[mooza]

Originally Posted by MCR

Sedan's have the ride comfort and handling which cannot be matched by the SUV's. But SUV's have the go-anywhere stance and an amazing road presence with additional passenger capacity .

You could seriously consider adding to your list the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, which is launching in a fortnight's time. The car has good potential to address your issues of comfort, handling and passenger carrying capacity, with a fairly good road presence as well. Only I am not too sure of the "go anywhere" part though, until a few expert and ownership reviews are out ! Agreed it is not an SUV, but it could be better than owning a sedan, maybe, considering your needs. Check the link below :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...po-2012-a.html

[benbsb29]

While this discussion lingers on, my take on the same.

I just got back from a week long vacation in Kerala, and needless to say i drove down and back on my Scorpio. My highlights from the trip :

• Vehicle easily cruised between 80-120 kmph on the 4 laned highways
• Packed in about 9 family members on our way to a catch a movie
• Did some rock climbing to get to some scenic locations
• The Scorpio went about without a fuss on the ghat sections around Kumily with about 6 people and the A/C turned on. No sweat.
• Start from dead stop on the inclines was child's play owing to the excellent low end torque.
• I got off the road without much concern about damaging my vehicle to make way for heavily loaded trucks and state buses climbing the ghats.

After all the above, the following pic made me realize that there it would be difficult to convince me to consider a sedan for my daily usage and travel patterns.

[infotech58]

gone through the entire thread during last hour and i must say it has covered all possible aspects to debate on this issue; for almost two years, having done a 1600 miles round trip every alternate weekend (in US) in both sedans (mostly) and SUVs (sometimes), my experience says the fatigue is lesser (much lesser) in SUV.

i have been considering to buy my next car and the idea of going for a used Scorpio or Safari has been making rounds in my mind while also keeping OHC as a second car to satisfy the petrolhead inside me.

[josepeter]

Guys!

I did a 5000 Km round trip to Gangtok from Hyderabad in my Safari; it was 9 days of relaxation with the family. The roads were a mix of express ways and very bad roads; the latter mostly in West Bengal. We arrived after this trip without any fatigue whatsoever - the kids were off to school on the next day just like they woke up any other day and i headed off of to office as in any other day. Wonder if a sedan could manage this...The day India has expressways all throughout I would by a Skoda sedan..till then its SUV time folks...

Whats works in favor of SUVs:

1. High-up seating - can do a 1009 km drive without body aches
2. Bad roads - no problem
3. The feeling of space
4. Boot can swallow a house with the seats folded
5. Line of sight is above the beam of oncoming vehicles - very stress free night drives

What you should be careful about:

1. Stick to sane speeds
2. keep two or three car lengths - considering scary brakes in most SUVs
3. Avoid sudden steering inputs - or be a part of the scenery
4. Can be unsafe in accidents; contrary to the popular myth than girth keeps u safe inside.
5. Guzzles more than sedans

So its SUV time for a few more years folks...or maybe they will launch a citizens Range Rover.....

[magikrider]

Hello Bhpians,

I am in two minds currently of whether to go for an SUV or a sedan. was thinking of creating a new thread in what car section but am too lazy for that and also thought that this thread will give balanced opinion on car vs SUV. so if need be then will creat a separate thread or post in what car section later..

my business requires me to travel regularly on highways and do a good 200-250 kms 2-3 times a week! currently travel by a Cruze (relative's) but don't like it very much as its cramped all around! be it in front or back! though the engine is very powerful and good.

I need a comfy spacious long distance highway cruiser for four people usually with a couple of office bags and laptops around. the roads are not bad per se on my route but sometimes might require to take the car to no-road section, though not much. just few hundred meters. so sometimes low GC of a sedan like Jetta might just not be suitable. but at present its not much of a problem in Cruze.

I had XUV in mind for SUV and Laura/Jetta/Fluence/upcoming Elantra for Car.

also a Jetta comfortline, Laura ambition DSG, Fluence E4 Diesel or the upcoming Elantra Diesel top end AT might be a bit over board as far as budget is concerned (these were the variants of these cars that I had in mind). as was thinking of somewhere around 15 max. but might just stretch a bit if really no option! I have mentioned AT options for Laura and upcoming Elantra as AT was my main criteria earlier and AT is anyway preferred where there is a option and in budget.

I know most people here say that a sedan is usually more comfy and good to drive for long distances but I recently also travelled in Innova on highway and felt it to be much more comfortable than cruze over long distance and highway travel. though I am not considering Innova because I don't like the image as I will be self driving the car mostly.

currently we self drive and sometimes take turns to drive but maybe in future will keep a chauffeur if traveling becomes too hectic and tiring. and then in that case a sedan will be useless! because we usually are four people and so 4 + 1 chauffeur is not possible. but in something like an XUV, three can easily sit comfortably in the middle row and one in front with the chauffeur driving.

though we may not keep the chauffeur for sometime and not even sure about it right now but its a possibility. and in any case no chauffeur in the beginning anyways as I myself love driving and would want to enjoy my new ride!

