[GreyNomad]

Since the day it launched the I was madly in love with the VW Vento. 5 years ago had bought a pre-owned 1.6 comfort line diesel. Loved it for 3.5 years. But then it started giving problems. The suspension needed to be changed and one fuel injector had to be replaced. Drive it for for another 5k kms and sold it off. In the 50k kms / 4 years ownership period, I hated the GC. One monsoon I was stranded at a crossing 1km from my house waiting for the water levels to subside while I watched even the Maruti wagon r ( my previous car) wade by. I still had considered trading it in for another Vento. But... VW has downsized the engine and lowered the GC! From an already low 165mm it had become 163! Whyyyy? We drive on Indian roads, not the damn autobahn! And the atrocious service costs plus the absolute lack of updated features finally made me look at the crossover segment. Honestly, none of the the existing sedans, in the segment, even crossed my mind.

I wanted the Ford Ecosport but family vetoed it. The comfort level, rather lack of it, coming from the Vento, was too much. Considered the Mahindra XUV300 but it was atrociously priced. Paid the pre-booking amount for the Kia Seltos but after the TD cancelled it - it failed to impress the family ( comfort wise) and me (VFM per my affordability) compared to the one I finally bought - Maruti SCross. Maruti WANTED to sell that car to me... from multiple TDs to a mouth watering deal to a very good price for my Vento ... they were the hungriest to sell me a car. The zeta version that I bought had all the features I wanted, the comfort my family wanted and the ride quality and driving manners I wanted. Made my peace with the adequacy of the 1.3MJD. Awaiting wolfMoto to visit mumbai so I can get the remap done. I miss the Vento. If VW releases a version with the GC at 170mm atleast, I’ll be tempted.

The C class sedans are uninspiring. The skoda rider rapid variant creates quite a stir recently with its VFM proposition but the GC is ridiculous- 116mm IIRC. I’m very perplexed why VAG doesn’t follow Maruti and Hyundai’s lead and increase GC by a mere few more mm and update their features. Such beautiful cars (I love their understated evergreen styling) with such balanced engines and reassuring build quality but...

[airbus]

It seems sedans are not much attractive option for car buyers nowadays. Compact SUVs and SUVs are getting lot of attention. In my friends circle many moved from hatchback to compact SUV or SUV in the last few years. Also, in some places due to condition of roads people are compelled buy higher ground clearance vehicles.

[TN13Sleeper]

Is it the end of the Sedan era? Yes
Are SUVs/CSUVs more practical for daily commute? Yes
Are SUVs/CSUVs superior to Sedans? Opinions differ. People generally get defensive about their personal decisions and rationalise it.

[rascalangel]

I love the low slung feeling in a car. Love driving my go-kart AltoK10. However my next upgrade would be definitely a CSUV. This coming from someone who lusted for years on a Mitsu Evo. Heck my favourite car is still a sedan, the GTR.

So why the CSUV? 3 reasons:
1) Roads
2) Roads
3) Bloody Roads in monsoon.

But if roads were not an issue would I buy a sedan? Actually NO. Because a hot hatch would serve my purpose, like a Polo TSI or a Turbo Altroz. I can have the same kart like driving pleasure on turns without the additional costs and weight.

In the end it's ones preference. And going by the sales numbers we know where that lies.

Another reason why sedans are dead: the EV storm that will hit in sometime. Lower weight and better parking will make hatches the prime choice while relegating sedans to chauffeur driven duties.

P.S. Absolutely love what Rivian is doing. Also the RWD Honda E and ID4.

[dhruvlath]

It’s certainly the way things are going but for an enthusiast the sedan will always remain to be the ultimate definition of a car. Nothing feels as luxurious, complete and competent on the road as a sedan does. Unfortunately the infrastructure in our country and the ease of usage is pushing the market towards the urban SUVs.

I would be most happy if they took over the hatchback market rather than the sedans.

