Dilemma of my first luxury car: What's the best option in 80 lakhs?

I have always loved sedans more and still fancy a sedan over SUV / crossovers.

BHPian MadAbtCars recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hello BHPians,

Need your help and advice in deciding on my first luxury car purchase.

The Background:

Like every other BHPian, my life summary has pretty much been love cars and live cars right from my childhood. Even though we didn't have the privilege of owning a car during my childhood, my love for cars made me purchase my first car within a year of passing out my Engineering and working in the corporate life. It was a fourth hand Santro if i remember correctly. Fast Forward 16 years and multiple job changes, various car purchases and starting my own business and having a decent income over the past 2-3 years coupled with me turning 40 this year has made my itch of owning a luxury brand (a child hood dream of owning a Beemer or a 3 pointed star) very severe. So here I am seeking advice from you friends.

Before I go on, just a brief history of the cars that I have owned in chronological order:

Hyundai Santo (08-10), Hyundai Getz (11-13), Toyota Etios Liva (13-15), Skoda Rapid DSG - My Favorite (16-21) & the current garage consists of Tata Safari (21- ) & Maruti Baleno (23 - ). We also have Hyundai Tucson (23 - ) & Skoda Slavia (23 - ) as a part of extended garage which is currently used by my business partners.

The Requirement:

I have always loved sedans more and still fancy a sedan over SUV / crossovers. Due to practicality and family preference my daily drive is currently a 2021 Tata Safari which has done 80K Kms till date. I might retain the Safari for another 2 - 3 years and keep it for the family runs whereas the new car would become my daily drive. It should be a fun to drive car as I intend to drive for another maybe 1 - 2 years post which I would move to the back seat probably. So considering this new car would be with us for next 5 years at least, back seat comfort is also as equally important as the sheer driving pleasure.

My daily travel is around 10 kms one way from home to office and weekly 2 - 3 times to factory which is 40Kms one way. My factory is situated right next to the newly opened Samruddhi Mahamarg at Amne and the current road conditions leading up to factory is nothing great with road constructions going all along the entire patch.

The Dilemna:

The entry level cars are a strict no go. Moving around in my current cars like Safari and Tucson I cannot justify the backseat space and comfort in cars which cost 2 - 3 times more. I am 5.11 for reference and felt very cramped in cars like The 2 Series, BMW X1, Audi Q3, Merc A Class, CLA, Audi A4 etc all of which i had done TD over the past year or so and decided no point in going for the entry level cars, though i did quite like the A4 briefly with the insane discounts that it was offered. The space in the X1 though adequate, rejected it as there was absolutely no driving pleasure. I even remarked to the sales guy that I want the engine of the 2 Series and the space of the X1. He replied "Sir, kahin naa kahin toh compromise karna padta hai, either you can get space or driving pleasure and not both"

Coming back to current case, I do not want to stretch beyond 75-80 lakhs (On-Road Mumbai, Individual Registration). I have taken a TD of The 3, The 5 and these are as of now prime contenders. Even though both cars have the exact same engine, the 330Li was more fun to drive I felt. But the backseat and interiors of the 5 are much more luxurious. The seating in The 3 also felt a little lower than The 5.

Have done TD for the Range Rover Velar and didn't find is as engaging to drive as the Beemer. Also the back seat space was nothing very great. When I pointed out to the sales rep that I have more space in Safari & Tucson he suggested that if am chauffeur driven then I can push the front seat all the way to the front and have more space. I was like after spending a crore of rupees, you are saying 4 people with an average height of 5.11 cannot seat comfortably in the velar.

Planning to do a TD of the GLC next. Should I also consider the A6 or Q7. Lexus though a more value proposition, I haven't considered as this purchase is more of the heart of 10 year old me than 40 year old brain of mine.

Need your inputs and help. I missed buying the car on my 40th Birthday which was in April so instead planning to buy it in August which happens to be my son's 10th Birthday and he is growing up to be a pertol head as well.

Here's what BHPian smekad replied:

Have you taken a TD of recently launched Camry? It may surprise you with the comfort and its decent performance - of course it is not any 3-series but it does punch above its weight and has a lot for what it offers.

Here's what BHPian agambhandari replied:

Considering you want a combination of good backseat space, coupled with decent power; your options are:

• iX1 LWB
• 330Li
• 530Li
• E Class LWB

iX1 L would be better to drive than X1 purely for the better initial response of an EV. But other BMWs suggested are much better. If okay with a sedan, 5 series with good discounts now makes for the best option. The "regular" wheelbase cars are nowhere near these in terms of backseat room.

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan replied:

The quintessential luxury sedan ought to be the Mercedes E-Class any reason why that’s not on your list? Also do check out the Lexus ES in person before making any decisions on the German barges.

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