Which luxury car for Rs. 1 - 1.25 crores

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.

BHPian 316kmph recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am looking to buy a luxury car around the 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).

I am shortlisting the following cars.

1. BMW X7 (Could have been the 40d, but no it's not for India).

2. Mercedes GLS (Clumsy car to drive in town, ride quality doesn't befit the price).

3. Jaguar F-Pace SVR (I heard it's 1.5 Cr ex showroom, very pricey for an X3M competitor, but this is probably the last of the super charged V8s that drives well, not sure how well it rides. Heard it rides better than an X3, but that's a low benchmark).

4. Audi Q8 (Celebration misses some equipment, lack of Air suspension - I TDed a car. Not as bad as it sounds, still not as good as the one with Air springs which are pricey).

5. Land Rover Defender X 300 Diesel (At 1.25 Cr Ex showroom, substantially pricier than the HSE 300 Petrol - which is underwhelming for a car weighing 2.5 tons and the ride is a bit too soft without adaptive dynamics. Also, the recent price hike for my variant of choice is about 20 Lakh - that is steep).

6. Jaguar i-Pace (EV impracticality especially, highway range. Will have to borrow a car for my long trips, I haven't TDed but heard nice things about how it drives but I don't know about the comfort of the rear seats, not just the space - I am not happy with my GLC for reference).

7. Audi e-Tron (all impracticalities of the I-Pace, I read that it is a heavy car).

8. Mercedes AMG E53 - We have little information yet. At about 1 Crore ex showroom, it will be tempting, not sure about ground clearance.

9. BMW X5 - This would be my 3rd X5 (owned 1 each of the last 2 generation cars, had issues with last gen's air springs). Always loved this vehicle. This is a 1 size fits all solution. The current gen feels less BMW to drive, its as wide as the X7 and doesn't seem to shrink around like the previous generation X5s.

10. Any thing else that you feel I must consider.

Here's what BHPian Sahil had to say on the matter:

What about adding the out going S450 into the mix? I presume the discounts at this point will be the highest. Even though its at the end of it's lifecycle, it's better than several of the options mentioned here. Nor does it look or feel as dated.

Here's what BHPian PetrolHead2272 had to say on the matter:

Had the Audi Q7 been on sale in India right now, it would have been the perfect car for you. Unfortunately, the new Q7 is taking its own sweet time to hit our shores.

As Sahil sir suggested, the outgoing S-Class would be a great choice for you. Since its about to go out of production really soon to make way for the new one, you must be getting mouth-watering discounts on it.

How about a Volvo XC90? It is a h-u-g-e car. From what I recall the last time I sat in it, the suspension is on the softer side but the bumps and potholes aren't really intrusive inside the cabin. Since its a Volvo, you can expect it to have all the bells and whistles too.

Well, Happy Hunting.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

I second Sahil's suggestion. The outgoing S-Class is the best car you can buy in that budget. It is a complete all-rounder, you will get a fully sorted car (end of generation) and I personally prefer the styling of the W222 to the W223.

I also feel you cannot go wrong with the BMW X7.

Absolutely love the new Defender. The styling is such a huge draw, it's like a moving fashion statement. The interiors are superbly designed and extremely practical. The car is easy to drive & has a wonderful air suspension that flattens bad roads like you wouldn't believe. Main bummer = Land Rover's patchy long-term reliability. But I would still keep this as a top choice.

Wildcard entry = Wait for the Teslas. Their Indian launch is imminent.

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