[shankar.balan]

Quite a few people on the forum who are regular SUV users would tend to have concerns on the "available space" of the YETI in comparison with other SUV's in the market.

Hence it isn't correct to generalize that for most SUV buyers Street Presence is the Key Criterion.

Space, leg room & luggage room are very important and indeed, speaking for myself atleast, these outweigh most things else.

Originally Posted by vb-san

@GTO, extremely useful thread!
And this makes much more sense with the recent launch of Skoda Yeti. In the Yeti review thread by Rehaan, a lot of the responses (negative mostly) were on the small dimensions of the car - which means that for most of the SUV buyers street presence is the key criteria.

[sgiitk]

Given the fast deteriorating state of our roads (local as well as NH incl some parts of the GQ), we will all have to buy SUVs, the Environment ministers rants notwithstanding.

Thanks Mr Nath for sorting out the dilemma.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Even I am facing the same dilemma.

I stay in Gurgaon and belong to Palampur (Himachal) hence once around 2-3 month I drive down which is around 560 odd kms. I have an Indica right now. One major problem which I can forsee in sedans is the Tyre Size. Irrespective of the handling of SUV or sedan, bigger tyre size of SUV actually help them on our not so perfect highways as bigger tyre does not go inside small potholes or irregularities.

I really want to buy the Vento, but this one thing and ofcourse the road presence of a Safari is compelling me to think about it too. I am waiting eagerly for the Merlin and I have high hopes attached to it.

[supertinu]

Thanks for the detailed comparison GTO. You have got the pro/cons aspect fairly spot on. I feel concept of SUV is still not mature in India, we have limited options and at higher price points than C segment sedans. Most SUV buyers probably dont buy because they need it, but more cause of the machoness and status symbol it brings along. Well on second thoughts i feel the whole concept of SUV is about that size/power which humans crave .

Decision between SUV vs Sedan is very subjective and depends on needs and requirements of individual/family. I have a Ikon for last 6yrs and traveled a lot in south india around bangalore and barely ever felt the need to have a SUV from road conditions perspective. I guess south india roads are not that bad. I definitely get that road rage and need to buy SUV when autos/cabs cut me, but then the sheer pleasure of driving a good handling car overcomes those moments of insanity . Considering I dont have a big family, my next car is also surely going to be a petrol sedan.

[fuel_addict]

All factors considered, it eventually boils down to availability of parking space. In the metros and some of the larger cities where every inch of real estate is a premium, most people would "compromise" on a sedan even if they can afford and actually need a SUV for those long distance/off road drive situations. The roads in bigger cities are slightly better which also rules out the need for a SUV. An Innova type MUV would do the job.

[harishpr]

GTO - Completely agreed. Couldn't have said better.
Though i haven't owned an SUV so far, the general market which forms around 80% of the buyers 'believe' that SUV is safer than sedan/hatch. Also it's a style statement. I have stayed in Rajajinagar (old area of Bangalore) for over 20 years and recently moved to JPNagar 8th Phase (Outskirts of bangalore).
I see more Scorpios, Boleros and safaris in JPNagar compared to Rajajinagar. Most of the buyers here are erstwhile farmers or real estate babus who made whooping amount during real estate BOOM !!! and now comfortably settled.

They buy SUVs just to make a statement that they are Macho and ofcourse they have large families to carry around.
Seldom an SUV is purchased for offroading or transporting utilities. It's always about Image, statement, pride and perceptions.

The Person from whom i purchased the house told me once "Sir, you need to buy Scorpio or Safari. You will be very safe inside also you can travel at 200Kmph and reach chennai in 3 hours !!!"

What more can I argue with him !!! I said

[pgsagar]

I am neither a bully driver nor macho image seeker. But having used sedans all my life, now I have zeroed in on SUV ( Safari ). Sedans may rule the highways but Safari can remain glued to most sedans' tails. But once you enter moon-crater roads, a sedan will be reduced to a crawler while an SUV will be through that stretch and gone out of sight. Also, though mine is a 3 member family, when guests come acalling, sedan just fails to cope with the job. I nearly finalised safari but now I have decided to wait for Merlin ( the raised bonnet is so intimidating ). And yes, Softroaders and crossovers are a big no no for me. They are neither here nor there. I don't beilieve in half measures. Show me another SUV which has the road presence of a Safari. This 10 lakh SUV beats 1 crore crossovers/softroaders in sheer road presence.

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Show me another SUV which has the road presence of a Safari. This 10 lakh SUV beats 1 crore crossovers/softroaders in sheer road presence.

I don't want to start a flame war, but the Endy definitely has road presence Better than a Safari?

On a more serious note, I completely identify with your experiences Sagar. Most SUVs today can match up to sedans on expressways, but the moment the road gets a wee bit dirty, there's no comparison. And I dare say, the traffic-separating capabilities of a SUV more than match the smaller and more agile driveability of a sedan in city traffic.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

I don't want to start a flame war, but the Endy definitely has road presence Better than a Safari?

