When you are part of a country that literally stretches from one ocean to another there is plenty of space to explore and stretch out.  A road trip means heading out to see areas that we haven’t experienced before and that our vehicles can be larger.  Sure we have some of the largest cities in the world which are crowded and make for easier travel with smaller vehicles, but when it comes to pure luxury and heading out for the day our luxury vehicles of choice, especially at the height of luxury tend to be the long wheelbase models from many of the luxury brand names.

At the top of the luxury models in America you might think that car buyers would hire chauffeurs but that doesn’t seem to be the trend.  Possibly the top business executives use a driven car often enough so they can focus on their business and close deals while enjoying the comforts of the rear seat, but for the most part even some of the most successful among us tend to drive themselves around and enjoy the experience.  This could be something that is ingrained in our culture as Americans, that driving is supposed to be fun and give us a therapeutic and controlled feeling, which can be experienced the most in a long luxury car.

The list of longer cars we tend to flock toward when it comes to the luxury models includes the Infiniti Q70, Porsche Panamera Executive, Range Rover Long Wheelbase, Audi A8L, Lexus LS 460 L, Jaguar XJL and BMW 750Li.  The difference between these and the shorter length models is somewhere around seven inches of legroom in the rear seat, which can be a huge difference and certainly makes for an even more appealing look and feel on the road.

It’s not as if these cars are the lower volume models that are sold either.  The longer wheelbase versions of each one of these is the higher volume sales leader in the US compared to the shorter versions.  Using Jaguar as an example, the XJ shows that two thirds of the model sold in the US are the longer wheelbase versions.  For Jaguar that is enough to convince them this is the car that needs to be the standard model offered in the US compared to the shorter one that doesn’t seem to have nearly the following.

Mercedes-Benz was one name left off this list and for a good reason; all of their cars are already a longer version.  They tried a short wheelbase in 2006 but it didn’t sell well and is no longer even offered at all.  We love to have extra space in America and that even means having cars that let us spread out and feel more comfortable.  With miles of space to explore and roam and the wonderful driving feeling of the larger engines and longer vehicles these are the luxury sedans we choose in order to have the luxury car we want to enjoy here in the US.