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Dream Uber rides: The 10 best cars to pick you up at the curb

Whether you're a ride-sharing maven, chauffeured exec or just passionate about posh, these are the automotive world's most luxurious back seats.

Chris Paukert
Following stints in TV news production and as a record company publicist, Chris spent most of his career in automotive publishing. Mentored by Automobile Magazine founder David E. Davis Jr., Paukert succeeded Davis as editor-in-chief of Winding Road, a pioneering e-mag, before serving as Autoblog's executive editor from 2008 to 2015. Chris is a Webby and Telly award-winning video producer and has served on the jury of the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. He joined the CNET team in 2015, bringing a small cache of odd, underappreciated cars with him.
Chris Paukert
2017 Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase
1 of 30 Bentley

Just about any Bentley would be a dream ride-sharing draw, but having a top-shelf Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase lurking an Uber or Lyft app click away is the stuff of ultimate fantasies.

2017 Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase rear seats
2 of 30 Bentley

For this model, Bentley added a whopping 9.8 inches to the Mulsanne's wheelbase, which enables long-legged luxury like this, complete with pop-out ottomans and tray tables.

2017 Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase rear seat tablet
3 of 30 Bentley

You can even spec a pair of "Bentley Theater" rear-seat tablets with wireless headphones and a bottle chiller. Pass the bubbly.

2017 BMW 7 Series
4 of 30 BMW

BMW's 7 Series has always been among the best driver's car in its segment, but it's only recently gotten its second-row act together from a sybarite's perspective.

2017 BMW 7 Series tray tables
5 of 30 BMW

In addition to rear screens and fold-out work tables, reclining massage seats can be optioned.

2017 BMW 7 Series rear seats
6 of 30 BMW

An optional pop-out tablet that keeps tabs on HVAC settings, audio controls and other vehicle functions has its own motorized cradle in the center armrest.

2017 Volvo XC90 Excellence exterior
7 of 30 Volvo

If you don't think a Volvo belongs on this list, you haven't been in one of its models lately. The XC90 already has one of the best cabins in the business, but the Swedes' new $105,000 Excellence model is positively next level.

2017 Volvo XC90 Excellence Lounge rear seat
8 of 30 Volvo

US Excellence models have four individual seats, but in other markets, Volvo has gone so far as to remove the front seat entirely for a Lounge model, clearing the room for a separate ottoman and NBA-spec legroom.

2017 Volvo XC90 Excellence Lounge rear-seat table
9 of 30 Volvo

In the overseas Lounge model, there's also a table with storage for your fine jewelry, pens and so on. It flips out of the way to provide movie or work viewing on a 17-inch screen.

Back in here North America, this seating configuration isn't available yet, so buyers will have to console themselves with Swedish Orrefors crystal and an available twin bottle chiller.

2017 Genesis G90
10 of 30 Genesis

For 2017, Hyundai has spun off Genesis into its own luxury brand, much like Toyota did with Lexus.

Because it's targeting premium buyers, Genesis really, really amps up the amenities in its high-end sedans, including this range-topping G90.

2017 Genesis G90 rear seats
11 of 30 Genesis

In the G90, it's not just the power-articulated heated and cooled rear seats that speak of luxury, it's the double-pane glass and concert-hall-worthy 17-speaker Lexicon audio system.

2017 Genesis G90 rear seat controls
12 of 30 2017 Genesis G90

A rotary multi-controller in the fold-down armrests allows rear-seat passengers almost as much control of vehicle functions as the driver.

2017 Land Rover Range Rover Black SVAutobiography exterior
13 of 30 Land Rover

No ultimate-luxury list would be complete without a Land Rover, but the company's Range Rover flagship probably wouldn't have cracked the list without this extended-wheelbase model.

Land Rover's new SVAutobiography trim looks like a million bucks, but starts at $200,000.

2017 Land Rover Range Rover Black SV Autobiography rear seats
14 of 30 Land Rover

Semi-aniline, organically tanned leathers, sustainably harvested wood veneers, power-operated laptop tables and mohair carpets are nicer than what you'll find in the living rooms of most mansions.

2017 Land Rover Range Rover Black SVAutobiography cargo hold
15 of 30 Land Rover

Yes, that's a wooden floor in the cargo bay, and you can specify one that slides out for easy loading and unloading. You know, in case your chauffeur has a bad back.

