The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

As the weather turns wicked, my automotive thoughts turn to something other than the utilitarian SUV. Or even, for that matter, the overweighted blinged out luxurious SUVs of today. My thoughts turn instead to luxury--pure luxury as it was once defined.

Of course what makes a luxury car truly luxurious is harder to answer in an era when your average Honda rides as quietly as a Rolls Royce of the David Olgilvy era.

Ah, yes, but have you actually ridden in a Rolls? Or, perhaps, a Mercedes prior to 1993--which, of course, was the last Big Benz engineered to spec, not cost. Both of these cars offered what Henry Royce called "Wafability." This is a peculiar British affectation for the effortless, silent quality with which a classic Rolls (or Benz for that matter) accelerates.

While a Rolls Royces in good kit is overpriced and hard to service for the every day driver a twenty year old Benz with a good service history will provide you with the pleasures of an endlessly flat torque curve without trimming down your bank account.

I cannot say the same for Lexus.