[rainmaster]

Yes I will, I own both, a compact SUV with 200mm ground clearance which gives commanding driving position and Fiesta which sits low and appeals to enthusiast in me.

I prefer to drive sedans, no body rolls, no pitching vertical movements on highways, flat ride, can carry some speed in corners and ease of doing emergency lane change maneuvers. All of the above applies only when road condition is good. I prefer sedan for known well paved roads.

When my trip involves unknown road conditions, prefer compact SUV. When I traveled to Madurai two weeks back in rainy condition, SUV although its an compact SUV, had proven its worth. Had to cross numerous large potholes and humongous unscientific speed breakers. When my friends Verna bottomed out of on almost all big potholes, I could pass without scrapping belly.

Driver in me always prefer to drive sedan but as time moves on priorities changes, it’s an evolving preference depending on needs. I love full size sedans, all my previous cars were sedans. Necessity of owning car with higher ground clearance forced me to get compact SUV otherwise, I have no qualms in driving cars with low seating positions.

To few reaming souls who still stick with sedans , you still have some company , +1 from my side

[sunikkat]

I never owned a SUV, so first 2 options are not applicable.
However having driven most of the current SUVs / Crossovers up to 50 lakh in the market, I would definitely prefer a low seating sedan. Infact even in sedan I prefer to place my seat to the lowest.
The only time I wish to have a SUV is when I get in to an unknown terrain with broken or no roads.

[fhdowntheline]

I have switched from sedan/hatch to crossover and back during my car ownership so far and I must say that the seating position for low slung cars is more of a bother in every day driving/ urban conditions. I think the real answer to the question is the middle ground, i.e. crossovers. As indicated above, some mid-segment compact crossovers offer a fine balance between height (=visibility) and handling confidence for the driver.
High seating is useful more for specialist off-roaders or expedition vehicles like the Thar/Gurkha. For regular driving, any vehicle up to say, the Harrier's seating position is good enough.

[motorworks]

I think it’s not about what we want, but what today’s city roads allow us to do!

I have had 2 sedans ( Dzire and Rapid ) for a period of 10 years, and now have been driving a Creta for the last 3.5 years in Bangalore. The roads have got progressively worse even in the city and each day one stretch of road reminds me that I should be thankful that I’m not in a sedan! It’s not that I drive in the outskirts of the city, it’s just that everywhere you see roads being dug up for metro construction and what not. Also probably made worse due to the rains during this time of the year.

Plus, the whole madness around unscientific speed bumps, and unevenly raised platforms on roads etc. I think I have scraped my wife’s elite i20 more than 4-5 times in my limited weekend usage, and that too in supposedly normal roads.

So as much as I love sedans for their road manners, I think our the roads in our cities are just not getting better. If we are going to be driving 90% in such cities, I just don’t see how we can move away from SUVs or Cross overs.

Lastly, the comfort that some of these SUVs or Cross overs offer is quite good. I used to get a bit tired driving the Rapid after a few hours, sometimes even in the City or even highways, but the Creta seems to far more comfortable to drive and I just don’t get the feeling to stop after a long drive to stretch my legs or anything like that.

[SideView]

I should have added the below options instead of

Not sure, i own a sedan

To

C. I own a sedan would switch to SUV/crossover (budget no constraint)

D. I own sedan and would stick to a sedan.


Mods: please check if this is feasible. Thanks


Interesting reponses I wasnt expecting 20% to switch to sedans from SUV. (Maybe they should visit Bangalore for once )

[PatienceWins]

I prefer a SUV, not only for the high seating position but also for tackling our poor city roads, which gives tough competition to off road trails.

I am 6' 2" tall and the high seating position gives me a relaxed sitting posture, especially on long drives. The low seating of Sedans with poor under thigh support is very uncomfortable on long drives, even with the seat pushed all the way back.

Gives a good commanding view while driving.

