[.anshuman]

I have owned several sedans and SUVs. After driving both the Sedans and SUVs for lakhs of kms. all i have to say is- SUVs are not even half as involving to drive compared to cars of the same price. Even Sedans costing half the price feel more comfortable and composed of on open roads, For example the Fortuner isn't as comfortable as the Elantra a car that was sold for half it's price(I've owned both), the Scorpio feels much worse with boat like dynamics and ride.

But i do not deny the SUVs have an edge at bad roads and you don't have to worry about the damage to the vehicle all the time. The Go-Anywhere advantage(In case of 4WDs) is another added advantage.

I have both in my garage but my hands reach out for the car keys every time i am in a mood for a good drive or whenever i plan a long drive on highways.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

The only advantage you have when on an SUV is that you can zoom past the sedans on bad roads, where the sedans would be doing 20kmph.

Incidentally, I'm curious about this. Suppose you drive the sedan over bad stretches at speed. As long as you don't scrape the belly, are you really doing any more damage to your suspension than you would be in an SUV? And given that your average sedan is more comfortable over bad roads compared to an SUV (yes, exceptions exist but let's set that aside), it seems like win-win for the sedan driver

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Incidentally, I'm curious about this. Suppose you drive the sedan over bad stretches at speed. As long as you don't scrape the belly, are you really doing any more damage to your suspension than you would be in an SUV? And given that your average sedan is more comfortable over bad roads compared to an SUV (yes, exceptions exist but let's set that aside), it seems like win-win for the sedan driver

An SUV's huge tyres means that most potholes and bumps can be easily ignored. Not so for a sedan.

[mooza]

^^ +1 to this.

In my Ikon, I keep guesstimating the size of potholes and approach them warily, as ignoring them has resulted in sickening thuds in the past. Not so with my Scorpio, on the bad ghat sections, particularly.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

An SUV's huge tyres means that most potholes and bumps can be easily ignored. Not so for a sedan.

But this also means constant bobbing up and down on good roads and complete absence of driving involvement.

[n.devdath]

My point is the fact that India is still under construction. There is no guarantee of good roads even on the highways. There is road widening, 6 laning, road digging, cable laying etc going on at so many places that it is not possible to predict road conditions anywhere in the country.

So, for travelling over a long distance, I would prefer a vehicle with sufficient suspension travel and GC.

In the cities and on the highways, though unfortunately, might is right. Sedans are usually pushed around by auto wallahs, trucks, buses and the like. SUVs are spared this torture to some extent.

Also, if a sedan and an SUV come out after handling the same kind of roads, the damage to an SUV will be lesser than that to a sedan.

But yes, I m a stickler for FE and sedans beat SUVs big time on that factor. Also as the others have mentioned, there no comparison between the driving pleasure offered by sedans over SUVs. Seating is a matter of personal preference and I have gotten used to and hence like a higher seating position.


For me, that sums it up.

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

But this also means constant bobbing up and down on good roads and complete absence of driving involvement.

Trust me, I have done 2 lakh km in my Ford Ikon and Fiesta before I got my Endy. The SUV has taken the fun in driving to an entirely new level. Whether it is the presence you enjoy in the city, the peace of mind knowing you can't be bullied around, the ability to take off road at your heart's fancy, or simply the fun of being able to take a group of 8 and go exploring, no sedan can beat this experience.

[SushilBajpai]

And what about the new breed of vehicles, which provide near sedan like comfort, and driver involvement while matching the robustness of a SUV. For example Skoda Yeti, behaves and handles like a sedan (in fact better than many), but is far more capable at handling poor and unpaved roads (than most sedans). Similarly while it will smartly negotiate bad roads, it is more driver's car than any SUV that I have driven.

Perhaps, there is then, room to carve this niche segment, which Skoda is attempting to lead. What it needs is, more competition, better prices, and even better specs.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Trust me, I have done 2 lakh km in my Ford Ikon and Fiesta before I got my Endy. The SUV has taken the fun in driving to an entirely new level. Whether it is the presence you enjoy in the city, the peace of mind knowing you can't be bullied around, the ability to take off road at your heart's fancy, or simply the fun of being able to take a group of 8 and go exploring, no sedan can beat this experience.

Originally Posted by SushilBajpai

For example Skoda Yeti, behaves and handles like a sedan (in fact better than many), but is far more capable at handling poor and unpaved roads (than most sedans). Similarly while it will smartly negotiate bad roads, it is more driver's car than any SUV that I have driven.

Endy and Yeti are nice cars. But look at how much you have to pay for that 80% thrill, a 5-10L sedan can provide without much sweat?

[alpha1]

I don't know about the higher end SUVs
But SUVs like Safari & Scorpio and MUVs induce a nausea with their bobbing motion.

The motion sickness aspect is present in both:
1. Good roads. You tend to drive fast. Hence bobbing and rocking when you accelerate, brake or swerve left/right.
2. Bad roads. You can't avoid the perpetual spring motion in bad roads/potholes and ghats.

IMO, after being a victim of this puking sensation, I can only hold grudge against these big vehicles.

Coupled with the fact that a direct hit with a higher vehicle is more injurious than a low slung one. Perhaps I detest them for public roads?

[.anshuman]

^^ Both these SUV's are so softly sprung. They surely have cushioning effect on bad surfaces but the constant bobbing makes them uncomfortable. The Scorpio gets too uncomfortable at times when it hits uneven roads, the Safari is slightly better. The Fortuner with it's stiff setup has a ride which feels much better composed but lacks the extra cushion.

[ACM]

Alpha the Safari does not cause motion sickness the way the Scoripo does.
Safari is known to have a great ride and yes it does have a bit of a boat like feel but there is no sidways movement most of the time.

It's my wife who sits in the rear with the kid and she does feel more nausious in the Laura than in the Safari over long drives. Also since the Aria has come if one takes it to be an SUV it does have the best of both worlds.

As other have said earlier Indian roads are such that even on highways one just cannot know when one is about to hit a major pothole or bump or just will need to go off road due to the roads being under construction and at times like this being in an SUV helps big time.

Even in cities a nice highend sedan is just an invitation to autos and buses to bully us and a sedan feels more secure.

I do tend to prefer an SUV over a Sedan for both highway and city driving.

Other things being equal an SUV will come out a crash better than a sedan. Assuming one is taking about sedans and suvs from the same maufacturer nullifing the technology and build quality differences.

Actually this thread should have a poll for our opinions to be documented for a mass view point getting through.

[.anshuman]

^^ Emergency steering maneuvers in any of the SUVs(Chassis based) give me goosebumps, In the same scenario a car feels much safer. Every time i've visited a Mahindra/Tata/Ford/Toyota body shop i have observed a lot more SUVs damaged because they turned turtle compared to those who were severely hit.

Though i do not deny SUVs make a lot more sense on our rural roads.

[Sheel]

How long do the bad roads continue over a distance of 500kms on major National Highways/GQ/E-W corridor?
20? 30?

[ACM]

On the Mumbai to Surat section on West to North corridor NH8 of length 265kms about 50kms are very bad from mumbai to Manor and another 100 moderately bad from manor to Vapi. There are quite horrid in the monsoon.

Even a 10 kms bad section in 200 kms of good roads will justify an SUV.