Best new luxury cars for 2014 and 2015

Every year, the Portland International Auto Show (Portland, OR) brings hundreds of brand new models from the world's leading automakers to the Pacific Northwest. Ranging from the practical and affordable to the gaudy and audacious, there is something for every taste and riving need at this century-old auto show. Sure, many sensible buyers will be comparing the specs and aesthetics of the latest Camrys and Accords of the world. But every year, the real show can be found in the luxury wings.

With so much eye candy and horsepower on display, the luxury exhibit feels more like an art gallery than an automotive sales floor. Some of the best new luxury cars for 2014 and 2015 featured at the Portland Auto show (including the Cadillac CTS Vsport and the Audi A3 sedan) represent impressive steps forward for these manufacturers. These models will be hitting dealerships soon. This guide to the best new luxury cars will give you plenty of reasons to get excited for what's coming out the next few years. After whetting your appetite with these new luxury cars, see what else was on display at this year's show.

2014 Maserati Ghibli

For decades, the Maserati has been nothing more than another Italian dream car for most American drivers, reserved only for the rich and famous. With legendary Italian lineage and race-inspired performance that belts out exhaust notes as beautiful as Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, Maserati inspires the same mystique and awe as its sibling, Ferrari. (Maserati also commanded the same six-figure price tag!) This year, the dream of driving a Maserati could become a reality for many Americans with the arrival of the new Maserati Ghibli with its comparably more accessible base price of $66,900. 

The Maserati Ghibli literally roared into the American collective consciousness by starring in a high-profile ad during the 2014 Super Bowl. The message was loud and clear – the Italians are now new players in the (relatively) affordable U.S. luxury car segment. Built by Ferrari, the Maserati Ghibli's aggressive front-end is accented by bold front fenders leading to a low-profile cabin. The rear is more elegant and understated. The interior, of course, is draped in Italian leather and is spacious enough even for taller American drivers. 

The base model Ghibli is powered by a Ferrari-engineered 3.0L twin-turbo, rear wheel drive engine that pushes out a galloping 345 horsepower. Direct injection and low-intertia turbochargers balance the Ghibli's impressive power with acceptable fuel economy ratings. With an EPA-estimated 15 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, the Ghibli isn't going to win any conservation awards or earn any green-car stickers, but it won't be hit with the federal gas-guzzler tax either.

For the price, the Maserati Ghibli is an exotic alternative to the typical (and in many cases, more expensive) German luxury sedan. If you've ever dreamed of parking a brand new Italian sports car in your garage (or pulling up to your next Class Reunion in one) the Maserati Ghibli might be your wake-up call. 

2015 Audi A3 Sedan

A four-door, entry-level Audi? Finally! The 2015 Audi A3 is the last car in this series being offered as a sedan. It comes with features and technology once reserved only for Audi’s big-body A6 and A8 flagship lines. The Audi A3 sedan is designed with the American market in mind. Its compact dimensions make it much easier to drive and park around the city than its bigger A6 and A8 brethren. It's comparable to the original 1994 Audi A4 (one of the automakers more popular and all-time favorite models) decked out with the most modern and advanced features available in this price-range. It gets you into the luxury market at a fairly modest starting price of $29,900. 

The new A3 sedan is offered with several engine options, including two TFSI engines with available Audi’s heralded Quattro all-wheel drive. You can also buy an A3 with a fuel-sipping TDI diesel engine that's keeping Audi at the front of the pack in the diesel revolution in North America. Choose between three powerful-yet-efficient engines:

• 1.8 TFSI: 200 horsepower, 200 lb.-ft. of torque
• 2.0 TFSI: 220 horsepower, 258 lb.-ft. of torque
• 2.0 TDI: 150 horsepower, clean-burning diesel

Each A3 engine is offered with Audi’s standard six-speed, S-tronic transmission featuring a drive select system allowing you to adjust throttle response, shift points and steering to meet your specific performance needs, skills and capabilities. The Audi drive select has four settings: Auto, Dynamic, Comfort and Individual. The new A3 sedan will also come with an updated chassis to better balance the vehicle, improve the crash-resistant structure, and increase the overall interior cabin space.

