[AirbusA340]

IMHO,

If the itching does not stop for the 7 and if you are dreaming about it every night, then go for it and make sure you go for the 730Ld to not miss out on that holy torque. You will smile when you hit the pedal! The 7 in matte exterior is also an option you could consider.

Or

Any of the BMW M's, for that matter!

The matte black M3 is even available for grab right away, at least in Hyderabad dealership!

Buy something which you would smile about for at least a while!

Enjoy your decision-making, it's part of the fun!

[bilalsyed]

What a thread !!! I'd suggest you go for either th XFS or the RR Vouge. Seen both the cars.. XFS looks Class. RR.. has awesome awesome road presence. It makes you king of the road Wish you all the best. May you get the best rides.

[abhinavsureka]

i think you should go in for the rangie... because it is the last of the ladder-frame range rovers... the next one will be a monocoque.. it's the ultimate off-roader and since you already have a big sedan (s class) there won't be anything too special in getting the 7 series

[redohabitat]

Originally Posted by Saarth

That thought did cross my mind.

The problem with Jaguar is, their delivery schedule is extremely eratic, plus they almost never seem to have cars in stock in the colors I want. Like I said we almost booked an XJ-L last year, but the delivery time made us move away from the deal.

Plus the Evoque like I said, doesn't quite cut it for me. I like the big trucks and the large luxo-barges, which is why I narrowed down to the Vogue and 750Li. Also like I said, the S500 shouldn't affect your suggestions, at one point my father even suggested looking at the S350 for me. But the S according to me, is best suited for older gentlemen.

Since you like trucks, do consider a real one. The Landcruiser, and if more luxury, if you may, in the Lexus edition. Its a vehicle that will take you through a nuclear holocaust and still go on. Legendary toyota reliability, and much cheaper to maintain than any other similar priced vehicles.

[shreyas28]

Not advertising, but if i were you I'd choose the Range rover vogue. No wait. I did that already .And with no regrets!

[tejus.s]

Hi Saarth, many would love to be in the dilemma you are!

While many here may never get to experience these cars in real life (Exhibit A), the majority would suggest a Range Rover. For me, it's the hands down winner between the two.

Drive safe!

[316kmph]

Go for the 7, it's the best mix of plushness and driving fun. I drive a 730ld, sure 750 will be even better. You will thank me every time u drive on the mountain roads. Buy it before the facelift, otherwise the 8 speed box will hamper driving pleasure by going up a gear or 2 than what u would like.

Only one problem is it may scrape tall (not all) speed bumps.

Since u drive, stop reading this & pick up the 7. Period!

[Sahil]

Classic dilemma ! I too have been pondering over a similar selection but have not decided to postpone the purchase to next year end, by then the dynamics would change totally. Currently in your situation, I'd get Cayanne only coz VW is taking complete charge of it and all sales and service issues should be ironed out. The q7 4.2TDi is a great option too. The reason I am suggesting an SUV is because you already have a luxo-limo. An SUV will add more value and diversity to your garage.

To further confuse yourself check out this link BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe video series

640d Sedan but alas will be a long wait! Or something similar with a shorter wait would be the CLS350 CDi

[nirav]

Great thread! I test drove the 4.4L Rangie recently, and was definitely sold on it apart from the fact that it is being completely replaced next year... HOWEVER, i also checked out the V8 Audi A8 last week and man, that interior is out of this world, also far rarer than the 7, and in my opinion, better looking. Since you are going to be driving yourself and are looking for a good mix of comfort and driving pleasure, for me, this is down to 2 cars:

1. Audi A8L V8
2. BMW M5

The M5 will give you massive street-cred and is in itself a phenomenal machine. It promises to be 'the' drivers car in India and I'm sure they will load up the interiors far more than the existing 5's. The A8L is sufficiently uncommon and amazingly loaded inside. The 7 is just a 'janta' car these days and honestly i didn't get much out of the drive (drove the 740Li), even though i did like the feature-rich interior (which the Audi provides anyway).

Looking forward to your decision!

[Saarth]

Sorry for my lack of updates guys, but I think this one is long overdue. So a couple weeks ago I drove the 740Li. And it might sound surprising but, I wasn't all that impressed with it. Firstly the drive wasn't as impressive as I was expecting it to be, and the car just felt long and had to be careful with it in the traffic, something that slightly put me off. Also owning an '09 3 series, the interior just felt like a larger, filled-in-with features imitation, I know that might sound blasphemous, but that's how it felt. At this point the mighty 7 was losing the battle.

Next I called up Mercedes, and enquired about the CLS. They told me they do not currently have any car in stock and that I'd have to wait at least tille the end of Jan, maybe even Feb. So while this didn't completely strike the car out of my list, I decided to look elsewhere until I could make up my mind.

Now last week was something else. I go up to the Jaguar/Land Rover showroom to test drive the mighty 4.4l RR, and boy was it amazing. The interiors were real plush and the drive was awesome too. But then they told me that they were expecting the completely new 2013 model as early as late 2012. Certainly, I didn't want to put so much money down on an outgoing model. Further, the rear of the car has started to look kind of dated IMO.

