[king999]

Originally Posted by CentreOfGravity

Okay, I think I'll sit down, grab a cup of coffee and type out a proper reply.
Disclaimer: While I have my preferences, I respect all body types and am never against any body type. This is just my take on the topic. So, kindly take no offense if you happen to be an SUV owner; you have a great ride!

Great post! As someone who similarly loves his sedans for their elegance and sheer joy of driving, this resonated with me. I get the public love for SUVs given our road conditions, makes total sense. But some of the parameters here are simply wrong (with due respect to the OP). Boot space? Nah, my Skoda Octavia politely disagrees.

To each his own is what I would believe. For some that commanding position may make them feel like they are the kings of the road. But for me, give me my Octavia (or similarly responsive sedan) on a long winding road and nothing else really compares.

[sajivkk]

I had used my 2017 Vcross for almost 7 years as my daily driver and had recently purchase a Honda City Auto. Now I mostly drive my City instead of using Isuzu because of the sheer usability in cities, congested traffic and parking. Also on expressways City works out to be a better usecase for me, because of the Adaptive Cruise Control and other Adas features. Further the KMPL I get on the City is just crazy. So ya I am happy to consider using Sedans unless I am truly offroading. I do not see sense of using soft roader when their sedan siblings are equally usable, more frugal, more fun to drive and less expensive to buy in the first place.

[i_see]

Let me speak as someone who used a Duster AWD from 2014 to 2023.
Now I drive a Verna CVT.

My reasons for moving from AWD SUV to Sedan

• Lesser road noise than comparable SUV (especially road and wind noise, wind noise which I have experienced in all SUVs I have driven and I absolutely hate it).
• Much better roads everywhere than a decade ago.
• Sedans better suited for the new expressways than any SUV.
• Lesser motion sickness .
• The SUV price premium charged by manufacturers is ridiculous now a days with the SUV craze. Sedans feel VFM in comparison to similar SUVs.
• Much better fuel efficiency than SUV with same engine gearbox combination
• Better legroom in comparison to similar SUV (e.g Verna Vs Creta)

And most important 2 points .

• Realised that 99 % of roads I have driven My AWD Duster, a Sedan will easily do. Especially with the newer sedans which don't scrape their bottoms like older ones(My Father had a 3rd gen Honda City which needed special skills and all my physics knowledge to cross a simple speed breaker without scraping it's bottom)
• And Really fed up and bored seeing SUVs all round. What was unique and felt special a decade ago, now there is a overdose of it

Using my Verna CVT for exactly a year now, and I don't miss driving a SUV.

[BhayanaV]

Originally Posted by CentreOfGravity

That raises the question: how often will you go water wading in your crossover or SUV? As for water logging, unless it is an area where water logs very frequently, is it a matter of bother?

In the end, if you look at it closely, you'll realise that there are no groundbreaking advantages of SUVs over sedans, unless you want a proper SUV in the real sense (like the Mahindra Thar; no comparison between this and a sedan). In my opinion, sedans trump SUVs in more parameters than SUVs trump sedans. Here's a post I had written recently:

1. We don't go water wading, quite a lot of roads in India (every possible big city) get waterlogged in rains, can't predict or avoid. When it rains heavily, my friend parks his BMW in an open space and his driver drops him from apartment to his car in a LR, the road to his apartment gets flooded often (posh locality in GGN). Bangalore is also quite famous for flooded roads and so does Chennai. He is not selling his BMW due to low price he is getting and will 100% switch to CSUV/SUV once it's age is over.

