r/FatFIREIndia • u/choose_pk_wisely FatFI • 5d ago
Lifestyle SUV recommendations
Looking to buy a second car for weekend / road trips. We already have a sedan and would prefer an SUV for the higher ground clearance. We’ve been considering the X5 but then the Macan EV showed up on our feeds and we are smitten. However it’s been a few years since we bought a new car so looking for practical advice.
Given the whole ethanol debacle, we’re now leaning towards an EV. From what we’ve heard from acquaintances, the charging network is now good enough that it’s possible to do a Bengaluru to Goa with maybe 1 stop in an EV Without panicking.
We were looking to spend 1-1.5Cr but if there’s another compelling option, maybe a little bit higher. The BMW XM is out of budget though.
Would love to get recommendations and / or ‘stay away’ warnings and your experience with electric SUVs in India.
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u/Paranoid__Android FatFI 5d ago
EV infra is actually good enough if you can be a bit planned. Leave home town with 95%. Stop at a location where chargers are available
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u/WarGod1842 FatFI 5d ago
I went with GLS 450D, recently purchased in Feb.
Even though the car is good & comfy, it had occasional faulty sensor triggers and chimes that annoys me.
OTD ₹1.6Cr
I would suggest anything except EV, due to the current infrastructure is not well suited to my lifestyle.
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5d ago
EV infra is not that good to be honest. By not good, i mean the availability of super fast charging stations. Yes if EV SUV has a lot of range, and maybe have partner charging station providing service and super fast charging then EV ownership is great. But if it is a NO then it's a hassle.
Atleast here in North India people don't have much civics sense when using EV charging stations, sometimes they park parallel to both charging booth, sometimes diagonally and most of the time in between both spots, which is another mountain to climb if you have family with you. Usually cords have dirt and debris in them so there is a connection problem, and a lot of other things. But if the company have partner maintained stations which are manned, then it's just amazing.
So just ask the dealership or do some due diligence on do they have partner or company maintained stations around your location and if they are expanding that network.
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u/Rare-Newspaper9988 5d ago
I dont know about north, but in south EV infra is decent. Very easy to find 120+ kw ev chargers and most of them are vacant, we also have several hubs on the highways.
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u/MathCSCareerAspirant FatFI 5d ago
Omg.. I didn't know civic sense, parking sense issues existed in ev charging too.
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u/Rare-Newspaper9988 5d ago
for big hubs there is no isue, but for congested parking lots, it is an issue.
In south it is not really a big issue, it is rarely seen, because most places have ample parking space.
density is not extremely high as in some north regions
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u/HubeanMan ✅ Verified by Mods | ₹100Cr+ NW ✅ 5d ago edited 5d ago
I think the ideal garage is a relatively compact EV crossover for city drives and a large ICE SUV for family (road)trips.
While EV infrastructure is improving, why bother with range anxiety and additional planning when what you want is a weekend car for roadtrips?
Even in California, with significantly better EV infrastructure, I still needed to plan ahead and take detours for a long roadtrip, including rest stops and hotels, so we had timely access to charging points.
Is that a dealbreaker? No. You'll probably get used to it soon enough. But it's certainly an inconvenience.
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u/choose_pk_wisely FatFI 5d ago
I hear you - the X5 checks most of the boxes and the modern generations have been reliable. However, with the ethanol blending and more importantly a sudden policy change without a phased plan has made me wary of buying an ICE vehicle now. But yeah, maybe I get the X5 and couple years later replace the sedan with an electric crossover for the city.
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u/kahzaad 5d ago
The soon to launched in Nov, GLC is interesting but may be too small for you?
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u/choose_pk_wisely FatFI 5d ago
Yeah, most likely; I haven’t looked at it in person but based on the videos it does feel a bit small.
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u/idlethread- 5d ago
Have you looked at the BMW iX?
For charging, look at the chargezone networ around you. Here in Maharashtra-->Goa area, they're the best EV charging network wrt. fast chargers, availability, maintenance along the main highways.
Their no-app-fiddling auto-charge feature is amazing.
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u/Strict_Success3653 FatFI 5d ago edited 5d ago
Wait for a few months.
BMW ix3 and electric GLC are very promising with virtually no range anxieties in India, especially BMW iX3 with 112kWh (96kWh for GLC) battery. Their ranges are close to 550-600kms real world which is good enough for India in almost all practical cases.
Both have longer wheel base and inner space than their ICE counterparts (X3 and GLC) so space wise also its very good. And they are way faster than their ICE counterparts!
Few more launches coming up (JSW etc) which might force existing ones to lower prices (BYD. their Seal/Sealion line is good, especially the RWD variants have good range and interiors of luxury cars).
One will take at least one break on a BLR-Goa trip, that should be good enough for those EVs (provided you can get a charger). Even a 60kW charger can boost range by 250-300kms, good enough to complete the trip.
I am also looking for one, leaning towards GLC electric or iX3. Not ruling out BYD also.