[Sheel]

I had started this thread (Lack of options in SUV's in 30 to 50 L rupee bracket) in 2014. Almost 10 years have passed and while there were few great options sold in that period, nothing much is available now if one wishes to upgrade from those choices, hear me..

But, that is past now [Endeavour, Pajero, Trailblazer, MU-X (might be risky to buy now)].

A friend wishes to upgrade from his Ford Endeavour 3.2 (though he got a Toyota Fortuner 4X4 AT in '21, but is not satisfied, misses the ride, the interior quality, music system etc from the Endeavour).

Main criteria = Ample GC and a 4X4. Reliable.

Budget = Preferably 1cr. and thereabouts.

Should be new.

[GTO]

Your friend is in a major predicament, Sheel. Simply because the 30 - 50 lakh segment is "peak car", where a lot of the models punch above their weight (e.g. Endeavour). Offer a lot more car than the expensive Germans above (e.g. Camry, Kodiaq). Pack the latest technology (Ioniq 5). And are still value-for-money.

Above 45-50 lakhs, the laws of diminishing returns kick in.

My suggestion = X3 M40i if he is an enthusiast. He'll enjoy the drive. Take TDs of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, BMW 6-GT etc. and see what he really likes. Extend the budget a bit and get a new GLE or X5. Check with Audi on the latest offers for the Q5 & Q7 (friend got home a Q5 for 62L OTR with extended warranty, service pack).

What I would do = get a pre-owned current-gen Mercedes GLS. The only way to get some iota of value in the luxury segment is going the pre-owned route. You can get a "like new" car still under warranty. Please read my article on the same ("Almost-New" used cars! The logic & beauty of buying 1 - 3 year old pre-worshipped cars), it's zero risk.

Brand-new luxury cars are grossly overpriced and that's the new reality.

[revsperminute]

Merc GLE/GLS if he's looking at comfort. x5/x7 if he's a spirited driver. We originally wanted an Endeavour when we were car-shopping in '18 but ended up going for the GLE. In my 5 years with the GLE, it has proven itself to be extremely reliable apart from a few electrical gremlins. Moreover, the thing feels built like a tank (new gen slightly misses out on this). I'm not sure about the off-road performance but it has no complaints whenever we take it to dirt trails, beaches etc even on it's Pilot Sport SUV tyres. The car crushes kilometres like few others on the highway and is mostly unfazed by Indian road conditions.

Also, a huge Merc SUV is the only thing that has the street cred rivalling the Endeavour. (or a Defender wink wink)

[tjsi]

Try taking a look at the Volvo XC90. Coming from the Endeavour and Fortuner, I don't think you can go wrong with XC90 in the safety, reliability and performance department.

[QuentinTino]

I would suggest your friend to stick with the current Fortuner till the new one comes next year.
It’ll be like an Indian RAV 4 atleast!
This is the sensible choice.

[cefiljoseph]

The only proper upgrade I can think of is the Defender 110 with a diesel engine. However, this would be extending the budget by some 50 percent so it's a huge strech.

Unfortunately, any proper upgrade will knock the value proposition out of the window.

Some other options worth considering are

Newly introduced Cayenne S - comes with a V8 as opposed to the V6 in the current Cayenne. Arguably the best car in the segment.

Macan - If budget is a strict concern, then the base Macan would be a great choicest like the X3 M40i.

If interested in electric, from Jaguar I-Pace to Volvo XC40, there are cars that offer mad performance but I would be reluctant to spend significant money on an electric at the moment.

Fortuner might seem crude and over-priced. However, I should add that a Fortuner or most Toyotas for that matter is a lesson in delayed gratification. While the europeans shine during their warranty period, a Toyota will show its value post the warranty period. But yeah, I don't see how it can be used as an excuse for Toyota to give a mediocre music system and stuff like that.

Congratulation and all the best to your friend.

[CEF_Beasts]

I would suggest hold on to the current Fortuner for the time-being and go for the next-gen Fortuner which is going to be based on the TNGA-F BoF platform, which underpins the likes of the LC300, Tundra, Tacoma, Sequoia, new-gen Lexus GX and LX. The biggest fly-in-the-ointment of the Fortuner ie. the ride-quality will be solved with this platform.