Yes, Sidd. You are right. Endy and Fortuner have the better road presence. But Safari is still the tallest boy. It just juts out in parking lot.

[naj]

A very meaningful thread GTO.

Well !but then a SUV is definitely an object of desire even when a person does not need it.Everyone goes Gaga over the road presence ,The social status that comes with it including myself.

If you think rationally a sedan/hatch makes more sense as you pointed out and in a way is more green too.

Cheers,
Naj

[kadanaJ]

The social status an SUV brings is subjective, some people go gaga over the road presence, some people (me ) tease the owner about 'overcompensating' for something.
No offence to anyone here, I just used to do that to annoy a friend who used to brag non-stop about his Scorpio.

I agree with all of GTO's points, the only issue is the condition of our National and State highways are atrocious. If you plan to go on long highway drives to remote regions, an SUV would be a much better choice.

I recently came from a long roadtrip to my ancestral village in Rajasthan, and my Honda City really struggled to clear the horrible speedbreakers they've built. I lost count of how many times and how badly I scraped the underbody.

But once you reach a 6-lane national highway, the sedan is an absolute dream.

End of the day, SUV only makes sense if you plan to go often on trips to remote regions and travel on interior roads.

Personally I'd be happy with a crossover, the only thing I really need is high ground clearance, and technically even an SX4 can give me that.

[civic-sense]

How many times do we drive on bad roads to warrant an SUV? I agree, there are bad roads, but rarely have I had to drive through one, which my sedan can't handle. Agreed, you have to slow down and crawl through the stretch.

And I don't agree with the comments that suggests that road conditions are deteriorating. No, roads are definitely improving, at least Bangalore roads have.

Buying a SUV to handle bad roads is, trying to kill a rat with a bulldozer, unless say, you have to drive on non-existent roads every other day.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Quite a few people on the forum who are regular SUV users would tend to have concerns on the "available space" of the YETI in comparison with other SUV's in the market.

Hence it isn't correct to generalize that for most SUV buyers Street Presence is the Key Criterion.

Space, leg room & luggage room are very important and indeed, speaking for myself atleast, these outweigh most things else.

Apologies Shankar, idea was not to generalize. But what I was saying, in the Yeti context a lot of the negative feedback was on the size. Maybe hearing the word SUV, people expected it to be huge
Totally agree with you on the space requirements. Last month when I was in India I did feel the need to have a bigger car - 7 in the family went on a trip, and we had to do with two cars - which was not very enjoyable.

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

All factors considered, it eventually boils down to availability of parking space. In the metros and some of the larger cities where every inch of real estate is a premium, most people would "compromise" on a sedan even if they can afford and actually need a SUV for those long distance/off road drive situations. The roads in bigger cities are slightly better which also rules out the need for a SUV. An Innova type MUV would do the job.

Very true, a lot of the existing apartments in India have parking space designed for M800s. And the bigger ones can possibly squeeze in an Altis maybe.

I was at the Ford dealership last month, and was enquiring about their future launches - wanted to know if they've plans to launch something like the S-Max in India. The sales guy (who know me for past 6-7 years) gave an advise 'You're here only once in 6 months, and for your parents just get the high end Figo. Its reasonably safe, and can squeeze into most of the roads and parking spaces in Thrissur. With a bigger MPV or SUV, you'll be going round and round in Thrissur round to get a parking space'

On a separate note, one key point to note here is safety. Those SUVs around 10lac bracket can provide the presence and space, but a sedan in the same price range will be much better on occupant safety. For a comparison, I feel a Linea or a Vento will really score high on safety comparing to a Safari or a Scorpio!

[raj_5004]

I bought a scorpio because i like an SUV. Simple. I do have a big family but then we also have an innova. I need the space & the tall seating position. I am more comfortable driving a SUV than a sedan. There are other petrol sedans around which guzzle more fuel than my SUV, so whats the point?

[ajay0612]

Even in planes, one encounters lot of spped breaker which in essence are illegal vehicle-breakers! If one wants to enjoy the drive in INDIA then it can be done in a vehicle with high Ground Clearance (180mm+). I fail to understand why car manufacturers have not realised such a fundamental need. So what options we have?

Only SUVs have 180mm+ ground clearance. So one has to shell out extra for much of the bulk too. I personally don't need an SUV as it is too wide and too long to pass through crowded markets, to take sharp hairpin bends on the hills, available mostly in diesel variants and is fuel guzzler. But I do want to drive fearlessly without bothering about scraping underbelly every now and then. Only U-VA passes muster (186mm) but it does not sell in sufficent volume so its future is uncertain. I already am having Fiat Uno whose spare parts are not available so don't want to stuck with another such vehicle again. What other option I have in cars? Is there any (below Rs 6 lakhs)? So I have to grudgingly consider one of these behemoths sooner than later as the wait is endless.