As we got back to the showroom after the test drive, my father saw the beautiful XJL sitting at the beck of the showroom and was immidiately smitten by it. We walked over to it, but it was shortly ruled out due to its sheer size (and the fact that I found the size annoying in the 740Li). But then lo and behold, in the corner, tucked away behind a bright blue XKR-S, was the new facelifted, 2012 Jaguar XF. I decided to immediately walk over to it, and my first thought was, "This is it!". It was the perfect size, gorgeous looking, and was below the budget cap. I took the test drive, but even as I just started the engine, I knew this was it.

The next day we booked the XF 3.0 V6 Diesel S in black. Even my father is happy as it was much lighter on his wallet than the other options we considered, and IMO is is much better looking inside and out than the CLS. I did consider the 5.0l V8 Petrol variant, but they didn't have a test drive car, and to get the best performance out of it I would have to go with the premium petrol. And for me, personally, the Diesel was a better choice, considering I refuel at places like Karjat, when we visit. So expecting delivery a couple of days after Christmas, and the wait is already killing me!

Lastly, thank you all for your tremendous help, guys!

Originally Posted by Sahil

To further confuse yourself check out this link BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe video series

640d Sedan but alas will be a long wait! Or something similar with a shorter wait would be the CLS350 CDi

It's quite the looker isn't it! However, is there any word on when it will launch in India?

Originally Posted by nirav

The M5 will give you massive street-cred and is in itself a phenomenal machine. It promises to be 'the' drivers car in India and I'm sure they will load up the interiors far more than the existing 5's. The A8L is sufficiently uncommon and amazingly loaded inside. The 7 is just a 'janta' car these days and honestly i didn't get much out of the drive (drove the 740Li), even though i did like the feature-rich interior (which the Audi provides anyway).

Looking forward to your decision!

Agreed about the 7. It just didn't quite cut it for me either. Dad was against Audi for God knows what reason. Perhaps the badge doesn't suit his bill, classic non-petrol head mentality.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

...Anyway, I'm assuming that the new car would be self-driven? In that case, have you considered slightly smaller, yet sought-after executive sedans? The Jaguar XF is a brilliant brilliant car, and now with the face-lift, it's just too irresistible! For 1 crore change, you could even get the fully blown supercharged XF-R, I think...

Originally Posted by Saarth

...But then lo and behold, in the corner, tucked away behind a bright blue XKR-S, was the new facelifted, 2012 Jaguar XF. I decided to immediately walk over to it, and my first thought was, "This is it!". It was the perfect size, gorgeous looking, and was below the budget cap. I took the test drive, but even as I just started the engine, I knew this was it.

The next day we booked the XF 3.0 V6 Diesel S in black. Even my father is happy as it was much lighter on his wallet than the other options we considered...

You don't have to thank me!

I was waiting for updates on this, and I had this uncanny feeling that you'd buy the XF. But I thought it would be the 5.0 V8 petrol. Nevertheless, the 3 liter diesel XF is a great car and very practical too. And let me assure you that you will stand out among a sea of Mercedes, BMWs and Audis.

Congratulations Saarth. A great way to bring in the New Year.

All the best, and drive safe! *thumbs up*

[Saarth]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

You don't have to thank me!

I was waiting for updates on this, and I had this uncanny feeling that you'd buy the XF. But I thought it would be the 5.0 V8 petrol. Nevertheless, the 3 liter diesel XF is a great car and very practical too. And let me assure you that you will stand out among a sea of Mercedes, BMWs and Audis.

Congratulations Saarth. A great way to bring in the New Year.

All the best, and drive safe! *thumbs up*

Even I thought it would be the 5.0 V8, but it was a couple of factors like availability of the color choice and practicality that made me choose the 3.0 V6. Besides I would hardly ever need all that power from the V8, it was more of a mind over heart choice if you think about it,

And thank you again, you should have updates and pics, and hopefully even an ownership report about late next week. Stay tuned for more

[PlatzdaTurbo]

You will not regret buying the XF S. Period.
Sure its a Ford derived oil burner but JLR have improved refinement by leaps and bounds and 1 major change in the face-lift version of the XF is the new and improved gearbox. It was a major let down in the pre-facelift version and i hear the issue has been addressed and the new gearbox is much quicker to respond/ downshift. The fact that it looks like a million bucks is a given.
270hp/600NM , 6.5~ seconds to the ton and those gorgeous looks. What more could 1 want ??
Great buy. Congratulations.
Some fabulous pics awaited.

[Akshay1234]

Congrats on the XF. Its a great car you've got there, and even more rare than the 750 you were looking at. It should be much better than the previous one thanks to the new 8 speed gearbox. What colour/interior combo have you chosen?

[Saarth]

Thanks guys! The exterior color is Midnight Black, which is actually a metallic black. And interior is Barley/Truffle, in other words Light Beige/Dark Brown.