Buying a luxury go anywhere SUV: Grand Cherokee, XC60 or something else

The XC60 is practical for the city, did not feel like I was driving a huge car; has all the necessary bells and whistles

BHPian cos.sec recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dear all,

We are in the midst of deciding on a luxury but go anywhere SUV, with the dreams of taking it to up north(Leh) and eastbound (Arunachal). Towards this end, have been evaluating cars (SUVs). We have been able to narrow down on a few and would love to hear your views on them:

• XC60 – Practical car for the city; did not feel like I was driving a huge car; has all the necessary bells and whistles; massage seats and the sound system are amazing here; lower badge value at 80 lakhs.
• Grand Cherokee – Slightly larger in dimensions is the main worry(almost 2m in width); super power delivery; priced higher by 5 lakhs.
• Evoque – Ride quite was not appreciated by the middle seat passengers + no sunroof(vetoed by daughter).

Please do let me know if you have any thoughts or if I should be evaluating/reevaluating any more cars.

Here’s what BHPian Turbanator had to say on the matter:

You haven’t mentioned budget and any other requirements. Taking it to some far places is not a routine and I will not pick a vehicle just for this purpose. Usually most of SUVs will take you across any roads or broken patches without a concern including Volvo or Mercedes/ BMW.

I briefly checked Cherokee, came as pretty common. High price is another concern besides you can find a lot of Jeep owners disappointed due to quality issues.

I will look at some of the options from BMW like an X3 or X5 (based on your budget). Don’t know about current options on Mercedes’s as they hardly have any deliveries and on most models they have smaller engines.

Another option can be to buy a Jimny for your adventures and pickup an electric car like XC40 or something similar for your daily runs.

Here’s what BHPian lamborghini had to say on the matter:

I am not too excited by the Jeep Grand Cherokee – Turbanator pretty much hit the nail and it just doesn’t feel as nice a place to be as it’s rivals.

The XC60 too is a little long in the tooth now as well in my opinion though a great cruiser.

But if a cruiser is what you want – have a look at the Lexus NX350H as well.

For a more spirited drive the X5 though a little bit of stretch could be an amazing vehicle to drive too!

Lastly, check out this thread for some options.

Here’s what BHPian jfk1975 had to say on the matter:

You didn’t specify a budget, but looking at the 3 options you listed, it would not be unsafe to presume a 1 Cr budget. SUV, luxury, and taking to Leh/Arunachal etc, especially the go-anywhere/Leh/Arunachal requirements, pretty much knocks out the 3 options that you listed. My reasoning is that none of them have a massive dealership network, not exactly true blood SUV (body-on-frame, full time 4WD, reliable etc). You’d be in a pretty tight spot when these sorts of vehicles breakdown) when you go off the beaten path.

A bit off-the-wall suggestion: Have you looked at pre-owned Land Cruisers (200 series)?

Here’s what BHPian pratyaksh had to say on the matter:

I for one, love the Volvos of the new. This is definitely the go-to-car for anyone who is a family man (I see that you have a daughter). I have extensively driven the XC90, & the XC60 (2022), and I do believe these cars are perfect esp. for tall people, and for families. The space offered on the 90 and the seat set up is just fantastic.

These cars have great interiors, and offer driving pleasure to anyone who is not Schumacher, and icing on the cake is the safety (which is paramount for a family traveling the hills et. al. on the regular).
Hated the BMW X3s comfort levels, and if you are not a boy racer, don’t bother about that ‘driving pleasure’ of the BMVs as you can enjoy a sedately driven XC any day more than the pleasure you will derive from one day of pedal to the metal in a BMW on our broken roads!

Happy hunting!

Here’s what BHPian madhukarmohan had to say on the matter:

With great styling and capability, Land Rover Defender is a very good option if your budget is around 1 crore. It is muscular with go anywhere capability without compromising the luxury.

On the other hand, if your budget is around 50 lakh, then Skoda Kodiaq is a great car to have with excellent driving comfort and amazing build quality.

Here’s what BHPian sirjokhi had to say on the matter:

As a XC60 owner, I would suggest not going for one. I have a Xc60 D5 which I bought in 2018. One of the first cars in India I’m guessing. I have driven it for more than 109XXX kms and the car has had some troubles. It hasn’t been the most reliable. Have had issues with the suspension since it has air springs. Recently, we have discovered an oil leak from the gearbox. The interiors rattle a bit. We’ve spent a lot of money on repairs and mind you the car has always been serviced at volvo service centers. Also, the ASS isn’t great and Volvo isn’t much inclined to help either. Additionally, I feel my car was a CBU and it has all the gizmos like air suspension, massaging seats, ventilated seats and a lot more which doesn’t come in the new car. I wouldn’t want to pay the same amount or more after price hikes for a car with less features. Hope you can get the idea. I have nothing against the brand. I own 2 of their cars but i just feel the ASS could be better and the cars more reliable. In terms of safety, there is none to compete honestly. IMO the safest cars in the world are Volvos. Hope you find the right car soon. Why don’t you check out new BMW X5. It will be launched soon if you can wait.

Keyword: Buying a luxury go anywhere SUV: Grand Cherokee, XC60 or something else