Once upon a time car companies clearly defined line-ups of products but nowadays everything is a bit more confusing

So you want to buy a luxury Sports Utility Vehicle? It might never go off-road in its life. Heck, it might never leave metaled roads all its life but you like the commanding seating position high off the ground even if that involves a clumsy climb into your seat. And you also think that it is safer, at least when you have an accident where some idiot in a two-wheeler runs into you. You could ignore the fact that these cars are big and heavy, usually not the most economical but you know what, at least they do drive a lot better than they used to.

If you remember early SUVs, where a company suddenly had an idea to put plusher seats into an off-roader and make them less capable at the same time, they were not quite stable in a turn. Those of us old enough remember the Maruti Gypsy when it came out were warned of the fact that these cars could roll over if you went into a corner too fast. And they did.

But things are different now. SUVs still ride way above the earth, yet even though they have a softer suspension, most of them can handle very well. A few companies have started to manufacture ‘sporty’ SUVs such as BMW’s X4 and X6, of which I drove the former in America and was stunned at the way the car went around a race track. Sure, it was no BMW M5 but it was still incredible. Then there is Mercedes’ GLC 43 AMG Coupe, which is no slouch either, and it looks rather good. Audi has been putting bigger and bigger engines in their SUVs and then there are the Porsches and the latest from Lamborghini which redefines ‘Sporty SUV’ into ‘Super SUV’ like a supercar.

But let us bring this back to another manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover. Yes, it has its performance SUVs as well, although in India you can only get the madcap Range Rover SVR, which redefines physics in my opinion because I have never seen something else that massive move so fast, so quickly. Even the Saturn V rocket lumbered off the launch pad. This thing does not and it ensures that everyone in a 10-km radius can hear it. But that is a different story. Because, once upon a time Land Rover produced only the Land Rover, what we call the ‘Defender’ nowadays, that kept the British Army mobile as it gradually withdrew from every corner of the world. Then one day, the idea of making a slightly nice version came to mind and the Range Rover was born and the Queen of England loved it. For those a bit less rich, the Land Rover Discovery came out, which could go over pretty much anything. And that is the way it was in the 80s and 90s, three types of vehicles, which were not the most reliable, but that is the way things were.

Now, it is a different story. Heck, even Jaguar makes a SUV, the rather good-looking F-Pace, and Land Rover makes quite a few. There is the Discovery Sport, Evoque, Evoque Convertible, Discovery 5, Velar, Range Rover Sport and the range Rover, the last named of which is also available in an ultra-premium Autobiography specification. But which one of these should you buy? Sure, at the top and the bottom, they are fairly well defined, but when I look at the middle I get rather confused, and I guess anybody who walks into a JLR showroom would. They are all rather nice cars as I have driven several of them over the past year. While I do have some niggles, the three-screen set-up on the top-end cars is very confusing because you get the same function on both central screens but it appears they use two different user interfaces, and then the others have their own small problems. The Range Rover is massive, it is the car that Audi and BMW are targeting with the Q8 and X7 respectively.

The overlaps are a bit jarring, and not just because the engines are similar, because that is the same case with all the luxury manufacturers. Between the Evoque and F-Pace, both stunning cars, slightly different on the handling front but only if you push it. The Velar and Discovery 5 are different, but pricing overlaps and you are trying to figure out what you want for a car. When you are spending that kind of money, a car is not so much functional as it is a display of wealth and influence. So maybe the Velar, but if you spend a little bit, and in percentage terms just a little bit more you could get the range Rover Sport, maybe one with an exciting engine. It is rather confusing.

I would personally choose the Discovery 5 though. Sure its lopsided registration plate panel is a bit jarring to the eye, but it is quite nice inside and a little bit easier to work your way through the controls. And there is the fact that if you did need to go on the sand dunes of Rajasthan, or ford a raging torrent near Corbett or deal with the slushy western Ghats in the monsoon, it can do all that very easily. Sure, a Range Rover can do most of those things, but you would think a few times before taking a two crore car off-road, even if it is a tester. I have a soft spot for the F-Pace, but for me Jaguar is still a car company. I cannot make peace with the Lamborghini Urus.

Next week onwards, a whole set of new launches starts with the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the third-generation Maruti WagonR, the Tata Harrier, the new Mahindra TUV300. 2019 will be a brand new year. All these new cars will meet the coming safety norms that are mandatory from the middle of the year and should be exciting to drive.