2. Agree to your point. But then why aren't people buying sedans?

[sgmuser]

Sedans are good only if you have good roads all around - within city, rural roads and highways. Considering this, India is not a place for sedan, IMHO. If you see gulf, you will see more sedans even in rural areas. Actually rural people love sedans like Camry, Avalon are to be seen everywhere. Matured road infrastructure prefers sedans because the stability and comfort of sedan typically is impeccable by design. Indians in the last decade or so, slowly started preferring SUVs or pseudo SUVs/CUVs only because of the worst road conditions and safety issues. Metros included, the roads are in horrible condition and low slung sedan only increase the underlying issue of imperfections. Bigger wheels and better road clearance saves us a lot from this imperfections to some reasonable extent. SUVs provide added safety in a collison due to the size as well, small percentage people including me thinks. Otherwise, why a country that is obsessed with kitna deti hei picks suv/cuvs which are always going to be less fuel efficient than a sedan or hatchback. There is also a percentage of buyers who would like to look down on others in the traffic but that is not applicable to S-Presso like tiny things anyway. My2C.

[Car-riedAway]

I have had a hatchback when I was younger (and poorer), moved to a sedan - Linea - as my family grew and had a very bad experience when my car hit a road bump on the Nh8 while coming back from Jaipur. I believe the oil pump got damaged and then I had to fight with Tata-Fiat to get the parts repaired and what not. I then decided that since I travel a lot, and the road conditions in India are not always suited for low slung sedans, I will move onto high GC (middle class) SUVs (as the crossovers are popularly called). Got a XUV500 and was happy to wade through water logged areas in Delhi during the times it used to rain in Delhi. Changed from XUV500 to Fortuner and now I also have a Thar as a side kick. I don't do much offroading but travelling on Indian roads is sometimes akin to offroading only. I have done Srinagar-Pehalgam, Manali, Jispa, Shimla, Corbett, Ranthambore, Sariska and such places where road condition could change in a span of months. Have never worried about another road bump on my Fortuner.

Having said that, someone mentioned that needs change with time and that's true. If in future I would have the wherewithal to have two cars, I would like to have a sedan and and SUV both. If not, probably a sedan with high GC (Skoda Slavia/Octavia? Virtus?) would be my choice. Just a wild thought - I always think that I will get a sedan and fix air shock absorber so as to get the extra height in areas where the road condition is not that good. All this to ensure that I continue my passion for travelling whatever be the vehicle!

PS: I voted "Maybe"

[RGK]

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠I chose "Maybe".

Switching from a hatchback (Figo) to an SUV (Ecosport), with my height at 6.1 feet, made me feel more at ease. Getting in and out was effortless, and had no issues with the car bottoming out. I felt confident driving on various types of roads.

Eventually, opted for a MUV for its increased space and comfort. If my knees are strong and can get in and out comfortably, I might consider returning to a sedan or hatchback later.

Last week, completed a 450 km journey in a Ciaz. Although the ride was smoother, getting in and out of the vehicle was always a bit challenging. As a result, I found myself skipping the required breaks without even realizing it .

[Maky]

I have voted a strong Yes.

I was driving Suzuki Swift hatchback for over a decade prior to my recent Tiguan purchase, and an 800 and Esteem before that.
Over the years I saw more and more SUVs around me on the roads, thus over time more and more the desire to own a higher seating higher riding than mine.

SUV car: Now that I have had one for the last 9 months and loved every day of it, strangely still I now find desire in seeking a sleek sedan as my second car.

I guess the grass is always greener?

[ketan007]

I would buy a hatchback for city use and keep a CSUV for highway use. I travel on some roads that are non-existent during the monsoon, so I need a vehicle with maximum ground clearance, hence the CSUV.

[sanjeevs]

Voted ‘YES’ because Sedans and Hatchbacks are perfectly suited to urban road conditions as on date and they offer practicality and comfort.
My first love are Sedans since they offer the sheer driving experience on highways and equally in the urban areas. Of course, they do have excellent safety ratings and come with the effective ground clearance to make the buying decisions.
I am a person who will listen to my heart and mind and go based on the actual requirement and not be a person who will be pleasing everyone just because everyone is buying a SUV.
On the flip side, it still stumps me why sedans are not making much of up the sales in spite of having excellent choices in the market.

