Postimees · Luxurious Estonia (Luksuslik Eesti) · 2025
Luxury SUVs combine design, supreme comfort and incredible power
English translation of the original Estonian article. Original headline: Luksusmaasturid ühendavad disaini, ülima mugavuse ja uskumatu jõu
See the original design in the magazineA few decades ago, the idea of combining luxury cars and SUVs seemed strange; today it is the new normal. Besides the long-familiar Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz SUV models, luxury SUVs from Porsche (Cayenne, 2002), Bentley (2015), Lamborghini (2017, leaving aside the LM002) and Mercedes-Benz Maybach (2020) now also have plenty of fans.
These masterpieces reach Estonian enthusiasts through three dealerships: Veho Eesti offers Mercedes-Benz, including Maybach; Auto 100 Premium is the official representative of Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley; and Land Rover models are offered by Inchcape Motors Estonia. We asked the luxury car dealers what makes these cars so special and how much comfort an SUV can offer its driver.
The car tax has steered some luxury car clients towards plug-in hybrids.
"When buying a Porsche, Lamborghini or Bentley, the trigger is often a deeper emotion and the fulfilment of a long-held dream, so the car tax doesn't affect it that much. At the same time, it's true that luxury car clients also feel the tax – purchase decisions are made more cautiously and after longer consideration," admits Maario Orgla, CEO of Auto 100 Premium. This year's sales figures have also been affected by the general political situation, which has brought consumer confidence down.
The experience of Inchcape Motors Estonia, Land Rover's representative, is that the car tax has partly steered buying interest towards models with lower CO₂ emissions and plug-in hybrids. The most notable change is seen with models with larger displacement and more powerful engines, where decisions have been postponed or buyers have moved towards plug-in hybrids. Keijo Kaasik, CEO of Veho Eesti, adds that sales figures for the Mercedes G-Class, for example, are rather linked to changes in factory quotas, not national taxes.
The greatest distinguishing feature of luxury cars is almost unlimited personalisation.
With every luxury SUV there are countless nuances the client can choose according to their wishes. The British brand Land Rover, whose design, engineering and largely also assembly take place in the United Kingdom, offers a truly powerful SUV with great driving comfort. It won't let you down even in the toughest off-road situations. At the same time, the horsepower and design are combined with luxurious comforts and high-tech innovations.
With Land Rover, of course, the list of optional extras is endlessly long. Everyone can set their own colour combinations, materials and innovative solutions. Driving pleasure is supported by air suspension, smart chassis solutions and more. Off-road capability has been achieved without sacrificing urban comfort, thanks to systems such as Terrain Response and additional camera views that help in difficult conditions too.
One special extra offering supreme comfort on Land Rover models is automated reversing with a trailer. Land Rover's Advanced Tow Assist uses cameras and control algorithms to calculate the trailer's angle and helps steer, so the driver can smoothly keep to the chosen path. The driver only has to control the brake and accelerator, while the system takes over the steering.
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is a legendary German off-roader with a history of more than 40 years. The G-Class's exceptional off-road capability is supported by four-wheel drive, a strong ladder frame, three electronically controlled mechanical differential locks, the 9G-TRONIC automatic gearbox and much more.
G-Class SUVs can also be individualised when ordering from the factory, choosing from 39 body colours and combining them with five different visual packages. One particularly special design package is the MANUFAKTUR Full Leather Package – almost the entire G-Class interior is upholstered in nappa leather.
Maybach interiors offer the next level of luxury with nappa leather upholstery, open-pore wood trim, hand-stitched finishing materials and metal details. The rear "Executive First-Class" seats recline up to 43°, and the electrically adjustable leg rests offer heating, cooling and massage functions, resembling a top-class spa.
Other unique extras on Mercedes-Benz vehicles include the MBUX Hyperscreen – a 56" OLED display for the front passengers (EQS), the Burmester 4D sound system and the V12 engine under the bonnet of the Maybach S680.
Porsche is a legendary German brand known for speed and sportiness. Innovation and functionality have always come first in its vehicle development: for example adaptive chassis, four-wheel steering and sports brakes.
Bentley stands out for supreme luxury and timeless English design. The only limit to special orders is the client's own imagination. If someone wishes, even the buttons of the car's interior can be made of gold or diamonds.
