[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

They sell in India mainly because of the roads we have and the 'SUV' marketing. Also the SUV definition is India is very misleading. SUV or sports utility vehicles, should have offroad capabilities and 4WD. Else it is an MUV or a bloated hatch. Again just my opinion.

Agree on the Biriyani bit.

At the end of the day A Jeep compass or an Ignis 4WD is the same. A duster and a Panda 4wd is the same. Remove 4WD from duster/compass and you can't call them a hatch because they don't look like it. SUV is a shape , nothing else.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

For me Compact SUVs are like Veg Biryani. A scam ! No offense to Vegetarians. It's just my opinion.

In terms of practicality and space they donot offer anything more than a hatchback. Still a 5 seater and sometimes more cramped than some hatches around e.g Ecosport. Even when you go to the Maruti website, an Spresso is under the MUV/SUV dropdown along with Ertiga and Brezza. They sell in India mainly because of the roads we have and the 'SUV' marketing. Also the SUV definition is India is very misleading. SUV or sports utility vehicles, should have offroad capabilities and 4WD. Else it is an MUV or a bloated hatch. Again just my opinion.

Hilarious. I agree with you. Jazz, Baleno have much more space, especially rear, than Ecosport, Venue, Sonet. Ground clearance? Let's see. Baleno has 170mm GC. Venue has 190mm. That is less than an inch difference. There are people who travel 4 up and luggage in an Alto Swift to Ladakh Leh and back without any GC issue. Hatchbacks/sedans just do fine on our roads. I have never scraped any sedan/hatchback even in the worst of roads. Hatch/sedans handle better, perform better, are more fuel efficient and come more loaded than mini-SUVs. Does it mean I dislike SUVs? Hell, no. I like SUVs for the second floor driving and birds eye-view of the traffic around you at traffic-lights. But, you will get that only in big boy SUVs like Fortuner, Endeavour, Scorpio, safari etc. No, even Innova, XUV500 won't do. Forget about other mini-SUVs. They are neither here nor there.

[amarprusty]

Nothing beats the Hatchback in City and Highway Driving with lower body roll compared to Compact-SUV however if our drive is in village and small towns with bad roads then higher ground clearance takes priority over body roll

CSUV - New Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite is tough fight to Hatchbacks Suzuki Baleno and Tata Altroz as they are in similar price range

Sub Rs 10 Lac Electric Hatchbacks to be launched shall add a new competition angle with petrol-diesel cost reaching Rs 100/litre in 2021

[amit_purohit20]

I feel that within city CSUV's do not hold much tangible difference over hatchbacks.
But with my driving experience on highways - National/State and rural roads
A higher ground clearance is much required to clear bad roads/ speed breakers / while going down the road shoulder and clear big unsuspected potholes which can nearly brake your suspension. All this stands more true when you are having 5 people and loads of luggage in your car.
A CSUV may not have a body on ladder construction but I feel it has little more robust suspension than a hatchback. This is of prime importance when going over unsuspecting large potholes/speed breakers while driving at triple digit speeds.

A larger road presence helps especially while driving on undivided /single lane roads.

A larger wheel size helps the wheel climb easily over a pothole step and it reduces the stress inflicted on the suspension components.

If a CSUV provides more space for rear passengers and a bigger boot it makes it a more desirable vehicle.

In todays Indian road conditions where even the best made highways throw you surprises of huge speed breakers/rumbler strips and nearly half foot depth potholes, I would anyday prefer a CSUV with whatever little or more benefits it has while crossing such obstacles.

The added benefit of CSUV's is they are easy car like to drive, do not have much inertia while changing directions and have body roll which is far less than a proper SUV . Probably provide more comfortable ride quality than few proper SUV's.
This makes it a much desired vehicle which would keep 99% of Indians happy who drive on roads and would rarely ever venture out off-road.

[rageshgr]

They are not SUVs. They are almost not cars. They are hatch like tall things. Like Rolls Royce calls it “high bodied vehicle” because no one knows. A hatch or even some above 4 m sedan will be lesser or equally priced, yet more poised, stable, dynamically superior, more agile and lighter and looks way better.

[Kalash_6324]

Originally Posted by Researcher

1. More usable features compared to the SUV: If memory serves me right, Baleno had auto-dimming IRVM, UV Cut glass, HID headlights and a coloured MID, which the Brezza then did not have (manual dimming, no UV Cut, halogen projectors and a monochrome MID).

This is quite specific, and in the grand scheme of things might prove to be trivial.
My opinion is that a hatchback north of 10 lacs only makes sense as a hot hatch/enthusiast version, and for the average Joe, beyond 10 lacs a hatchback simply does not make sense since it just won't beat the practicality of a CSUV, or even a sedan for that matter.