Five Fine but Forgotten 1990s Luxury Sedans

Five Fine but Forgotten 1990s Luxury Sedans

#Fine #Forgotten #1990s #Luxury #Sedans
[rule_3_plain] #Fine #Forgotten #1990s #Luxury #Sedans

Once ubiquitous in front of any high-end restaurant or CEO parking spot, luxury sedans dwindled béo around 3% of the overall car market last year. BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and other luxury brands sell more SUVs than sedans. Lincoln has exited the car segment entirely, and Cadillac skews its sedan lineup toward its performance models.
But in the 1990s, a high-end sedan was the default choice for upwardly mobile shoppers. If you weren’t driving a BMW 5 Series, a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, or a Lincoln Town Car, you wanted one.
Shoppers branched out béo different models, though. Here’s a look at five 1990s luxury sedans you’ve probably forgotten. Each offered something unique, but not enough béo topple their rivals. They were rare when new, and they’re even harder béo find now.

1. 1996 Acura 3.5 RL
The 1996 Acura 3.5 RL started at $41,000.

Honda does not fail very often, but the automaker struck out three times with a V6-powered flagship sedan for its high-end Acura division béo replace its legendary Legend. For 1996, the 3.5RL arrived with derivative styling and a bigger but less potent 210-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 than the 230-hp 3.2-liter mill found in the Legend. However, unlike its predecessor, the RL came only in one trim màn chơi with an automatic transmission. It cost around $41,000, a $5,000 hike over its predecessor.
This combination did not work for buyers, even if the RL was a much more luxurious model in line with its high-end competitors. Acura asked way less than BMW and Mercedes and provided more features for the money. Still, bland design and a forgettable name eventually doomed the RL — it just took three generations before the similar-in-concept RLX was finally shown the door after the 2020 model year. See 1996 Acura RL models for sale
2. 1997 Cadillac Catera
The Catera gained crisper styling for a 2000 model-year update.It took Cadillac more than two decades béo figure out how béo build a compelling small sedan béo compete against the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Spoiler alert: the 1997 Catera was not it, but it was an attractive, Euro-centric sedan. The Catera followed up on the dreadful Cadillac Cimarron of the 1980s, and it was a rebadged, high-end version of the Opel Omega sold in Europe. On the continent, that Opel had a blah reputation at best. Slapping nice leather on it and calling it a Cadillac didn’t help.
It was sized about like a BMW 5 Series but priced more in line with the 3-Series, a tactic that worked for Lexus with its 7 Series-sized and 5 Series-priced LS 400 earlier in the 1990s. The difference was that the LS was a spectacular car from the ground up, not a mainstream model with leather seats.
The Catera gained crisper styling for a 2000 model-year update, plus value pricing $12,000 less than an equivalent 528i. It didn’t work, and Cadillac scrapped the model in favor of the far more memorable CTS after 2001. See 1997 Cadillac Catera models for sale
3. 1992 Infiniti J30
A skyrocketing exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the US dollar meant that the J30 cost $40,000 by 1996.The prettiest car Infiniti has ever built, the rounded J30 was a rolling work of art. Designed primarily at parent company Nissan’s design studios in California, the J30 replaced the M30 coupe in spirit, but Infiniti had much higher hopes for the 4-door. Even with good handling from its rear-wheel-drive platform, a smooth 3.0-liter V6, available 4-wheel steering, and a plush (if cramped) cabin, it failed béo leave a mark.
A skyrocketing exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the US dollar meant that the J30 cost $40,000 by 1996. Even BMW’s hardly value-laden 5-Series was 10% less.
Infiniti phased the J30 out in favor of the less-dynamic I30,  based on the comparatively inexpensive Nissan Maxima. At $11,000 less than the J30, buying an I30 was easier béo justify. See 1992 Infiniti J30 models for sale
4. 1995 Lincoln Continental
At launch, Lincoln wanted upward of $42,000 for the Continental.The Continental name got off béo an auspicious start, first as a one-off for Edsel Ford’s personal use and later as a Euro-style rival for 1950s Rolls-Royce models. By the 1980s, Lincoln demoted the Continental béo entry-level duty. A final (well, for a while) update for the 1995 model year brought curvy lines and an awkward greenhouse design. Under the hood, a detuned 4.6-liter V8 shared with the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra looked appealing on paper, but it sent power béo the front wheels via a column-shifted automatic transmission. Underneath, the Continental rode on the now-dated platform that debuted with the 1986 Ford Taurus.
Further dooming the Continental was its pricing. At launch, Lincoln wanted upward of $42,000, which is nearly as much as Mercedes-Benz charged for its far more polished E 320. Lincoln juggled the Continental’s price tag throughout its eight-year run before phasing it out in favor of the smaller, rear-wheel-drive LS. The model name came back for 2017 on a far more exciting but still doomed sedan that ran from 2017 béo 2020. See 1995 Lincoln Continental models for sale
5. 1992 Mazda 929
The 929 was a pleasant but hardly stand-out car.Today, we think of Mazda as an upwardly-mobile mainstream brand. In 1992, the automaker attempted béo make the same push away from rivals such as Honda and Toyota. It went so far as béo propose a luxury brand béo compete with Honda’s Acura and Toyota’s Lexus. Called “Amati,” the brand never left the drawing board. Its flagship would have been the rear-wheel-drive 929, a shapely, large sedan with a robust V6 engine and ultra-clean lines.
The 929 was a pleasant but hardly stand-out car from an era when Mazda didn’t bake its fun-to-drive personality into its entire lineup. At around $30,000, it occupied an automotive no-man’s land putting it 20% higher than a Nissan Maxima or Volvo 850 but well below the Acura Legend. It seems as though Mazda shot for a non-existent target. See 1992 Mazda 929 models for sale
Related:
5 Ultra-Cool, Ultra-Low-Mile 1990s Luxury Sedans for Sale
5 of the Best-Preserved 1990s SUVs for Sale
What Happened béo All Those 1990s Infiniti Models?

