[Rshrey22]

Toyota Land Cruiser should fit your requirements perfectly if you can bear with the Toyota badge.

[surgvij]

I was in a similar situation till two months back. We had sold our five yr old x5 in march and we had shortlisted the Velar, Range Rover Sport and the X6 as the probable replacements. Finally the powerful BMW petrol engine and the very unique and radical styling of the X6 made us book the car. The vehicle is still in transit and hopefully will reach us by month end.

[kau_therock]

Posting here after a very long time.

Having owned most of the cars in that list, i would say either go with the Q8 or the X7. I have an FPace 3.0 and the suspension setup is absolutely rubbish. I can only imagine what an SVR and its sports suspension would be. I prefer the X7 as well as the Q8 over it any day. dont know about the GLE53, but the GLE43 was just okish. If you have any questions about the cars, do drop me a message and I would be more than happy to answer

Kauzy.

[IREV]

Originally Posted by 316kmph

Hi folks,

I am looking to buy a luxury car around 1-1.25 Crore price point. I am looking for a car that is unique, will look the money, is nice to drive, has good low speed ride, and has decent ground clearance. Each year, I drive about 4000-5000 km in Chennai (mostly core city) and might do 4 or 5 weekend getaways (150 km roundtrip), 1 or 2 long weekend getaways (350 km roundtrip) and 1 or 2 week long getaways (about 1200 km roundtrip). Mostly, I drive myself...but when I am chauffeured I would like a very comfortable back seat. (For reference, I am just shy of 5'11" and weigh 90 kg and find my Mercedes GLC 300's backseat slightly low and short on squab.) I also own an Audi S5 (having it for over 3.5 years now, nice fast car, not impractical per-say....guess I am getting old for it's low ride and ingress - egress and need to be careful with the taller speed bumps.)
quite a long post, please excuse, and thank you in advance for your recommendation.

If you are open to petrols then check out for the X7 40i. The 40i is brilliant and the X7's interiors definitely feel worth the price and at least in my opinion, I find it better than the more expensive 7 series at least in interiors. Stay away from the GLS as I saw it in flesh and I found it too basic for the price. Many of it's interior parts are shared with the C class and the E class and the feature list is similar to them. Your money will be worth more on the E class rather than GLS. Or else you can also check for the XC90 T8 Inscription. It's a brilliant hybrid luxury SUV and it's priced very attractively. I think you should go for either the X7 or the XC90 T8.

[Neelavi]

I have been a silent follower of the team-bhp for over a decade but finally got my membership Starting with a long post and a weird problem of finding a suitable vehicle even with a much larger budget than I could imagine a few years back. My first car was a red VW polo TSI manual that I brought in 2010 just after it was launched and didn’t have to think twice. It was just a natural choice once I took a test drive and as a bachelor had not much else to think about. Have a Superb currently for the last 4.5 years and again it was the exact car that I wanted. Great in the back seat, great to drive, big boot, nice interiors, etc. Just about perfect in every way and in many ways better than cars twice the price. Still love it.

Now we are based out of Hyderabad and my wife and I are in the late thirties with two young boys of 7y and 4m. I have been looking out to get a second car for some time but pushed it out a bit hoping the availability improves. Also the problem is we are so spoiled with the Superb that most of the Luxury cars even with a budget of 1 Cr are not impressing! We have a driver for the Superb and this would be mixed use Self-drive over weekends to our farmhouse and partly driven by the driver in the city during weekdays. It will also be a milestone buy and the reason we are looking for a luxury car.

The cars considered -

BMW 530i M-sport: I love the overall design and the interiors. The Phytonic Blue exterior and cognac interior is like a breath of fresh air in a sea of white, black and silver cars with beige interiors and overall the car did pull at my heart. Drive was nice as well though it didn't feel like quantum difference with the Superb. However wifey who is mostly chauffer driven was not impressed with the back seat and didn't think it was worth spending so much without an upgrade from the Superb. This was after back to back test drives with the E class and She thinks the E is far better in term of an upgrade. Hard to deny that the E has something special that no other car comes close to south of S class. The dealer doesn't have a 530d or 630d for test drive and couldn't experience the much-lauded engine in the 5/6 series. Did test drive the X5 30d but that is a much heavier SUV and the engine did not feel that special.

