[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just look at the sedan graveyard in the 18 - 40 lakh price band (D1 & D2). There are hardly any sedans left, but the SUV / Crossover options are endless. Heck, more D1 & D2 sedans have gotten discontinued than are on sale (Cruze, Corolla, Accord, Jetta, Passat...).

Keeping this in mind, If I was planning to buy a Civic next year, Will I be plain stupid. Will there be issues with parts/ long term maintenance/ Resale?

[CarNerd]

It's good that we now have more SUVs & Crossovers than we had 15-20 years back. I have never liked the low seating of sedans. It kind of feels that you are being dragged on a carpet!
Add to that poor visibility & bad ride quality. So a SUV definitely makes more sense for our roads. Also sitting higher gives you a sense of safety & confidence.

[Tucker48]

Yes, sedans are loosing this battle and they are very unlikely to turn it around. Sedans will never be able to sell in huge numbers again in my opinion. Or until we get flying cars.
The future belongs to crossovers with low center of gravity. And, electric vehicles do provide that opportunity. It's just the current set of CSUV's, wannabe crossovers need to evolve in order to handle better, which they will once people will start rejecting the current generation. Do we need a vehicle with more than 200mm of GC just to tackle bad roads and illogical speed breakers. I think a GC of 180mm is more than sufficient. Let's see what happens in future but I do really hope that one day we get crossovers that handle like sedan.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by Tucker48

Yes, sedans are loosing this battle and they are very unlikely to turn it around. Sedans will never be able to sell in huge numbers again in my opinion. Or until we get flying cars.
The future belongs to crossovers with low center of gravity.

Its been in the making in India too since the Creta. Ecosport, Nexon and Venue tasted success. Just see the combined sales of these cars since 2015 and compare it with the C1+C2 sedans. I think you will see that the tide has turned, especially now with the Seltos, Sonet and new Creta in the mix.

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by CarNerd

It's good that we now have more SUVs & Crossovers than we had 15-20 years back. I have never liked the low seating of sedans. It kind of feels that you are being dragged on a carpet!
Add to that poor visibility & bad ride quality. So a SUV definitely makes more sense for our roads. Also sitting higher gives you a sense of safety & confidence.

Absolutely agree with you!.

Seated low is a huge disadvantage on our roads. I want to see what is happening way ahead of me. If you have been driving only a Sedan and one day you actually drive an SUV/crossover, that is when you realise what you have been missing all these days.

And as for ground clearance, it is not the odd bad road or a big hump. It is the unpredictability of our roads. The same road that you have driven over in the morning may not be the same in the evening. A huge stone or manhole jutting out will surprise you in the evening!.

We want to just drive over them instead or worrying what kind of damage can happen underneath.

Many years ago, it was either Hatches or Sedans or a big jump to behemoths like Scorpio.

The Crossovers have bridged that gap beautifully by combining the best of both worlds .

Though Sedans have their own charm, they are probably on their way out.

[AMG Power]

In the evolution of anything there is always progress. For the better. This applies to everything - animals, plants and even products we use and that includes automobiles.

A natural progression in the case of automobiles would be from A to B to C to D segment and then maybe be performance sedans or sports cars. Lifestyle choices could include 4X4's and other off road vehicles.

The current crop of crossovers SUV's are an aberration or a freak phenomenon just like there are freaks occasionally in every stage of evolution. Except that in this case, the freak phenomenon appears to be more prevalent than the natural evolution.

It is something that has evolved because of a distortion / improper maturing of automotive preference on account of situations that have come to be in our lives and on our roads. It's a sort of protection against the "elements" - read that as buses, lorries, pick up trucks, autos, bad roads, bad driving, bad traffic sense and to some extent maybe even bad taste.

There are other reasons too that have caused preferences to move to SUV's but before going there I'm going to quote SS-Traveller from another thread on the typical mental make up of the car buying public:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

A Blaupunkt top-end unit and genuine wood finish facia would get more people to loosen their purse strings than whether the engine is a 2.2 or a 3.5V6. Skoda's Superb V6

Leg space takes precedence over airbags

how fast the aircon chills back seat passengers takes precedence over ABS

Here are some more reasons behind the thinking that has led to SUV's being preferred to sedans:

1. The Ego massage that comes factory fitted as standard with the car.

2. Size is might is right on our roads to protect oneself against buses, lorries, pickup trucks etc (as mentioned above)

3. Bigger means more metal and therefore more paisa vasool.

4. Rise of mediocrity in handling and driving preferences and abilities - (driving and handling what's that?? - I prefer chrome instead.)

5. Bigger families can travel - a justifiable reason.

6. Maintenance costs same as sedans except for tyres and some suspension bits - helps the paisa vasool tune.

7. Anything big and cheap and rides on diesel (and now petrol) will sell in India.

8. Easier to handle bad roads - another justifiable reason.

9. Same Kitna deta hai as sedans - helps the paisa vasool cause again.

10. Bigger also makes more space for bling, chrome, gaudy fittings - think chrome umbrella above the sunroof to keep it open when it rains.

