For some a car is just a means of getting from point A to point B. But a growing number of people want to ride in luxury. Is luxury car ownership all that it is cracked up to beIJ
So you just bought yourself a luxury car. Your friends will certainly notice that. After all, most people who buy into the luxury car owners’ club, do it to satisfy their egos at some level. After all, reaching a five-star hotel lobby with a German luxury brand logo on the bonnet is making a statement. Or is itIJ Some might say that this article has started with a cynical tone, but driving around a congested city like Delhi in a huge luxury car is more stressful than comfortable if you are behind the steering wheel.
At every single traffic light you worry that some motorcyclist, who has seen a bare sliver of space between you and the vehicle ahead, will try and make it through. Then there are the growing number of what one would call the “lost souls” of Uber and Ola. While I appreciate the service they provide, especially after one has had a few drinks, in every locality these cars suddenly stop in the middle of the road with no warning whatsoever. And then there are the e-rickshaws. Particularly at night, these dark-coloured dinky toys, with no reflector plates, don’t even bother to put on their headlights so that they can travel 50 more metres by the end of the night. You might say these are issues faced by every motorist but every motorist does not have to face the quantum of such a bill when your car goes bang. Have a small impact in a small car and your car is in the workshop for a couple of days. You take a slight hit. A similar amount of damage on some top-end luxury cars and well, you could buy a small car for that kind of money. So driving is stressful, but driving a luxury car would make your hair turn grey at times. If you are driven around, you are possibly putting your driver under mental agony.
Then there is another fact. Once upon a time, luxury cars were luxury cars because the seats were nicer, the plastic did not look cheap, the features were excellent, safety was paramount and the driving performance superlative. There was a world of difference between your average small car and luxury sedan. Now, well, things have changed. The average small car comes with a whole host of features. Bluetooth telephony — check. Great sound systems — check. Touchscreen entertainment systems — check. ABS and Airbags — check.
Then you drive a good luxury for a week — and this past week I’ve been driving the Volvo S90, which I drove last year in Jodhpur — and it is a whole different experience than on the empty roads of western Rajasthan. This is a very comfortable car and it is so smooth to drive that you sometimes forget you are driving a cruise ship through a flotilla of fishing boats. Take the Bowers & Wilkins audio system and given the fascinating sound system software the Volvo has, you can adjust the sound settings just like the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Hall. Or have a fully immersive listening experience. A song you might have heard a million times before sounds different, sounds better. Sure with the hyper-alert proximity sensors constantly going off in the jams, you are cocooned in the comfortable seat. You enjoy holding the lovely two-tone leather steering wheel and wonder why you should not savour such an experience all the time.
Frankly if you have the money, you should go for it. Despite small cars, and even sedans being better than ever before, you know when you are behind the wheel of something nice. And if you want something nice, you should really look at Volvo. The cars by the Swedish carmaker stand out from the fleet of German cars but they’re just as nice inside. In fact, the Volvo V90 I drove last month is one of the better luxury cars I’ve driven in India but the S90 does stand up to the Germans. If there is one thing I do feel about the S90 it is that it might be a bit too big for Delhi but that is why I’m looking forward to the XC60 and the ‘60’ series from Volvo. Slightly smaller but with the same features and fixtures and cheaper. That will be a compelling proposition.