So you see the level of confusion here?

so guys what do you think... SUV or Car?? or shall I say XUV or Car? and your pick of the lot.

[mayankjha1806]

One more area i believe SUV would feel better/safer on the highway is when a small animal like dog jumps on its path. On a low strung car like Civic (or for that matter any sedan) the bumper will get damaged and probably more, and will leave you stranded on the road in the middle of the night. On SUV the chances of dog hitting the bumper are low, in most probability it will go under the vehicle.

The recent incident i had with dog and the damage thereafter made me think all this, will be interesting to read everyone's view on this.

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by magikrider

Hello Bhpians,

I am in two minds currently of whether to go for an SUV or a sedan. was thinking of creating a new thread in what car section but am too lazy for that and also thought that this thread will give balanced opinion on car vs SUV. so if need be then will creat a separate thread or post in what car section later..

so guys what do you think... SUV or Car?? or shall I say XUV or Car? and your pick of the lot.

On Paper, your requirements match the XUV pretty well. But as they say, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. So you should check the XUV out thoroughly before goingi in for one. I did, and came away unimpressed by it on most counts- but thats a very personal view and your may be just the opposite.

Have you considered the Aria? suits your requirements to the T and from what we read on the forum, looks like TML is making a sincere effort to push the Aria.

It is a brilliantly engineered car, that is let down by atrocious after sales suppport.

Also, if you can extend your budget a bit, check out the Captiva. I was not even considering it as my next car, but one drive changed my view and i ended up buying it! tehre are great deals on it as of now (2L off!)

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

On Paper, your requirements match the XUV pretty well. But as they say, teh whole is greater than the sum of the parts. So you should check the XUV out thoroughly before goingi in for one. I did, and came away unimpressed by it on most counts- but thats a very personal view and your may be just the opposite.

Have you considered the Aria? suits your requirements to the T and from what we read on the forum, looks like TML is making a sincere effort to push the Aria.

It is a brilliantly engineered car, that is let down by atrocious after sales suppport.

I had taken a couple of short test drives of the XUV when it was launched but I couldn't say much about it from those experiences. only thing I remember is the car is quite predictable, which is a good thing. might have to take a good test drive again.

Aria maybe a good car but again its image is not great and looks are nothing special. looks fine in white and Taxi or van like in other colors. the sole reason I am not even considering Innova even though I think the new updated Innova looks good but have not seen Innovas self driven by owners anywhere! though I must say that I had thought about the Aria. also if the Aria had come out with a nice AT then it would have tilted the game in its favor.

also the point you made about the horrendous after sales is something to worry about. where as mahindra guys are taking good effort to provide good after sales service.

Plus the cost makes it overpriced comparing to the XUV and besides I like the image and stance of XUV and of course the gizmos are always welcome. had fortuner been priced somewhere around 17-18 on-road, which I think is the perfect pricing for it, I would have picked it up without a doubt.

So in the SUV vs Sedan debate for my case, I take your vote in favor of SUV.

P.S. - will definitely check the Captiva. though the new one is coming anytime soon now.

[lohithrao]

My point of view:

I started my journey of "4wheels" wth OHC(Old Honda City), it can be called a "perfection" car, where everything works perfectly maybe slotting of gear or the steering or high speed performance, and did fit most of the driving environments... but it had its drawbacks too..

Low sitting position and low GC, from the first reason i used to get back aches/knee during long drives and latter factor always made me sweat when i encountered bad roads.

then it was Adventure, this took care of the GC concern but was not happy with driving position.

since i was clear on my usage, that i need mostly for hiway and with go anywhere attitude. i choose Safari and am happy with the decision

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by magikrider

I need a comfy spacious long distance highway cruiser for four people usually with a couple of office bags and laptops around. the roads are not bad per se on my route but sometimes might require to take the car to no-road section, though not much. just few hundred meters. so sometimes low GC of a sedan like Jetta might just not be suitable. but at present its not much of a problem in Cruze.

Your requirements clearly say "Crossover", and as a crossover, I d recommend the XUV or the Skoda Yeti for you. They are high enough for bad roads, speed breakers and other such nuisances, even with a full load, have car like handling, are frugal and look better as well.

The reason I prefer an SUV is very simple. Even the best 4 lane/6 lane/8 lane highways in India do NOT guarantee the absence of stones on the road, cows, dogs and other animals loitering on it and most of all, road manners by other road users and hence having a higher vehicle with greater visibility is actually a life saver in many situations. Also, for long distances, space inside the vehicle is an important factor for psychological comfort.

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Your requirements clearly say "Crossover", and as a crossover, I d recommend the XUV or the Skoda Yeti for you. They are high enough for bad roads, speed breakers and other such nuisances, even with a full load, have car like handling, are frugal and look better as well.

