[ssateesh]

Hello BHPians,
One of my friends who is located in Bangalore and owns few companies currently has a Volvo XC60 and Skoda Octavia. He wants to buy a luxury SUV under 2CR on company's name before end of March 25. His requirements are below

1. Budget below 2CR.
2. He will use it for chauffeuring clients and also use for self-drive. So, he is looking for excellent comfort in back seat and fun to drive when needed.
3. Good road stance
4. Prefers 6-seater captain seats (for back seat comfort) while 7 seat maybe ok too with bench. 5 seaters only if there are no good options in 6 & 7
5. No electric. Hybrids are ok
6. No preference to diesel or petrol
7. No compromise on quality of audio systems
8. Only new cars. No pre-owned
9. Get delivery before March 25

Looking at few recent threads
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/luxur...e-upgrade.html (Nowhere to go from an Audi Q7? No car under 2-crore feels like an upgrade!)
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/luxur...-e450-too.html (BMW X5 30D M-Sport vs Mercedes GLE 450D, Edit- vs E450 too)

identified the following initial list.

1. BMW X7
2. MB GLE
3. MB GLS
4. RR sport

Not considering the below
1. BMW X5 - Bad back seat
2. Volvo XC 90 - Too old generation and he already has a XC60
3. Audi Q7 - Not as much luxurious as the other counterparts
4. Defender - Utilitarian interiors and not luxurious

Looking for inputs on which among the above suits the requirements, relative pros/cons and if there are other models to consider?

Regards,
Sateesh

[Shreyans_Jain]

Porsche Cayenne can be a black horse pick in the 2cr price range. Excellent snob value and road presence and will be better to drive than any of the options listed. Back seat is pretty good too. No reliability concerns like on the Range Rover either.

[Sahil]

X7 40i with captain seats would be my pick for back seat comfort as well as fun to drive.

[saikishor]

I would like to suggest Toyota Vellfire, because you have mentioned about chauffeuring clients. With this you can save some money and get another car for those short fun drives.

[ssateesh]

Originally Posted by saikishor

I would like to suggest Toyota Vellfire, because you have mentioned about chauffeuring clients. With this you can save some money and get another car for those short fun drives.

140 BHP. Will it be fun to drive for such a heavy car? Also Toyota may not go well with him as a luxury brand

[saikishor]

Originally Posted by ssateesh

140 BHP. Will it be fun to drive for such a heavy car? Also Toyota may not go well with him as a luxury brand

Toyota is no less luxurious than the brands you have mentioned above IMO. I clearly mentioned with the money saved you can get another car for those fun drives. If snob value is an absolute must, you can check out Lexus equivalents but you might end up spending a lot more.

One cannot go wrong with a Vellfire. There are so many owners and celebrities who swear by it, just look at how many of these high class people have one!

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by ssateesh

he is looking for excellent comfort in back seat and fun to drive when needed. Get delivery before March 25
1. BMW X7

X7 will be the one to pick if he has to drive even 25% of the time, otherwise, nothing will come close to Vellfire. I experienced the new one at the Auto Expo and was highly impressed with the rear seats. His clients are not going to go anywhere else, guaranteed X7 will be an Okish experience in comparison. Deliveries might be a concern though with Vellfire as against 10-15 Lac Discounts on X7. The best will be to walk into a larger dealership with a chequebook and try. Also, Vellfire has low ground clearance, in case of broken roads, X7 will fair better.

[RSimonS]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

nothing will come close to Vellfire. I experienced the new one at the Auto Expo and was highly impressed with the rear seats. His clients are not going to go anywhere else, guaranteed

Lexus LM if the budget can be stretched, the Lexus version of Vellfire can also be looked at.

[Mukunthan91]

Originally Posted by ssateesh

140 BHP. Will it be fun to drive for such a heavy car? Also Toyota may not go well with him as a luxury brand

I don't think Vellfire has just 140 bhp. The Vellfire comes with same engine as Camry/ lexus ES. Vellfire is not a sporty drive but definitely the best pick for chauffeur driven usage.

[ramki.grandhi]

For 2Cr, i would pick both of these.
1. GLE for chauffeur driven use case.
2. M340i sedan for self drive.

It might go slightly beyond 2Cr but it also project the CEO as thoughtful, successful and aspirational.

[Sohail_91]

My pick would be the Range Rover Sport, it offers super luxurious interiors and an exceptionally comfortable ride quality. The commanding stance and opulent road presence make it stand out effortlessly on the road.

The only challenge, however, is the delivery timeline, with current waiting periods ranging from 6 to 8 months.

As of Sunday, 19th Jan, Marqland Bangalore has a Defender HSE 3.0 Diesel available for immediate delivery, but no RRS units in stock. You could consider reaching out to some DSAs, as I often come across posts from them mentioning ready stock of the RRS.

[harshaguduru]

if it is company-owned and you want to stand out, the BMW XM is available in your budget. There is almost an 80-90 lakh discount right now on new inventory stocks around 14 months old. Definitely a head turner and ticks most of your boxes. back seat luxury may not match with some of your options but it's fun to drive and a talking point from the perspective of uniqueness

[DicKy]

Like other members here, would have said go for the Toyota Vellfire and buy something fun for the remaining change. Especially since client comfort is important. But is the Vellfire available off the shelf or at such a short notice? What I gather from dealers in Kerala is that there is some sort of allotment by Toyota for each year and the minimum waiting period is 1 year. Guess it must be cause it is a CBU and Toyota being Toyota is overly conservative/ cautious. Not sure how it would be in big markets like Mumbai or NCR where it could be otherwise.

Otherwise GLS or X7 after TDing.

[RoadRambo]

Originally Posted by ssateesh

Hello BHPians,


2. He will use it for chauffeuring clients and also use for self-drive. So, he is looking for excellent comfort in back seat and fun to drive when needed.
4. Prefers 6-seater captain seats (for back seat comfort) while 7 seat maybe ok too with bench.

Hi ssateesh ! Would suggest BMW X7 for your use case. Its the perfect car to be chauffeured around in great comfort and also fulfils your need for captain seats.
It is fun to drive too! Perfect SUV for your friend IMHO.
Happy hunting !

[Laks]

What about this requirement - "No compromise on quality of audio systems"? In all that has been suggested thus far, has this been taken into consideration? Given most of us like to listen to music whilst driving, I find it rather interesting that almost no official reviewer (at least the Indian ones) makes more than a passing remark on the audio quality. As cities are getting more and more congested and we tend to spend more time on the road, much of that time spent in frustration, a good quality audio system may well soothe the mind. I reckon this CEO has listed a non-compromise audio quality as he is coming from a XC60 which has one of 'the' best with the 1400W Bowers and Wilkins audio system!