[SenPai_GTi]

The choice to shift from a sedan to a SUV seems to be based around comfort, handling, space, visibility and seating position. Personally for me, practicality would be the first criteria. Since I don't have any extra requirements, nor do I feel the lack of power in my 2012 Honda City, I would not upgrade any time soon for sure. If I were to upgrade, it would only be for a 5+ seater car to adjust my future expanded family. But if I upgrade to a SUV/MUV, here would be my few pros and cons .

Things I would miss:

• Lightning quick response, Tight handling, confidence inspiring manoeuvres .
• The Vtec Punch.
• That sporty sleek look of sedans.
• Efficiency

Things I wouldn't miss:

• Belly scraping (If I set aside a rupee for every time I scraped, I could be a proud owner of F-Pace.)
• Rear Headroom.
• Being bullied by SUVs.

I would love to see an unbiased ride comparison between the Superb and the Fortuner to actually settle the whole matter.

[astrodex]

For me SUVs mean ladder on frame, so considering sedans and crossovers. I had started on sedans, moved to cross overs and are now back on sedans. Here are the things I consider.

Location: Depends on where you are. If roads are bad and you need to navigate potholes, Cross overs are better. They also provide you good visibility. But if you had good roads and open highway, sedans are the way to go.

Budget: Things are changing but you normally get more can per rupee on sedan than crossover.

Boot space: Sedans typically offer much more space, and better lockable space than their counterparts.

Age/family: Going by gross generalisation here but if you had elderly people they would prefer cross over seat height. But if you are younger, the driving experience and the reduced body roll are things you would appreciate in sedans.

Of course there are outliers here, I consider Superb more airy and functional than many of similar priced crossovers and there is no equivalent to the Seltos/Creta twins. Still my personal preference has now swayed ton sedans, mainly because of the much better driving experience they provide.

[AseemYadav]

I have been using an xuv 500 for the last 5 years. Since wife y and me are the usual travellers, I never realised how uncomfortable it is in even the middle seat. Untill we finally found ourselves in the middle seat one fine day. And God is uncomfortable. Every input on the steering hits you like a whiplash. There and then I realised the importance of low center of gravity in motion.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by SideView

Currently I drive a Terrano, one thing i like is the ride height and the overall visibility that comes with it. (Ignoring all the suspension and power aspects etc)

I am curious to know, would fellow bhpians consider sedans after moving to SUV?

If some of you have done it, why?

Cons I could think of for SUV: Body roll

I have always been a SUV owner (still own a Storme), but I love driving sedans( owned a ciaz for 6 years) and low slung hatchbacks (Polo & now Altroz). There is a driving pleasure that low Center of Gravity brings that just isn't possible with SUVs. I am talking about enthusiastic driving at upper triple digit speeds. I also like that sense of privacy that sedans give you.

[magikrider]

I currently own a crossover (XUV 500) & and sedan (Vento). It's the ideal garage to own both but due to difficult parking spaces and issues, I will have to eventually switch to Just one car unfortunately. Atleast it looks like currently and also I'm the only driver in the family also currently. I tried keep a chauffer a few times, but somehow doesn't work. I prefer self driving. And currently my cars are used usually only on weekends or night drives. And the pandemic has made it even worse. Have hardly used the cars in past two years as outtings are much less and for regular office travel, I have to uber up always due to parking issues.

So ideally a good crossover which can be a good daily drive for city as well as long distance highway journeys, would be perfect. For space, high seating and good ground clearance. And current gen crossovers look really good and the margin is getting thinner between sedans and SUVs as far as driving dynamics go, but the cost difference is getting wider as people hardly buy sedans these days and almost everyone prefer a SUV in evey price bracket. So that actually makes the sedans look attractive with big discounts on offer. Crossovers like Tiguan and Octavia are gonna be in similar price range. That'll be interesting once Tiguan is launched.

[hrk997]

Voted to stick with SUVs.

