What a Driving Experience in a Luxury Car Will Be Like 20 Years From Now

Mercedes-Benz F015 - Luxury in Motion

The world of luxury automobiles has come along way since the car was first invented. When the Packard Motor Company put the first air condition system in a car in 1939, people went nuts. Back then, this was considered the pinnacle of luxury automobiling. Obviously quite a lot has changed since then. Today the brands that offer luxury cars offer a host of modern features and amenities to make the driver and passengers as comfortable as possible. We see cars with massive leather seats, television screens in the headrests, surround-sound systems, heated cup holders, interior cabins with soundproofing, and a host of other luxury features. It’s certainly a great time to own a luxury automobile, and with sales continuing to rise from brands like Mercedes, Audi, Rolls-Royce, BMW, and others, the top brands are competing to offer the best possible luxury automobile experience imaginable. While the cars of today are certainly the best ever made, what would driving a luxury car be like in 20 years from now? To get an understanding, we first have to examine what driving a luxury car is like today.

Luxury Cars - Rolls-Royce

Now there are obviously many different car companies and brands out there that offer luxury cars, but for the sake of time, let’s take a look at two brands in particular: Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Benz. In my mind, Rolls-Royce represents the highest level of luxury found in a car that money can buy. I mean, they should considering that their flagship vehicle, the Phantom, costs around $409,000 dollars. A Rolls-Royce is as top-of-the-line as it gets in terms of luxury. Mercedes-Benz on the other hand offers more of a range with relation to price and features and is a more accessible brand to the average consumer. Their vehicles range in price from anywhere between $31,500 to well over $130,000 dollars. However their $50,000 dollar plus E-Class still remains as one of their best sellers. So what’s it like driving them?

Mercedes E350

Let’s look at the $53,100 Mercedes E350 first. This car offers a host of attractive features and options that make it a great pick for an all-around luxury vehicle that is realistically affordable. Sure, $53,100 is a lot for a car. However that’s a pretty standard price for a luxury vehicle from a leading brand. The E350 has eleven airbags, a collision prevention computer system, lane keeping assist, 14-way adjustable seats, a premium interior, a large sunroof, a Nappa leather steering wheel, a main central control system with a large screen, built-in bluetooth, and a host of other features. Mercedes also offers a wide range of additional options that make the E350 even more luxurious like a rearview camera, an automatic braking system, adaptive high-beams, a harmon/kardon surround sound system, a rear seat entertainment system, and much more. It has all the modern feature you could want, and then some. But not only is it luxurious, it’s also powerful and fun to drive. Under the hood we find 3.5-liter, V6 engine that offers 302-hp and a seven-speed automatic gearbox with power shifters. It’s feature-rich, fun to drive, practical, and relatively affordable (all things considered).

Rolls-Royce Phantom

At the ultra high-end of luxury cars, we have the Rolls-Royce Phantom. This car represents luxury to the fullest extent. These cars are almost entirely constructed by hand and have great attention to detail. The Phantom has a large and powerful V12 engine that makes it incredibly fast for such a large car. The Phantom is also not necessarily a great car to drive (although it is), rather, it’s a great car to be driven in. The interior cabin is roomy and spacious. The list of potential options and features is endless. The roof of the interior contains 800 fiber-optic lights that are arranged by hand to give the passenger the sense that the roof is the night sky, for example. The car is even soundproofed and is almost as quite as a recording studio. The rear seats are essentially those that are found within a first-class business jet. Ever single part is accounted for and produced by hand. Rolls also exclaims that “a new Rolls-Royce is not simply bought, it is commissioned”. They essentially make these vehicles to you exact specifications. For example, they offer over 44,000 different colors to choose from for both the interior and exterior. The Phantom is the pinnacle of luxury driving. It’s hard to imagine how anything could get better, but it obviously will.

Mercedes-Benz F015 - Luxury in Motion

So what will a luxury car look like 20 years into the future, and what will it be like to drive? To get a better understanding, we can look at the new Mercedes F 015 prototype. The thing about luxury cars of the future is that there will be no driving experience, as the cars will drive themselves. We already have self-driving prototype cars, and they are truly the future of luxury vehicles. Since a luxury automobile is all about comfort, what’s more comfortable than a car that can drive itself allowing you to take a nap or do work in the back? The F 015 shows us what the future is like, and it looks awesome.

Luxury Cars of The Future - Mercedes F 015 2

Instead of a traditional interior layout, the luxury cars of the future will be arranged more like a moveable living space. The seats will be large and they will face each other; similarly to first-class seating on a luxury train, for example. You don’t need to bother with driving or keeping your eyes on the road, so you can now engage with fellow passengers in a more intimate setting. The luxury cars of the future will also obviously be filled with modern technologies and amenities. A traditional dashboard will be completely replaced by a multitude of touch-screen interfaces, and as the F 015 concept shows us, we will even see screens on the side of our doors. Cars today are already starting to implement wireless internet hotspots, so it’s safe to assume the luxury cars of the future will obviously also have these. These luxury vehicles of the future will be less like cars, and more like mobile living rooms/work stations. The F 015 even has real wood floors, furthering this notion. Since they will drive themselves, passengers can now turn their attention to other things. You don’t have to pay attention to the road, now you can pay attention to your work or watch Netflix while you commute.

Now obviously luxury cars by their nature are expensive, and these self-driving, mobile living rooms will also initially be very expensive. But as technology progresses, costs will eventually come down. But will they be safe? It’s estimated that 90% of car accidents are the result of human error, so if the majority of cars are autonomous, they will be exponentially safer than current offerings. And current tests and prototype cars prove that these vehicles are far safer. While those that love to drive are obviously not fans of cars that drive themselves, for the average user, the luxury car experience of the future is much better than what we have today. People don’t like commuting and being stuck in traffic, so wouldn’t you rather want to kick back and relax allowing your car to do the work while you play on your iPhone? I know I would. While we cannot predict what the future has in store for luxury automobiles, based on what we have so far in 2015, the future certainly seems very bright.

Photos from Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce

Written by Sebastian Hensiek

From Philadelphia, Sebastian is a fan of music, writing, art, and entertainment.