[316kmph]

Hi folks,

I am looking to buy a luxury car around 1-1.25 Crore price point. I am looking for a car that is unique, will look the money, is nice to drive, has good low speed ride, and has decent ground clearance. Each year, I drive about 4000-5000 km in Chennai (mostly core city) and might do 4 or 5 weekend getaways (150 km roundtrip), 1 or 2 long weekend getaways (350 km roundtrip) and 1 or 2 week long getaways (about 1200 km roundtrip). Mostly, I drive myself...but when I am chauffeured I would like a very comfortable back seat. (For reference, I am just shy of 5'11" and weigh 90 kg and find my Mercedes GLC 300's backseat slightly low and short on squab.) I also own an Audi S5 (having it for over 3.5 years now, nice fast car, not impractical per-say....guess I am getting old for it's low ride and ingress - egress and need to be careful with the taller speed bumps.)

I am shortlisting the following cars.

1. BMW X7 (Could have been the 40d, but no it's not for India.)

2. Mercedes GLS (Clumsy car to drive in town, ride quality doesn't befit the price)

3. Jaguar F-Pace SVR (I heard it's 1.5 Cr ex showroom, very pricey for an X3M competitor, but this is probably the last of the super charged V8s that drives well, not sure how well it rides...heard it rides better than an X3, but that's a low benchmark)

4. Audi Q8 (Celebration misses some equipment, lack of Air suspension - I TDed a car, not as bad as it sounds, still not as good as the one with Air springs which are pricey).

5. Land Rover Defender X 300 Diesel (At 1.25 Cr Ex showroom, substantially pricier than the HSE 300 Petrol - which is underwhelming for a car weighing 2.5 tons and the ride is a bit too soft without adaptive dynamics. Also, the recent price hike for my variant of choice is about 20 Lakh - that is steep)

6. Jaguar i-Pace (EV impracticality especially highway range, will have to borrow a car for my long trips, I haven't TDed but heard nice things about how it drives but I don't know about the comfort of the rear seats, not just the space - I am not happy with my GLC for reference)

7. Audi e-Tron (all impracticalities of the i-Pace, I read that it is a heavy car)

8. Mercedes AMG E53 - We have little information yet, at about 1 Crore ex showroom, it will be tempting..not sure about ground clearance.

9. BMW X5 - this would be my 3rd X5 (owned 1 each of the last 2 generation cars, had issues with last gen's air springs) always loved this vehicle. This is a 1 size fits all solution. The current gen feels less BMW to drive, its as wide as the X7 and doesn't seem to shrink around like the previous generation X5s.

10. Any thing else that you feel I must consider.

I know it's quite a long post, please excuse, and thank you in advance for your recommendation.

[Sahil]

What about adding the out going S450 into the mix? I presume the discounts at this point will be the highest. Even though its at the end of it's lifecycle it's better than several of the options mentioned here. Nor does it look or feel as dated

[PetrolHead2272]

Had the Audi Q7 been on sale in India right now, it would have been the perfect car for you. Unfortunately, the new Q7 is taking its own sweet time to hit our shores.

As Sahil sir suggested, the outgoing S-Class would be a great choice for you. Since its about to go out of production really soon to make way for the new one, you must be getting mouth-watering discounts on it.

How about a Volvo XC90? It is a h-u-g-e car. From what I recall the last time I sat in it, the suspension is on the softer side but the bumps and potholes aren't really intrusive inside the cabin. Since its a Volvo, you can expect it to have all the bells and whistles too.

Well, Happy Hunting.

[androdev]

Buy a small car like GLA AMG and use your S5, etc. when you need the back seat. You have already owned and driven enough nice large cars. Try something compact and cosy for a change. After a point the "do it all" cars can get boring.

[316kmph]

Originally Posted by androdev

Buy a small car like GLA AMG and use your S5, etc. when you need the back seat. You have already owned and driven enough nice large cars. Try something compact and cosy for a change. After a point the "do it all" cars can get boring.

I understand where you are coming from, I think I am past that phase, had a bunch 1 car, 1 job things for a few years, now settling down. Thanks Androdev.

Originally Posted by Sahil

What about adding the out going S450 into the mix?

S class is a great car indeed, buy I am trying to stick to current or new generation cars. Sahil, thanks for the input anyway.

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

How about a Volvo XC90?

....

Well, Happy Hunting.

Thanks petrolhead2272, XC90 is certainly good, lemme check it out.

[speedfreak77]

S-Class for pure luxury and a GLE 53 AMG for self driving and getaways. You can also check out the A8L, Vellfire and the Range rover sport. All the three cars are very different but are luxurious and have a lot of party tricks up their sleeves.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by 316kmph

I am looking to buy a luxury car around 1-1.25 Crore price point. I am looking for a car that is unique, will look the money, is nice to drive, has good low speed ride, and has decent ground clearance.

I second Sahil's suggestion. The outgoing S-Class is the best car you can buy in that budget. It is a complete all-rounder, you will get a fully sorted car (end of generation) and I personally prefer the styling of the W222 to the W223.

