MSN Autos readers have spoken, and here are your favorite luxury cars.

By Lawrence Ulrich of MSN Autos



After a frosty couple of years, the luxury car market is beginning to heat up once again. In fact, it is bouncing back faster than any other automobile category, as consumers slowly claw their way out of one of the darkest economic times in recent history. Even so, financial analysts say those living in the posh lane aren't spending frivolously. Like the vast majority of consumers these days, luxury car buyers are being more cautious, looking to wring maximum value from every dollar spent. Nowhere is that more apparent than in our list of the 10 most-researched luxury vehicles on MSN Autos. It's important to note that this list includes only cars — luxury utility vehicles are in a separate category.

While MSN Autos readers tend to lean toward high-value sedans that sell for as little as $31,000, such as the Audi A4, Cadillac CTS and Hyundai Genesis, they also seem to favor the more traditional luxury brands over the upstarts. Mercedes-Benz and BMW dominate the list, grabbing six of the 10 spots.

Enough of the preliminaries; here are your choices for the top 10 luxury vehicles featured on MSN Autos.


BMW 3-Series



Sedan, coupe, convertible, station wagon — with so many choices, and such a hard-won reputation for excellence, it's no wonder that the BMW 3-Series sparks more MSN Autos research than any other luxury car. Those Web shoppers will be faced with the perennial 3-Series dilemma: The BMW can cost more than any rival, especially if you ladle on pricey options or choose the 335i with its turbocharged 300-horsepower inline six engine. The 328i and its 240-horsepower six can keep the budget in check, while the diesel-powered 335d is the fuel-sipping champ. And if you're on the fence, the 3-Series' class-topping performance and residual value — along with four years/50,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance — might tip the balance.


Cadillac CTS



With apologies to Lincoln, it's not really a contest: The Cadillac CTS is Detroit's best luxury sedan, offering style, performance and interior refinement on par with anything from Europe or Asia. The angular, all-American CTS lines have translated smartly to a sport wagon and now a handsome coupe. All are powered by a smoothie of a V6 engine — a 3.6-liter with 300 horsepower or a more affordable 3.0-liter with 270 horses. The sedan and wagon, especially, play a comfortable trump card in this class: The Caddys are true midsize cars, nearly as roomy inside as a Mercedes E-Class or BMW 5-Series, yet their prices, starting at around $36,000, skew closer to the compact end of the luxury scale.


Mercedes-Benz E-Class



Redesigned for 2010, the Mercedes E-Class threw off some country-club reserve with edgier sheet metal and a much-needed transfusion of interior luxury — including a column-mounted shifter, walnut trim and Mercedes' latest COMAND multifunction control system. Most remarkable were virtually unheard-of price cuts, as Mercedes lopped $4,400 off the V6 E350's base price, and $5,100 off the V8 E550. The E-Class is big on smoothness and safety, with 11 airbags and the PRE-SAFE system, which can alert drivers and even automatically brake the car to avoid a collision. The stylish icing came via the new E-Class coupe and convertible, whose windswept shapes seem almost too sexy to wear an E-Class badge.


BMW 5-Series



With an all-new 2011 model, the 5-Series has toned down the florid styling that so irritated BMW purists. The 5 also reasserts its authority as the hottest-driving sedan in the midsize segment, despite heady competition from the likes of the Jaguar XF, Audi A6 and Infiniti M. Sharing its stellar chassis with the larger 7-Series, the 5 adopts its brilliant 8-speed automatic transmission and a raft of technologies, from active 4-wheel steering and driver-selected performance controls to a knockout, 10.1-inch high-resolution navigation screen. Engines include a 240-horsepower six in the 528i; a 300-horse turbo six in the 535i; and, for overkill's sake, the crushing twin-turbo 400-horsepower six in the 550i.