[aravind.anand]

I am a current sedan owner, and I would prefer a compact SUV as a replacement for the below reasons:

- Shorter length, the extra 300 mm of length that my Fiesta carries around is not utilized 90% of the time. Parking becomes tricky due to the extra length
- Higher seating position. Having experienced the Seltos in the family, long distance travel now feels less comfortable in my Fiesta
- Practicality of the boot. Sedans have higher boot volume, sure. But the shape limits the practicality a lot. I couldn't place my AC outdoor unit in my car, but it was so much easier in the Seltos.
- I honestly do not find too much of a difference in handling, with our straight & winding highways. Maybe on the hills sedans have a marked advantage, but my cars see mountains only for 1-2% of their lifetime.

PS: Did not vote for the poll, as I am not qualified

[aashishnb]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Driving position:

SUVs and crossovers are higher than other types of cars. Their seating is also higher than other cars. Therefore, they offer a much more commanding driving position. This gives the drivers a better view of the road which is very important in India. One can easily spot bumps, potholes and irregularities on the road while driving and take action accordingly. This is not so easy in a low-slung sedan or hatchback.

This is becoming very useful / important for one other reason - the indiscriminate use of white LED headlights that scatter the throw.

Faced this problem a few days ago. In a sedan (I drive an Accord), my eyesight is in line with the headlights of a new Thar. The bright white lights were literally blinding. I was practically driving looking at the curb end of the road.

Many would have faced same issue with a lot of scooters as well.

This is a huge safety concern.

Originally Posted by ruskinash

The Virtus and Slavia have more ground clearance than the hatchbacks, with the exception of tall boys like the Ignis and the S-Presso. Always look at the numbers. Appearances can be deceiving!

Ground Clearance
Slavia - 179mm
Virtus - 179mm
City - 165mm
i20 - 170mm
Altroz - 165mm
Swift - 163mm
Alto - 160mm

I think, ground clearance has significance in conjunction with wheelbase. Shorter wheelbase vehicle should be able to tide over bumps & not scrape with a lower ground clearance than a longer wheelbase vehicle. For e.g. Alto at 160 mm & 2380 mm wheelbase vs say city at 165 mm & 2600 mm wheelbase.

[Durango Dude]

Have been a sedan person from 1999 till Apr 26th 2024, the day I got the Carens. We have a hatchback in the family Grand i10. The Carens was to allow my family to travel together due to the arrival of grand kids. For me it was out of necessity that I graduated to a people mover. I prefer my old Honda City for it's dimensions, performance, mileage and ease of driving and a 500+ liter boot. Voted Yes for Hatch/Sedan.

[CentreOfGravity]

Originally Posted by BhayanaV

1. We don't go water wading, quite a lot of roads in India (every possible big city) get waterlogged in rains, can't predict or avoid. When it rains heavily, my friend parks his BMW in an open space and his driver drops him from apartment to his car in a LR, the road to his apartment gets flooded often (posh locality in GGN). Bangalore is also quite famous for flooded roads and so does Chennai. He is not selling his BMW due to low price he is getting and will 100% switch to CSUV/SUV once it's age is over.

I agree, that's why I typed what I typed in bold. I understand that not everything can be lived with :

That raises the question: how often will you go water wading in your crossover or SUV? As for water logging, unless it is an area where water logs very frequently, is it a matter of bother?

Originally Posted by BhayanaV

2. Agree to your point. But then why aren't people buying sedans?

Because my opinion and preferences are in the minority . I value low seating, low centre of gravity, better agility (= better active safety; fundamental physics that SUVs can't beat), the sedan shape, etc. However, most people agree with the points made in the opening post and they value size, road presence, high GC, imposing driving position, etc. (which are not compelling reasons for me). That's why, as you rightly said, sedans are less popular.

[sunny13]

My changeover to an SUV (though a Cross over) was a major one over a decade ago and there's no looking back.

However, there is no doubting the fact that a sedan gets you smooth and roll free drive, better stability and speed without a wink. SUV on the other hand gets you a feel which is unmatched in many other ways aka power drive, handling, stance and visibility of the road ahead, hill drive and maybe sometime an offroad or a bad patch to drive and with fun for the aggressive driver in you.

Hence my vote is a "maybe" as it would be more need driven. And if my money permits, I would love to have one of each to suit different aspirations /moods.