[CoolFire]

Originally Posted by fine69

Oh and another colleague picked up an Ecosport only and only because there are some areas in Ghaziabad where he used to scrape the underbelly of his Santro. While he loved the new Honda City but it was only the GC issue which made him buy an Ecosport. I don't understand how could someone buy an Ecosport over such a nice car like the City.

Me too did consider Honda City very seriously before going for Ecosport. Two factors influenced the choice -

- Honda city, being a sedan is not suitable for at least a quarter of my travel, here in Kerala. Ecosport does this much more comfortably.

- OT, but felt the built quality of Honda was much inferior to Ford or even the old Hondas. Among all the manufacturers giving the European feel, Ford seemed the best bet on service reliability.

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Basically:

- It doesn't have any more space than a regular hatch or sedan (even less, in some cases)
- It cannot handle bad roads as well as an SUV
- It cannot handle good roads as well as a sedan

So who would buy these, and why exactly?

Yes, they cannot handle bad roads as well as an SUV, but obviously much better than any regular sedan. The off road capabilities of SUVs are hardly used by most people who do buy them. And the handling of an Ecosport or Duster can match or even beat many sedans & hatchbacks, including the infamous Hyundais.

Would agree fully on point 1.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by CoolFire

. And the handling of an Ecosport or Duster can match or even beat many sedans & hatchbacks.

When it comes to handling and maneuverability it is hard to beat a Sedan when comparing to a Crossover.
Crossovers with their high GC fares well in bad roads ( good in Indian roads) and in rainy conditions (water logging issue).

[ToyotaFan]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

CUV's should be touted as Made for India

I mean, seriously, I have an EcoSport (upgraded from the Dolphin Honda City), and the EcoSport is just a brilliant package. The Size is perfect for Indian cities(don't have to think twice about going into the crowded parts of the city), and the ground clearance is just amazing, Puddles, rocks, whatever the Indian roads throw at it, you don't need to give a damn about it.
and Not to forget, you get good power with these CUV's, so even from an enthusiast's point of view you're not missing out on much.

I took test drive of the ford fiesta and although the car is great on comparing with the ecosport I felt the rear seat space is much lesser and the car is pretty low so GC may be an issue. Finally decided to continue with ecosport booking (as u know waiting since july 2013) and finally getting the car next month. As of now CUV's are the need of the hour in india.

[ajaypjayaraj]

Being a daily user of a remapped Skoda Yeti, I enjoy the cross over abilities with handling to challenge the sedans. Petar @ Pete's agree that the traction and on road capabilities of the 4x4 Yeti is unmatched by many sedans. Before I got the Bilsteins and Remap, it wasn't hard at all to keep up with or beat sedans of similar power. Now you could imagine how it would be.
I am a person who preferred sedans only. SUVs were a definite NO for their poor on road capabilities when you love to do some spirited driving. But thanks to our road condition, I couldn't stand a sedan being punished on such roads and was looking for an alternative. That's when Skoda launched Yeti. I don't need an off roader. But I wanted a car which could tackle our stupid road condition without much trouble but something which delivers sedan like on road performance. And I got exactly what I wanted! Sedans are nice to ride, comfortable and the lower the ride it looks better.. "IF" you have the roads for it that is. But we don't! Not everywhere we need to go at least. That's why CUVs make a sensible choice with their multiple capabilities.

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

CUV's should be touted as Made for India

I mean, seriously, I have an EcoSport (upgraded from the Dolphin Honda City),

Is Ecosport an upgrade over City? I do not think so. I had a TD of Ecosport top end diesel after a ride on my car on same piece of road. The behavior on turns, too stiff ride, inferior interior quality were real turn offs & for me it was a clear downgrade from my Verna.

[kadanaJ]

The only reason I would consider a CUV is because of poor road conditions. Unfortunately, in India, that is a major factor, and one of the primary reasons I would choose a Ford Ecosport over a Honda City.

As for the US or other foreign markets; people have always had the perception that SUVs are safer, so I guess the same logic carries over for CUVs.

[damager21]

Stickers from Fiat promoting Avventura as India's first CUV.


Source: TeamFiat

[interest]

Extra GC, better handling of bad roads and more space apart, one of the reasons why I want to buy a crossover instead of a hatch or a sedan is because it would make it easier for me to see the traffic ahead of the car in front of me. I drive an i20 and I struggle to overtake when the vehicle in front of me is an SUV (or any tall vehicle) because I am not able to see the traffic ahead of it. Conversely, I believe, if I drive a crossover, a lot of hatches/sedans will avoid overtaking me in a hurry because they would have to be doubly sure about the traffic ahead of me. As a driver of a hatchback, I have seen several people overtake me with manoeuvres that are dangerous for them as well as for me (believe they attempt such manoeuvres with me/'other hatch drivers' because they can see the traffic ahead of me very easily when I am in a hatchback. Even if there is a couple of meters gap between my car and the car in front of me, these guys would immediately attempt an overtake).

