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10 best luxury car buys of the year

Chevrolet Corvette joins in the list as one of the most affordable luxury cars this year.

Here’s some good news for eco-minded SUV lovers: Executives at Audi confirmed today that they will begin selling the tiny Q3 SUV in the United States within the next year.

It will also be a welcome addition to Audi’s national fleet. Not that it needs the help. Last month the automaker sold a record 150,300 units worldwide, up 10 percent year over year (up 6.2 percent in the U.S.), and is up nearly 8 percent for sales year to date (13.6 percent in the U.S.). Market share nationwide is up more than 10 percent over last year.

“We continue to perform better in every region around the world than the respective overall automobile market,” Luca de Meo, a member of the board of management for sales at AUDI AG, told reporters.

Audi’s success is due in part to an overall reputation for making vehicles with a low cost of ownership, says David Wurster, the president of automotive analytics firm Vincentric.

In fact, the Audi Q5 SUV ranked No. 1 on this year’s list of the most affordable luxury cars on the market today, and the brand lodged three models out of the top 10 that made the cut. They and a few other imports (think along the lines of Acura and Mercedes) join American newcomers like the Cadillac SRX and Chevrolet Corvette as the luxury cars with the best overall value on sale this year.

Behind the Numbers
In order to make this list we used data provided by Vincentric, which is based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Analysts there tallied the cost of ownership for each 2013 or 2014 model-year vehicle by evaluating the manufacturer suggested retail price and five-year totals for fuel costs, maintenance, repairs, average national insurance rates, depreciation, interest, opportunity costsand taxes.

We assumed an annual rate of 15,000 miles driven per vehicle and a price of $3.566 for regular fuel, $3.901 for premium and $3.907 for diesel. We applied a national-average inflation rate of 3.5% for these fuel prices, since the calculations predict costs over five years. We evaluated only cars, SUVs and sedans (not pickup trucks) from recognized premium and luxury brands with base MSRPs of more than $50,000.

1. Audi Q5 Diesel 

Total Cost of Ownership: $57,315 MSRP: $50,000
Depreciation: $22,293
Taxes/Fees: $3,463
Fuel: $11,967
Insurance: $8,125
Maintenance: $4,616
Opportunity Costs: $694
Repairs: $3,248



2. Acura MDX

Total Cost of Ownership: $60,662
MSRP: $50,565
Depreciation: $26,434
Taxes/Fees: $3,550 Fuel: $15,074
Insurance: $5,722
Maintenance: $3,867
Opportunity
Costs: $697
Repairs: $2,303


(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)3. Chevrolet Corvette

Total Cost of Ownership: $63,882
MSRP: $51,745
Depreciation: $27,135
Taxes/Fees: $3,182
Fuel: $15,082
Insurance: $6,557
Maintenance: $5,121
Opportunity Costs: $702
Repairs: $3,456


4. Acura RLX

Total Cost of Ownership: $64,274
MSRP: $50,950
Depreciation: $28,974
Taxes/Fees: $3,451 Fuel: $13,412
Insurance: $8,136
Maintenance: $4,692
Opportunity Costs: $707
Repairs: $2,007



5. Cadillac SRX 

Total Cost of Ownership: $64,532
MSRP: $50,955
Depreciation: $26,910
Taxes/Fees: $3,513
Fuel: $15,741
Insurance: $8,706
Maintenance: $3,517
Opportunity Costs: $736
Repairs: $2,459


6. Audi A5 

Total Cost of Ownership: $65,045
MSRP: $53,700
Depreciation: $27,802
Taxes/Fees: $3,657
Fuel: $11,804
Insurance: $10,355
Maintenance: $4,564
Opportunity Costs: $742
Repairs: $3,032


7. Mercedes E Class Diesel 

Total Cost of Ownership: $65,586
MSRP: $51,400
Depreciation: $32,465
Taxes/Fees: $3,592
Fuel: $9,477
Insurance: $7,550
Maintenance: $4,859
Opportunity Costs: $670
Repairs: $3,941


8. Infiniti Q50

Total Cost of Ownership: $65,778
MSRP: $52,400
Depreciation: $28,794
Taxes/Fees: $3,330
Fuel: $14,561
Insurance: $10,359
Maintenance: $3,974
Opportunity Costs: $726
Repairs: $1,261


9. Audi Q7 Diesel

MSRP: $52,900
epreciation: $25,916
Taxes/Fees: $3,658
Fuel: $14,393
Insurance: $8,159
Maintenance: $6,795
Opportunity Costs: $779
Repairs: $3,248




10. Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Total Cost of Ownership: $66,216
MSRP: $50,645
Depreciation: $31,493
Taxes/Fees: $3,497
Fuel: $13,909
Insurance: $5,883
Maintenance: $4,772
Opportunity Costs: $692
Repairs: $3,011