High ground clearance sedans | Would you buy one?

JoshMachine · 19th April 2021, 21:35

Voted no.
Simply for the reason that a sedan (atleast the vast majority) will lose its purpose of why it was meant to be a low slung mean machine, in the first place.

Anything higher than the typical sedan’s GC, time to enjoy the SUV ride!

roy_libran · 19th April 2021, 21:42

Voted No. Focusing on the ground clearance is only a very small part of the picture. Sedans get hamstrung due to length of the wheelbase and both overhangs, which are necessary design elements. That's why even higher GC sedans remain inextricably compromised, vis-a-vis a cross over.

arjab · 19th April 2021, 21:43

Voted yes.
Always lusted after a Subaru Impreza and had fantasies that a car like that someday, sometime will be sold in our country.
I guess this dream of mine will remain just that - a dream unfulfilled!

Durango Dude · 19th April 2021, 21:43

My last car Elantra GLS had a ground clearance of 185mm which was as much as a Scorpio at that time. It served me well for 14 years.

turbo · 19th April 2021, 21:45

Is this not enough ground clearance?
How much more do you need?

jayguar · 19th April 2021, 21:45

Voted No.

I have never been a fan of high GC sedans. To me it looks awkward and less comfortable. My mother just once tried entering the S60 cross country like a regular sedan and immediately rejected it citing its very un sedan like.

GTO · 20th April 2021, 09:08

Voted no. I love my low-slung sedans for the superior dynamics, styling & stance. A sedan on stilts looks awful - the thread title reminds me of when I'd gone to see the Peugeot 309 at Bombay Cycle & Motors. I have had a fleet of German & Japanese sedans (including the 8th-gen Honda Civic) and I take them to every corner of Maharashtra. With the right precautions on large bumps, I've faced no problems.

Also, do keep in mind that most sedans sold here are already "raised for India" compared to their international variants.

If I want higher ground clearance, I'll buy a Crossover or SUV. But please don't ruin sedans. Just see how weird the later lifted Lineas look compared to the original ones.

abhijit 2284 · 20th April 2021, 09:36

I have voted yes because I prefer the handling and comfort of a sedan , a bit of which will go away by the increased GC but I will gain from peace of mind while driving on our not so well designed street roads with speed breakers and pot holes

androdev · 20th April 2021, 09:46

A low GC sedan looks and rides great and should remain so. I always wished that car manufactures invest in cost effective adjustable ride height technology but for some reason their priories remain elsewhere. They prefer to promote SUV/Crossovers as a new thing and charge a premium. I am hopeful to see the return of sedans in a big way once adjustable ride height becomes an affordable tech.

Kosfactor · 20th April 2021, 09:59

Most of the sedans are FWD, like most crossovers, so some amount of overhang is necessary to hang the engine ahead of the front axle. This overhang will get caught up on seemingly harmless terrain when loaded and rip the front end off, that is just the way it is.

McLaren Rulez · 20th April 2021, 10:00

I really like the S60 cross country. Also a big fan of the SX4.

For Indian roads, I'd pick up a high GC, stiff suspensioned car all the time. I'm sure these high GC sedans will drive in a similar manner to crossovers.

giri1.8 · 20th April 2021, 12:06

I see everyone complaining about compromise in handling, but I don't see any sedan less than 20L that handles any better than their crossover counterpart.

Even with 180mm of ground clearance, sedans will any day have lower CG than crossovers.

narayan · 20th April 2021, 13:36

I would believe the pseudo SUVs of today, built on a car platform, are already achieving this. Most of them provide pretty decent cornering stability compared to proper SUVs (with ladder frame construction ).
The cross Sedan market sits squarely in the developed world where you encounter bad roads 5-10% of the times. We are more like the opposite.

abhi_tjet · 20th April 2021, 14:17

Voted Yes.
Good ground clearance was 1 of the criteria during my Linea purchase. I am still glad for that decision. Very rare are the road imperfections which touches belly of a post 2012 manufactured Linea.

firstdrive · 20th April 2021, 15:21

Voted Yes!!

I really liked Renault Arkana in terms of overall package. Sad there are no plans from Renault to bring it India, understandably due to current SUV craze going around. But Arkana is based on duster platform which shouldn’t be hard to manufacture here, also it has 208 mm ground clearance!

https://youtu.be/TrKVBU7XE6U

View Poll Results: Would you consider buying high GC/AWD sedan?
Yes	274	67.65%
No	131	32.35%
Voters: 405. You may not vote on this poll

19th April 2021, 21:35	#16
JoshMachine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Pune Posts: 1,251 Thanked: 6,176 Times	re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? Voted no. Simply for the reason that a sedan (atleast the vast majority) will lose its *purpose* of why it was meant to be a low slung mean machine, in the first place. Anything higher than the typical sedan’s GC, time to enjoy the SUV ride!
	(1) Thanks