2017 Lincoln Continental exterior
16 of 30 Lincoln

If there's one car on this list that's realistic to land on from your favorite ride-sharing service, it might just be this one.

The all-new-for-2017 Continental is a return to full-size luxury sedans for Lincoln, and it's a welcome one.

2017 Lincoln Continental rear seats
17 of 30 Lincoln

There's plenty of legroom in the back of the reborn Continental, along with supple leather and a startlingly good 19-speaker Revel audio system.

One thing that there's not quite enough of? Headroom, especially with panoramic-moonroof models.

2017 Lincoln Continental seats
18 of 30 Lincoln

In fact, the Continental's front passenger seat may be the best one in the house.

Lincoln's optional Perfect Position front seats feature 30-way articulation -- the most in the industry -- including individual leg extensions and Eames Lounge-like looks.

2017 Mercedes-Maybach S600 exterior
19 of 30 Mercedes-Benz

Daimler put its ultra-lux Maybach brand out to pasture a few years ago, but its disappearance was short lived.

The name has once again been applied to a stretched version of Mercedes-Benz's sterling S-Class sedan, and dollar for dollar, it may offer the planet's most luxurious back seat.

2017 Mercedes-Maybach S600 rear seats
20 of 30 Mercedes-Benz

Starting at over $191,000, the V12-powered Mercedes-Maybach S600 oddly feels like good value compared to rivals from Bentley and Rolls-Royce. There's even a less-expensive S550 model that starts at $161,000.

Bargain.

2017 Mercedes-Maybach S600 rear seats
21 of 30 Mercedes-Benz

It's like a business-class airliner back here. Exclusive touches include an available electrochromic dimming panoramic moonroof and a 13-speaker Burmester audio system.

Just check out those ultra-soft suede-finish headrests. There's even monogrammed throw pillows, for goodness sake.

2018 Porsche Panamera Executive exterior
22 of 30 Porsche

So you say you're a captain of industry who likes to drive his or her own ship every once in a while? Fear not, we have just the ride for you. It's Porsche's redone-for-2018 Panamera, which promises to be an even better steer than its already-great predecessor.

2018 Porsche Panamera Executive rear seats
23 of 30 Porsche

When it comes time to hand Jeeves the key and slip in the back seat, you won't be disappointed. There's surprising room in back in long-wheelbase Executive models, with deeply sculpted seats and plenty of amenities.

2018 Porsche Panamera Executive rear screens
24 of 30 Porsche

Twin moonroofs, twin screens and a 21-speaker Burmester audio system in what is probably the quickest sled on this list. Things could be worse.

Need more room for golf clubs and blueprints for your new world headquarters? Allow us to suggest the gorgeous new Sport Turismo wagon model.

2017 Cadillac CT6 exterior
25 of 30 Cadillac

Cadillac's new CT6 may not be quite as vast as some of the other cars here, but it's still got very posh rear quarters.

2017 Cadillac CT6 rear seats
26 of 30 Cadillac

Power-articulated rear seats are available with heat, cooling and massage functions. And somehow, Cadillac has managed to cram 34 speakers in the cabin for its stunning optional Panaray audio system.

2017 Cadillac CT6 rear screens
27 of 30 Cadillac

Dual 10-inch displays are retractable and come with wireless headsets.

Rolls-Royce Phantom exterior
28 of 30 Rolls-Royce

You didn't think you could get through a list of most-luxurious car seats without a Rolls-Royce on the list, did you?

This particular car is one of 20 Bespoke Serenity Extended Wheelbase models. It's indicative of the level of custom hand-crafted work Rolls-Royce will happily let you specify if your wallet is big enough.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Bespoke Serenity Extended Wheelbase rear seat
29 of 30 Rolls-Royce

To give you an idea of how much work goes into one of these wild Serenity bespoke models, the Asian robe-inspired flowers are hand painted directly onto Chinese silk. Rolls says the process takes some 600 hours of work per panel.

Bespoke Serenity Extended Wheelbase wood inlay
30 of 30 Rolls-Royce

Just think about the insane level of hand craftsmanship that's required of these delicate flowering wood inlays.

The Phantom is in its final year, and it's the oldest model here by some margin. But even with its comparatively dated technology, it's still likely the most opulent and sought-after car here.

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