The Porsche and Bentley importer points out a few more nuances: you can choose the colours of interior details, leather tones and stitching combinations, as well as particularly exclusive materials. Even creating an individual paint code makes it possible to build a completely unique car. Door sills, luggage mats or a car key bearing the owner's signature are made to order. For the anniversary year of the Porsche Festival, among other things, special models were created for an Estonian client to show how far personalisation can go.
What are Estonian clients' favourites among extras, materials and colours?
In Estonia, clients often prefer understatedly elegant yet sporty solutions. Darker exterior colours are very popular, with light leather interiors adding a luxurious touch.
When ordering a Porsche, popular choices are carbon details, sports steering wheels, Neodyme gold trim and light-toned decorative panels. For the 911, the Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur programme is used to configure a unique car. With Lamborghini the keyword is sportiness – carbon fibre details are widely used to emphasise the car's lightness and sporty character.
For Bentley clients, the focus has been on supreme comfort, but here too extravagant combinations are often born – for example special engravings on wooden trim, gold buttons or other luxurious details.
How long are the factory waiting lists for luxury cars with self-chosen extras?
As the old saying goes, time drags for those who wait. Once a special order for a car is on its way to the factory, you can hardly wait to cruise the streets in your beauty. Unfortunately, waiting for such unique luxury cars takes a lot of patience.
According to Auto 100 Premium, the waiting time for a Porsche depends largely on the specific model. For mainstream Porsches, the schedule is determined by the factory's production plan. On average it takes 4–5 months. Lamborghini has the longest waiting lists, which can reach up to 18 months, again because of production volume. For Bentley the usual wait is 6 months.
Depending on the Mercedes-Benz or Maybach model, Veho Eesti quotes different waiting times. For several of these luxury cars, waiting times range from a few months to even several years.
Limited collections – what can you see in Estonian showrooms right now?
At the Peetri showroom of Land Rover dealer Inchcape Motors Estonia, the limited-production collectible Range Rover Sport Gaea Curation is currently on display. It is one of five exclusive Celestial Collection design types. The Range Rover Sport SV Celestial Collection is an exclusive series of five special models, each inspired by mythology and space, offering unique design, colours and interiors. The models are named Gaea, Theia, Io, Vega and Sol. PRICE: €235,949
In the coming months, the Land Rover Defender Octa, the most powerful and capable Defender of all time, will also arrive in Inchcape's showroom.
According to Auto 100 Premium, Porsche produces rare models only in very limited numbers, but every now and then they reach the Estonian dealership too. Currently, the Porsche 911 Turbo 50 is on display in front of the showroom on Mustamäe tee. It is an anniversary model of which only 1,974 units were produced, echoing the year of the first 911 Turbo.
PRICE: €280,440
The Lamborghini showroom currently features the ultra-exclusive Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, of which only 1,500 were produced worldwide.
PRICE: €329,000
By the way, last year one of Europe's largest showrooms for Lamborghini and Bentley was opened in Tallinn – in size and content it is perhaps second only to the one in Dubai.
At Veho's Järve dealership, staff in the comfortable showroom are happy to present the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 sports car currently on display, which will make many an AMG fan's eyes light up.
PRICE: €231,023
The future of luxury cars looks even more electric.
According to Maario Orgla, CEO of Auto 100 Premium, electrification is part of Porsche's strategy, but it should be emphasised that the model range still covers everything: there are cars with combustion engines, plug-in hybrids and fully electric models.
Land Rover's representative explains that JLR engines widely offer both mild hybrid (MHEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) solutions. At the Inchcape Motors Estonia showroom, all models in the line-up are available as plug-in hybrids, except the Land Rover Discovery, which is available only as a diesel mild hybrid. The fully electric Range Rover is still in development and planned for launch in the coming months.
Keijo Kaasik of Veho Eesti: "Over the next two years, the Mercedes-Benz model range will undergo an extensive overhaul. Several new models will be launched, many of them on an electric platform." According to Veho Eesti, sales of plug-in hybrids are also showing a strong growth trend.
All that remains is to wait with interest to see what special new options technological development will bring to the world of luxury SUVs. Until then, it is worth taking a look at the exclusive cars in the showrooms mentioned and enjoying clean-lined design and luxury in the best sense of the word.