[nmn.070]

Originally Posted by Ess

If we're to assume that the W222 is the benchmark for this requirement, would you say that the ES, XC90, A6, E Class or Innova are good options to consider in terms of providing a similar experience? The brand value of the S can be ignored. The need for comfort, filtering out the nasty road conditions and incessant honking in Bombay far outweigh the need for a "luxury brand" as such.

The Lexus ES may run it close but that's about it. And then the drivetrain will not be as smooth considering you only get a 4 cyl. The rest will not be closer either. If you're comparing to a relatively new S class, you should only consider alternatives such as the A8, 7 series, etc.

[quickdraw]

iX, S90, 6GT, XC90 in that order would be my reccomendation. All of them can be had new for <1Cr

[Neelavi]

Originally Posted by Ess

Wouldn't the E be considered similar to the 5 series? Is it that much of a jump in terms of comfort? We don't intend to sell the 5 after getting a new car, so getting an E for marginally better comfort doesn't seem too prudent IMO.

As far as the rear seat goes, the E is clearly a significant step up from the 5 series especially since the E class in India is the LWB version. Compared to that the 5 series feels cramped! I would have preferred to get the 5 for self driving but one test drive and the family was blown away by the E class rear seat while the 5 did not feel much of an upgrade to our Superb from the rear passenger point of view. The 6GT is more comparable to the E LWB but that’s a model which will be discontinued soon with no new generation planned globally.

[exhaustbreather]

Originally Posted by manofinfinity

I would strongly suggest you Camry, Lexus ES or Innova Hycross, they will provide equally good comfort at half the price.
If I had that kind of budget I would just get a Camry and a Hycross, why spend money on 1 when you can get 2 equally good cars that can fulfil all your requirements?

There's offer on Camry if you buy from nashik. you get 12 Lakhs discount

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by Ess

Is it the previous gen 7 series or the current gen that you're referring to?

.

Previous gen facelift version G12

[samyakmodi]

Originally Posted by Ess

We're on the lookout for a car to add to our garage with primarily only one specific requirement, i.e. extreme comfort in the rear seats (2 people) for city usage.

A used S-Class with it's air suspension was the first car that came to mind, but it's length of 5+ meters is a major deterrent. We feel that it might be too long for the roads of Bombay. We already have a 530D which we feel is sometimes difficult to manoeuvre in certain streets in the city.

With a budget of 75L to 1Cr, we're open to new or used (less than 5 years and still under warranty preferably), Sedan or SUV (SUV preferred as we already have 3 sedans) and less than 5 meters in length. As this will be primarily chauffeur driven, performance isn't a priority, although we wouldn't say no to a suggestion with 6 or more cylinders which meets the comfort criteria for when the car is self driven

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated

If you haven't made up your mind yet - do consider the 6GT as well. The rear seat is extremely comfortable. The seating height is higher than the 5 and much higher than the E class - making it much easier to get in and out of. Under thigh support is also excellent and provides sufficient legroom.
Add to it - you get screens at the rear which gives you something to do along with a dual zone A/C at the rear - which only adds to the comfort. The seats also recline - albeit only a small degree, but finding the right angle is never difficult.

And did I mention air suspensions??

[Ess]

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions and inputs.

We ended up booking an X7 40d with the captain seats, which were by far the most comfortable when compared to a GLS, GLE and X5 that we also test drove.

Ended up going with an SUV instead of a Sedan as this car will also be used for long trips out of the city as well.

[ssateesh]

Originally Posted by Ess

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions and inputs.

We ended up booking an X7 40d with the captain seats, which were by far the most comfortable when compared to a GLS, GLE and X5 that we also test drove.

Ended up going with an SUV instead of a Sedan as this car will also be used for long trips out of the city as well.

Congratulations ! Great choice.

Your opening post had 75L - 1CR and less than 5m as requirements and hence this was not even in the list

[Ess]

Originally Posted by ssateesh

Congratulations ! Great choice.

Your opening post had 75L - 1CR and less than 5m as requirements and hence this was not even in the list

We first took a test drive of a W222 S-Class and were quite disappointed as the ride was not as expected. We figured that what we were looking for was most likely achievable in an SUV.

So we took a few test drives of the GLS, GLE, X7 and X5 and found that the X7 was the best of the lot. We ended up taking multiple test drives on the X7 (cumulatively over 100km) in the city and on highways. This car somehow doesn't feel that big. It was extremely easy to navigate the roads, with the 360 degree cameras and sensors helping out.

Back seats of the X5 are terrible. While the GLE was slightly better, it was nowhere close to the X7. Test driving the X7 first kinda made all other options after that "not good enough"

The GLS was plain boring in comparison in terms of driving, and the back seat was extremely underwhelming after sitting in the captain seats of the X7. We checked out the bench seats in another X7 as well, but the captain seats won hands down.

As we generally keep our cars for a bare minimum of 5 years (generally over 7 years), we decided to take the leap and go ahead with a new X7 rather than a used one.