[cUjO]

A used LC200 maybe? Can’t get better in terms of sheel’s requirements than that. Moreover the bling factor of the lc200 probably is higher than any German suv

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by revsperminute

Merc GLE/GLS if he's looking at comfort. x5/x7 if he's a spirited driver. We originally wanted an Endeavour when we were car-shopping in '18 but ended up going for the GLE. In my 5 years with the GLE, it has proven itself to be extremely reliable apart from a few electrical gremlins. Moreover, the thing feels built like a tank (new gen slightly misses out on this). I'm not sure about the off-road performance but it has no complaints whenever we take it to dirt trails, beaches etc even on it's Pilot Sport SUV tyres. The car crushes kilometres like few others on the highway and is mostly unfazed by Indian road conditions.

Also, a huge Merc SUV is the only thing that has the street cred rivalling the Endeavour. (or a Defender wink wink)

Would have made sense 2 years ago but sadly all the cars you mentioned are now above 1 crore due to constant price increases.

[revsperminute]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

Would have made sense 2 years ago but sadly all the cars you mentioned are now above 1 crore due to constant price increases.

OP mentioned 1Cr or thereabouts. GLE/X5 is ~1 crore. However, I agree prices have increased significantly over the last few years and looking for a worthwhile upgrade is that much more difficult. I still drive my 2015 Octavia because I haven’t been able to convince myself for an upgrade option under 50L.

[RunSam]

I'm sure there are a lot of German options to consider, but I suggest TD'ing the Toyota Vellfire. It's comfortable, Reliable, and although not a full 4x4 it does have an AWD system.

[d_payne]

Prices for new German large suvs have gone through the roof lately. The X5/GLE duo sits 30% above the budget, the Cayenne is a comfortable 50% above. Even the base Macan is easily above the 1Cr mark, and please the Macan isn't a replacement for an Endeavor or Fortuner, it is a hatchback level of space in the back - same as a Q5. I have an F15 X5 and there's a Macan in the family, and they're two totally different cars, and I spent a month in a Q5 driving it to Leh. The GLC/X3 are also in a different size class too. My understanding of luxury SUVs has changed quite a bit in the last few years.

The Fortuner and Endeavor represent incredible value which can be tough to beat unless you go pre owned.

GTO is right (like always) to go for the 1-3 year pre owned route and look for a X5 for a balance of driving pleasure and practicality or the GLS for proper luxury. That's the real value. Oh...and I love the idea of a Defended 110, it's the true upgrade from an Endeavor. ��

[IloveVolvo07]

Ask your friend to check out the Volvo XC90 if he is okay to stretch a bit or the XC60 too, Volvos are built like tanks, have great features for the price and my S90 has been really reliable except for the battery (Drains very quickly, stays charged only for 5-8 days). Both of them i.e. XC60/XC90 have AWD and it might do the job of a soft off-roader. The ride of the Volvos will be much better than the Fortuner, the ride gets better as speed increases and it will remind him of the Endeavour. You mentioned music system, and the Bowers and Wilkins system (19 speakers, ~1500W) is just amazing, the audio is crisp and has a wide range of adjustment that can be tweaked with.

[mugen_pinaki27]

I would recommend the pre-owned Porsche Cayenne or a pre-owned Landcruiser. Being a Japanese fan, I would go with the latter since it would be available at a steal, and BHPian Virat's beautiful thread on restoring an erstwhile LC was an eye-opening thread. As GTO rightly said, "new" cars are overpriced. You could also consider the Lexus RX. Happy hunting!!

[newton_meteor]

As an owner of the Endeavour, my family and I struggled to find an upgrade under 1 Cr. We considered several options such as the Q7 3.0 Petrol, Discovery 3.0 Petrol SE, and Defender 110 2.0 Petrol. However, all of these options were priced 10-15% higher than our budget.

Unfortunately, the abysmal fuel efficiency figures of 5-6kpl were a deal-breaker for us.

Therefore, we decided to go for the Innova HyCross ZX(O) as a companion to our Endeavour, and we are extremely satisfied with our choice. I will be sharing a detailed ownership experience after covering a distance of 5000km.