[niranjanprabhu]

I have plotted the trend of the different form factors of Hatch, MUV, Sedqan and SUV over the last 5 years by grouping data by quarter and this is what I see

The share of MUVs and Hatches are almost the same at 10-15% and 50% respectively but the share of SUVs has gone up from 12% to 25%+ and the share of sedans has crashed from 22% to almost 10%

Its a very clear writing on the wall specially for single product companies like Honda that are very dependant on sedan sales than SUVs that they need to UP the game.

Honda has stagnated in its sedan sales and sold on average a lakh of City and Amaze combined in the last 4 years (not taking into account this year). The total market has moved from 2.75 million to roughly around 3.5 million in the 4 year period.

SUV sales in pure numbers has virtually doubled in this 4 year period.

In the last 5 quarters Hyundai and Kia have bested the entire auto sector with a whopping 50% market share. Even Hyundai alone, has stood first in the last 5 quarters

The SUV numbers are staggering. The greatest loser has been Ford whose share has plummeted from almost 15% of the SUV market in 2016 to around 5% today. Maruti did brilliantly when the Brezza was in its diesel avatar. but has fallen ever since BS6 came into the picture and the SUV went fully petrol. Mahindra too has fallen from 37% of the SUV market (Bolero is categorized as a MUV) in 2016 Q1 to around the 13-15% ballpark today.

I have collated the last 5 years of data from 2016 and am crazy analyzing it. Will go right back to 2010 to understand more.

[landcruiser123]

I'd say sedans are still going to sell, but just in smaller numbers. There is also going to be lesser focus on them as most engineering resources will be dedicated to crossovers/SUVs.

All that might change with EVs where the tall profile of SUVs can reduce range. We may see more crossovers like the Suzuki S-Cross for better aerodynamics.

Originally Posted by xcentrk

Please don't say this is part of evolution. Evolution is step-forward, not step-backward. Taking something good and replace it with less than good is not a good idea...

It is not about evolution, it is about market trends. At a point, MP3 took over CDs. In the initial years of MP3 (maybe even today), the CDs still had better audio quality than MP3. But people made the small sacrifice of audio quality for the significant gain in portability.

Manufacturers are maximizing profit by engineering better SUVs/crossovers as the tiny enthusiast market is certainly not where the big bucks are. With good monocoque chassis, they've closed gap between sedans and crossovers in terms of handling and fuel economy. So, most people are willing to sacrifice a bit of handling and fuel efficiency for a lot more space/flexibility. Think Mahindra Quanto vs XUV 300 or Hyundai Terracan vs Hyundai Palisade.

Originally Posted by GTO

I have another point to make.

The Compact Sedan segment will continue unabated...

Also, their smaller wheelbases make them acceptably driveable on bad city roads. My friend , who has a 2011 City and a 2020 Amaze is amazed by the ground clearance of the Amaze.

[ankit.livedrive]

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?

Yes, I do agree an urban city dweller with decent road infra doesn't need an SUV/pseudo-SUV. But then most of them don't need a sedan either.

Honestly, most of our city trips, errands can be easily completed with a humble hatchback or max with a premium hatchback. Generally, we don't really need that extra boot space of sedans.

IMHO, SUVs overshadow sedans in terms of practicality(60:40 split seat, completely rolled down rear seats), road presence, and as a matter of my personal choice, I find a higher seating position to be more comfortable for those long journeys.

[sidhu.algods]

My 2007 Honda City with 265K on Odo is begging for an update since few years. I kept on postponing the inevitable citing many reasons like BS6, need to buy 3rd car as my parents are moving in, to be with their grand children etc.

My plan is to go for D segment sedan something like BS6 Octavia or Civic, now the dilemmais: Sedan again or crossover/SUV? Mind says crossover/SUV, but heart beats for Octavia.

Suggestions will be appreciated.

[andafunda]

Y

Originally Posted by sidhu.algods

My plan is to go for D segment sedan something like BS6 Octavia or Civic, now the dilemmais: Sedan again or crossover/SUV? Mind says crossover/SUV, but heart beats for Octavia.

Suggestions will be appreciated.

I had the same dilemma. Just couldn't justify buying a crossover / SUV. The only ones I really liked were SCross, Harrier and Compass. Horror experience videos on YouTube from across the world were enough for me not to consider the Jeep. SCross is a great car but I wanted an upgrade. Harrier is a superb package but the dealership experience scared me off.

