[DrSumit]

In Mumbai I do the JVLR everyday. Naturally "shooability" plays a very important factor. I drive an Elantra on most days and a Tiago on some. Somehow, I find myself way more aggressive in the smaller car. On days I need a slightly faster commute (can't do much on this infamous stretch), I choose the Tiago.

For me it boils down to affordability: How much does it cost me? I find it way more reassuring to shoo away autos with my Tiago, knowing well I can replace the ORVM without causing my finances too much of a dent. I shudder to think of replacing an Elantra's ORVM!

Also, I think the brand plays a minor role. Tata cars have historically been revered by taxis/autos. My experience dates back to our Tata Indica on Kolkata roads - only the Amby taxis flexed more muscle. I am sure Mahindras (as an example) would enjoy the same "brute" perception? On the other hand, I have always felt a bit concerned about traffic too close to my Maruti/ Volkswagen. Note that build quality or price don't define this factor.

Incidentally my first car was an M800, and I was in the Navy back then, posted in Colaba. Cars parted ways when I drove with utter (albeit observant) nonchalance. Those of you who've been in Mumbai would know why! But then, that's game theory, right?

[PrasannaDhana]

I drive a very small Kwid/celerio, a long ciaz and a huge Storme.

I don't find much effort in changeovers. I drive all the cars the same. Never had any instance of bigger vehicles trying to intimidate me when I drive the Kwid. Perhaps I drive it the same way I drive my Safari Storme.

All the cars have their own merits and demerits when it comes to City vs Highway driving. The best to me is the ciaz. Not too big nor too small, yet comfortable and adequate at expressway speeds.

Only thing I can notice during changeovers is the ease of parking. I can literally leave the Kwid anywhere on the street corner and walk away without disturbing anyone while my Storme would block half the road.

[silverado]

I use my Nano when I need to visit Main Pune city. My other car is a much wider Baleno which I don't relish driving inside city.

The biggest change for me is parking, Nano being without power steering but the plus side is really small footprint. It really is unbeatable in Main Pune city areas where 2 wheelers rule. High seating position is a boon and you don't feel intimidated by SUV's and other high cars.

Since Nano is very compact, I tend to drive it much faster in congested areas. I admit you can drive in slightly more aggressive fashion in compact cars ( In traffic ).

The biggest positive is Nano simply does not attract any miscreants IMO, and you can park it without worrying about it much.( being an old car )

[ShivrajG]

Very interesting thread and discussion.
I had a XUV-500 W10 2015 - 2019, which made way for Tata Nexon XZ (D). Both are very distinct in their categories, however I do miss the revv and grunt which XUV500 had in the Nexon. Nexon is a small car in comparison to XUV however it has other advantages in terms of traffic drive, parking and road handling.

Road presence I would say XUV was a king on the road and Nexon is always like a regular car.
I miss my XUV-500 on long highway drives however I do love the way Nexon Drives in city and on the highways.

[Aqua]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

I was a jeep man and in the late 1980's got myself a Maruti 800 (SB 308). It was frail and having been used to driving jeeps, I had to groom myself to own and drive the 800cc microcar,.
My question to other friends is "how do you cope up with such a changeover from a mighty to a less mighty daily driver ?"

So my first own car was an i10 and the current car is i20, both are small cars only. So I have to take care about saving my car from even the two wheelers forget the auto guys.


But when I had to take my extended (6 people together) to an outing once and I had hired TATA Hexa from Zoomcars. That experience was something else only. Except for more heavier vehicles than the Hexa, everyone used to give way. Loved that!

[AMG Power]

Someone I know has an old zen that he uses as a beater car. He takes the "beater" word literally and uses the zen to "beat" auto drivers into place by banging into them if they come close. The Zen serves this "beater" role very well.

He recently bought a Skoda Rapid after several years of the Zen. Trouble is, habits die hard and on one of his initial drives he banged into an auto just because the guy came close. His wife shouted at him and that's when he woke up from his reverie and realised that he was banging autos with the wrong car.

A fairly large bill followed. Watching this space for the next update.

[GTB]

The minute I step into a car, I adapt to its dimensions. I don't feel any difference. With a small car, it is very easy to fit in any place, to park and fun to drive in the city.

For me,
Small Car = City Car
Big Car = Highway Car

[nasa_hubble]

Sub-4m CSUV it is!

A sub-4m Compact SUV is the perfect choice for a daily driver in the city and highway. Get the best of both worlds at reasonable cost.

