SUVs have been gaining popularity across segments. Be it the mass market category or luxury car market, SUVs account for the largest pie both in terms of sales and number of model launches, and 2020 was no different. Even luxury carmakers like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and even Porsche came in with all-new models and it's been rather tough for our jury members to pick one winner out of them all. Here's the list of nominees for the luxury SUV of the year category.
The Audi Q8 is positioned alongside the Q7 SUV.
The Audi Q8 is positioned alongside the Audi Q7 in the German carmaker's range and similarly holds the flagship status as well. The Q8 is available only with the petrol engine and it will come with a 3-litre TFSI engine which produces around 335 bhp and yes, it is BS6 compliant. The car will develop 500 Nm of torque and accelerates from 0-100 kmph in jus 5.9 seconds. Top speed is rated at 250 kmph. The Q8 also gets a 48-volt main electrical system and incorporates a lithium-ion battery and a belt alternator starter. During braking it can recover up to 12kW of power and feed it back to the battery.
The new BMW X6 gets a standard adaptive two-axle air suspension.
The new BMW X6 is manufactured locally at BMW's Chennai plant and goes up against the Audi Q8 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. Power on the 2020 BMW X6 comes from the 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that develops 335 bhp and 450 Nm of peak torque. An 8-speed Steptronic transmission sends power to the wheels via the xDrive four-wheel-drive system. The new X6 can sprint from 0-100 kmph in just 5.5 seconds. The SUV sports an adaptive air suspension for a comfortable ride and dynamic handling.
The Porsche Cayenne Coupe gets a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine that churns out 542 bhp and a peak torque of 770 Nm.
The new-generation Porsche Cayenne Coupe too went on sale last year. Under the hood, the new Porsche Cayenne Coupe comes with two engine options - a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 engine offering 335 bhp and 450 Nm of torque, along with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine that churns out 542 bhp and a peak torque of 770 Nm. While the former can do a 0-100 kmph sprint in 5.9 seconds, the top-spec model with the V8 can do the same in 3.9 seconds. Sadly, Porsche couldn't send the Cayenne Coupe at our jury round due to the unavailability of a test car in its fleet.
The 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol engine on the Defender 110 produces 296 bhp and 400 Nm.
The all-new Land Rover Defender too went on sale in India last year and is one of the most credible off-roaders on sale in India. The new Land Rover Defender looks butch, is loaded to the brim with advanced tech & features and feels premium on the inside without giving up on its rugged nature. Land Rover has designed an all-new platform for the Defender called the D7X and it's a monocoque chassis and the British brand had said at the time of its global debut that it's the stiffest chassis they have ever designed, in fact, it's three times stiffer than a body-on-ladder frame. In India it gets both petrol and diesel engine options.
The Mercedes-Benz GLE too was launched in India last year.
The new-generation Mercedes-Benz GLE too went on sale in India last year. The range-topping petrol GLE 300 d 4MATIC gets a BS6 compliant 2.0-litre diesel motor that puts out 241 bhp and 500 Nm of peak torque. The model can sprint from 0-100 kmph in 7.2 seconds. The GLE 400 d uses a 3.0-litre diesel motor that is BS6 compliant as well and belts out 325 bhp and 700 Nm of peak torque. 0-100 kmph can be achieved in 5.7 seconds. All engine options are mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard
The 652 kg battery mounted on the floor means the centre of gravity is low.
The Mercedes-Benz EQC is the only premium electric SUV on sale in India at the moment. The new electric SUV from the Stuttgart-based carmaker comes in one powertrain option - Mercedes-Benz EQC 400, which gets two electric motors, with each positioned at the front and rear axles, helping the SUV with an all-wheel-drive configuration. Powering the electric motors is an 80kW lithium-ion battery unit that can provide a driving range of 450 km per when fully charged. The electric motors generate a cumulative power of 402 bhp along with 765 Nm of peak torque, and it propels the SUV to do a 0-100 kmph sprint in merely 5.1 seconds, before reaching an electronically limited top speed of 180 kmph. The Mercedes-Benz EQC comes with three charging options - a 50kW DC fast charger, a 7.4kW AC wall charger, and a 2.4kW plug-in charger. While the DC fast charger will take about 90 minutes to charge the battery from 0 to 100 per cent, the AC wall charger, or as Mercedes calls it Wallbox will take 10 hours to do the same. The standard plug charger will take about 21 hours to charge the battery from 0 to 100 per cent.