So there goes your sedan.

[gulerianeeraj]

I believe this is just a transition state. We as humans have a habit of exploring new things. SUVs are relatively new as compared to sedan hence getting adopted more and more. The electric car era which is not very far will eventually bring back the multitude of sedans back into our market. But yes for now the state looks like it’s fading day by day.

[pratik1992]

Originally Posted by xcentrk

I agree that the GC and high commanding position and all, but I don't get why a urban city dweller who stays in a place with decent road infrastructure(in TN, we don't have such unscientific speed-breakers that's doing its duty in Bangalore) need an vehicle with SUV body-type?

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Personally the fear of bottoming out in those gigantic speed-breakers and bad roads filled with potholes drove me to look for a high GC vehicle. But sadly within 10L we didn’t really have any decent options which are reliable with good auto transmission & hence had to settle for a hatch. Maybe Sonet diesel AT addressed it now but it’s again pretty expensive touching 13L+(OTR Bangalore ) for a decent variant with auto transmission.

Sedans would anyday be more value than these sub4m hatches on stilts but unless the road conditions improve I don’t see much of a future for them. Manufacturers are happy milking the fad(SUV stance craze) , public is happy with the unchi-gaadi(high GC) feel. Value seekers need to bite the bullet. Going by current scenario it does look like the last generation of sedans(talking of proper 4.2+ m sedans here, sub4m ones I can never digest)

First of all, TN roads are AMAZING! Kudos to whoever is responsible for them.

Now, to my point, I bought a 2012 Honda City at the beginning of this year. I am the sort of person who slows down for speed breaker and takes them diagonally. Yet, I can't tell you how many times I have scraped on the speed breakers in this city that I now call my home (Bengaluru). Can't be doing 45 degree passes on every speed breaker due to traffic or narrow width of the road. On top of it I absolutely HATE the S type humps (like a sine wave - humps followed a ditch) on the roads

Just yesterday, after the rains, I went on this normal (by Bengaluru standards) looking hump at around 5 KMPH, and BAM! Car bottomed out really hard, in a non-normal way, as it passed it. Had to stop and check, well well, I now have an underbody cladding that's peeled on the front right side, and dislodged at the other diagonal end. All thanks to the massive ditch (probably over 15cm in depth) that followed the almost triangular speed breaker (another 10-15 cm in height). Had my mum in the car, so put on a poker its-okay face. But I was crying inside. :(

I love my car. That low slung arrow look, the fantastic smooth engine, the fill-it-shut-it-forget-it reliability. But these city roads are now making me question my decision of buying this car. If I add a second car to my garage, it's going to be a hatchback on stilts or an SUV, and City will be left for highway runs, where it is oh-so-amazing. However, if I maintain a one car garage, I have to say the next one will be an SUV, no matter how much I drool for the 3 series. As long as I am in Bengaluru, I am never buying a sedan again.

[clementw]

I feel that the driver driven would prefer a sedan to a SUV so that segment may continue though it will be a niche. Those who like to drive seem to be preferring SUVs, crossovers, CSUVs because of the big car feel and the state of roads.

I agree that driving sedans are fun especially on the highways, some sedans put such a big smile on the face.

[NDK286]

I have always been a sedan guy. As far as the 'practical' nature of SUVs and other body shapes, I think in India its mainly down to -
-Ground clearance
-Road presence (Bigger is better)
-perceived "toughness"
-Space to cram in as much as possible

I think there is a great market for Estate/station wagons in India. The Octavia Estate and Superb Estate have HUGE amounts of interior space. Well specced estate cars are great to drive, tons of space, arguably much safer than SUVs. Being a family man, I would much rather have a Golf R Estate than a T-Roc R or a Tiguan R for example.

[ron_9191]

I love cars. Particularly, seadans. I have been living with one for 13 years now and not once have I regretted having it on the highway. It just makes the who drive totally worth it. The car I have is a 2007 Baleno Vxi. Definitely, it is not the kind of car that comes with all the creature comforts of today's cars that rely heavily on electronics and a ton of information systems. Me on the other hand love cars that are more analog in nature. The Baleno, OHC VTEC, the Gen 8 Honda Civic, and the first-gen Skoda Octavia VRS are probably the kind of cars I could afford to own. Like I mentioned earlier, analog, in your face and what you do is what you get. This will always remain the same with me and a lot of people like me in this forum.

The current trend of automobiles in India is absolutely vomit-inducing to me. Particularly the mini-suv's. What really is a mini-SUV?? To my mind, a proper SUV, whether it happens to be micro, mini, mega or giga has to have features that makes the car off road worthy. I don't mean to say it should be capable for a trip to the north pole, at least an AWD system for a start. The only vehicles I can relate here as proper entry/mid-level SUV's are only 2 vehicles, the Skoda Yeti and the Renault Duster AWD. The rest of the competition, I am lost for words.

