Which of these cars to get ?

[aj_del]

Hi

I have a Skoda Laura (known as Octavia internationally) which is mainly used by my mother for daily use and it is also used to drop and collect my son from school. It is always chauffeur driven. It is now 4.5 years and 50000 km old and we are thinking of replacing it.

What we need in a new car

1. Back seat room and comfort
2. Low running cost

The cars we are considering are

1. Skoda Superb - 2 ltr diesel engine - 140 bhp - around 2,500,000 INR

+s - lots of back seat space, reasonably good car to be drive around in, cheap
-s - No prestige

2. BMW X1 - 2 ltr engine - 177 bhp - around 3,400,000 INR

+s - cheap BMW, I could use it for some day trips into the mountains (no off-roading, just bad roads)
-s - limited space

3. BMW 520d - 2ltr - 177 bhp - around 4,500,000 INR

+s - back seat space, BMW badge
-s - underpowered, though power is OK for bumper to bumper Delhi traffic

4. Volvo XC60 D5 - 2.5 ltr diesel - around 4,500,000 INR

+s - good sized SUV, I could use it for some day trips into the mountains (no off-roading, just bad roads)
-s - Poor resale value for Volvos in general

5. Jaguar XF Diesel - 275 bhp - around 5,600,000 INR

+s - Prestige / badge, powerful engine
-s - Expensive

Half the time we are thinking of saving the money and getting the Skoda and the other half getting the Jaguar with the thinking that since we are doing pretty well, we should live a little.

We are fiscally very conservative and ever since the recession and the birth of my son, the focus is on saving rather than spending.

I know the choices are quite varied but just wanted to throw it out there and get some thoughts.

Thanks and best regards

 

[Bartolo]

That's like when I was deciding on my last car -- did I want to be frugal and just drive a Honda Accord, or drive the car I like, a BMW 5-series. There is no way to make this decision logically -- there is no "right" answer.

I chose the BMW of course.

 

[Mblova]

No love for the japs?

 

[Da Luis Vuitton Don]

im a label whore so i choose the beema regardless of the specs.next up would be the Jag....

 

[impolyt_one]

I agree, 520d might be the most solid on that list, rupee for rupee - reliability and resale factored in. The alternative would be an MB E2X0 CDI, I guess, but I don't know how people view MB's in your parts, I guess that would be okay since you are considering a Jag... Anyway, either the BMW or the MB would be very good for your purposes, as both are newly refreshed as of this year. I wouldn't give a chaffeured car much more than the lowest available engine anyway. edit: 4,500,000 rupees is like an even hundred grand, though....

 

[impolyt_one]

also, cross the X1 off the list, the ones I've seen do not look impressive. They look lower quality than a Mini.

 

[uhurit]

Get a Jag...life is too bloody short/gotta splurge at least once in a long while

 

[impolyt_one]

The XF is really not much to look at, IMO. Looks like a fancy Euro-Ford. The new XJ, however, is truly awesome. I suspect that would run him like 200 large over there though.

 

[NH_Clark]

Volvo XC60

good suv.. blingy.,.. f the resell value

 

[akatsuki]

XF is supposed to get styling refresh soon to be more like the xj.

If you are being chauffeured, driving dynamics are unimportant. I'd consider getting a Lexus RX in that case. The X1 is not worth it at all. Does India get an extended wheelbase 5 series like china?

 

[Germanicus]

Why not a X3, Q5 or GLK? If you consider the XC60 these mighty be worth looking at.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Originally Posted by Bartolo

That's like when I was deciding on my last car -- did I want to be frugal and just drive a Honda Accord, or drive the car I like, a BMW 5-series. There is no way to make this decision logically -- there is no "right" answer.

I chose the BMW of course.

Good man.

 

[aj_del]

Thank you all for your responses. I went to the Audi dealership yesterday and it turned out it was closed for NYD. Then called the BMW and it was closed as well. So maybe by next week I will have driven all the cars listed and some more, and I will update. Another thing, we have decided to keep it under 4,500,000 so the Jag is out. As are more powerful 5 series options. But I can get a Audi A6 2.7 6 cylinder in that. But I hear that its due for a replacement and I dont want to get a car which becomes an older model in 6 months.

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

I agree, 520d might be the most solid on that list, rupee for rupee - reliability and resale factored in. The alternative would be an MB E2X0 CDI, I guess, but I don't know how people view MB's in your parts, I guess that would be okay since you are considering a Jag... Anyway, either the BMW or the MB would be very good for your purposes, as both are newly refreshed as of this year. I wouldn't give a chaffeured car much more than the lowest available engine anyway. edit: 4,500,000 rupees is like an even hundred grand, though....

Indian car prices are ridiculous mainly due to the high import duties. The duty for a CBU is 104% IIRC and the minimum value of the car before duty should be 40k. Its 100K for a 520d. But a driver is like 200 USD a month so I guess it evens out. Regarding your suggestion of MB, it has a comparative model to the 520d which is around +/- 1000 USD to the BMW. Same problem, spend a 100K USD and get a 4 cylinder.

Originally Posted by Mblova

No love for the japs?
The *** options available in India are 1. Honda Accord 2.4 2. Toyota Camry 3. Nissan Teana 4. Hyundai Sonata (obv S Korean) These are all petrol engined and run between 1,950,000 and 2,400,000 INR. Frankly I would prefer to get the Skoda Superb rather a Honda Accord.

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

The XF is really not much to look at, IMO. Looks like a fancy Euro-Ford. The new XJ, however, is truly awesome. I suspect that would run him like 200 large over there though.

Even the XF was stretching my budget, the XJ is out of the q

Originally Posted by akatsuki

XF is supposed to get styling refresh soon to be more like the xj. If you are being chauffeured, driving dynamics are unimportant. I'd consider getting a Lexus RX in that case. The X1 is not worth it at all. Does India get an extended wheelbase 5 series like china?
Lexus is not available in India though I can import one but as mentioned due to high customs on CBU, it would be unviable and illogical.

Originally Posted by Germanicus

Why not a X3, Q5 or GLK? If you consider the XC60 these mighty be worth looking at.
X3- Isnt it getting a new model ? The current one available in India looks a bit dated Q5 - Its 5,300,000 in India but it comes with a 3 l 245 bhp engine. Would love to get but as with the Jag, a little expensive. GLK - Is that the one which is more expensive than the ML ? Didnt check it out as the ML is itself around 5,500,000 INR here.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by aj_del

GLK - Is that the one which is more expensive than the ML ? Didnt check it out as the ML is itself around 5,500,000 INR here.

The GLK is the smallest and cheapest MB SUV. The GL is the one larger and more expensive than the ML.

 

[aj_del]

^^ Thanks for the info. As per the MB India website only M and GL are available here. In fact the I dont see the GLK on the UK website either

edit: Found it on the USA website.