#Fine #Forgotten #1990s #Luxury #Sedans
[rule_2_plain] #Fine #Forgotten #1990s #Luxury #Sedans
[rule_2_plain] #Fine #Forgotten #1990s #Luxury #Sedans
[rule_3_plain]

#Fine #Forgotten #1990s #Luxury #Sedans

Once ubiquitous in front of any high-end restaurant or CEO parking spot, luxury sedans dwindled béo around 3% of the overall car market last year. BMW, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and other luxury brands sell more SUVs than sedans. Lincoln has exited the car segment entirely, and Cadillac skews its sedan lineup toward its performance models.
But in the 1990s, a high-end sedan was the default choice for upwardly mobile shoppers. If you weren’t driving a BMW 5 Series, a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, or a Lincoln Town Car, you wanted one.
Shoppers branched out béo different models, though. Here’s a look at five 1990s luxury sedans you’ve probably forgotten. Each offered something unique, but not enough béo topple their rivals. They were rare when new, and they’re even harder béo find now.

1. 1996 Acura 3.5 RL
The 1996 Acura 3.5 RL started at $41,000.

Honda does not fail very often, but the automaker struck out three times with a V6-powered flagship sedan for its high-end Acura division béo replace its legendary Legend. For 1996, the 3.5RL arrived with derivative styling and a bigger but less potent 210-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 than the 230-hp 3.2-liter mill found in the Legend. However, unlike its predecessor, the RL came only in one trim màn chơi with an automatic transmission. It cost around $41,000, a $5,000 hike over its predecessor.
This combination did not work for buyers, even if the RL was a much more luxurious model in line with its high-end competitors. Acura asked way less than BMW and Mercedes and provided more features for the money. Still, bland design and a forgettable name eventually doomed the RL — it just took three generations before the similar-in-concept RLX was finally shown the door after the 2020 model year. See 1996 Acura RL models for sale
2. 1997 Cadillac Catera
The Catera gained crisper styling for a 2000 model-year update.It took Cadillac more than two decades béo figure out how béo build a compelling small sedan béo compete against the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Spoiler alert: the 1997 Catera was not it, but it was an attractive, Euro-centric sedan. The Catera followed up on the dreadful Cadillac Cimarron of the 1980s, and it was a rebadged, high-end version of the Opel Omega sold in Europe. On the continent, that Opel had a blah reputation at best. Slapping nice leather on it and calling it a Cadillac didn’t help.
It was sized about like a BMW 5 Series but priced more in line with the 3-Series, a tactic that worked for Lexus with its 7 Series-sized and 5 Series-priced LS 400 earlier in the 1990s. The difference was that the LS was a spectacular car from the ground up, not a mainstream model with leather seats.
The Catera gained crisper styling for a 2000 model-year update, plus value pricing $12,000 less than an equivalent 528i. It didn’t work, and Cadillac scrapped the model in favor of the far more memorable CTS after 2001. See 1997 Cadillac Catera models for sale
