Here's What 'Entry-Level' Means for These 20 Luxury Brand Cars (2024)

Acura's ILX is a Honda Civic in black tie. The base ILX retails for $25,900 with front-drive and using Honda’s 2.4-liter, 201-hp four-cylinder for power mated to an eight-speed dual clutch. The ILX’s standard equipment includes 17-inch wheels, power sunroof and LED headlamps, but you have to pay more if you want things like a premium sound system, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, leather seats or GPS-linked climate control.

Read our Acura ILX review

A car I think is a terrific daily driver, Alfa’s cost of entry is the $39,400 Giulia. The rear-drive sedan has a 280-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-four and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The base Giulia is quite base with red, white or black the three standard colors (any other colors cost $600), 17-inch wheels, no navigation system and no sunroof. Those are all options. Also optional ($800) is a package of driver assist equipment such as active blind-spot assist and front/rear parking sensors.

Read our Alfa Romeo Giulia review

Audi’s least expensive car is the $33,300 A3 with a 2.0-liter, 184-hp turbo-four and a seven-speed dual clutch driving the front wheels. Another $2,200 gets you quattro and a 228-hp four-cylinder. Audi’s cool virtual co*ckpit and MMI navigation are both optional, part of the $2,000 Navigation Package along with Audi Connect. Other interesting goodies such as sport seats cost an extra $800, sport suspension is $250 and side/rear cross traffic assist is $600.

Read our Audi A3 review

The entry-level BMW is the 230i Coupe, starting at $35,300 with another two grand getting you all-wheel drive if you so choose. Power comes from a 248-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-four. Any other color except black and white cost extra, as do items such as chrome trim, leather seats and wood trim inside. The options pile up quickly, but this is one of our favorite BMWs.

Read more on the BMW 2-Series

Why two BMWs? Because this $35,200, front-wheel-drive, Mini-based X1 sDrive28i crossover is only $100 less than BMW’s 2-Series coupe, so basically a tie. The 2.0-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo four powering the base X1 produces 228 hp. For another $2K you can get all-wheel drive. Leather seats are another $1,450. If you want heated seats, navigation, keyless entry, a panoramic sunroof and the like, you’ll need to spring for the $5,500 Premium Package.

Read our BMW X1 review

Right around $23,200 gets you in Buick’s happy-looking little Encore crossover, though the national Buick site is offering $21,095 after adding in all the cash-back offers. A 138-hp, 1.4-liter turbo-four is standard, mated to a six-speed automatic driving the front wheels. The AWD version starts at $27,095. Also standard is keyless entry and start, an 8-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability and five phone jacks. Options include the $495 Safety Package with side zone alert and the $900 sunroof.

Read our Buick Encore review

The new Cadillac CT4 wears a $32,995 sticker in base form, the least expensive Cadillac you can get. A 237-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-four and an eight-speed automatic are standard. Rear-wheel drive is standard, too, with all-wheel drive a near $2,600 premium. Luxury is the base trim with standard stop/start, keyless start, an 8-inch multitouch color screen with voice recognition, two USB ports and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. Wireless charging is optional on the base car, as is a Bose premium stereo coupled with the nav system, as well as heated seats and steering wheel.

Read more on the Cadillac CT4

What's the Corvette doing here? Chevrolet is not a luxury brand. I get it, but this gallery is also about entry-level pricing and deals. The new Corvette’s $58,900 base price is arguably the smokin’-est deal out there in terms of a fantastic enthusiast car for the buck. 1LT is the base trim with the mighty 6.2-liter, 490-hp V8 and eight-speed dual clutch standard. Standard interior stuff includes eight-way power seats, Bose stereo, the 12-inch touchscreen and Wi-Fi hotspot capability. Performance exhaust, magnetic ride control and Brembo brakes are optional.

Read our full C8 Corvette review

The least expensive Genesis is a car we really dig, the $35,450 G70, standard with a 252-hp 2.0-liter turbo and rear drive, with AWD costing two grand more. The base car is quite loaded with standard equipment including LED headlights, intelligent drive mode, forward collision avoidance assist, lane-keeping assist, smart cruise control with stop/go and 12-way power driver seat including four-way power lumbar. Genesis groups its options in packages—Elite ($4,600), Prestige ($8,450) and Sport ($10,000)—each building on the other.

