Best used luxury car for 2020

What constitutes a luxury car? VFACTS doesn’t distinguish a specific market segment for vehicles that are the very essence of comfort.

A luxury car could be a coupe, a convertible, a sedan, a wagon or an SUV. It’s all in the mind of the beholder, although we’re not quite at the point where light commercial vehicles could be considered luxury cars, despite Mercedes-Benz giving it a fair shake with the X-Class.

To make it as a luxury offering, the vehicle has to wear a prestige badge and exude elegance and comfort. Typically, there’s a hefty price tag that goes with all that, which is why the same car six years down the track can be so appealing.

It’s a lot of kit for a lot less money than the original owner paid when the car was new. Depreciation is not kind to luxury cars, but it’s wonderful for buyers in the used-car market.

For the 2020 carsales Best Used Car Awards, proudly presented by Bingle, the year in review is 2014.

For the luxury car category we’ve considered a number of long-wheelbase sedans and a couple of prestige SUVs, all of which were priced from upwards of $180,000 when new. The sedans were all selected from the upper-large market segment above $100,000, in which the then-new W222 series of Mercedes-Benz S-Class played a substantial role in lifting sales.

Choosing a winner and two ‘honourable mentions’ in the luxury car category of the carsales Best Used Cars for 2020 involved ranking the vehicles according to the aggregate score, which is based on points out of 50 from RedBook and individual scores out of 10 from each of the five judges.

And in 2020, the carsales best used luxury car is the 2014...

Released here in July of 2013, Land Rover’s Range Rover Vogue TDV6 in the new L405 series was considerably lighter and more capable across the board than the venerable L322 series it superseded.

On-road driving dynamics were enhanced and the new model performed better and delivered improved fuel economy over its predecessor’s best efforts.

With the introduction of the all-aluminium L405 series, the Vogue name had ceased to be a means of distinguishing the big Range Rover from the Range Rover Sport. It was now a trim level denoting the mid-range specification between entry-level HSE and flagship Autobiography.

With the diesel V6, the Range Rover Vogue scored 40.3 points from RedBook and 34 points from the judges for a total of 74.3 points all up.

Priced from $180,400 when new, the Range Rover Vogue TDV6 from 2014 is valued by RedBook at $78,000 in the used-car market.

“Spacious, supremely comfortable, very safe 4WD with great visibility,” says Ross Booth, RedBook data services director.

“Not only luxurious and imposing, the Range Rover Vogue is a gifted off-roader and almost equally adept on the bitumen. Is there anything that fazes it?” asks Ken Gratton, carsales technical editor.

“Impressive, lavish and just the thing for intimidating the entire drop-zone queue,” writes Cliff Chambers, carsales used-car buying expert.

You can read more about the Range Rover Vogue TDV6 in our international launch review.

Driving the Range Rover for the global launch, reviewer Marton Pettendy wrote: “Believe the hype: Land Rover’s latest Rolls-Royce of SUVs can now cover more terrain in more comfort than any vehicle ever produced, and offers more luxury than any other SUV.”

Find a used Range Rover Vogue TDV6 on carsales

Scored 34.3 from RedBook and 37 from the judges for a total of 71.3 points
RedBook Value: $87,400

“The Mercedes S-Class remains the tech pioneer in this market segment – it’s the limo the others aspire to be” – Ken Gratton, carsales technical editor

“Great luxury tourer worthy of your hard-earned dollars” – Ross Booth, RedBook data services director

Scored 33.1 from RedBook and 34 from the judges for a total of 67.1 points
RedBook Value: $60,300

“Awesome build quality, a limousine at its best” – Bruce Newton, carsales senior journalist

“Good value for money in this segment, however six-month service intervals add cost to the ownership experience” – Ross Booth, RedBook data services director

What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Car Awards?
• Less than six years old
• Standard side-curtain airbags
• Standard Bluetooth
• Standard electronic stability control (mandated for 2014)
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs

How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership
• Five per cent for service intervals
• Five per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell

Read all about carsales Best Used Cars for 2020 here.