[VSD]

Originally Posted by quattroa4

You haven't mentioned who is going to drive the vehicle for most of the time ? Is it you or your driver ?
The choice depends on that to far extent. If self driven then nothing like a BMW and if not then look for the rest. Besides do give a look to LR 's FREELANDER . I used to own one and tell you that it will give you a piece of mind no other car can give to you .

I will be driving the car myself and sometimes my dad will. I wanted to check the freelander as well but I don't know if it would last me for five years, is it reliable enough. I don't like my car to be filled with rattles and noises from interior trims etc. I have driven it already and I think it has a better ride than any options I listed above.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by VSD

It will be driven mostly in Delhi/NCR region and a few highway trips in a month. Average monthly driving should be anywhere between 1000-2000 kilometers.

These cars are being considered:

• Audi Q5
• BMW X3
• Volvo XC60

I am considering an SUV as it will be more comfortable and practical in city as well as highway driving.

Though my heart says Volvo, I too would consider either the X3 with its BSI for peace of mind when it comes to maintenance or the Land Rover Freelander-2 SE variant which has almost all the features that the HSE has except 40BHP extra, armrests on the front seats, some wood inserts and electrically adjustable seats.
I took a long TD in one the other day and came out thoroughly impressed. Also, the Landie has that heart pull, much like the Jeeps of yore, that is difficult to explain. Upon googling, I found out that the FL-2 is a pretty reliable beast and apart from a few clutch and battery problems, there is not much to report on its breakdown.

On a totally different note, why don't you consider a pre owned buy? An LC-200, a Q7, a Cayenne, a Ranger Rover Sport... they should all be within reach, especially in the NCR. Your usage is low and NCR has pretty good mechanics outside the dealership/ASC ambit.

[androdev]

bmw x3 2.0 is relatively "noisy and bumpy" - not something I would consider for comfort, though it will be good to drive and BSI will control the cost of ownership.

it wouldn't hurt to test drive the new ML - a very compelling option if looking for comfort.

[VSD]

Made my dad test drive all the cars and to my surprise he din't like any. He says they are all overpriced and small on the inside. Waiting to try the freelander day after, hope he likes that one.
Have also called to test drive the new r-class diesel variant recently launched, ill be driving it tomorrow as well.

[Turbanator]

new r-class diesel variant recently launched,

Did you test drove this ? I am looking one for myself , mostly chauffeur driven , I understand Mercedes has priced competitively but removed lot of features which were standard in Petrol like rear seat entertainment & Harmon Music system besides interior is in leatherette ..

[VSD]

Booking the Q5 today, got an amazing offer from the Audi Mathura road showroom.
Thinking of getting White car with beige interior, even though i don't like beige, its any day better than the only other option of black.

Maintenance is also sorted as i am getting the service inclusive package for the Q5, costs around 1,72,500 for 5 years and one lakh kilometers.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by VSD

Booking the Q5 today, got an amazing offer from the Audi Mathura road showroom.
Thinking of getting White car with beige interior, even though i don't like beige, its any day better than the only other option of black.

Maintenance is also sorted as i am getting the service inclusive package for the Q5, costs around 1,72,500 for 5 years and one lakh kilometers.

Do share the details of the offer.
Also is the Audi service inclusive package as comprehensive as BMW's BSI? The BSI costs almost double in that case !

[VSD]

It is pretty much similar to the BSI, and the price is one of the reasons i got the service inclusive package. Also, got the extended warranty for 4 years and unlimited kilometers which costs 58,000, just to keep me on the safe side

Can't share the exact details because I was offered a corporate deal for bulk buy. Not much cash discount offered on the car but they will offer you few extra goodies instead. They looked good to me so went ahead with it.

The car has luxury package; which includes MMI high, comfort head rests, rear seat entertainment preparation (which is useless, but offered nonetheless), voice command system and few other small features. Panoramic roof is also pre-configured as an extra by Audi.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by VSD

It is pretty much similar to the BSI, and the price is one of the reasons i got the service inclusive package. Also, got the extended warranty for 4 years and unlimited kilometers which costs 58,000, just to keep me on the safe side

Can't share the exact details because I was offered a corporate deal for bulk buy. Not much cash discount offered on the car but they will offer you few extra goodies instead. They looked good to me so went ahead with it.

The car has luxury package; which includes MMI high, comfort head rests, rear seat entertainment preparation (which is useless, but offered nonetheless), voice command system and few other small features. Panoramic roof is also pre-configured as an extra by Audi.

There was a 10 lakhs discount on the 2ltr q5 last week in Mumbai as part of a bulk buy deal.

I guess these are all stock clearences for the facelifted version due to launch

[VSD]

Originally Posted by Sahil

There was a 10 lakhs discount on the 2ltr q5 last week in Mumbai as part of a bulk buy deal.

I guess these are all stock clearences for the face lifted version due to launch

The 10 Lakh discount cars are the corporate models not the luxury ones.
I didn't want some SUV just for the brand value, i wanted a comfortable luxurious car and the corporate model just didn't do it for me.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by VSD

The 10 Lakh discount cars are the corporate models not the luxury ones.
I didn't want some SUV just for the brand value, i wanted a comfortable luxurious car and the corporate model just didn't do it for me.

Nope, they were fully loaded models with Panaromic roof and AMC package

[i<3turbo]

Audi Q5 hands down better interior better build quality better driving experience. when i worked for audi the drivers that worked for us loved the audi q5 3.0 tdi to drive because of its torqy power band which is awesome for traffic and 7 speed s tronic trans which makes highway driving a breeze. the q5 is also slighly bigger and definately has a better road presence and with your highway driving it is definately a must.

[Turbanator]

service inclusive package for the Q5, costs around 1,72,500 for 5 years and one lakh kilometers

Audi service inclusive package as comprehensive as BMW's BSI? The BSI costs almost double in that case !

Audi does not cover Break Pads / Sensors / Rotors ! There are few more exclusions over BMW as well .

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by VSD

Made my dad test drive all the cars and to my surprise he din't like any. He says they are all overpriced and small on the inside. Waiting to try the freelander day after, hope he likes that one.

Did he TD the LR FL-2? What are his opinions?

[andyb]

Booked the Audi Q5 3.0TDi . Feels like the ideal vehicle for a mix of city / highway driving. Surprisingly nimble for an SUV with that right amount of car like feel and decent handling too. On another note, already encountering inconsistent after sales (if you can call it that yet) and lack of customer care. Very different from my experience last year when I bought my first BMW.