Mercedes E-Class: Test drove both the E200 and E220D variants. The back seat is special and the only one which we found to be an upgrade over the Superb. However did not really enjoy the drive and the engines were strained on hard acceleration compared to my free revving TSI in the Superb. Also after hearing so many reviewers talk about “’seth ji” enjoying the back seat, almost makes one feel like it’s a car for older folks. Doesn’t appeal as much to the heart but it checks all the boxes except for very shallow boot space. Mostly boring colors after discontinuing the Cavansite Blue though found the Graphite Grey acceptable. The AMG line 350d looks much better and should be a better car to drive but couldn’t experience one. Is it worth considering and stretching almost 20 lakhs over the 200 or 220d. Also which of the two base engines make more sense purely from driving perspective given that mileage is not an issue.
Didn’t consider the GLC with its dated interiors and impending generation change and I don’t like the GLE design.

BMW 6 series: No test drive vehicle is available and also the dealer has no clue when it would be available. Otherwise though it could have been a good compromise with the more special rear seat, better engine and the interior and exterior colors that I love. Its The heavy bum is bit of a bummer in this beemer though it offers more space. Also would the fact that there won’t be a new 6 series going forward globally matter in terms of spares and resale value? Should I try to get a test drive in a different city.

BMW X3 & X5: An SUV would be an ideal combo with the Superb and the newly launched X3 facelift looks good. Yet to get hands on a test drive vehicle as the solo hyd dealer doesn't have one. Also not sure if it would be much of an upgrade. X5 is simply not available for even booking with the dealer quoting a long backlog and no committed timelines. Otherwise the x5 40i could have been an exciting option. X7 is also not available and is over the budget.

Audi A6: Was actually quite impressed by it but wifey has a strong dislike for Audi and didn't even bother to see the vehicle.

Volvos: Have better features but purely as a personal choice, won’t buy from a Chinese owned company when I can afford not to.

Defender: Bit above the budget but again the design absolutely pulls at the heart. Can't help staring at each time I see one. The base p300 2 litre engine is just about adequate but it was totally awesome to go off-roading on a track used by mining vehicles as part of the TD. Apart from the price, the delivery timelines run up to 8 months though it allows customisation. Wifey also thought the interiors are not worth the money and didn’t sense anything special.

Porsche Macan - Test drove when I travelled to Gurgaon for work and really liked it. The recent facelift has seen increase in prices and now even the base 2l one costs 1.1 cr with some options removed. Thought it may make sense to buy a new generation or the EV one in couple of years. By the time there may be a wider dealer network too - currently Hyderabad doesn’t have one.

GLA 220D & GLA 35 AMG. I liked the interiors of the GLA which felt quite sporty and offered decent space. The drive was fun especially in the 35 AMG version and it’s a good fit for a compact self-drive city car and weekend drives. Though it doesn’t bring a proper luxury car to the stable (not even a rear handrest) and lacks the presence.

Skoda Kodiaq: Actually loved this one and is a perfect fit for the family in practical terms though not carrying the luxury brand. I however plan to replace the Superb before it turns 6 next year and this would be a good replacement. I really love the Skodas and frankly don’t even mind getting one more Superb. I mean none of the above cars have front ventilated seats despite costing double and it just feels so much more value and a no brianer. While many have panned them for the reliability and service, I had a decent experience with my family owning multiple of them over the years and my mom currently has a last gen Octavia as well.

One thing that is running in my mind is that lot of these luxury cars are now 5+ years old since their generation launch and in a year most will have electric variants/ new gen launches. Further the market currently is completely skewed towards the sellers with limited choice, no discounts and long wait times. Does it even make sense to get a luxury car now or just get a cheaper vehicle for a year or two and upgrade when the fresh product cycle starts as well as competitive EV products get launched.

Sorry for the rambling musings of a very confused mind. Guess sometimes having the luxury of options creates its own problems.

If I have to sum and request for your suggestions - What would be the best Car/SUV that one can buy today south of 1 Cr or even a bit above that would be truly luxurious, good to drive and practical as well.

[peepo]

The e53 amg sits right at 1,24cr onroad. It wouldnt be spacious or very comfortable but it will be a riot to drive. Then again you can get similar performace for about 75lacs from an m340i and it would still leave room to buy another car. Buy that along with a kodiaq if you want practicality for some days. Or go for a GLE 400d for about the same 1,25cr. the 630d is a good mix of both practicality and driving dynamics and hits the sweet spot.

[porsche_guy]

Originally Posted by Neelavi

If I have to sum and request for your suggestions - What would be the best Car/SUV that one can buy today south of 1 Cr or even a bit above that would be truly luxurious, good to drive and practical as well.

This might perhaps be an oddball suggestion but I'd ask you to check out the Citroen C5 Aircross once. It's a beautifully put together car that is an awesome mile muncher as well as a practical and extremely comfortable crossover. The French styling may not be to everybody's tastes but I strongly feel it will accompany your Superb very well.

