10 Top Italian Luxury Cars

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia front grille ・ Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Some think the Germans rule the roost when it comes to luxury cars, but the Italians have their own way of making luxury vehicles—one that encompasses fine craftsmanship and a passion for driving. Italian luxury cars are rather scarce in the U.S.—for now, at least—but here are 10 top Italians that we find very compelling.

Alfa Romeo Giulia

The newest of Italy’s luxury cars to travel to the States is the Alfa Romeo Giulia, a rear- or all-wheel drive BMW 3 Series fighter with gorgeous styling and a beautifully finished interior. The Giuila’s cabin is an ode to Italian craftsmanship, a handsome design finished in high-class materials. And the driving experience is brilliant: The Giulia is quick (and, if you opt for the 505-horsepower Quadrifoglio version, really quick), responsive, and a lot of fun to drive.

Photo by Alfa Romeo

Maserati Ghibli

Most people know the Maserati name, but few are familiar with their cars; the Ghibli aims to change that. This is the new entry-level Maserati, though it seems a bit silly to refer to a car with a leather-lined interior and a Ferrari-built twin-turbo engine under the hood as entry-level. The Ghibli makes extensive use of Chrysler switchgear to keep the price down (Chrysler, Ferrari and Maserati are all owned by Fiat), but there’s nothing Chrysler-like about the magical soul-stirring noises that come from the Ghibli’s exhaust. The Ghibli is fast and luxurious, and with prices starting under $73,000, it is, by exotic car standards, very attainable.

Photo by Maserati

Ferrari GTC4Lusso

Ferrari is best known for their performance models, but they also make cars that are considered “Grand Tourers”—cars suited for fast driving over long distances, or, to put it another way, the kind of car Jeff Bezos might take on a road trip. The GTC4Lusso is a 3-door wagon, a body style known as a shooting brake, and it offers a choice of a 600-horsepower twin-turbo V8 or a 680-horsepower 6.3-liter V12. “Lusso” is the Italian word for luxury, and the GTC4Lusso’s leather-lined interior features a state-of-the-art infotainment system, which for Ferrari is an unusual nod to a focus on something other than the road ahead.

Photo by Ferrari

Fiat 124 Spider Lusso

If a Ferrari is a bit beyond your budget, try this on for size: The top-of-the-line version of Fiat’s new 124 Spider, which features leather seats, automatic climate control, and a “touring” suspension (car-biz lingo which means this model is tuned for comfort rather than extreme handling). Fiat may not be seen as a luxury brand, but the purpose of the 124 Lusso is no different from that of the hundred-thousand-plus-dollar grand touring cars on this list: Exploring the open road in comfort. That the 124 Spider does, enjoyably if rather intimately. And if Italian build quality is a concern for you, take heart in the fact that the 124 Spider has Japanese roots—while the engine is from Fiat, much of the underlying structure and interior bits come from Mazda.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Maserati GranTurismo

Maserati has their own Grand Touring car, called the GranTurismo. This 4-seat 2-door—available as a closed coupe or a convertible—toes the line between sport and luxury, with a meticulously detailed interior and a 454-horsepower 4.7-liter V8 engine designed by Maserati and built by corporate sibling Ferrari. A host of choices for exterior colors and interior trim allow buyers to tailor the car to their personal tastes, allowing a level of personalization that builds on the GranTurismo’s inherent exclusivity. Prices start around $135,000, with convertibles priced closer to $150,000.

Photo by Maserati

Maserati Quattroporte

The Quattroporte—literally, 4-door—is Maserati’s big sedan, and if you’re looking for unique Italian craftsmanship, this is your car. Every Maserati interior is slathered with what seems like a herd’s worth of leather, but the new-for-2017 Gran Lusso model goes one step further with accents of wood and silk—silk, of all things. The Quattroporte doesn’t have the high-tech gee-gaws found in high-end German luxury cars, but it does boast exotic hardware—specifically, a pair of Ferrari-built twin-turbo engines, a 404-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 and a 523-horsepower V8. Both have an exhaust note that will make your soul cry out with joy. Prices for the Quattroporte start just over $100,000, putting it in the same range as a nicely-equipped Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Photo by Maserati

Ferrari F12berlinetta

Like the Ferrari GTC4Lusso, the F12berlinetta (a name that gives our spell-checker fits) is a Ferrari touring model, though this one puts the emphasis on sport rather than comfort. With 730 (!!) horsepower from its 6.3-liter V12, the F12berlinetta is one of the most powerful road cars Ferrari has ever built. While its interior is trimmed with leather, aluminum and carbon fiber, the deeply-bolstered racing-style seats give you a hint of the car’s true intentions—as does the “race” setting on the car’s drive-mode switch. The F12berlinetta has seating for two and limited trunk space, and with a base price of $320,000, its customer base is likely to be limited, as well.

Lamborghini Huracán

Lamborghini isn’t really in the luxury car business, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of the Huracán; it’s as much a work of art as it is a mode of transportation. Powered by a mid-mounted 5.2-liter V10 engine developed by Audi (both Audi and Lamborghini are owned by the Volkswagen Group), the Huracán delivers the performance you’d expect to come with the Lamborghini name. Several variants are available, including a 572-horsepower rear-drive version (yours for the bargain price of $200,000 or so), and an all-wheel drive model with 602 horsepower on tap.

Photo by Lamborghini

Maserati Levante

luxury suvs are a hot new segment, and Maserati is the first Italian automaker to bring such a vehicle to the U.S. in the form of the Levante. With mechanical bits based largely on the Ghibli sedan, the all-wheel drive Levante features a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 tuned for either 345 or 424 horsepower, depending on which model you buy; both deliver the haunting Maserati exhaust note we’ve come to crave. The interior is gorgeous, with leather and wood plus optional silk trim on the seats, doors and headliner. Like the Ghibli, the pricing is attractive, at least by fast-luxury-SUV standards: The new-for-2017 Levante starts around $75,000.

Photo by Maserati

Fiat 500 Lounge

Wait, what the heck is the FIAT 500 doing on a list of luxury cars? True, the 500 is a small, inexpensive, entry-level car—but the top-of-the-line 500 Lounge does have some distinctly luxurious features, including a leather-upholstered interior, automatic climate control, and snazzy alloy wheels. Fiat offers over a dozen eye-popping color choices for the 500, with matching bright colors for the interior, so the 500 conveys that sense of Italian individuality. Okay, it’s not as luxurious as a Maserati or a Ferrari—but with a price tag, well, just over $20,000, the 500 Lounge is a budget-friendly way to experience Italian luxury and style.

Photo by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles