburdened by the traditions of past models and free to be as characterful as a Lady Gaga outfit.

Like other recent Genesis models, the new G90 is strong on value, though it doesn’t undercut its direct competitors as much as the smaller Genesis cars do on price. It starts at $90,100, but for this you get concierge services, a comprehensive and lengthy suite of active-safety features and the automaker’s best-in-class warranty coverage along with all the inherent virtues of the car.

Of course, style is high on the list. It looks great inside and out, and its infotainment system and controls are easier to master than those at BMW or Mercedes-Benz. There are two V6s of 365 or 409 hp and plenty of power even if the handling is more boulevardier than sports sedan. It’s also very comfy. But the G90 does have weak points. The back seat is the smallest in this class and it drinks more fuel than other big sedans. That said, this characterful car can definitely hold its own with the Germans.

Technically, the Volvo S90 is a stretched version of a midsize car, and on price it actually matches up with cars like the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Genesis G80. But Volvo dropped the regular-wheelbase version in 2018 and hasn’t looked back. This car has a larger back seat than the Genesis G90, offers the only plug-in hybrid option in the class and has a distinctive, luxurious style of its own. Also, not for nothing, it’s a bargain. For the price of a Mercedes-Benz S 500 you can get two base-model S90s.

At a pinch over 200 inches long, the S90 is smaller than all the other cars on this list except the Porsche Panamera, but it doesn’t look or feel it. With more than 40 inches of rear legroom, created at the best of chauffer-driven Chinese buyers, it’s exceedingly roomy and as luxurious inside as the Lexus LS. Though it might not be as prestigious as the BMW 7 Series or Mercedes S-Class, it doesn’t disappoint on features or style either, offering some things standard (like its hefty suite of active safety gear) that BMW makes you pay extra for.

Of course, to get the speed of the other luxe cars in this set, you need to opt for the top trim. There are two powertrains, a 295-horsepower mild-hybrid-assist turbocharged four sits under most S90 hoods, but the best and fastest version is the Recharge PHEV. That powertrain belts out 455 horsepower and can rocket the S90 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. It’s closer to Genesis than BMW in how it handles, but that’s still serious speed. It’ll also do 38 miles of fully-electric range, something no other vehicle in this class can.

An outlier in lots of ways, the Porsche Panamera is not only a sports sedan in a class full of wannabe limousines, it also offers the widest range of configuration and personalization choices of any car on this list. The standard Panamera sedan is the smallest car on this list, but Porsche also offers a long-wheelbase version that offers a much larger backseat for luxury-minded buyers. On top of that, it also builds the Panamera Sport Turismo, which is a hatchback-like station wagon with a much more useful cargo area and even more pleasing styling.

Of course, these practical considerations are serious backseat matters in any Porsche, and what this car does best is performance. The lower-end V6 models can have 335 or 443 horsepower, rear or all-wheel drive and various stages of tune. Then there are two V8s of 473 and 620 horsepower. Not enough? Well, at the top are the E-hybrid V6 (455 hp) and E-Hybrid V8 (690 hp), with that last one capable of reaching 60 mph in a scorching 2.9 seconds. These are supersedans, and they drive and look like slinky sports cars that just happen to have four doors and luxury interiors.

Porsches are expensive, of course, and fully optioning a Panamera Turbo S Executive will put you over $200,000. The lower-end versions, however, start at prices similar to other cars in this set, though with less room and fewer features. Also sadly, the long-wheelbase Executive setup is not available on the Sport Turismo and Porsche makes you pay extra for lots of features. Still, this is easily the most satisfying large sedan to drive fast, and one that stands out from the crowd in all the right ways.

The Audi A8 has always been the most understated, and often underrated, car in this class. The automaker’s evolutionary design approach mines styling themes that go back to the 1960s and the A8 never seems to appear to change very much even when it gets a major redesign. That last happened back in 2019, but Audi gave the A8 and its sporty S8 sister a refresh in 2022. Whether it was enough to differentiate it from previous models is in the eye of the beholder, but the recipe remains largely the same.

The U.S.-model A8 and S8 come only in long-wheelbase form and they have the largest back seat (by measurement) in this big class, with a massive 44 inches of rear legroom. It’s a hushed cabin, too, and as visually restrained as the exterior. It feels luxurious without being self-conscious or gimmicky, although it might be too subtle (inside and out) for some buyers who want to stand out. From a distance, it can be hard to tell the A8 apart from its smaller A6 sibling.

Audi does not skimp on features, but adaptive headlights and some of the newer, fancier items on the 7 Series and S-Class are not found here, and some driver-assist gear (like adaptive cruise control) costs extra. Both optional powertrains are smooth and sweet, though the A8’s standard 335-horsepower V6 isn’t as powerful as some other base engines. The S8, however, is a rollicking good time in a business suit wrapper. The A8’s style has to fit your preferences, but it’s satisfying to drive or be driven in.