The A3 Sedan interior now has all the same high-quality finish materials and upholstery found in Audi’s luxury flagship, the A8. These posh standard features include:

• Leather upholstery
• Manual climate control
• In-dash navigation and infotainment system
• Bluetooth wireless technology
• Audi Pre Sense collision-protection system
• Panoramic glass sunroof
• Bang & Olufsen Sound System pushing 705 watts through fourteen separate speakers

With so many available option packages, you can customize the Audi A3 Sedan to suit your style. The optional LED lighting package lets you add LED lights around the center console, door panels and speakers. Sure this is mostly for vanity purposes, but it makes the A3 look pretty cool. (Cooler than it already looks, that is.) 

2015 Jaguar F-Type

Jaguar revealed the F-Type convertible in the summer of 2013 and the coming out party generated rave reviews from across the automotive world. What most people didn’t know was… the best was yet to come! Ready in time for the 2015 model year, Jaguar has revealed the F-Type Coupe to the North American market, and it should offer stiff competition to the previously peerless Porsche 911 Carrera.

The 2015 Jaguar F-Type Coupe is available with the same V6 engine currently available on the F-Type convertible model. The Base F-Type gets 340 horsepower and achieves 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. The upgraded F-Type S Coupe pushes out 380 horsepower with a still-respectable 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. These models are priced at an expensive-but-not-ridiculous $66,000 and $77,000 respectively. 

The real monster in the series (and the real threat to dethrone the Porsche 911) is the supercharged V8-powered F-Type R. This BadBoy delivers a whopping 542 horsepower bursting from its rear wheel drivetrain. Designed at its heart for speed and performance, the F-Type R is the stiffest production car Jaguar has ever built, giving it considerable control at top speeds. The F-Type R Coupe also features Jaguar's Electronic Active Differential. This feature is designed to give you more control as it distributes torque evenly between the rear wheels, and Jaguar's first torque-vectoring-by-braking system.

The F-Type R Coupe will be a chief rival to the Porsche 911 Carrera S for two reasons: One, it's almost the same size as the new 911, but with sharper and more responsive track performance; and two, it carries the same six-figure price tag.

Better start saving. 

2015 Cadillac CTS Vsport sedan

Motor Trend magazine named the Cadillac CTS the 2014 Car of the Year over crowd and writer favorite top models from Mercedes, BMW and Honda. The honor gives Cadillac something to growl about while putting a nice little sweat-film of fear into the rest of its competitors in the automotive world. Oft dismissed over the last decade for its archaic, dinosaur-sized model lineup, Cadillac is back in a big way with newfound credibility on the proving track and out on America’s highways. So how can Cadillac push the envelope even further for the 2015 edition of the CTS? Drop in a twin-turbo V6, give it track-inspired suspension and price it lower than comparable cars in the BMW 5 Series. 

Called the "BMW Beater," the Cadillac CTS Vsport is a blistering racer that's light on weight, but not on luxury. The 2014 CTS is more than 400 pounds lighter than the previous 2010 model (slimming down from 4,417 pounds to just under 4,000.) How did the Cadillac engineers do it?

Lots of aluminum!

The CTS Vsport is GM's first production car to feature all cast aluminum doors. It also trimmed down by using an aluminum front sub frame, hood, front-suspension frames and a whole lot of other lightweight, meticulous parts (including magnesium motor mounts.) 

The new, lighter CTS enjoys every benefit of its turbocharged and intercooled 3.6 L V6, torque-rich 420 horsepower. To add even more track-inspired capability, the CTS Vsport features an enhanced ZF premium steering system, Magnetic Ride Control suspension with a track mode and Brembo front brakes.

At $59,995, the Cadillac CTS Vsport is priced about $2,000 more than the comparable base model BMW 5 Series. (The base model BMW 5 can only boast 300 horsepower.) For sheer power, the CTS Vsport is a good deal. If you choose to step up to a 445-horsepower, turbocharged V8 engine with the BMW 550i, it will run you at least $4,000 more (and that’s without any added options!)

No wonder the Cadillac CTS Vsport is called the BMW Beater.

