[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Dr.Car

Well agree with you but what are your thoughts on X5 vs GLE which is also very frequently asked

X5: better equipment such as adaptive / air suspension, 6 cylinder diesel engine, etc. make it a tempting option for the self driven. However the GLE rear seat is more comfortable a place to be in, so depends on your requirements.

[Jakku]

If I had this money, my purchase would be LR Defender. Reason - No idea, why? This brand had a place in my heart after reading a lot of travelogues in TBHP. Leave alone driving, I have not even travelled in any of these cars, so, it is just a choice based on "readings of experiences".

[Vasanth]

Voted Mercedes Benz, for the sedate driving style in me.
But for the enthusiast side of me I would go for the BMW.
Audi has the mix of both worlds. But when it comes to looks, it looks just like a VW with 4 rings.
If I am able to afford I would pick the Porsche. In that case I would pick either Cayman or the 911s. Not the SUVs. If it’s a Porsche it has to be a 2 seater sports car. That’s what defines Porsche.

[M00M]

Considering the absurd price hikes of luxury cars. I would choose the following based on money no consideration:

For being driven around - Lexus LS / ES

For driving around - Porsche 911 / Taycan 4s / Taycan GTS

For driving around in an SUV - Porsche Cayenne / Porsche Macan / BMW iX

[Auto_guy_101]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Audi vs BMW vs Mercedes vs others

Then of course, there are other luxury brands in India such as Volvo, Lexus, Porsche, Mini & more. Which is your preferred luxury car brand & why?

This is indeed a very interesting thread. Luxury car owners would largely be either entering the space for the first time or may have already owned one before. Coming from the former category and having seen maintenance troubles, I would personally pick a Toyota Land Cruiser for its bulletproof reliability and build (like a tank), if I could afford one.

That said, there are a few interesting cars I'd like to add
1. Mustang GT
2. Messerati (all models)
3. Jeep grand Cherokee
4. Tesla model S (for me a Tesla was never a green car or a "cheap running" car. It was always a fast car (fast for its money)). I think the cost of importing one would definitely put it in the luxury bracket.

[THE-U-]

As a brand, BMW any day for me because they maintain an understated elegance with fantastic driving dynamics at a reasonable price (I will admit the new X7 front end is horrendous and the new X1 front end looks more like VWs though they maintain the so called kidney grill).

In the context of specific models, the S class Mercedes is an exception in the MB line up - wish MB had kept their historical "luxury" grill with the three pointed star hood ornament across their sedan line up at least.

As a former owner of a X166, I don't know who in MB decided to stick two tablets together and call it the instrument cluster and infotainment system. Just can't accept MBs with this new "tablet" dash design. This needed a more seamless integration.

For SUVs, my choice in the US would be a Cadillac Escalade EXT Premium Luxury Platinum. I know this SUV is bling bling, but the front dash is tastefully done and can much miles in comfort. In India, we don't have a lot of reasonably priced options, but as of now, my top choice would be the current X5 xDrive 40i MSport with the Jeep GC a close second. If the Jeep GC is made available in a seven seater version, it perhaps would have edged out the X5 (Jeep is not a luxury brand though).

[unicorn_nike]

B.M.W

Sheer Driving Pleasure with Luxury !

Benz comes a close second ...

[knightfurry]

Voted for LandRover. I’m a SUV guy, I feel they are a bit more safe in event of crash especially on highways. LR SUVs have amazing designs(in my view) and the updated Defender feels like a tank which you can take anywhere. It can glide through the pot holes infested roads of Bengaluru like a boss. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about lemon products and substandard dealer experience about LR and so did about Jeep, but I had excellent experience with Jeep dealerships in Pune, Bengaluru & Kolhapur.

On a second thought I would have voted for Jeep Cherokee too.

[cefiljoseph]

Great thread

I personally am not a fan of any car brands per se but fans of some models from every brands.

There were a lot of great Bimmers, Audi's and Mercs that were being made in the a decade ago. However, as things stand, all brands are undergoing though huge dilution and cost cutting measures.

At present, I would put BMW above Mercedes. This is with the caveat that they still make some horrible cars like the new X1 or for that matter any generation of the X1. Nonetheless, with gems like the M340i, it's a great brand with more reliability than people give credit for.

Mercedes has lost it somewhere down the line as bean counters took in.

Audi has been forgotten considering the loss of diesel engines and poor understanding of the Indian market.

My ultimate pick for a brand would be Porsche. I understand that it's not attainable for most of the people. However, it's a great brand with excellent lineup and zero brand dilution which having a solid growing business. Moreover, their repeat clientele is also a testament to their quality. What I particularly appreciate about Porsche is their commitment to older models with retrofits to infotainment systems and exceptional maintenance support. That said, it is not a perfect brand. In the early 2000s, most of the cars were ugly and had some issues like bore scoring. ignoring that part, this is as close to perfect any brand can get in my option.

Land Rover also deserves a mention for having preserved their identity throughout these years when germans have become very generic. Products like the Defender and Range Rover are show stoppers. Of course it's notorious for reliability but it's just their character