3. 1992 Infiniti J30
A skyrocketing exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the US dollar meant that the J30 cost $40,000 by 1996.The prettiest car Infiniti has ever built, the rounded J30 was a rolling work of art. Designed primarily at parent company Nissan’s design studios in California, the J30 replaced the M30 coupe in spirit, but Infiniti had much higher hopes for the 4-door. Even with good handling from its rear-wheel-drive platform, a smooth 3.0-liter V6, available 4-wheel steering, and a plush (if cramped) cabin, it failed béo leave a mark.
A skyrocketing exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the US dollar meant that the J30 cost $40,000 by 1996. Even BMW’s hardly value-laden 5-Series was 10% less.
Infiniti phased the J30 out in favor of the less-dynamic I30,  based on the comparatively inexpensive Nissan Maxima. At $11,000 less than the J30, buying an I30 was easier béo justify. See 1992 Infiniti J30 models for sale
4. 1995 Lincoln Continental
At launch, Lincoln wanted upward of $42,000 for the Continental.The Continental name got off béo an auspicious start, first as a one-off for Edsel Ford’s personal use and later as a Euro-style rival for 1950s Rolls-Royce models. By the 1980s, Lincoln demoted the Continental béo entry-level duty. A final (well, for a while) update for the 1995 model year brought curvy lines and an awkward greenhouse design. Under the hood, a detuned 4.6-liter V8 shared with the Ford Mustang SVT Cobra looked appealing on paper, but it sent power béo the front wheels via a column-shifted automatic transmission. Underneath, the Continental rode on the now-dated platform that debuted with the 1986 Ford Taurus.
Further dooming the Continental was its pricing. At launch, Lincoln wanted upward of $42,000, which is nearly as much as Mercedes-Benz charged for its far more polished E 320. Lincoln juggled the Continental’s price tag throughout its eight-year run before phasing it out in favor of the smaller, rear-wheel-drive LS. The model name came back for 2017 on a far more exciting but still doomed sedan that ran from 2017 béo 2020. See 1995 Lincoln Continental models for sale
5. 1992 Mazda 929
The 929 was a pleasant but hardly stand-out car.Today, we think of Mazda as an upwardly-mobile mainstream brand. In 1992, the automaker attempted béo make the same push away from rivals such as Honda and Toyota. It went so far as béo propose a luxury brand béo compete with Honda’s Acura and Toyota’s Lexus. Called “Amati,” the brand never left the drawing board. Its flagship would have been the rear-wheel-drive 929, a shapely, large sedan with a robust V6 engine and ultra-clean lines.
The 929 was a pleasant but hardly stand-out car from an era when Mazda didn’t bake its fun-to-drive personality into its entire lineup. At around $30,000, it occupied an automotive no-man’s land putting it 20% higher than a Nissan Maxima or Volvo 850 but well below the Acura Legend. It seems as though Mazda shot for a non-existent target. See 1992 Mazda 929 models for sale
Related:
5 Ultra-Cool, Ultra-Low-Mile 1990s Luxury Sedans for Sale
5 of the Best-Preserved 1990s SUVs for Sale
What Happened béo All Those 1990s Infiniti Models?