Chauffeur 4x4

Most chauffeur fleets in this market are built around saloons because saloons are cheaper to run. Ours is built around 4x4s because they are better suited to the roads our guests actually travel on.

Outside the centre of Dhaka, surfaces break up quickly, drainage is imperfect, and village approaches are unsurfaced for the last stretch. A raised vehicle absorbs all of that. It is not an upgrade for its own sake — it is the difference between a comfortable arrival and an uncomfortable one.

This is the accessible end of our 4x4 line. It gives you the ride height, the air conditioning and the Sarothi standard at the lowest point in the range.

Move up to the Executive 4x4 for a larger cabin and more presence, or the Luxury 4x4 for long highway days and formal work.

Four passengers travel comfortably with two large cases. Add a third case and it becomes tight — at that point the Executive 4x4 or a 7-seat MPV is the better booking, and we will say so rather than sending a vehicle that does not fit the job.

The practical argument for this class over a larger SUV is the one that only shows up at the destination. It has the ground clearance and the seating position of a 4x4 while remaining narrow enough for old-town lanes, tight village approaches and the kind of parking that a Land Cruiser turns into a three-point exercise with an audience.

For a visitor moving between a city hotel and a family address, that combination is often exactly right: capable enough for the approach road, small enough for the gate at the end of it.