Heart vs head: Fun to drive sports sedan or a luxury SUV for 80L?

I got a pre-worshipped Mustang in 2019. It was one of the best moments of my life.

BHPian tigercashew7 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am in my early 30s and planning to buy a new family car. So this purchase will be done by my dad who hates cars. He thinks they are depreciating assets and a big car equals speed which equals accidents which equals trouble. However, this wasn't always the case. He had a major accident in his left-hand-drive Corolla. After that incident, he started buying small cars and we have had 7 small cars. His daily drives are an Alto and Nano. We had a Skoda Superb, brought in 2011 for our highway trips, but it's now retried. Dad prefers Maruti due to its excellent reliability. The thing is that he has never driven a car in his life and so, he doesn't care.

My apologies as this might be a long background information, but I feel members might be able to answer my query if they know all the details.

Now, coming to myself. I am a die-hard car guy. I used to drive an i20 (now sold) back in 2015. For new business and later on, my marriage, that car served very well. But then in 2019, I came across something that would change the course of my life. It was this Team-BHP page. I kept reading articles/posts/ownership reviews so much that I found my lost love. So with gaining knowledge, I decided to take the leap.

I got a pre-worshipped Mustang in 2019. It was one of the best moments of my life. It was beyond my wildest imagination to experience what it meant to drive the beast. Moreover, it was a matter of pride for me as it was my very own car, bought with self-earned money and a car loan. But then came covid and for two years, my manufacturing business was closed. This meant major losses. With a heavy heart, I had to sell my Mustang.

Currently, we to need replace my family's sedan and this time, my mom wants a big car. My parents are in their late 60s. The car we buy should be comfortable. Also, my wife and daughter suffer from motion sickness (a lot in the Mustang, but never in the Nexon). The car will be used mostly by me, my wife and my 3 kids. Mom and dad would be using it 2-3 times a year. So for me, power is important. I am not used to linear power and prefer good driving dynamics (not supercar level). Also, I have never owned a German luxury sedan, nor have driven one. So I do have some expectations.

Criteria:

No diesel. No electric. Preferably a sedan. Budget around Rs. 80 lakhs. We can be flexible as there is no loan. Ground clearance shouldn't be too low. We tend to keep cars for long. We have heavy rains and drive on the famous Mumbai-Goa highway (not completed in the last 15 years). Yes, we drive mainly in Maharashtra and live in a Tier 3 city. So obviously, the roads are pathetic (how come we have crorepati MLAs/MPs?), so reliability is a big factor.

Cars shortlisted:

Mercedes E-Class: I understand this is the best car hands down for back seat comfort below Rs. 1 crore. I love the new W214's design. Dad thinks Mercedes symbolises showing off, so he doesn't want that label. The petrol seems underpowered. I didn't test-drive it. The new E-Class might be over Rs. 95 lakhs. The current model doesn't have many discounts.

Audi S5: Mom loved the design of this car. It has a V6 (that's all I care for). My concern is the ground clearance and also, back seat comfort for elders on long trips. And being a CBU, will it be expensive to maintain?

I took a test drive. The performance was good, but not "wow!" Maybe I need a longer test-drive. Waiting for Audi's legendary discounts to kick in.

BMW 6GT: Only if great discounts are available. It seems comfortable and has all the back seat features. I might need to replace the tyres and alloy wheels. Does that petrol do justice to such a big car?

Lexus ES300h: I have to test drive this, but most people have suggested that it's boring. Everyone in my family loved its design. It's just that the next-gen Camry should be here soon. So why buy an ES? But then, a Camry might cost around Rs. 60 lakh. So why not put Rs. 10 lakh more and get an Audi A6?

Audi A6: Perfect all-rounder. No complaints. A little underpowered. The back seat feels ordinary, but value for money.

Audi Q7: This one was a curve ball. So I showed it to my mom and dad. They loved it, but I felt odd driving such a big car. Still, it's a V6, so I will consider it only if there are super extraordinary discounts (all leads are appreciated). Also, is it true that due to the suspension setup, motion sickness issue isn't that much in Q7?

My problem is that most of the cars available for test drives are in big cities, where you can't experience their true capabilities as well as issues like motion sickness. Hence, I require some expertise.

Also, despite being near the Rs. 1 crore mark and many of these cars don't have ADAS level 2 / massaging seats / rear seat airbags (behind front seats) / reclining rear seats / 360 camera / ventilated seats / self-parking, etc. which are to be found in a Rs. 30 lakh Kia or a Chinese EV. So basically, are we are just paying for the brand name.

The Mercedes C-Class or BMW 3-series have not been considered as the Audi A6 seems a VFM. I don't want to go for a Skoda Superb again.

Guys, do let me know if I missed any car. We are not looking for an immediate purchase and can wait until the year end.

Also, I did find a couple of dealers who provide brand-new cars at heavy discounts. But the catch is that you buy from them and not a proper showroom, Is it worth it?

Here's what BHPian ex-innova-guy had to say on the matter:

I presume you are open to the preowned route since you bought one earlier. The list will be endless given the world is your oyster via this route. I personally would prefer a first owner car in this segment.

My suggestions:

1. Preowned 2022 E53 AMG (Link) - It appears that you love sedans so this is one option.

2. ⁠Preowned 2020 GLE53 AMG (Link) - Ease of ingress-egress for ageing parents coupled with the advantage of not worrying for bad roads.

3. ⁠Preowned 2014 Audi RS7 (Link) - Yes it is old but a V8! Relatively better ground clearance too.

4. ⁠New X3 M40i - Buy it when you can!

5. New Kodiaq - Punches well above its weight.

Here's what BHPian Sensible_speed had to say on the matter:

The new Audi A6 is a long while away from Indian shores. Don't hold your breath in it. If you can make peace with the current A6 being dated, it should be a reasonably comfortable ride. But, since you've found the 6GT for a discount, I'd suggest you buy that instead. The 6 series is an under-rated gem of a car. It offers the BMW dynamism while being comfortable and spacious too. Good choice if the cars you're looking at are unsold stock new off the factory.

Here's what BHPian vattyboy had to say on the matter:

I highly recommend that you go and experience a test drive in the BMW M340i. As a fellow car enthusiast, I'm surprised that this impressive car has escaped your attention. In my opinion, it offers one of the best value propositions for individuals who are passionate about cars.

Here's what BHPian nmn.070 had to say on the matter:

I had a similar conundrum not to long ago. I explored everything from M340i to the Q7. What helped eventually was to prioritise your requirements. A car with average dynamics but great comfort is different from one with average comfort and great dynamics. In the end I bought a Volvo XC60 which I find underpowered but am happier in 90% situations. At the other end the m340i was great in 10% situations but worse as an overall package. I found the X3m40i a tad too expensive for what it offers and skipped it since my top priority was touring with my family. Stop light shenanigans came second.

I'm also going to make an unpopular statement. The m340i isn't as fast or fun from behind the wheel. Maybe because of the drive. But I honestly found negligible difference from my older 328i in city sprints. On the highway the m340i was a nightmare due to the harsh suspension. It's not as great as it's made out to be on this forum.

You will find many lightly used examples in the used market for the same reasons. You keep your car for long in a city with poor roads and water logging issues. Peace of mind is the biggest luxury. I felt I was cheating my enthusiast persona when I picked the XC60 over the m340i. But I'm glad I made the choice. And if local thrills is what you seek. Nothing made my nerves more excited than the Volvo C40 recharge. It felt faster than everything else. Maybe 0-60 times are comparable but the feeling was unlike anything else. Most likely il replace my city beater with a fast ev next to get my thrill occassionally. Volvo ex30 maybe?

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