What makes a car an 'SUV' in the Indian context & is it justified?

Do you guys think it fair to call the likes of the Exter, Taigun, X1, Creta an SUV?

BHPian thirdmainroad recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

With the current craze in India for “SUV’s” loads of cars are being marketed as SUVs. It got me thinking - what really is an SUV? While the moniker has always been a loose term, with no generally accepted definition - it still feels wrong to brand almost every non sedan car in India an SUV.

I mean - can the Hyundai Exter, for example - a tiny little car with a 1200cc engine, 114 nm torque, 80 bhp with 0 off-roading capabilities really be labeled an SUV?

Or even the Taigun / Kushaq for that matter - 0 off roading.

We in India seem to have made everything that’s not a sedan and has even slightly raised seats a “SUV”

I think a SUV should have at least a 4 wheel drive and have some off road capabilities, and should be worthy enough of scaling some rough terrain.

Do you guys think it ok to call the likes of the Exter, Taigun, X1, Creta an suv or should we call a spade a spade - and acknowledge that car manufacturers are using .. slightly unethical marketing techniques and branding vehicles that are not suvs, suvs?

Here's what BHPian revsperminute had to say on the matter:

Not based on any science but to me-

Exter/Punch, Sonet/Venue and Creta/Seltos segment- Hatchbacks on stilts

Compass/Harrier/XUV700/Tucson/Tiguan/Evoque/Velars/Macan- Crossovers

Fortuner/Endeavour/Isuzu/Thar/Scorpio/Wrangler/Defender/Land Cruiser- SUVs

X5/GLE/X7/GLS/Range Rovers/Cayenne- Somewhere between Crossovers and SUVs

I feel the SUV tag is essential to sell a car in any segment nowadays and hence we are seeing the onslaught of these new body types. And not to forget, an SUV costs the same money to build and sells for a higher price.

Here's what BHPian Sensible_speed had to say on the matter:

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for starting this thread. The question you have posed here has troubled me for oh so long! What is an SUV really? From what I've heard, SUV in the early days used to stand for Sport Utility Vehicle. I don't know where that name came about, but I assume it had something to do with people with an active lifestyle, i.e., carrying skiing, surfing, cycling equipment into some remote region to enjoy these activities.

But today, SUV has become synonymous with a jacked up vehicle, that looks large and hence, safer and more appealing to the masses, irrespective of its ability to actually be utilitarian. Also, perhaps its the manufacturers that are trying to pull a fast one on the masses by these cleverly mislabeling what are clearly crossovers, as SUVs. Every single car you've mentioned in your post should truthfully be called a crossover. But, that term has earned a fairly negative reputation for being used by mothers on a school route.

In the Indian context, the answer to why "SUVs" are popular is simply- ground clearance. Roads in India are perceived as atrociously poor, and it's true to a large extent. This means people want to play it safe by getting a car that can clear the large craters, potholes and poorly designed speedhumps without damaging their cars. This is perhaps the most practical reason for buying an SUV. I suspect VW and Skoda caught onto this trend quickly and offered high ground clearance on the Virtus/Slavia sedans. That may be another reason why they still manage to sell decent numbers.

The next reason is a bit murkier. Image. With cars still being aspirational to the majority, having a car that also looks the part is a huge reason why SUVs have taken off. Imagine spending a couple of lakhs more, and getting a much larger and imposing looking vehicle. This enamours people to stretch their budgets to the SUV instead of a sedan, or an equivalent hatchback.

The last reason that just makes sense to me, is the seating position. When you sit in an SUV, you are perched a few inches higher off the ground than the equivalent sedan or hatchback. This, paired with a larger glasshouse, offers you a better view of the road and your surroundings. A lot of drivers in our conditions prefer this, factoring the chaos on the roads around us.

To sum it all up, I guess "SUV" is a term that is deceptively used by car companies to push for higher sales. In the process, they have intentionally or inadvertently, changed the definition of the term from being a go-anywhere lifestyle product, to a segment/class of vehicles that offer all of what I described above.

Here's what BHPian smartcat had to say on the matter:

They are calling it SUV, not SOV (Sport Offroading Vehicle). The keyword here is utility, not offroading. Their unique selling proposition is indeed utilitarian (high GC/high seating), which are core features of an offroader (eg: Jimny)

After all, the so called "proper SUV" (eg: Fortuner) too is an on-road vehicle, which just incorporates more features of an offroading vehicle. Go far enough on a tough offroading course, and every vehicle will eventually get stuck. It's just that each vehicle type (sedan/pseudo SUV/proper SUV/offroader) will get you farther.

But I don't get the 'Sport' bit though

CUV makes more sense -> Compact Utility Vehicle, anybody?

Here's what BHPian Nalin1 had to say on the matter:

Who cares if it is a genuine SUV or a duplicate one as long as it serves each one's purpose.

When I crossed Hosur road river last week after the torrential rain, I just smashed through without any hesitation on the Nexon with 209 mm of ground clearance when many Sedans and hatches were hesitating.

From the driver's seat, I get a great view of the circus around.

When a Rakshas like a Fortuner or an Endeavour lines up beside, I turn around and can see the driver eye to eye from a sub 4 meter sub compact crossover branded as an SUV .

Not to mention the respect people give when they see a butch looking car (hatch on stilt, jacked up, whatever).

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan had to say on the matter:

I don’t think anyone is being fooled if car makers are even found guilty of false advertising because everyone knows what they can and can’t go off road in. Infact here in India with half our driving populous undeserving of a license, everyone is a little too cautious about the terrain their vehicles can handle. The number of high gc vehicles I see crawling to a standstill at the slightest rumble strip or puddle is testament to the fact that no one is being fooled into thinking they are buying an SUV. They just want the high seating position so that they can avoid scraping and bumping into the objects they still somehow manage to.

If you or anyone else you know is still being mislead by manufacturers labelling their boxy hatchbacks on stilts as SUVs then perhaps a refresher driving course is due.

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