To put you into context..
his father owns one and to him it's the "ultimate vehicule"
I'm telling him that, well it's rubbish:
The interior is just plain ugly, fake wood, panel gaps, and cheap plastics. It could be worse, but for $50k... er no thanks.
As for offroad, alright, it's good, but the ultimate offroad truck as he said on MSN?
NO.
Range Rover has better technology, G-Wagen is tougher.. etc.
And now why do you have it?
Yes, they use it to bring kayaks in the woods. But like all Essuvees drivers, 90% of the time they're on the road, so why not get something that's good ON the road?
Audi Allroad comes to my mind, luxury, quiet, quick enough, AND good enough for offroad.
Your family and kayaks fit in, and with the air suspension and some nice tires, the quattro system will be more than competent enough to go in the gravel roads..
And incase you don't know, the GC's maketing is all about luxury, it's their luxury SUV.
If you want a nice jeep, get an old Cherokee, or a Wrangler, now that's simple raw offroad for you!