[maven]

X5: not sure if it can be called an SUV. It is delicate and won't be able to withstand the pressure of the Raid.

Disco sport: JLR and reliability are oxymorons.

If you can wait then the Fortuner would be a good option + With money to spare a good deal on a 3 GT to replace the e90. The combination will solve both your requirements.

No point looking at Mitsubishi new launches at all.

If the wait isn't possible then a reasonable option is the new Endeavour.

But I think you could have held on to the Outlander for a few more months to make choices easier. It was pretty well maintained.

[The Dude]

What about looking at the new Ford Endeavour. It is a pretty good car with AWD and much much better interiors than the Fortuner and Pajero Sport( which was under initially consideration). The all new Volvo XC90 is also a pretty good car but A.S.S is questionable.

[rishi_kapoor]

Originally Posted by maven

X5: not sure if it can be called an SUV. It is delicate and won't be able to withstand the pressure of the Raid.

Disco sport: JLR and reliability are oxymorons.

If you can wait then the Fortuner would be a good option + With money to spare a good deal on a 3 GT to replace the e90. The combination will solve both your requirements.

No point looking at Mitsubishi new launches at all.

If the wait isn't possible then a reasonable option is the new Endeavour.

But I think you could have held on to the Outlander for a few more months to make choices easier. It was pretty well maintained.

Thanks Maven. Yes, parting with Outlander was very hard and it was sold with just 2000 kms done new LTX AT2 and major service done ahead of time but then I had to take a decision sooner or later.

Agree that X5 is not a offroader but if ML can perform during Mughal then X5 can do it better in Raid, I may be completely wrong but then there is no data to prove either ways. Based on my research on google, youtube and a little bit experience I feel it will perform. Please also note that I will not be competing in Raid with this instead will be participating as official.

Agree that Endy looks interesting based on popular vote and I will test drive it before taking the final call, even though it is less on luxury features that I am looking for.

There is no date for Fortuner and it may well be delayed to 2017 since Toyota will want to dump all old garbage in India given people buy blindly following others and companies like Toyota and Mitsubishi take advantage of this fact.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by The Dude

What about looking at the new Ford Endeavour. It is a pretty good car with AWD and much much better interiors than the Fortuner and Pajero Sport( which was under initially consideration). The all new Volvo XC90 is also a pretty good car but A.S.S is questionable.

Thanks The Dude. As posted earlier, new Endy is definitely a candidate now. Pajero Sport was never a consideration, a short test drive was enough to rule it out as an Outlander replacement. I may have mentioned Pajero earlier as an inadvertent error, I meant Montero.

On XC90, I have done a little bit of research. it has one of the best ground clearance, 238 mm and another 40 mm on tap with air suspension in off-road mode. Water wading depth of 450 mm and demonstration of the same in 5th gear Youtube video is testimonial of its capability. And I completely agree with you on ASS issue.

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by rishi_kapoor

GLE can be a good option but 350 is way over my budget. But I am not ruling this out completely at this stage of my research. How about a 2015 ML350 at good discount?


Thanks reignofchaos. I will take your offer to connect with Volvo and explore XC90. XC90 was on top of my list after briefly experiencing it in US but given Indian scenario and inflated price tag I dropped it. I will connect 1-1 with you on this.

Originally Posted by rishi_kapoor

Thanks shreyak_ss. Yes, given the popularity of Endy, I will have to look at it again. Yes, Volvo again is a shortlister now. Merc is little out of my likes but I am getting a very good offer on a 2015 ML350 since it is replaced with GLE now.

I agree with you that luxury SUVs may not be very rugged for off-roading but I am not doing extreme offroading even during Raid, I agree the terrain is demanding but as per my experience I feel X5 should perform as desired but again that is not guaranteed till I actually test it.

Any of these SUVs will require lot of preparation in terms of AT tyres, snow safety chains, undercarriage protection etc so whether I decide on X5, Volvo or Endy they will all undergo preparation and extensive testing.

The Merc dealers here quoted a 3 Lakh discount for the 2015 ML 250 and compared to the GLE 250 , the ML 250 was cheaper by 7 Lakhs only. To be quite honest that difference in price is not really justified as the GLE is a 2016 model , has better curvy exterior , All LED headlight and tail lights that look much better , slightly better interior , new LCD screen , 9 speed gearbox and a slightly better ride quality too.

If you don't mind could you please let me know what was the difference in price between the GLE 250d and ML 350d ?

I don't know what's wrong with Volvo, I tried enquiring about the XC90 Momentum variant and they didn't bother to reply even. So I can only imagine how good their after sales will be.

Once you're looking at this segment I highly doubt you will be satisfied with anything lower like the Endeavour. For your mild off roading I would pick up the GLE if the service center is nearby your location, also it has warranty and other stuff's during your time of ownership so no worries.

[viren83]

Originally Posted by rishi_kapoor

I just sold my trusted rally partner, my Mitsubishi Outlander.
..
I had originally shortlisted X5, Discovery Sport HSE-Luxury and new Q7.

Hi Rishi, You seem to be in a position where I was a few months ago.

I drove a 5 series but eventually my drives included places where only a off-road vehicle could go. This happened to my 520i in its 3rd month. Finding parking space is a real pain in Dubai.


Though our driving roads are different, the intended usage is similar.

