LUXE WHEELS

Words Bob Rupani

In October, I was asked to pick my “ ve favourite luxury SUVs” and now here is a selection of my “ ve favourite luxury sedans”. While SUVs may be the avour of the day and presently the most popular segment of vehicles, a luxury sedan has a charm and class all of its own. If a luxury SUV has street presence, a luxury sedan is all about style. And where a luxury SUV exudes strength, the luxury sedan exhibits its grace. A luxury SUV may have a commanding stance, but the luxury sedan glides along nonchalantly. One of the biggest and most important di erences between them is the body roll and ride quality. A SUV due to its body style is tall and has an upright stance and good ground clearance. ese result in a higher CG or centre of gravity, the outcome of which is more body roll and body movement. In contrast, the sedan sits lower to the ground and corners more atly. e limited body movement also results in a far better ride quality. Yes, however good a luxury SUVs suspension may be, due to the inherent nature and purpose of its design, it can never deliver the supple and re ned ride comfort of a top of the line luxury sedan. Given this, if you are someone who wants the smoothest ride that isolates passengers from unpleasant bumps and vibrations, then a luxury sedan should be what you have in your sights.

And when you go shopping, you might want to consider my “favourite ve”. But please note, this list is largely based on my personal preferences.

MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS

For the longest time, the S-Class has been considered the “best car in the world” and Mercedes-Benz obviously place great pride in the ownership of this title. And to their credit, they do everything to ensure that the S-Class continues to retain this title with the passage of every new model and variant.

And it’s due to this that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the preferred choice of heads of states, business tycoons, sportspersons, movie stars and so on. In fact more leaders of countries use the Mercedes-Benz S- Class, than any other car.

e S-Class of course looks digni ed and elegant and glides along as if on a carpet of air. e occupants hardly feel what it’s going over and it’s also amongst the safest cars on the planet. e S-Class is packed with advanced state-of-the-art features that combine the best of engineering, electronics, computers and even advanced radar and satellite technology. And while the technology is all avant-garde, there is also the high quality traditionally handcra ed leather and wood in the interior. All of this makes the passenger compartment a great place to be and you are assured of being pampered with the nest luxurious comfort, available in an automobile. mercedes-benz.co.in

Bmw 7 Series

e main challenger for the “best car in the world” title is the 7 Series. German car makers Mercedes and BMW have traditionally been rivals for a really long time, and the ght is ercest between the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

In recent times the S-Class has edged slightly ahead, but BMW keep trying so hard, that if it wasn’t for the S-Class, the 7 Series would be known as “ e Best Car in the World”. Honestly, so slim is the di erence between them that it all eventually boils down to personal preferences and choices. Which do you think looks better? What brand do you like? Or the fact that the handling of the BMW 7 Series is just a wee bit sharper than the S-Class. But then the S-Class o ers a more plusher and comfortable ride. So do you choose ride over handling or vice versa. All these are matters of individual taste and liking. As far as I am concerned, the one thing that disappoints me about the BMW 7 Series is the consistent increase in the size of the front grille. Yes, it keeps getting taller and wider, with the introduction of every new version or model. bmw.in

Audi A8

For quite a prolonged period of time, the rivalry remained con ned to the S-Class and 7 Series. en in the mid-90s Audi, another German automaker, introduced the A8 and leapfrogged into the battle for the crown of the best car in the world. And they came very well prepared using futuristic design and engineering due to which the Audi A8 was the rst car in the world to use a fully aluminium monocoque chassis. is lightweight metal was also used extensively in the body and all this advanced construction technology meant the Audi A8 was substantially lighter than its other two German opponents. e lower weight resulted in better engine performance and e ciency, and also superior agility.

Audi with the A8 had thrown a serious challenge to S-Class and 7 Series, and many customers were taken up by the advanced technology and fairly di erent looks and styling of the A8. And this continues to be the case till date. While the forte of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is known to be its safety and comfort, BMW try to position the 7 Series as a sportier luxury sedan. Unlike the other two, Audi chooses to promote its A8 as an all-rounder with advanced technology, great comfort, dynamism and e ciency. Frankly, the margin of di erence is so narrow, that I will repeat and say again, that it all depends on the penchants of the purchaser. audi.in

Porsche Panamera

While the Panamera is also made by a German car maker, it’s a completely di erent animal, when compared to the other three. is is mainly because Porsche has attained global fame for manufacturing the iconic 911, one of the best sports cars ever. erefore, the Porsche chromosomes have sporty performance and power inscribed on them. And like Porsche says, the Panamera o ers the thrills and performance of a sports car, with the comfort of a luxury sedan.

e shape and silhouette of the Panamera is distinctly Porsche, with a nice blend of sporty lines and prominent muscular sculpting. Even when it is stationary, the Porsche Panamera gives the impression of being a dynamic and powerful machine that can’t wait to get o the blocks. e moment you hit the accelerator, the 621 pedigree horses residing under the bonnet of the Panamera Turbo S gallop out in grand style and take it to 100 kmph in just 3.1 seconds! It reaches 200 kmph in a mere 11.2 seconds and the top speed is an eye-watering 315 kmph! ese are the kind of performance gures you expect in supercars, and not in a luxury sedan. It is this sporty performance that makes the Porsche Panamera so special. It actually is a proper sports car with the only di erence being that it has four doors and can seat four people in great comfort and luxury. porsche.com