Then I drove the Civic. Absolutely loved it. Skoda/VW fans will sneer at the CVT and pick-up. Pickup is not the only thing about a car. It is about an overall experience of ride quality, safety, reliability and design, among other things.

I would strongly advise you to watch John Cadogan's video on transmissions before you let the German car fanboy brigade influence your purchase. I drove a Skoda before this and absolutely hated the ownership experience.

[ashver9133]

I think this is a worldwide trend. I am from Sydney and this is the situation across Australia as well. The top 10 best selling cars has only 1 sedan - Kia Cerato (also sold as a hatchback).

[sumeethaldankar]

It all depends on the features a vehicle offers. Tomorrow if a Tesla S is launched people are going to forget that it is a sedan type vehicle and go for it's liquid fuel less drive. Today's crossover offer the same features as per Sedan's which were/are considered superior to say hatchbacks at the same price. With that you get better ground clearance etc.

This trend is worldwide and everywhere people have better roads than us but they still continue to get crossers over sedans. So the argument of us buying crossovers because of poor infrastructure is just an excuse to shift to the new "trend". Sedan's killed station wagons once. The wagons are still there and are made by the likes of Volvo.

Sedan's one day will become the plaything of the very rich as once a commodity become rarer their value increases as everyone will be buying crossovers and they will become a common thing. So it is safe to it is not all going to die. There will be still sedan's on the road, just the numbers would be less. We will probably see only luxury versions if the crossover onslaught continues in the future.

[ssenhyd]

Originally Posted by andafunda

Y
Then I drove the Civic. Absolutely loved it. Skoda/VW fans will sneer at the CVT and pick-up. Pickup is not the only thing about a car. It is about an overall experience of ride quality, safety, reliability and design, among other things.

I would strongly advise you to watch John Cadogan's video on transmissions before you let the German car fanboy brigade influence your purchase. I drove a Skoda before this and absolutely hated the ownership experience.

https://Youtu.be/4OSDw-uyP98 -

Pushing DCT autos on unsuspecting and gullible Indian vehicle owners and drivers who would be driving their vehicle 99% of the miles in city stop and go traffic in the guise of promising awesome acceleration is an inexcusable con-job performed by VW/Skoda/Ford/Kia/Hyundai on Indian car drivers..

DCT makes sense in racing cars and belong there as they do a wonderful job in that scenario, but are actually the worst choice for an automatic drive in day to day driving in the city or most other places. That is the reason most DCT in India fail prematurely leading to very expensive repairs.

Thanks for sharing this informative video

[ssenhyd]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

It all depends on the features a vehicle offers. Tomorrow if a Tesla S is launched people are going to forget that it is a sedan type vehicle and go for it's liquid fuel less drive. Today's crossover offer the same features as per Sedan's which were/are considered superior to say hatchbacks at the same price. With that you get better ground clearance etc.

This trend is worldwide and everywhere people have better roads than us but they still continue to get crossers over sedans. So the argument of us buying crossovers because of poor infrastructure is just an excuse to shift to the new "trend". Sedan's killed station wagons once. The wagons are still there and are made by the likes of Volvo.

Sedan's one day will become the plaything of the very rich as once a commodity become rarer their value increases as everyone will be buying crossovers and they will become a common thing. So it is safe to it is not all going to die. There will be still sedan's on the road, just the numbers would be less. We will probably see only luxury versions if the crossover onslaught continues in the future.

I think that even if sedans came out with higher GC similar to that of cross overs, people would still by the cross over.

I think, and I may be wrong, most people are attracted to Crossovers and SUVs because of their macho, aggressive and domineering look. It makes one feel sporty, bold, aggressive and dangerous..

The rest of the reasons provided are just add-on to this single domineering fact IMO

[SgtRepeat]

Originally Posted by noopster

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.

Neither the Creta nor the Seltos offers better interior space than the City. When it comes to interior space, the City and Ciaz are unbeatable.

Unless you're looking at the Harrier or the XUV5OO.