I used to drive an i20 for almost two and a half years, then I spent the next two and a half years driving SUVs, specifically a compass and an endeavour. Really got used to the driving position, and more importantly, the ground clearance. Now I'm driving a sedan again but i feel so paranoid on our roads. It's just absolutely bonkers. Half of the roads are nowhere to be found. At this rate I can only recommend complete off road SUVs. When I'm in a sedan I'm so scared if there's a pot hole I didn't spot or if the car will make it through the road without scraping. Most of the times it doesn't scrape, but that's because I'll be crawling and navigating slowly.

Peace of mind > Driving dynamics

In a country with good roads, sedans are my choice, easily. In our country, I don't understand how supercar owners go about without losing their minds.

[Haroon]

I also own a Terrano. Over the 50k kms I have used it on all kinds of roads, if you are ready to look the other way on its few inherent shortcomings, its indeed a very good vehicle for our Indian roads. Boot space is phenomenal in that segment and the rugged European build style and reasonable ground clearance is very good for all our rough and potholed roads. Even the size is not too small or too big for in-city use. I am in dilemma when I have to replace it....but it will definitely be a Crossover or SUV. Probably a pre-owned Fortuner or Hyundai Sante Fe etc, or a new Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV.

I also occasionally use for short in-city drives a few sedans of family members including a premium German one and although they have a much more softer and refined feel to them, I am CRAVING to get back to my Terrano for regular running. In the middle east when I gave my Crossover for some warranty related work, they gave me a replacement sedan. For me in addition to the crouched getting in/getting out of the car for a 6 footer like me and with my back/knees not getting any more flexible in that seating position with advancing age, one of the biggest concerns is scratching the bumpers on the pavement while parking after being used to the high ground clearance of my Crossover.

For many SUV/Crossover owners I could thing of them probably going to a sedan if he/she is a serious driving enthusiast and wants to 'enjoy' putting the pedal to the metal on some nice and silky smooth roads to get some 'momentary' thrills but IMPO it looks really difficult to go back there for your longer drive needs once used to a SUV/Crossover.

[turbowhistle]

I am 5’11” and I moved from Duster to a Mini Cooper S so I totally would do it again. But this is given my back is in prime condition and I am overall fit. If I had slight back issues, that would have been a problem and I would have bought another easy to climb SUV.

Getting inside it was tricky at first but then you get used to it and then it really shines on open roads with zero body roll.

[84.monsoon]

I constantly swap between our SUV (2020 Mahindra Thar) and German Sedan. It was weird at first, going between one of the highest seating positions to one of the lowest, on a daily basis. But it highlights the strong pros and cons of both and why, if you can have two cars at home, it would be best to have a sedan and an SUV.

On a long distance road trip on good roads, there is simply nothing to beat the sedan. The relaxed, stretched-out seating position works wonderfully for those who do not like strain on the back. The position is most confidence inspiring for higher speed driving and taking the twisties, you feel so well connected to the road and body roll is so less. Teh sheer driving pleasure of a sedan is hard to replicate in an SUV or MUV. Plus the lower drag means much better fuel efficiency.

On the other hand, if you are going to go through bad roads with big speed breakers or crater-like depressions, or if there is much rain along the way, SUV gives you the confidence that you can go anywhere. The increased visibility is probably a boon for shorter people, though it does not make much of a difference for taller drivers like myself.

Had recently.planned a long road trip out of Chennai starting early in the morning in our sedan. It rained all night and when I woke up in the morning, the roads had 6-9 inches of water. Immediately changed.plans on which vehicle was to go for the trip and now the luggage was transferred to the Thar and off we went! Another time, we had arranged an Innova for my aged Aunt and family to go on a temple trip. Due to some arthritis, she found it hard to get on and off the high set rear seat of the Innova and was worried about having to get in and out multiple times during the trip. No problem - we switched to our sedan and she was very comfortable.This is the advantage of having both a sedan and an SUV at home. Depending.on the need and/or the mood, you can switch between the two.