The only advantage I see for the mini-suv's is when you take your car out on our city roads, particularly Bangalore. A car with a higher GC is the thing to go for in a chaotic place like Bangalore and most of our cities in India. And if sedans are going away because our works departments don't know/care about building proper roads and maintaining them, we are definitely in for a treat with some of the ugliest things on the road. I think it has already started with cars like the Nissan Kicks (what were they thinking?)

[aaggoswami]

Couple of months ago, I bought Used 2014 Honda City petrol while selling off my 2015 Swift Vxi. Today am back from a 560+ kms trip Saurashtra trip in my City. Sedans have better comfort on smoother roads as compared to Crossover/SUV. But come broken roads or bad roads and sedans are just the wrong choice of tool to face those stretches. And bad/broken roads are not going to disappear from Indian subcontinent. Add to the flooding Indian cities face and sedans feel like an uncomfortable, impractical choice. Even in a hatchback like Swift I was more confident facing bad roads than City.
After reaching home, I regret not taking my Innova for this trip. It would definitely have been much better suited to traverse Indian terrain than City. Sedans have their own charm, comfort and low Center of Gravity does help where a lot of directional changes are required. But days of Sedans are limited in my view. There would still be a small segment of buyers who would get sedans as 2nd or 3rd car in their garage. But sedans getting the sales crown back from crossover/SUV is not happening, not atleast in foreseeable future.

[armaan_singh]

I get a headache when driving an SUV for more than a few miles, for some reason I don't feel connected to the road at all and given that the body is in a state of motion my head starts to spin when I sit too far up or in a "Commanding Position".
Also Sedans for some reason have always oozed class and finesse, something which I just don't find in SUV's. Case in point : I much prefer the overall ride quality and handling of my Civic rather than my Dad's Fortuner.

But yes we are a dying breed indeed.

[noopster]

This really is a timely and relevant thread. I find myself in the market for a primary vehicle after 10 years and can't believe how much the landscape has changed within that time. Back then my final choice was between the VW Vento and the Honda City (Hyundai launched a new Verna the following year, else it would also be in the list). Other contenders, albeit stretching beyond my budget, were: Skoda Laura, Chevrolet Cruze and Toyota Altis. Notice one striking common factor: they are all sedans!

This time the choice has the Kia Seltos with close-runners being Hyundai Creta, Tata Harrier, MG Hector and, with some stretching the Toyota Innova Crysta or a <3 year old Ford Endeavour (the only used option I even considered). See something common? NONE of these is a sedan.

I don't even know when this change happened in my mindset: I'm pretty sure I have voted for "sedan" in the definitive sedan vs SUV thread. I love the low seating position in my Vento and how it grips the road even now. But something has changed- it can't be just me!

The C-segment sedans as we knew them have come under twin attack from the booming crossover segment at the top but also from the sub-4m segment below. At the time I bought my Vento I think the ugly first-gen Swift Dzire was the only option there: today you have the Amaze, Aura, Tigor, Aspire in the bolt-on boot category, plus the Brezza, Ecosport, XUV300, Nexon, Venue and Sonet if you include the made-for-India ultra-compact crossovers. Also truth be told, manufacturers have been cruel to their own sedan offerings: bar Honda, Hyundai and Maruti (Nexa), nobody has bothered really- VW and Skoda still sell the same car 10 years later, Ford discontinued the Fiesta after a half-hearted diesel-only relaunch, Skoda launched the Laura replacement in a higher segment and Toyota's Yaris has been an utter flop.

As a buyer you tend to wonder whether buying a sedan in this climate is even worth it and hence the premium crossover "hatches on stilts" become a tempting option. While the top-end Honda City easens your wallet by 18 big ones, it's really a no-brainer to shell out a lakh or two more and get a spanking new Seltos or Creta, which offer a higher seating position, easier ingress/egress, better interior space and more imposing presence.

I would stop short of declaring the end of the sedan era however: for the chauffer driven owner, a Skoda Superb or Corolla Altis still offers considerable value. And maybe in my mid-50s I want to toodle about town in an E-class or 5-series. But as a sensible choice for the family, there are enough and more alternatives to the sedan today!

[andafunda]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

Keeping this in mind, If I was planning to buy a Civic next year, Will I be plain stupid. Will there be issues with parts/ long term maintenance/ Resale?

I just booked a Civic. Let's put it this way. If you've got your heart on a particular type of car and you are happy with its driving dynamics, you should go with what you desire.

As for long term reliability, I'd rather have a "boring" Civic (that's in its 4th iteration of the 10th generation) that chugs along than a Skoda SUV that races past but then spends half of its life waiting for parts in the service center, or a Hyundai crossover that stops braking when it desires.

Originally Posted by armaan_singh

I get a headache when driving an SUV for more than a few miles, for some reason I don't feel connected to the road at all and given that the body is in a state of motion my head starts to spin when I sit too far up or in a "Commanding Position".

This! I used to do a lot of road trips for work and each time I sat in a Fortuner / Innova / Creta I felt like puking at the end of the trip. Never had the feeling in any sedan, even the humble Dzire.