I also feel you cannot go wrong with the BMW X7.

Absolutely love the new Defender. The styling is such a huge draw, it's like a moving fashion statement. The interiors are superbly designed and extremely practical. The car is easy to drive & has a wonderful air suspension that flattens bad roads like you wouldn't believe. Main bummer = Land Rover's patchy long-term reliability. But I would still keep this as a top choice.

Wildcard entry = Wait for the Teslas. Their Indian launch is imminent.

[316kmph]

Originally Posted by GTO

I second Sahil's suggestion. The outgoing S-Class is the best car you can buy in that budget.

I also feel you cannot go wrong with the BMW X7.

Absolutely love the new Defender.

Wildcard entry = Wait for the Teslas. Their Indian launch is imminent.

Thanks GTO.

I used the S350d in the UK for about 10 days, rented a 5 series and got upgraded (for free &#128556, lovely car, but I didn't like driving it as much as being driven in. Also end of life cycle is usually a deal breaker for me.

Agreed the defender is the pick..I too loved it, but the ride was too comfortable that my wife got motion sick when we TDed and the lack of suspension modes didn't help. I wondered if the 6 cylinders with adaptive dynamics were any better...otherwise it doesn't pass the wifey check 😳. Anyone driven the car with adaptive dampeers? And the 6 cylinders got 15-20L pricer in April, putting it beyond what I plan to spend on a car.


Looks like X7 is the one left, I will also checkout the Xc90, again nearing it's end of life.

Wouldn't be a bad idea waiting for the Tesla.

[Acharya]

I would certainly include Range Rover Sports in the contention.

The regal looks and majestic road presence commands certain reverence. Any specific reason to omit it from the list?

[ssjr0498]

If you're a little performance oriented, how about the 2021 M5 CS!

[316kmph]

Originally Posted by Acharya

I would certainly include Range Rover Sports in the contention.
The regal looks and majestic road presence commands certain reverence. Any specific reason to omit it from the list?

Thank you, It is a good car, just that it is in the end of it's life cycle as well, been around for almost 9 years now.

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

If you're a little performance oriented, how about the 2021 M5 CS!

Thank you, Fantastic car is the M5 CS, but I am trying stick to my budget and this Bimer is almost 2 Crore on road. But I did include AMG E53 to my search, if Mercedes plans on a tempting price. Would love to see the 550i, if it comes. The extra performance of the M5CS will almost be never experienced in the real world, not here, not even in Germany (or just may be, when you try and hit 300kmph the 550i and E53 will start to fade out from 230 and go on to a top speed of about 280 whereas M5 will continue to pull past 270 and then fade up to say 310. Even that would be a task.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

If you're a little performance oriented, how about the 2021 M5 CS!

Please find me a 2021 M5 CS in this budget, even i am ready

Originally Posted by 316kmph

Looks like X7 is the one left, I will also checkout the Xc90, again nearing it's end of life.

Wouldn't be a bad idea waiting for the Tesla.

X7 is a good option. The XC90 not so much. Do also check out the 2021 Velar, its got air suspension now and the petrol engine with a remap will be a great option.

Tesla is only going to be launching the Model 3 in the near future which is quite small. The model S and other won't be coming soon.

[316kmph]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Tesla is only going to be launching the Model 3 in the near future which is quite small. The model S and other won't be coming soon.

Thanks Sahil, Model S could be pricey as well, please the product luxuriousness is not half as good as its key rivals. Ditto with the Model X and the falcon doors are funny and my garage will force it to open only partly.


Looks like the X7 is on top. I am going to wait for a couple of weeks for E53 pricing, may be TD the e-tron and ipace as well.

[lamborghini]

The E53 could be a good bet if you want a performance focused car: if you've faced no issues with you S5, I don't think you would face issues with the E53.
If you decide to go the SUV way, the GLE 53 would be a better bet.

That being said, the E350D would be more comfortable to be driven around in than both these options and is fairly decent to drive as well thanks to the better engine + air suspension. If you want something nicer, try and see if you can strike a deal on the 7 series : it shrinks around you and is a very balanced car.

I personally am not very pleased with the rear seat comfort of the X7, and found the underthigh support to be strictly average.

[316kmph]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

The E53 could be a good bet if you want a performance focused car: if you've faced no issues with you S5

Thank you Lamborghini,
I find the S5 a bit low floored, hope the E53 isn't that low.

2 problems are ingress/ exit and scraping of 1 in 4 speed bumps.

Originally Posted by lamborghini

If you decide to go the SUV way, the GLE 53 would be a better bet.

GLE 53 has gotten quite expensive over the past few months, now about 1.7 Cr on road

Originally Posted by lamborghini

If you want something nicer, try and see if you can strike a deal on the 7 series : it shrinks around you and is a very balanced car.

I personally am not very pleased with the rear seat comfort of the X7, and found the underthigh support to be strictly average.

Yup 7 is a fabulous car, have one in the family, hence not buying.

Was the X7's Poor under thigh support in the 7 seat or the 6 seat (captain seats) version?