[mail4ajo]

I love to have a CUV as my next car, but hate the practice by Indian manufacturers converting a hatch to a CUV. The Etios/Polo cross were bad attempts.

I would love a Duster like CUV, preferable 5 seater with adequate space, good ground clearance and great handling. But cant digest the poor interiors/ergonomics on the Duster or hatch like dimensions of the Ecosport. So the wait continues.

[arjab]

Unsung hero...?
Perhaps one of the first "cross-over" available for sale in India. The crackling 1.6Duratec engine, a slick gearbox and a very, very comfy driving position made it a hoot to drive. Throw in generous ground clearance, large luggage space, folding rear seats and hard wearing interiors and it was something India had never seen before.
Guess the folks at Ford India had never seen it before too - as a confused market positioning, high pricing, unavailability of a diesel engine from start, cooked the Fusion's goose even before it started sales in earnest, which it never did !
What a waste of a simply brilliant car

[vineshpikale]

Originally Posted by arjab

Unsung hero...?
Perhaps one of the first "cross-over" available for sale in India. The crackling 1.6Duratec engine, a slick gearbox and a very, very comfy driving position made it a hoot to drive. Throw in generous ground clearance, large luggage space, folding rear seats and hard wearing interiors and it was something India had never seen before.
Guess the folks at Ford India had never seen it before too - as a confused market positioning, high pricing, unavailability of a diesel engine from start, cooked the Fusion's goose even before it started sales in earnest, which it never did !
What a waste of a simply brilliant car

So true! A complete waste of a brilliant car. But that I think the "price-fuel type option-car before it's time" combo was it's undoing.

Also I think the Premier Rio deserves a mention here.. they were I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that actually got a product here first.

OT In India the first mover advantage doesn't always work:
Premier Rio
Indigo CS
Ford Fusion

Of course they all had their causes.

[volkman10]

Here is the latest from US, but the scenario is not very different all over.

SUVs, including crossovers, made up 36.5 percent of new-vehicle registrations this year through May compared with 35.4 percent for sedans, according to IHS Automotive. Sedans, which held the top spot for decades, had led 36.6 percent to 33.9 percent a year earlier.

For the first time in decades, more people are buying SUVs than sedans.
Even the Detroit 3 have gotten the message, joining their Japanese and Korean counterparts with sexy, car-based crossovers such as the hot-selling Buick EncoreCrossovers, such as the Encore, also appeal to different age groups.

Younger buyers starting families are keen to trade in their small, entry-level car for a mid-range crossover.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2014...ld-love-affair

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by arjab

Unsung hero...?
Perhaps one of the first "cross-over" available for sale in India. The crackling 1.6Duratec engine, a slick gearbox and a very, very comfy driving position made it a hoot to drive. Throw in generous ground clearance, large luggage space, folding rear seats and hard wearing interiors and it was something India had never seen before.
Guess the folks at Ford India had never seen it before too - as a confused market positioning, high pricing, unavailability of a diesel engine from start, cooked the Fusion's goose even before it started sales in earnest, which it never did !
What a waste of a simply brilliant car

Couldn't agree more. Just back from a 3250kms trip in our Fusion. The return leg was only through ghats, winding district roads & some extremely bad patches in the jungle roads. Was a total hoot to drive. And wonders of wonders my knee did not trouble me nor did my shoulder!!

[Madhu_Bengaluru]

I am on a road trip with my family which includes my 5 month daughter in a Buick Enclave. Have driven more than 1000 miles from Atlanta to Niagara now, I am very impressed with both the comfort and handling. I have a Honda Civic for my daily chores, It would have been a tough task traveling in my civic for such a long journey with my lil one. I am 6 ft 2 inches tall and feel super comfortable in the Enclave than my Civic.

[JASMEET MATTOO]

Originally Posted by arjab

Unsung hero...?
Perhaps one of the first "cross-over" available for sale in India. The crackling 1.6Duratec engine, a slick gearbox and a very, very comfy driving position made it a hoot to drive. Throw in generous ground clearance, large luggage space, folding rear seats and hard wearing interiors and it was something India had never seen before.
Guess the folks at Ford India had never seen it before too - as a confused market positioning, high pricing, unavailability of a diesel engine from start, cooked the Fusion's goose even before it started sales in earnest, which it never did !
What a waste of a simply brilliant car

So true you are. So much wanted to own this car but just could not buy due to lack of funds back then. Was amazed at the combination it offered. Too bad this car didn't work out.

In fact, high pricing has wasted cars like Hyundai Tucson as well. Had heard so many good reviews of Tucson but it just did not sell.