[Vijay T]

I have voted for sticking to SUV or high seating car.

I have switched from Zen to Zylo to XUV 500.

Once you are used to commanding position of SUV, the low seating seems and feels to be uncomfortable.

Currently staying for month & half in London with daughter who took us to Lake districts for small adventure vacation.

We drove latest Polo. Driving dynamics were awesome but for me 60 plus & relatively fitter & active, still it was labourious to get in & out of car. Also those huge, tall multiaxles driving along at almost same speed is unnerving.

That experience sealed my decision to stick to SUV or high seating position.

[jkrishnakj]

Used to be driving an Esteem earlier. Used to love the low seating position and enjoy most of the long drives, till I switched to the Safari(old).

It was almost a bully on the roads and go anywhere mode always. It’s only during the times that the wife drives the safari and I end up in the middle seat, I used to fondly remember my esteem.

In our Leh drive from Bangalore in my friends xuv 500 a few years back, I had to occupy the middle seat from Thane to Chittorgarh. We had not even reached Nasik, before I started throwing up badly due to the body roll. We don’t realise it when in the drivers seat.

Today I have a fast Sedan and a Crysta and I comfortably switch between both. Inside the city, it’s strictly the Crysta though.

[cryptarchy]

After experiencing long drives in low seating position, I would prefer high seating anyday.

[PrideRed]

Current crop of sedans, you don't sit as low as say Esteem/Cielo/Lancer. Yes there are few exceptions like the 5 series, Civic which makes you sit quite low. There is not much difference in seat height of say 3 series and X1. Unless you are comparing to say Body on Frame SUV or a taller SUV like XUV, there isn't significant difference.

I have all Body on Frame at home and would I shift? May be. But if at all I do, have to change my driving pattern, restrict where I can take the car, limit no. of people on board/luggage. The sedans though are faster, comfortable on 4 lane highway. As someone else mentioned Sedans are cheaper to purchase, but given how market is, they depreciate more too.

Fast sedans can be fun but a good SUV can be fun too on daily basis. For example folks who drive Mangalore- Bangalore know the road conditions. On 4 lane highway the sedans and crossover seem to have lot of fun, they were being driven at high speed. Come Hassan-Sakleshlur, it was fun on a body frame SUV, running circles around sedans/hatchbacks. Depending on what you intend to do, both can be fun.

[JJ1991]

Higher seating anyday, positives are higher visibility and a commanding position along with less trolling by autos and other bigger cars. In other other hand it might not a be fun to be on the rear seat on longer runs.

[mohitchalla]

While I do enjoy the driving dynamics and a low seating position of a sedan, I prefer the ease of ingress/egress and long-drive comfort that the higher seating position of a crossover/SUV offers.

For my daily, city driver, I would pick a small crossover that is easy to drive, offers high seating, good visibility and is also pocket-friendly.

[Small Bot]

I currently drive a hatchback (i10) and a crossover (i20 Active - more like a hatch on stilts actually). I have also test driven the Creta and the Verna within a month of each other and here are my personal views around the seating position bit:

- I currently live in an area full of potholes, with a poorly constructed and lumpy railway crossing on my way to office. So ground clearance is a major factor for me. Also, I can see the road (and the obstacles it can throw up) a lot better, faster and for a longer distance when in a higher seating position. I can get a longer reaction time to do some defensive driving, in case of unforeseen situations.

- Parking might seem more more difficult with an SUV, but since I can actually SEE the space around me a lot better, I can park it easier, irrespective of the rearview camera. Makes sense? Of course, this depends on the SUV size as well, so it's not always easy.

- I am 1.89 metres tall and while I can get into a low-slung car like a Verna, I don't particularly enjoy the ingress and egress. In my i10, I basically have to pull myself out. The i20 Active is better as I have adjusted the seat height to the maximum. The Creta was very comfortable to get out of - as I had to just swing my legs out, no need to boost myself upward.

- A higher seating position means that my thighs get to be somewhat parallel to the floor instead of sticking up at an angle. It's a lot more comfortable even without adequate under-thigh support. The pedals are also easier to depress with the feet, and it reduces some strain on my ankle.

- Most of the drivers who come in the opposite direction with their brights on, tend to be cab drivers. And most cab drivers drive sedans. It would be lesser strain on my eyes to not have to look directly at those brights, but rather at a downward angle. I'm able to figure out the road a little better when at a higher position, even when some genius has their brights on and coming directly at me. This might be anecdotal only, but that's what I've experienced. <shrug>

So, all-in-all, for my current usage and current location, I would rather go with a higher seating position only.

