[SideView]

Currently I drive a Terrano, one thing i like is the ride height and the overall visibility that comes with it. (Ignoring all the suspension and power aspects etc)

I am curious to know, would fellow bhpians consider sedans after moving to SUV?

If some of you have done it, why?

Cons I could think of for SUV: Body roll

Background:
Incase i plan on upgrading, i want to know the experience of others who might have made this change. I was planning on ignoring the whole sedan segment.

[VW2010]

I moved from life long sedan to SUV. I initially thought it was the new car effect but the high seating Ford Endeavor has made long-distance travel very comfortable, very relaxing, and very easy on the body.

I am not sure I will ever consider a sedan from this point after getting a taste of what a truck offers.

In terms of just seat position, I like the High seat position.

[amol4184]

There are certain things that stop me from going full sedan route.

1. I like the airy feel and interior space advantage of the SUVs. As parents get older, getting in and out of vehicle has taken precedence over low, cocooned seating.
2. Carrying odd sized bags or stuff is easier in SUV, which happens a lot in my case. E.g. carrying potted plants.
3. The roads are so bad my average speed in most travels hardly crosses 45kmph at the end of the day. Body roll hardly bothers me anymore on the account I never get to drive enthusiastically and extract that last drop of performance.
As it stands today, you can do reasonable spirited driving in some SUVs with hard suspension like Kia Seltos DCT.

All above can be achieved in a wagon form too + having sedan like dynamics. It is a perfect middle ground. But alas. We don't have any wagons anymore so SUVs it is.
If there is a good wagon again like the Baleno Altura I will line up outside the showroom.

[dhanushs]

I would prefer lower seating position for a fast car which craves corners and may be for comfortable highway cruising. For City driving, Single lane driving, overtaking and more, I would absolutely prefer a higher seating position.

Case in point. I used to have a VW Vento and a Pajero SFX. Within Kerala where all roads are single lane, the Pajero, even though a slower car has better A-B timing with similar driving style. Whereas outside Kerala, say, Wayanad to Bangalore, the Vento beats the Pajero by a huge margin IF traffic is less. When traffic comes in play, its the Pajero (High Seating Position) anyday!

[Swarup5]

There are very few options that offer the comfort and driving dynamics of a sedan and the view of a proper SUV

The Elderly will find climbing onto the SUV equally tough as much as getting out from a low seat. Added to that, SUVs have constant body roll and never-ending stops for nauseating kids over twisties and bad roads.

Few exceptions
- Wagon R/Kwid for City drive
- Innova/T-Roc/Tiguan-All space etc for the highways.
- Duster/Terrano - Perfect all-round cars, which unfortunately lost its ground

[airbus]

I drive a Mahindra TUV300 with high seating position, which gives a commanding view. I am very comfortable with high seating position and it will be difficult (if not impossible) to migrate to a sedan. This will also be one of the factors while selecting my next car.

[raksrules]

I don't have any views on this as the only car I have driven is a Camry for a good 40,000 Miles (in US) and I am currently learning on a motor driving school's Honda City, both of which are low seating vehicles. But I did get an opportunity to drive Honda CRV which is high seating and I liked it but still for long rides I liked my camry better due to more relaxed seating.

Ironically, I have booked the S-Presso as our first car in India as we (myself and wife) are learning to drive (on Indian roads) and we wanted a high seating with bonnet view but in my 1 week of learning to drive, I figured that the judgement is easy to do (may be my previous US experience helped?) and the no visible bonnet is not really a deal breaker actually. Still we plan to proceed with our choice for now but in near future, may change to a different car.

[GTO]

Oh, I totally would . Swap between sedans & crossovers all the time, due to all the test-drives. Both have their pros & cons and the handling gap has diminished because of well-tuned suspensions (Creta, Seltos, Kushaq, XUV700 etc.).

I feel that, when you have a certain budget on hand for a car, you should be open to all options + body styles. For instance, in the premium segment, cars like the Octavia / Superb offer an experience that same-price crossovers & SUVs simply don't. It's a similar case with the Mercedes C-Class segment, as well as the 5-Series, Audi A8L etc. All at a lower price than comparable crossovers.

Ideally, I'd have both - an SUV as well as a sedan in my garage.

[Spinnerr]

My first car was a Zen, from Zen we moved to a Bolero, the view, the visibility, commanding position, it was all a welcome change. After that we didn't go back to a sedan or a hatchback or a road hugging car, SUVs are our preferred choice.

Even today, during weekend drives, long drives, if the ride is a sedan, I prefer calling shotgun and just staying put. At the same time if it is an SUV, I have this constant itch to be the one driving, mentally finding faults of how the driver is driving, how he should have cornered better, braked on time, accelerated smoothly, etc etc. These thoughts are not so strong when I am in sedan or a small call.

Guess, once you go SUV, there is no turning back.

[RavSam]

It took me one painful back sprain while sitting inside Polo to not consider low slung vehicles again!

[akshay4587]

I have access to both one of the highest seating passenger vehicle, and one of the lowest seating sedans. They have their pros and cons. As a matter of fact, the only positive factors in sedan is the fun to drive factor, followed by ride comfort, but there are SUV's with great ride as well.

Indian roads at least in my part of the country are definitely not sedan friendly.
While taking my sedan out, I have to plan my journey to avoid craters and what not.

As my only vehicle I would choose a SUV over a Sedan any day.

[drsnt]

I have driven fewq high seating position cars- Innova, Safari (old), Scorpio, loved them. But every time on a long drive I had neck and shoulder pain. After a lot of brainstorming, I realised that the neck bends slightly downward for a straight line vision when driving high seating cars while in a sedan it's mostly upright. I always had neck issues even during reading and needed a neck straight position. So here went out my wish to own one of them. As for family, my wife loves the airy, open feeling of Suv has less motion sickness compared to sedans. So besides my personal limitation, I am all in for an SUV

[Kosfactor]

I was all for a Sedan earlier but as travel became a necessity, it was quite clear what works. I do think that lower seating is also fine as long as the usage of the vehicle is less.

There are some SUVs wherein the driving position is sedan-like due to lower roofline. These vehicles are cumbersome to drive in city traffic and crowded highways like the Bangalore - Mysore road.

My preference over the years have shifted from Low seats, weighted steering to High Seats, Light steering.

[AntPaul]

I keep switching between my low slung sedan (an Esteem) and my relatively high seating SUV (a Duster) all the time. I prefer the Esteem's driving position on short drives in the city and for fast driving/harsh braking/cornering. Taller passengers hate this car as ingress and egress is difficult. I find Duster's upright position very relaxing on longer drive and the passengers love it at all times.

[pradheepsr]

Always a SUV person. Having owned the Fortuner, BMW X1, GLC 220d, would say a big "YES" for their practicality and the sense of space they offer.
Travelling around in one of them with a family of 4-5 people is an absolute breeze.
To me the biggest factor to consider is the ground clearance and the way these SUVs tackle our unruly speed breakers and monsoon ravaged tarmacs with ease.
That peace of mind that comes along, when we know that we can't scrape the underbellies of these SUVs is a big plus.
Last but not the least, the clear and commanding view of the road ahead, especially that sense of security that comes when you get to see the bonnet of your SUV whilst driving can't be matched by most sedans today.

CONS: Parking in tight spaces, driving around in crowded areas, bounces and body rolls especially with ladder on frame SUVs.