SILENCE EXPRESS!

Our picks across segments of luxury electric SUV's to ascertain what makes the most E-sense!

- ROSHAN SIROHIA

WHAT IS IT?

If you've been looking for an electric luxury family SUV between the 50 lacs to over a crore Rupee range (pun intended), you can stop reading and just head to my verdict section and pick one that suits your lifestyle and fits your wallet! But if you want to find out what makes each of these 3 SUV's special, do read on. Because out of the 10 odd Luxury EV's (featuring an SUV body style) sold currently in our country as on mid-2023, these 3 choices offer the most rounded packages and would be the best rated for all their inherent abilities and proposition.

Let's start with the most powerful (4.9s to the 100kmph) and compact in this group - the Volvo XC40 Recharge. Introduced in July 22, it's attractively priced at Rs. 56.9 lakh for what is inherently a XC40 EV twin. It also gets a prettier Coupe cousin - the recently launched C40 Recharge & if you're self-driven, and pick Volvo-ness as the top of your wish list, this could be your bet!

The second option up the price ladder, at Rs. 77.50 lakhs, is the Mercedes-Benz EQB 350 featuring a 5+2 seating layout, strong all-round performance and some suave interiors. Launched in December '22, the Merc is the most versatile of the lot and if you're driving six kids around ever-so often this would fit the bill rather perfectly!

Finally, the Audi e-tron 55 priced at Rs. 1.19 crores (ex-showroom), which has to be the most comfortable & best suited to be chauffer driven in. It features adaptive air suspension, a spacious cushy back seat and a super spacious boot & frunk. Though this e-tron now has been replaced by the Q8 e-tron with a bigger 114kwH battery (that's technically a facelift of this e-tron), it's the best option at this price point and the pick if you're looking for the all-around experience of space and a full-size SUV.