The reason I prefer an SUV is very simple. Even the best 4 lane/6 lane/8 lane highways in India do NOT guarantee the absence of stones on the road, cows, dogs and other animals loitering on it and most of all, road manners by other road users and hence having a higher vehicle with greater visibility is actually a life saver in many situations. Also, for long distances, space inside the vehicle is an important factor for psychological comfort.

true. space is a big factor for long distance. sedan may not be a problem with roads or space too much but the psychological factor plays a big role too here, which favors SUV.

also I think on safety aspect also SUV like XUV would be better compared to the sedans. since i need to travel regularly on highways.

also you may be able to cover same distance in sedan too but what I need is a NON TIRING RIDE where you don't feel tired traveling at the end of the day. and all the factors like ride quality, handling, seating position, space, hardness of clutch, steering etc play a important role here. cruze at present is not much helpful in these area at present as its cramped, has hard clutch and somewhat turbo lag. it feels heavy to drive and tiring over long distances.

though i know that Jetta, Fluence or even the laura are more spacious and comfy cars. but maybe XUV is more spacious and comfier. though haven't tried these three sedans yet.

also the reason I haven't taken test drives yet as I want to be sure what to look for and decide what i need or want before going for test drives. because I will most probably go for back to back test drives in a few days time, maybe one each day, and will decide at the end in a few days time then and book it there and then. as all the test drives will still be fresh in the memory and help to decide properly. and I plan to do this after 10-15 days mostly. so i don't want to post a query here after the test drives and also not take much time as it will be more confusing. so in short want to be well prepared before going in for the test drives.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

One more area i believe SUV would feel better/safer on the highway is when a small animal like dog jumps on its path. On a low strung car like Civic (or for that matter any sedan) the bumper will get damaged and probably more, and will leave you stranded on the road in the middle of the night. On SUV the chances of dog hitting the bumper are low, in most probability it will go under the vehicle.

My point of view is- if the something jumps in front of you at speed, in SUV if you swerve the chances of rollover are extremely high, while a low slung car's will be much more likely to stay in control.

[vb-saan]

^^To add-on, SUVs may provide the high seating position, and space advantage, but equally important on highway runs is to have car with minimum body roll, along with good ride and handling. I guess sedans score better in this aspect. That said, something like the Yeti can almost match a sedan in this aspect (plus a bit of SUV advantages).

Originally Posted by magikrider

also I think on safety aspect also SUV like XUV would be better compared to the sedans. since i need to travel regularly on highways.

Quite debatable. I don’t know much about XUV’s safety credentials, but if safety is the prime parameter, I will anyday pick the Jetta/Laura/Yeti over the XUV. Jetta probably is the safest car in the 15-20 lakhs price range (starting from the base variant).

[shankar.balan]

By the way, FYI, the XUV did perform quite well recently in the ANCAP tests for safety. It scored 4 Stars out of 5. (More than the 3 Star Euro NCAP rating of the Duster!)

Ref the other points made: The Crossover revolution is happening purely because of people wanting car-like comfort coupled with the go-almost-anywhere ability and utility value of an SUV.

Im not sure I would say the Jetta is the safest car in the 15 to 20 lakh range - I think several variants and models of Skoda, Chevy, Hyundai and Toyota can also compete reasonably well on that front.

Originally Posted by vb-san

That said, something like the Yeti can almost match a sedan in this aspect (plus a bit of SUV advantages).


Quite debatable. I don’t know much about XUV’s safety credentials, but if safety is the prime parameter, I will anyday pick the Jetta/Laura/Yeti over the XUV. Jetta probably is the safest car in the 15-20 lakhs price range (starting from the base variant).

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

By the way, FYI, the XUV did perform quite well recently in the ANCAP tests for safety. It scored 4 Stars out of 5. (More than the 3 Star Euro NCAP rating of the Duster!)

Thanks, yes 4/5 is quite ok (score of 10/16 in the offset crash test). But that’s only for the W8 4WD variant. Even with this rating for the top variant, they have mentioned that the passenger compartment lost structural integrity. I am interested to see how the Duster will perform in ANCAP when the car gets released in AU later.

In comparison a Yeti 4x4 scored 14.7/16 and the Jetta base Trendline scored 15.2/16.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Ref the other points made: The Crossover revolution is happening purely because of people wanting car-like comfort coupled with the go-almost-anywhere ability and utility value of an SUV.

Definitely, and we need more competition and options in the Yeti space.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Im not sure I would say the Jetta is the safest car in the 15 to 20 lakh range - I think several variants and models of Skoda, Chevy, Hyundai and Toyota can also compete reasonably well on that front.

I mentioned – across all variants.
Maybe I am wrong, but in my understanding there is no other car in this range /segment which offers that. And on the Jetta, you get all the safety features which is available on the versions sold abroad (UK, AU etc.), which is not quite the case with other cars in the sub-20 lakh segment.