But if my usage shifts to highways (fast speeds and good roads) in the future, I might pick a lower seating position just for the feeling of more control while being a lower CoG.

[Autocaptive]

If I could vote I'd wholeheartedly say yes, you can move from a crossover/SUV to a sedan as I've done so myself. Drove our XUV500 for 5-6 years before moving to a Hyundai Verna and I'm thrilled with the fact that I can take it almost anywhere except for the very very bad countryside roads.

Sedans have always been the gold standard for me when it comes to ride, handling and looks. That being said the low seating position does get tiring especially if you have a bad back. In fact I take up so much space in my Verna which is already low on rear seat legroom that my friends and family call it a coupe rather than a sedan

[bht]

Moved from 2006 Honda city to Duster110 and i don't think I'll ever go back to sedans again...

[Avi Verma]

No I would not.

We had a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe that was very impressive both in city traffic and on highways. Shifting from the Santa Fe to the BMW 3 Series GT has made us feel a little hesitant in the city traffic because people do give way to a higher vehicle than a vehicle with usual height. High Seating Position does play a major role in making your way through the traffic.

[Thegermanbadger]

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

Background:
Incase i plan on upgrading, i want to know the experience of others who might have made this change. I was planning on ignoring the whole sedan segment.

I had a mk1 vrs and immediately started to drive my Nissan xtrail after i sold it. It was a great car and did not really make me miss my vrs. But slowly in the 3rd year of ownership I started to crave a sedan again. It was probably more to do with the power and dynamics of a sedan.

I replaced the xtrail with 3 sedans. A 1.8tsi manual passat (the cheapest turbo petrol i could find), a e60 530i (for the 250 bhp) and a e90 325i (now sold).

Drove them for a year about 20000kms and then craved the higher seating, better ride, practicality, ground clearance and just easier living in big India city driving. I got a massive lc120 prado and then a f25 x3.

I have 2 sedans and 2 suvs currently and keep switching from 1 to the other. I got all my cars used and have no regrets. For the cost of a Octavia or compass, I got all my cars. Keeps me entertained and I use the car I need when I need it.

Overall a good suv is the best compromise like the xtrail or x3. Car like dynamics with all the practicality and 'go anywhere of suvs'. I do a fair bit of highway driving and an suv is definitely a better bet on our roads. In a 6-8 hundred km journey it's tough to get even 200 kms of proper tarmac currently. It's usually riddled with potholes or diversions or traffic or potholes!

Even with the x3 which can cruise at the speed limit all day i prefer the lc120 on the highways just because it is more relaxing to not worry about what you're driving over. Not having to constantly focus on the road surface. This is when my prado is petrol and gives like 6 km/l on a normal drive on the highway and is not happy above 120.

Cheers

[Guna]

If you are used to the high seating position and if you are on taller side (and getting older ), getting in and out of a low seating car will be an issue. I could simply walk in/out of a crossover but on my i20, I need to struggle a bit to get out (getting in is not so much of an issue)

[rakesh_r]

SUVs for me, that too a BOF RWD and 4x4 if possible. The state highways of Maharashtra is very bad to an extent, it gets a bit frustrating even in my SCross. Recently drove the new Gurkha and it completely blew me over, the way it dismisses bad roads, all i need to is to just hammer the accelerator without even slowing down.

[drift2race]

I own a sedan , Ciaz petrol and the biggest problem is the low ground clearance . Living around Delhi NCR you will encounter potholed roads and even speed breakers which scrape the car . Thus unwittingly i will upgrade to a SUV in 2022 , most probably either Safari or Creta .

[Kumaran93R]

I learnt driving in my dad's opel astra which had 145mm ground clearance if I remember it right. Taking speed breakers at an angle was the only way I knew how to take speed breakers. I moved over to a Vento and now a fiesta 1.6S.

Frankly, I didn't understand why people would get a suv / crossover, till the time I had to start driving in Bangalore's roads. Then I realised that I was doing 90% of my driving in TN's highways and that good smooth roads were the exception and not the norm.
I'd still get a low slung sedan till the time I'm in TN. Would switch to a crossover with good enough handling, like the compass when I'd have to live anywhere with bad roads.