Hyundai Genesis



What's a Hyundai doing here? Actually, the Genesis is doing very well: a spacious, no-excuses luxury sedan that starts at $33,800 with a 280-horsepower V6 engine and at $40,300 with a forceful 385-horsepower V8. Shoppers researching on MSN Autos can't help but notice that the Hyundai lacks for nothing — in features, engines, safety, technology — yet undercuts rivals' prices by roughly $5,000 to $15,000. The Genesis won't carve turns like a BMW, but plenty of luxury buyers aren't looking to race. The Hyundai is more in the Lexus mold — well-built, lavishly featured and supremely comfortable. And there's nothing wrong with that.

BMW 7-Series



Driving the 7-Series might have you consulting a physics textbook: No car this big is supposed to handle this well. With a NASA-like technology roster and a 400-horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine, the 7-Series is born to run. Since you're already going big, check out the limo-like 750Li version, with 5 inches of extra legroom, and more space than even the Mercedes S-Class or Lexus LS. But the lineup's best-kept secret is the new 740i: Its robust 300-horsepower V6 delivers 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway. Yet the 740i costs $12,500 less than the V8 750i, and $31,000 less than the ridiculous 7-Series ActiveHybrid, a model that gets just one mpg better on the highway.


Audi A4



Sleek designs and bold performance have boosted Audi to the big leagues in the luxury segment. (Let's also hear it for Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system.) The fourth-generation A4 shows Audi's steady evolution from gussied-up Volkswagen to a genuine competitor to BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The only bummer is that as the A4 has grown up, prices have climbed as well: A front-drive A4 2.0T, with its 211-horsepower turbo four engine, starts at just over $31,000. But the 3.2 quattro V6 version starts at more than 40 large, and even well-optioned 4-cylinder models can shoot past $45,000. Fortunately, the Audi has always worked better in 4-cylinder guise: The 2.0T weighs less, handles more nimbly and pumps out more torque than the V6.


Mercedes-Benz C-Class



How popular is the latest C-Class? With consumers writing checks for nearly 30,000 of the cars through the first six months of 2010, the baby Benz is actually breathing down the neck of the BMW 3-Series among small luxury sedans. That's because the C-Class no longer comes off as the "starter" Mercedes, underpowered and understyled: Both the C300 and C350 iterations are striking and suitably luxurious. C350 versions are well-served by a 268-horsepower V6 engine and a slick 7-speed automatic transmission, humming from zero to 60 mph in six seconds flat. Sporty types can even get a 6-speed manual transmission. The C-Class lets owners hold their head high, while it eases entry into the posh world of Mercedes-Benz.


Acura TL



It's not the most prestigious. Its profusion of control buttons could confound a jet pilot. And its anime robot grille isn't for everyone. But the Acura TL remains a well-rounded, technologically proficient luxury sedan — especially if you upgrade to the 3.7-liter 305-horsepower V6 engine with Acura's "super handling all-wheel-drive." (The starter TL makes do with front-wheel drive and a smaller, 280-horse V6.) That AWD system helps the Acura zing through curves with sporty aplomb. The TL's navigation and up-level audio systems are first-rate, and the Acura starts at barely $35,000. Proving it's not an entirely emotionless Vulcan, the TL offers a 6-speed manual transmission with the AWD version.


Mercedes-Benz S-Class



The S-Class plays to Mercedes' traditional strengths. It's powerful but whisper-smooth, decadent without calling undue attention to itself. The automaker's largest sedan is like an all-day spa treatment: Sit back, relax and get ready for pampering, from a magic-carpet ride to massaging seats. The S550 spools out 382 horsepower from a 5.5-liter V8 engine. But the big news is the S400 hybrid, which makes 295 horsepower by mating an efficient 3.5-liter V6 with a small lithium-ion battery. The S400 turns the usual pricey hybrid formula on its head: At $88,825, the S-Class hybrid costs nearly $5,000 less than the V8 version — after a federal green-car tax break — while boosting mileage to a class-best 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway. We actually saw 29 highway mpg in a real-world test, and never missed the V8.

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