19th April 2021, 21:42	#17
roy_libran Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: DNCR Posts: 1,695 Thanked: 3,642 Times View My Garage	re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? Voted No. Focusing on the ground clearance is only a very small part of the picture. Sedans get hamstrung due to length of the wheelbase and both overhangs, which are necessary design elements. That's why even higher GC sedans remain inextricably compromised, vis-a-vis a cross over.
	(2) Thanks

19th April 2021, 21:43	#18
arjab Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: MAA/CCU Posts: 1,596 Thanked: 6,574 Times View My Garage	re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? Voted yes. Always lusted after a Subaru Impreza and had fantasies that a car like that someday, sometime will be sold in our country. I guess this dream of mine will remain just that - a dream unfulfilled!
	(2) Thanks

19th April 2021, 21:43	#19
Durango Dude Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,967 Thanked: 5,210 Times View My Garage	re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? My last car Elantra GLS had a ground clearance of 185mm which was as much as a Scorpio at that time. It served me well for 14 years.
	(7) Thanks

19th April 2021, 21:45	#20
turbo BANNED Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: North India Posts: 477 Thanked: 2,048 Times	re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? Is this not enough ground clearance? How much more do you need? Attached Thumbnails Last edited by turbo : 19th April 2021 at 21:47.
	(6) Thanks

19th April 2021, 21:45	#21
jayguar BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 300 Thanked: 218 Times	re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? Voted No. I have never been a fan of high GC sedans. To me it looks awkward and less comfortable. My mother just once tried entering the S60 cross country like a regular sedan and immediately rejected it citing its very un sedan like.
	(1) Thanks

20th April 2021, 09:08	#22
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,825 Thanked: 321,455 Times View My Garage	Re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? Voted no. I love my low-slung sedans for the superior dynamics, styling & stance. A sedan on stilts looks awful - the thread title reminds me of when I'd gone to see the Peugeot 309 at Bombay Cycle & Motors. I have had a fleet of German & Japanese sedans (including the 8th-gen Honda Civic) and I take them to every corner of Maharashtra. With the right precautions on large bumps, I've faced no problems. Also, do keep in mind that most sedans sold here are already "raised for India" compared to their international variants. If I want higher ground clearance, I'll buy a Crossover or SUV. But please don't ruin sedans. Just see how weird the later lifted Lineas look compared to the original ones. Last edited by GTO : 21st April 2021 at 08:00.
	(8) Thanks

20th April 2021, 09:36	#23
abhijit 2284 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Aurangabad Posts: 206 Thanked: 113 Times View My Garage	Re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? I have voted yes because I prefer the handling and comfort of a sedan , a bit of which will go away by the increased GC but I will gain from peace of mind while driving on our not so well designed street roads with speed breakers and pot holes
	(3) Thanks

20th April 2021, 09:46	#24
androdev Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 3,255 Thanked: 25,279 Times	Re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? A low GC sedan looks and rides great and should remain so. I always wished that car manufactures invest in cost effective adjustable ride height technology but for some reason their priories remain elsewhere. They prefer to promote SUV/Crossovers as a new thing and charge a premium. I am hopeful to see the return of sedans in a big way once adjustable ride height becomes an affordable tech.
	(3) Thanks

20th April 2021, 09:59	#25
Kosfactor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: COK\BLR\MYS Posts: 3,857 Thanked: 11,208 Times	Re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? Most of the sedans are FWD, like most crossovers, so some amount of overhang is necessary to hang the engine ahead of the front axle. This overhang will get caught up on seemingly harmless terrain when loaded and rip the front end off, that is just the way it is.
	(1) Thanks

20th April 2021, 10:00	#26
McLaren Rulez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mysore Posts: 3,463 Thanked: 5,518 Times	Re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? I really like the S60 cross country. Also a big fan of the SX4. For Indian roads, I'd pick up a high GC, stiff suspensioned car all the time. I'm sure these high GC sedans will drive in a similar manner to crossovers.
	(2) Thanks

20th April 2021, 12:06	#27
giri1.8 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,763 Thanked: 4,766 Times	Re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? I see everyone complaining about compromise in handling, but I don't see any sedan less than 20L that handles any better than their crossover counterpart. Even with 180mm of ground clearance, sedans will any day have lower CG than crossovers.
	(4) Thanks

20th April 2021, 13:36	#28
narayan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Singapore Posts: 3,133 Thanked: 2,488 Times View My Garage	Re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? I would believe the pseudo SUVs of today, built on a car platform, are already achieving this. Most of them provide pretty decent cornering stability compared to proper SUVs (with ladder frame construction ). The cross Sedan market sits squarely in the developed world where you encounter bad roads 5-10% of the times. We are more like the opposite.
	(2) Thanks

20th April 2021, 14:17	#29
abhi_tjet BHPian Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Pune Posts: 822 Thanked: 4,328 Times View My Garage	Re: High ground clearance sedans \| Would you buy one? Voted Yes. Good ground clearance was 1 of the criteria during my Linea purchase. I am still glad for that decision. Very rare are the road imperfections which touches belly of a post 2012 manufactured Linea.
	(1) Thanks