I am a die-hard BMW fan and I can tell you how tough it is to drive any other brand's car. If your drives include good amount of off-roading, there really is no contender against Discovery Sport below 60 big. It can take you to places which X5 can only dream of. Although X5 and DS don't belong to the same segment, their pricing is in the same range. Where the X5 would pamper you on straight line and corners, Disco will take you to new territories.

I don't love the brand JLR, but yes, it has moved only up in the recent years and the brand pull is on par with the germans. Jeep just doesn't have that appeal and service might be an issue considering new launch.

If you're unsure about the engine, wait for the ingenium engines(which have got rave reviews) to arrive before you finalize. I also heard that JLR is launching petrol powered Disco in India. Check that too.

Here's my machine

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

I don't know what's wrong with Volvo, I tried enquiring about the XC90 Momentum variant and they didn't bother to reply even. So I can only imagine how good their after sales will be.

Pretty surprising to be honest. I called up their local dealer number (bangalore) and asked for a TD. At that point of time I was not even serious about getting a new car - was just testing waters. However the response I got was overwhelmingly positive.

Which dealer did you contact? I've heard from others in the whatsapp Volvo community that the Chennai dealer is really proactive as well. Basically they have to be if they have to survive in this competitive market.

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Pretty surprising to be honest. I called up their local dealer number (bangalore) and asked for a TD. At that point of time I was not even serious about getting a new car - was just testing waters. However the response I got was overwhelmingly positive.

Which dealer did you contact? I've heard from others in the whatsapp Volvo community that the Chennai dealer is really proactive as well. Basically they have to be if they have to survive in this competitive market.

I mailed them at this id sales@artemisvolvocars.com , didn't call them.

I might have been wrong about the Endeavour. It seems pretty capable and they've compared it to the Discovery Sport too. Check out the video below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZbTb6IHuyA#t=221.636

[prakhar1998]

I would recommend you to go ahead with a Land Rover. It essentially is a car built for a person who has needs like yours.

You want a premium badge, you definitely get it with a Landie. The luxury and comfort are provided in fairly decent amount. It will more than suffice for the fairly limited off roading you want to take it through.

I do get the point of people recommending the Endeavour over the Land Rover, but I honestly believe that the reliability and ASS problems with Land Rover are exaggerated.

Yes, a few people on our forum have unfortunately have had to deal with lemons, and some haven't exactly had the "premium" after sales experience. But, when we take into account that Land Rover's reliability record has improved vastly, I believe its a shot worth taking. The Endeavour is a good vehicle, but I am pretty certain it is a cumbersome car to drive around yourself.

You should go ahead with a Land Rover. While you may have noticed that I haven't mentioned the exact model in my post, it is because I have another suggestion. Do definitely look at the Discovery sport, but also have a look at the Evoque. Its more fun to drive and is a fairly competent off roader in itself. Also, considering it has been longer around, majority of the bugs and glitches would have been ironed out by now, which I cant say about the sport.

I would advise against the Bimmer for the sole reason that I doubt its off road credentials.

[amit_2025]

The Endeavour makes a very strong case for itself unless you are particular about a badge. It has pretty decent interiors vs. the 90's era interior of the fortuner. Also, the initial reports of the Endeavour are encouraging. The design of the endeavour though subjective to individual opinion, is timeless and expected to age better than the next gen fortuner which screams for attention

Ford as a brand now inspires much more confidence than a few years back purely on the basis of their focus on India as a region; which is pretty evident from their recent product launches and pricing

The only others in contention could be the Land Rovers, but I'd suggest staying away from them primarily because the service won't be any better than the Germans

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by rishi_kapoor

Any of these SUVs will require lot of preparation in terms of AT tyres, snow safety chains, undercarriage protection etc so whether I decide on X5, Volvo or Endy they will all undergo preparation and extensive testing.

If the Outlander lasted the trails fine, I honestly think, the new Endevour will do those trails just fine.

Since budget is not mentioned, may I recommend a Mercedes G?

[Akshay1234]

The XC90 would be a good option for this too, because of the massive ground clearance and comfortable suspension. But it does have 2 downsides, one are the big wheels (you will surely need smaller wheels to take it for a rally) and the other is the smaller engine which doesn't have as much low down torque as the 6 cylinders.

But then again IMO the version worth buying is almost 80l ex showroom. In the case of the X5 you can get the 5 seater Design Pure Edition for around 65l ex showroom after discounts. This already has relatively smaller wheels (18") and with AT tyres will be quite capable.

Of course this is if you don't like the Endeavour

[SS8939]

Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear goes on and on about how wonderful the Range Rovers are. But when it was time to pick a car for the North Pole special, it wasn't a RR or some fancy European car, it was a Toyota Hilux.

The point I'm trying to make is, what you don't get in brand value is more than made up for by the reliability of JDM cars.

Just my opinion, but you should probably look at the new Endeavour, Fortuner etc.

[Pandher]

If you are willing to go the used route, i would suggest the Landcruiser 200

[Golf Pro]

Audi is offering the Q5 in a special Dynamic Edition. It's got front bumper with steel underbody guard, wheel arch extensions , it might be a decent off roader with these features and quattro.
Slap off road tyres on it for your Himalayan journey, Cheers

[maddy42]

I would strongly recommend to wait for the Isuzu Dmax Vcross to come to our shores. If it is priced right i believe it is a strong buy. The only lacking part is it would not have any brand attached.

Maddy