Read our Genesis G70 review

Is the $22,200 base Canyon a luxury vehicle? No, but GMC is arguably a premium brand and the Canyon is the least expensive GMC. So technically it fits the criteria. (Plus it’s my gallery and I make the rules.) Anyway, the base engine is a 200-hp, 2.5-liter four mated to a six-speed automatic and rear drive. Four-wheel drive tacks on about $4,000. The optional Convenience Package includes remote keyless entry, cruise control, rear-window defogger, theft-deterrent system, EZ Lift and Lower tailgate and remote locking tailgate.

Read our GMC Canyon review

The Q50 sedan and its $36,400 are Infiniti’s starting point with a 300-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 and rear drive. AWD adds $2K. Pure, Luxe, Edition 30, Sport and Red Sport are the trim levels from low to high. The Pure, or base, level has an impressive standard equipment list including power everything, dual auto climate control and dual touchscreens.

Read our Infiniti Q50 review

The 2020 Jaguar XE is new and much improved over the outgoing model. Starting at $39,900, the XE S has standard LED headlights with auto high beam assist, heated mirrors, 12-way electric front buckets, a 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, lane-keep assist, rear camera and front and rear parking aid. The 2.0-liter turbo-four produces 247 hp. Rear-drive is standard with all-wheel drive another two grand. Cold Climate Package, connected nav and SiriusXM are options.

Read our Jaguar XE review

Why two Jaguars on the list? A similar situation to BMW: The small E-Pace crossover, Jaguar's second-bestseller, goes for $39,950 and we figure a $50 difference compared to the XE sedan basically makes it a tie. The price is for the base E-Pace with a decent amount of standard equipment such as auto dimming electric mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, 10-way power seats and two-zone climate control. Power comes from a 246-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-four.

Read our Jaguar E-Pace review

The $37,800 Discovery Sport is Land Rover’s least expensive vehicle and is actually a reasonably priced way to get a third row for the times you might need it. Like the E-Pace the Discovery Sport has a good standard equipment list—in fact, they’re quite similar. Ditto the corporate 2.0-liter turbo-four in the base Rover.

Read our Land Rover Discovery Sport review

The funky-looking little 2.0-liter four- (169-hp) powered Lexus UX retails for $33,325 in front-wheel-drive form, and you need to get into the options list pretty good to get some niceties. Sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, heated front seats—all optional, as is blind-spot monitor, all part of the $1,675 Premium Package. A navigation system adds another $2,200 and head-up display $500.

Read our Lexus UX200 review

Lincoln ownership begins with the $36,750 MKZ (the Hybrid is another $5,750). Power comes from a 2.0-liter turbo-four. Lincoln bizarrely doesn’t report the horsepower on its site, but we have reported it’s 245 hp. Lane-keeping is a new standard equipment item this year while the $2,000 Convenience Package adds things such as ambient lighting, smart power mirrors, power tilt/telescope steering wheel and a voice-activated touchscreen navigation system.

Read our Lincoln MKZ review

This is the rarest air I’ll get into in this gallery and indeed, while the Ghibli might be the cheapest Maserati you can get, $70,990 is real money. Guess it costs real money to not see yourself coming and going at every stoplight. The base, rear-drive Ghibli has a 345-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, 12-way power and heated front leather buckets, soft-close doors and a ton of safety equipment. You have to get into the upper trim levels if you want your heated seats to also cool you, or you want a better stereo or adaptive LED headlamps.

Read our Maserati Ghibli review

The 188-hp, 2.0-liter turbo-four-powered Mercedes A220 sedan ($32,800) is your Mercedes starting point. Another $2,600 and you can pop for the AMG trim—body cladding, wheels, sports seats and more. $2K on top of that gets you Benz’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

Read our Mercedes A220 review

The Porsche Macan is not only an Autoweek favorite but Porsche’s least expensive model at $50,900 for the base, 248-hp turbo-four-powered model. All-wheel drive and Porsche’s excellent seven-speed PDK are standard. Porsche likes you to pile on the options though, and you pay extra for leather seats and more if you want them heated. Sunroof, various exterior and interior trim packages, a compass (!), active suspension … all optional.

Read our Porsche Macan review

The stylish S60 ($36,050) is Volvo's midsize front-drive sedan carrying in base form 250 hp from its 2.0-liter four. The least expensive all-wheel-drive version is $40,550. The base car has leatherette upholstery (two words I haven’t written in probably 10 years, but Volvo does make the best seats!), a leather steering wheel and Volvo’s oft-criticized (by me, anyway) Sensus center screen controlling basically everything. Volvo seems to have taken lessons from Porsche on piling on the options: An “exterior styling kit” costs $2,140, a heated steering wheel and front buckets are $750 and a high-end stereo is $1,850.

Read our Volvo S60 review