For people already owning a hatch and an SUV, its the hatch that should be more convenient if its for office commutes in city limits, errands. The parking, lane change, U-turns, the cost of owning one all contibute to a much more satisfying experience overall.

On the other hand people doing daily commutes on highways or on work sites it is the CSUV/SUV that is much better option.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

My question to other friends is "how do you cope up with such a changeover from a mighty to a less mighty daily driver ?"

To answer the question above in brief "Great peace of mind!" But only if you love the main car and the latter is a beater.

While I was extremely comfortable with the Innova inside the city even in heavy traffic the i10 auto (2011 model) offers great peace of mind in similar situations. It is an absolute joy! I am not worried when bikers try to squeeze through. I love the i10 so much now that I am slowly starting to spend on it and I am worried that I might soon declassify it as a beater

[turbowhistle]

I frankly enjoyed the change alot! I owned two cars till I moved out of India and had no problem shuffling between both due to similar dimensions. The only bother was totally different engines.

Most people use small car on weekdays and the SUV on weekends/highways. My case was bang opposite, I was using a blacked out Duster for my office runs everyday on JVLR and I loved the aggressive nature of the car. Most of the cabs/autos stayed away from it and I used to free reign wherever possible. I was doing 100 km everyday so I was totally used to the power and dimensions.

My weekend ride was a petrol i20 which is not exactly a small car itself but was much simpler to drive and own than the Duster. It also drank petrol like nobody’s business and we almost stopped taking it out of city solely for that reason. The NA petrol was really slow but it was butter smooth compared to the duster.
I never had longish drives in the i20 after buying Duster so never had problems switching between both.

[Kosfactor]

Anyone remember this vehicle?



Pic courtesy Karlosdeville TBHP trekker thread.

This vehicle was far easier to drive than an M800 or an Ambassador during it's days, it was surprisingly peppy to drive with better gearshift and excellent visibility.

I got my license in this, I'm sure there are many others here as well.

[bikertillidie]

I am driving a Hyundai Eon lately, and I must say, it is a pleasure driving such a tiny hatch in the city.
The ability to squeeze into tiny gaps is something I love the most (it's frugal too).
However, I miss the comfort of larger vehicles and am bullied by almost all cars, motorcycles, two wheelers

Wish I had my CJ3B here in Pune..!

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

My question to other friends is "how do you cope up with such a changeover from a mighty to a less mighty daily driver ?"

I am finding it quite difficult. Previously I had to switch between a Bolero and Thar. Though they are quite different to drive, they have a lot in common as well, specially when it comes to size. Now I am switching between a Mini and a Range Rover Sport and frankly speaking, it is difficult. The size difference is huge and on top of that the Mini has a manual transmission and the RRS has an automatic. I have been driving manual cars for over 25 years, but after driving an automatic for few days at a stretch, it feels like I am forgetting to drive a manual vehicle. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to get adjusted again. I am hoping that with time and practice, the brain will be able to adjust better and faster.

[bevivek]

I experienced this twice over the last year.

My vehicles over the past 15 years had been Scorpio, Innova and a Pajero Sports.

Last year my wife bought Mahindra e20, their electric car which is possibly the same size as the Nano. To go from the road bully status of the other vehicles to one which as the OP stated is fair game even for autos, was difficult and took some getting used to.

Further change came when early this year I decided to get back to biking and bought a used Honda CBR 250. If a Nano or e20 is the bottom of the food chain in four wheelers, imagine the condition of a 2 wheeler ! For the first few weeks, I felt naked and as if I had a bulls eye painted on my back. Actually it was worse, you felt you were invisible. Four wheeler drivers seemed to see only other four wheeler drivers !!! Two wheelers were supposed to somehow navigate among these leviathans and not get in their way. On a recent ride in Sikkim, I was forced off the road by a truck when I dared to try to enter a narrow passage. I had the right of way but the truck driver thought different.

But oscillating among these vehicles does have its advantages apart from the freshness it brings to the ride. As others have mentioned, it is so much easier to weave in and out of traffic on smaller vehicles, a feeling I had forgotten about. It has been nice to rediscover this.

[greenhorn]

I found myself at the worse end of it. Switching between my Indica and Civic -
1. Found myself taking 3 point and wide angle turns in the indica where none were required. Got used to it after a few days
2. Ended up scratching the civic while trying to park it with my head still imagining I'm driving the indica. $500 deductible and my car is no longer accident free :(

Also a long time ago, i borrowed a friend's spark while my Indica was in for repairs. Found overtaking on Kerala's dividerless roads much harder, because literally no one would give way for me (was much easier with the Indica)