5 Luxury Cars coming your way this October and November

Festive season isn’t for the masses alone. While most of us will be eyeing the latest hot hatch (yes, the one that’s said to do the 0-100 kmph run in just 8.8 seconds), there are quite a few new options for you to splurge on: from a hugely revamped king-sized SUV to one that could do the 0-100 kmph sprint in less than half the time of the above mentioned hatchback. Choose whichever suits your driving style:

BMW 3-Series Facelift (LCI)

With the arrival of the new Mercedes Benz C-Class and Audi looking forward to launching the A4 (sometime next year), the BMW 3-Series might feel a bit outdated. But only until the facelifted version makes its appearance. Expected to be launched during the festive season, the BMW 3-Series Facelift brings slightly revised styling to the table. But whether the company brings the inline-six powered 340i remains to be seen.

BMW X5 M and X6 M

Performance SUVs are no longer new. And with hugely competent products like the Range Rover Sport SVR, how can BMW leave the segment unattended? Remember BMW was one of the, if not the, first manufacturers to successfully jump into the segment!

Both X5 M and X6 M are powered by a 4.4-litre turbocharged V8 that makes 575hp and 750Nm of torque. The X5 is a more conventional body style, while the X6 carries forward the slightly peculiar but unique SUV coupe body style.

Expect prices to hit Rs 2 crore, given that the basic X6 (now imported as CBU) costs upwards of Rs 1 crore. But unlike their normal versions, these heavyweights will come with the ability to outpace a lot of sports cars – a 4.2 second time to 0-100 km/h is a testament.

Mercedes Benz GLE

Following Mercedes Benz’s new nomenclature, the new ML will now be called GLE. The first few cars are likely to be high-spec ‘Launch Editions’ while the locally assembled version will follow soon. Mechanically the vehicle won’t undergo a lot of changes, given that this is a facelift, but a 9-speed gearbox will be made available. Engine options are likely to be diesel units only, while high performance AMG version (likely to come later, to replace the ML63 AMG) will use a petrol engine.

Prices are likely to remain in the same vicinity as the current vehicle, starting at around Rs 60 lakh.

Audi Q7

The previous generation Q7’s success was nothing short of phenomenal. It was huge, came with quattro AWD, and to top it all had the robust build and premium finish of Audi. The new one, though, takes it all a level ahead.

The second generation Q7 looks a little less imposing, but is sure to look a bit less out of place among executive cars. It’s massively lighter (by up to 325 kilograms), and hence is reported to be better to drive, and up to 26 per cent more efficient.

But unlike in the past when the Q7 had almost no competition, it’s going to be a different story now. While the GL remains largely unchanged and the BMW X5 might have grown in size (okay, it’s been a year already), the new, hugely talented Volvo XC90 is going to be a serious threat to the new Q7.

Mercedes AMG GT

It’s not just the GLE that comes to India during this festive season. The range-topping sportscar, a direct rival to the Porsche 911, and Merc’s replacement for the highly revered SLS AMG, the Mercedes AMG GT is expected to be the other addition to the line-up.

Like the other recent AMGs, the GT too will be available in two versions: the AMG GT and the AMG GT S. Powered by a 4-litre twin-turbocharged engine (that later found its way in the new C 63 AMG), the AMG GT S can do 0-100km/h in about 3.8 seconds while the top speed is electronically limited to 310km/h. The AMG GT on the other hand hit the 100km/h mark in 4 seconds, and max out at 304km/h.