Do dynamics really matter in the luxury realm anymore?

[12,000 RPM]

BMW, MB, and to a lesser extent Audi have softened all their cars up a ton and are still top sellers in their respective classes. RX is the top selling luxury SUV. ES outsells everything besides the 3 and C class in the luxury sedan game. C Class ditched the "sport sedan" quest and went back to the mini S-Class the OG 190E was, and has seen huge sales increases. Best car in class IMO. Is it safe to say dynamics don't matter to luxury buyers anymore?

[CaminoRacer]

Numbers wise they handle better than ever. They're just more relaxed in the way they achieve that.

[ifcar]

First of all, dynamics has to do with more than sporty handling. And secondly, there have always been buyers who demanded sportiness and buyers who didn't. There remain options for both types.

That was easy.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

BMW, MB, and to a lesser extent Audi have softened all their cars up a ton and are still top sellers in their respective classes. RX is the top selling luxury SUV. ES outsells everything besides the 3 and C class in the luxury sedan game. C Class ditched the "sport sedan" quest and went back to the mini S-Class the OG 190E was, and has seen huge sales increases. Best car in class IMO. Is it safe to say dynamics don't matter to luxury buyers anymore?

I think the gap between regular models and sporty models has shrunk in the past decade!

[cawimmer430]

Modern-day luxury cars generally do both - they handle well and they are comfortable. I'd go as far to say that this has been the case for the last two decades. I think the expectation that luxury cars need a sporty side comes from the many sports-biased car magazines out there and their ridiculous "hardcore track tests for everything with four wheels" approach.

Automobiles these days offer so many choices, in all classes (especially in Europe). There's something for everyone.

IMO the average person will be more than satisfied with the handling and ride quality of their luxury car. But for those that want a little more edginess and sport, there are alternatives. So for the luxury driver who wants a sportier Mercedes C-Class for example, which places more emphasis on sport/handling than the standard models, can check out a C450 AMG or C63 AMG.

[MexicoCityM3]

You can still get a sporty 3 series if you option it well. Only difference is that it used to be the default for all variants.

[2o6]

You can still get a sporty 3 series if you option it well. Only difference is that it used to be the default for all variants.

Although the F30 is dynamically different than the E90 (less sporty) - that's all relative. The F30 is still a very sharp car to drive in pretty much all trims.

[Submariner]

BMW, MB, and to a lesser extent Audi have softened all their cars up a ton and are still top sellers in their respective classes. RX is the top selling luxury SUV. ES outsells everything besides the 3 and C class in the luxury sedan game. C Class ditched the "sport sedan" quest and went back to the mini S-Class the OG 190E was, and has seen huge sales increases. Best car in class IMO. Is it safe to say dynamics don't matter to luxury buyers anymore?

Meh - I think you could make the argument that Merc is bore "driver focused" vehicles now than they ever have.  The new E63, C63 and in particular, the AMG GT have all received high praise from the motoring press.  Even a bone stock E350 is more engaging than an E320 circa 2001.

Perhaps BMW has softened up a bit, but I feel that Audi is still making "engaging" vehicles - their RS line still seems to be widely lauded in the motoring press.

[12,000 RPM]

The AMGs and RSs are not the norm though. That's kind of like saying Toyota is driver's focused company because they make the Toyobaru now. Average Toyota is still a Camry or RAV-4 which discourages all fun driving and is just comfy AF.

[Byteme]

Best car in class IMO. Is it safe to say dynamics don't matter to luxury buyers anymore?

I think most buyers of the performance models are aware of what their cars are capable of.  I also think most buyers will never use all those capabilities.

[ifcar]

The AMGs and RSs are not the norm though. That's kind of like saying Toyota is driver's focused company because they make the Toyobaru now. Average Toyota is still a Camry or RAV-4 which discourages all fun driving and is just comfy AF.

Not at all, because an AMG Mercedes is still the same luxurious, practical car in addition to being high-performance. If you want a sportier C-Class, you can get a sportier C-Class. If you want a sportier Camry, the FR-S is irrelevant to you.

[veeman]

Yes, but I don't think the regular  Merc C class and Merc C Class AMG can be cross-shopped and the regular Audi be cross shopped with the Audi RS variant.  They're not anywhere near each other price-wise. 

[MrH]

I don't think it's a matter of the market pushing performance cars to be softer, but technology advancing to the point of blurring the line between comfort and sport. Cars are performing better than ever and are also more comfortable than ever. It's a win win.

[ifcar]

Yes, but I don't think the regular  Merc C class and Merc C Class AMG can be cross-shopped and the regular Audi be cross shopped with the Audi RS variant.  They're not anywhere near each other price-wise. 

It's just a matter of whether you want a luxury performance car -- if you want it, it exists. The market has dictated that 1) there need to be a lot of these options and 2) these options can sell for a large amount of money. It seems to me that there's a clear sign that some people care, and that if you're among them, you have options even if they're expensive options.