[fhdowntheline]

In my view:
1) the “ handling at speed” factor while driving is grossly over emphasised. At speeds up to 120kph, all cars including large SUVs handle fairly well. Crossovers do too. Beyond those speeds it is any way unsafe and illegal in this country.
3) as pointed earlier, its more about obstacle handling capability and ramp over angles than absolute gc numbers and also about wheel articulation. A Corolla may have higher ground clearance than a WagonR or Alto. But both these will happily hop & skip over road undulations much better than the sedan.
Another example: the Honda BRV may have higher clearance on paper than the Duster and both are crossovers.. But the Duster will surely do better at the extremities of the road undulations.

[vishnurp99]

In my view, some of the crossovers like Scross and duster actually have better handling and high speed composure than a comparable sedan like a city or Verna or ciaz.
So it's difficult to say that a car will have better handling just because it has a sedan shape. It's all about the engineering that goes into it.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by vishnurp99

In my view, some of the crossovers like Scross and duster actually have better handling and high speed composure than a comparable sedan like a city or Verna or ciaz.
So it's difficult to say that a car will have better handling just because it has a sedan shape. It's all about the engineering that goes into it.

Another important factor is the tyre size. A 185/55R16 tyre (or lesser) on a Honda City, for its 4.5mx1.7m dimensions and light weight, makes it fairly skittish at high speed and uneven tarmac.

I can say for sure that my Creta 1.5D feels more composed than my erstwhile City inspite of the higher ground clearance. It is much heavier, shorter in length and has beefier tyres.

[akshay4587]

Voted No; I like my sedans Low.
Had Linea MJD EPK, never opted for the GC upgrade option.
If I have to travel to roads where my sedan may Scrape, I just take one of my SUV's.

[Axe77]

Voted Yes. As I am living this without regret having picked up a 3 GT instead of a 3 series. The way I look at my 3 GT is that it allowed me to own a car much closer to the sedan experience (almost indistinguishable for most part) without having to change my purchase direction to an equivalent SUV (usually comparable ones being more expensive and also less comfortable at the back).

I am big on practicability and given the reality of our road conditions, I feel a slightly beefed up ground clearance on a sedan simply means you can actually enjoy it more, both in terms of peace of mind while driving and also the choice of destinations where one can take it.

[playingpossum]

I quite like Estate cars.

Estate version >>> Sedan IMO

And amongst estates, the lifted versions look superb.

For example,

the Audi A4 Avant Allroad


the Volvo V90 Cross Country

[TwerkyC0ffee]

Voted NO.

Being a sedan person, I just couldn't digest the pictures in the opening posts of this thread.

Increasing ground clearance on a sedan just defeats its purpose IMO. A sedan is meant to be low slung, beautiful, long 3 box piece of art. It should have negligible body roll and superb dynamics.

I'm more oriented towards traditional body-shapes in cars. If it's an SUV, it should look like one. Same for sedan. This is the reason why I don't like this new trend of mix and match (for example, Coupé designs in SUVs - Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, BMW X6/X4 or Sedans with high ground clearance as mentioned in this thread).

I can't bring myself to digest even the compact sedans because simply put - they are disproportionate.

If at all I will have the need for a car with increased ground clearance, I'd get myself an SUV (although hesitantly).

[playingpossum]

Originally Posted by TwerkyC0ffee

Increasing ground clearance on a sedan just defeats its purpose IMO. A sedan is meant to be low slung, beautiful, long 3 box piece of art. It should have negligible body roll and superb dynamics.

This Impreza WRC cars would like a word with you





I quite like this custom lifted version as well.

[Kosfactor]

So far I think the case for a sedan with high ground clearance exists only because the three City/Ciaz/Verna is still on sale.

Reasons - Cost & Space on offer at the cost in comparison. Creta Vs Ciaz for instance.

Ride & handling, I don't think it matters anymore.

[sid_deb]

Voted NO

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

So far I think the case for a sedan with high ground clearance exists only because the three City/Ciaz/Verna is still on sale.

Reasons - Cost & Space on offer at the cost in comparison. Creta Vs Ciaz for instance.

Ride & handling, I don't think it matters anymore.

If I may share my thought, I think sedans are still alive due to the C1 (Dzire, Amaze, etc.) than C2 (Verna, Ciaz, Creta) segment. People still feel that the 4m sedans carry more "snob" value and status than the comparable hatchbacks (Baleno, i20). C1 sedans still sell over 20K+ units every month. However the C2 sedans sell only 6-7K and have been de-growing in 2021, considering the reasons correctly outlined by yourself.

Don't think the C1 segment sedans or "skewed hatches" if I may call need any increased GC.

[adi.mariner]

Voted Yes. As an erstwhile owner of SX4, the high ground clearance offered was a boon on bad roads. The driving and seating positions were also comfortable and not knees up like the other sedans in the same segment. However the soft suspension was a downer during spirited driving.

[ACM]

I prefer a higher Ground Clearance Sedan.

I have had enough of E220 prev gen hitting each speedbump.

Clearing obstacles is important for me.

So given the chance I modify every sedan I have such that there is a height increase.

A) Tyre Size upgrade.
B) RogerAB suspension buffers.

So ford Figo Aspire comes with 174mm by default. This is good but still does not get me close my min 200mm requirement to pass the worst of speedbumps.

1) Add tyre upsize:
2) Add RogerAB Buffers to front and rear.
3) Add a second Roger AB Buffer to the rear.

End result:

Ground Clearance easily exceeds 200mm.

Stability gained by wider tyres is lost in adding Buffers.

I don't get scared incase I happen to jump an unmarked speedbump that I may miss on the highway, at highway speeds.

To maintain the sporty dynamics I added splitters in the front and a custom spoiler and diffuser in the rear. - That is for another day.

So yay high GC Sedans. And that is not an excuse to loose sportiness.

[DicKy]

Ever since seeing the DeLorean in Back to the Future fitted with white wall cross ply tyres and increased ride height, had this fantasy of ordinary cars with chunky tyres and increased ride height. Something apocalyptic about them, them doing stuff they are not supposed to do. Rally cars certainly not helping the case.

I do love low slung sedans, but here am comparing high ground clearance sedans to crossovers. A high ground clearance sedan/wagon will anyday handle better than a crossover or SUV, not to say fuel efficient too.

Though I consider most crossovers as hatchbacks/stationwagons on stilts, there is something pretty cool about models like the E class All terrain and Volvo Cross country models. But manufacturers seem to have ideas of their own. The ugly Mercedes Maybach Ultimate Vision, Bentley's upcoming EV high riding sedan, the Citroen C5X, chinese market models all seem to be going for a high riding sedan or a crossover of all body styles.

[landcruiser123]

Too high will look ugly unless build for rallying. We don’t have a market for AWD mass-market sedans (a la Subaru) as we’re a country where a really small portion of residents deal with snow.

The latest Corolla to be sold in India had a 180mm GC. My neighbor in Bangalore was going gaga about how it was better than his Brio.

[Bhalla]

Wish there is a third option too. Sedan with normal ground clearance but with AWD. I love those regular sedans/hatchbacks with AWD. This is the reason why Subaru Impreza and Legacy are amongst my all time favourites. In Canadian winters (and all other cold countries with good roads),we don’t need cars with high ground clearance but AWD is added bonus during snowfalls. This setup provides extra safety on Snowy Roads without compromising on Handling.