The Height Of Luxury

A modern limousine no longer resembles a stretched saloon: these days, luxe is SUV-shaped

If you walk, a bicycle is luxurious. If you cycle in the rain with cramping calves, a bus becomes an affluent lifeboat, even if you do have to share the top deck with a man who smells of boiled cabbage and defeat.

But if you have to deal with the vagaries of public transport on a regular basis, and eventually people who smell of far worse than vegetables and melancholy, then even a 1989 Toyota Corolla that whiffs lightly of damp Alsatian and long-dead cigarettes can seem rather grand. And thus we find that any concept of luxury is always a mutation formed though the lens of situation.

But a luxury car’s always had a bit of a blueprint: long and limousiney. In fact, when the concept of a luxury car was formed, there were far fewer niches to fill, and hence far less opportunity for cross-pollination and side-stepping of the hierarchy. Up till now a traditional luxury car has been a barge, weighed down with marquetry and self-importance; but when we talk about the contemporary experience of luxe, the game’s moved on. These days, a luxury car doesn’t need to be a wallowing mobile humidor. Modern global luxury is SUV-shaped.

You want examples? Major upscale brands have realised that to fully crowbar sales in blossoming markets like China and Russia, they need an SUV. Maserati has the Levante, Lamborghini is planning the Urus, and even Rolls-Royce has a tall car in the pipeline. Far from being an evolutionary dead end, the SUV has made a comeback as the flag-bearer for posh.