2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe

Speaking of BMW, the long-awaited 4 Series Gran Coupe is just about ready for its close-up. The first ever BMW 4 Series will debut in 2015 with several options featuring fresh design advances, including a more aggressive-looking front and sleek, sexy lines that will set it apart from all the other BMW models. 

Leading off, the 428i Coupe will be the first model in the new series to hit showrooms. It features a 2.0 L TwinPower Turbo inline V6 that comfortably throws out 300 horsepower. Only 300 horsepower, you ask? Well, the 428i can go from 0-60 in five seconds flat, thanks in part to BMW "Air Breathers" that help reduce drag. (Pretty fast for only 300 horsepower, wouldn't you say?)

The 2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe is bigger and roomier than the workhorse 3 Series sedan, despite having only two doors. It is both wider and longer by about a half an inch. The exterior comes in with a slightly shorter overall height than the 3 Series sedan, giving it a sleeker, sportier profile. The longer roofline and lower stance also endow this car with a more aggressive personality.

The North American BMW 4 Series lineup will expand its initial launch with several supporting cast members, including:

• BMW 420d (d for diesel engine)
• BMW 428i
• BMW 428i xDrive
• BMW 435i
• BMW 435 xDrive (available in the ES, SE, Luxury, Sport and M model lines.)

Of all these models, the 428i will perhaps be the most enticing with its sticker price, starting at $41,225.

2015 Kia K900

So far, this guide has covered Maserati, Audi, Cadillac and BMW. There's certainly no questioning these manufacturers’ rightful place in any survey of upgraded luxury cars, nor any of the car maker’s long tradition of innovation in the luxury segment of car design and sales.

But Kia?

That's a new one. The brand new Kia K900 is the Korean car manufacturer’s attempt to elbow its way into the luxury conversation. It will be the company’s flagship in this sector and it certainly gets the conversation started with its monster 420-horsepower, V8 engine. This power source has all the comparable markings of competing cars like the Lexus LS 460 and the BMW 740i. The one big difference: it says Kia on the front. That might sound pretty vain and even shallow, but in the luxury automotive world, image is everything. Mercedes and BMW are well established as elite brands. Kia, having spent most of its life making affordable economy cars, is not.

If you can look past the Kia emblem (and you should) you'll find the Kia K900 to be a gorgeous, fully appointed luxury car with a performance profile suitable for the Autobahn, though adjustable for American highways and even urban commutes. The V8 K900 starts at $60,400 (considerably less than the comparable LS 460 or the 740i.) It's also chock full of luxury amenities, including:

• A huge 12.3-inch in-dash display
• Temperature controlled seats wrapped in Nappa leather
• Futuristic safety features like a head-up display

(You'd have to pay over $80,000 for a similarly appointed Lexus LS 460.) 

Kia has another luxury model in its Cadenza. The Cadenza is loaded with a lot of the same features as the K900, but costs about $20,000 less. The Cadenza is smaller and not quite as powerful, but looking at them side by side, there isn't too much to differentiate these two (at least on the outside.) The Kia K900 is an economical alternative to the luxury flagship cars currently on the market. But then again, the Cadenza (it can easily be argued) is the economical alternative to the K900 and if you’re not sold on a Kia luxury option, the Cadenza could be a very hard sell.

Time will tell how the K900 sells. And only time will tell if American car buyers and drivers can get over image-consciousness and look past the Kia logo on the hood. If they can, not only will they be opening the door to some very affordable luxury, there may well be a new player on the field for luxury in automobile performance and sales. 

Get the lowest local quotes on the best new luxury cars for 2014 and 2015!

If you're ready to upgrade your current luxury car, or you're considering a step up to the luxury class for the first time, this may be the year for you. Scanning the horizon of the landscape at the 2014 Portland International Auto Show, it's easy to see that new cars just keep getting better. And that's very much true with the best new luxury cars for 2014 and 2015.

Automakers are listening closely to consumer demands, pushing out more powerful engines with better fuel economy, more luxurious packages at more reasonable price points, and lots and lots of style. Use Reply! to connect with local dealers and get the lowest price quotes in your area on the best new luxury cars for 2014 and 2015. 

Photo Credit: Jaguar F-Type, BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe via Wikimedia Commons