Another option you could consider would be the Lexus ES300h if being chauffeured is the primary use case. It'll throw in some exclusivity as well and be something different from the usual E/5/A6 that are far too common these days.

Best of luck!

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Neelavi

If I have to sum and request for your suggestions - What would be the best Car/SUV that one can buy today south of 1 Cr or even a bit above that would be truly luxurious, good to drive and practical as well.

Once you venture beyond Superb, the law of diminishing returns takes the centre stage. The only way to navigate this space is by shutting off the logic circuits and completely relying on emotions. Not unlike how you've ruled out Volvo and Audi.

Keep the Superb for chauffeur driven usage. Consider the second car exclusively for self-driven usage. Given your kids are so young and without an opinion, you have a small window of 5 years to buy a compact 4-seater sporty car and enjoy it, which is harder to do later. Not sure which brand tugs your heart but there is a decent choice out there - starting from the more practical M340i to others covering a broad spectrum with the likes of Mini, M2, A Class hatchback AMG, etc.

Anytime you feel the need for space and comfort, etc. you can always use your Superb which lacks nothing except for brand when compared the usual suspects that you listed.

Basically, don't buy a better Superb. Think young and crazy.

[Neelavi]

Originally Posted by peepo

The e53 amg sits right at 1,24cr onroad. It wouldnt be spacious or very comfortable but it will be a riot to drive. Then again you can get similar performace for about 75lacs from an m340i and it would still leave room to buy another car. Buy that along with a kodiaq if you want practicality for some days. Or go for a GLE 400d for about the same 1,25cr. the 630d is a good mix of both practicality and driving dynamics and hits the sweet spot.

Thanks. Did test drive the m340i and enjoyed it when I travelled to Gurgaon. However the local dealer doesn't have a demo and didn't have a clue on when it would be available. Will check back again. Did not explore the E53 but will see if I can TD one when I go to one of the large metros.

[Neelavi]

Originally Posted by porsche_guy

Another option you could consider would be the Lexus ES300h if being chauffeured is the primary use case. It'll throw in some exclusivity as well and be something different from the usual E/5/A6 that are far too common these days.

Best of luck!

Thanks. Did not seriously consider before but did start thinking about the Es300h after a friend got one recently. Looks gorgeous from the outside and the interior got a bit better after the recent update. Will check it out

Originally Posted by androdev

Once you venture beyond Superb, the law of diminishing returns takes the centre stage. The only way to navigate this space is by shutting off the logic circuits and completely relying on emotions. Not unlike how you've ruled out Volvo and Audi.

Basically, don't buy a better Superb. Think young and crazy.

You have nailed it . As an engineer, mba and consultant by training with a very analytical mindset, it is quite hard to overcome the logic part. And being in the position for the first time with a middle class background, have to start thinking with a different mindset. The better superb would clearly be the E but it doesn't really appeal much to the emotions. Its the BMWs and Porsches which appeal more and guess the M340i also checks lot of the boxes. Right now the dream car is the Taycan Cross turismo though haven't driven it.

Travelling to Gurgaon next and will try to check out some of these and take a call.

[peepo]

Originally Posted by Neelavi

Thanks. Did test drive the m340i and enjoyed it when I travelled to Gurgaon. However the local dealer doesn't have a demo and didn't have a clue on when it would be available. Will check back again. Did not explore the E53 but will see if I can TD one when I go to one of the large metros.

There is no incentive going for an e53 other than having a slightly bigger car with hybrid assist. You'll save 50 lacs by buying an m340i which you can spend on a bigger car which is more comfortable (like a kodiaq). Or you could sell the kodiaq for about 25-30L, bring the total to 75L and buy an x3/glc/q5 or a fortuner or a used x5/gle/q7.

[Neelavi]

Originally Posted by peepo

There is no incentive going for an e53 other than having a slightly bigger car with hybrid assist. You'll save 50 lacs by buying an m340i which you can spend on a bigger car which is more comfortable (like a kodiaq). Or you could sell the kodiaq for about 25-30L, bring the total to 75L and buy an x3/glc/q5 or a fortuner or a used x5/gle/q7.

Agree. The 340i is great value and the serves the purpose of a fun drive while accommodating a small family. While I considered it earlier and others have suggested it as well, the unavailability made me almost forget it as an option.

[316kmph]

After a full year of hunting, I finally booked a demo CBU 2021 S400d. While I know it’s 2x my original budget, but the alternatives are so-so. Thanks everyone for your suggestions and advice.