[anandpadhye]

I am not sure how comfortable Laura would be for 3 people in the rear, however, more importantly, I find the rear headrests uncomfortable - they protrude out too much. I used to love the rear seat of my NHC...it had a very comfortable rear seat with perfect angle for the backrest, perfect headrests and the best part was the inclined floor that served as footrest. Had to give all that up for the brilliant Tsi engine.

[camchennai]

Sad to see that everyone has forgot about world’s largest selling car :(

I have used Toyota Corolla for 3 years and it can accommodate 5 people comfortably and I am using Toyota Camry for past 8 months and it can also seat 5 people comfortably, more than what Corolla does.

[sanjaybhatnagar]

Ford Figo seats 3 in relative comfort in the back.
City type 2, ( prior to ZX) also qualified

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by ACM

n devdath

We still have the Fiat that you mention in the first post that we used to travel in comfort years back relative to todays times.

But it is also a case of expectations changing. My parents still visualise that they were in more comfort in the fiat than in the cielo than in the laura when they sat 4 let alone 5 but I did a physical check and the reality is that the Laura seats 5 more comfortably than the Cielo than the premier padmini. It's just that earlier our expectations were low and they are higher now we then were quite happy cudling together while now we all sit facing the front. Even a Laura today is not a comfortable 5 seater due to the centre tunnel and centre armrest considering our expectations today.

Ofcourse the amby is in a different league.

That said seating 5 in comfort today can be best achieved in the following in no particular order. Have also suggested how one could be seated row wise below.

1) Vista
2) Manza
3) Aria 2+3
4) Safari 2+3
5) Grande Mark II 2+3
6) Innova - 2 + 2 +1
7) Fortuner - 2 + 2 +1
8) Xylo - 2 + 2 + 1
9) Scorpio - 2 + 2 + 1 - will not work out if there are too many tall guys.

simply put, we have to look at a SUV for long distance travel if the number of passengers are 5

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by sumeshmani

simply put, we have to look at a SUV for long distance travel if the number of passengers are 5

Which is precisely my point of this thread. For 5 comfortable seats, SUVs/MUVs/Crossovers are the only option in India today at a budget of say, 25 lac INR on road.

Has someone sat in the Nissan Sunny? I hear it is very spacious and comfortable for 5.

[anilkalvani]

Just bumped into this thread today.

I have one word. LOGAN. Not because i own it. I own two other cars too, the i10 & the Vento, but its the Logan that we generally take on a longer trip because its very very comfortable for 5 adults, not mentioning the superb ride quality missing in cars a segment above.

[Durango Dude]

We Indians really to know to pack it in. I have done the Chennai-Tirupati-Chennai run in a Sipani D-1 with 6 adults and luggage. Remember it was a "rear wheel drive hatch" and with the load if I went above say 50 kmph the road undulations used to make the crankshaft come in contact with the body with a 'Thak' noise. How it wheezed up the ghats is a different story, altogether, I think the people who went up by foot must have overtaken us. We got so frustrated that we used to pour cold water over the boiling hot engine and see huge cloud of steam rise in the process. Very adventurous, sorry got carried away. Elantra (my present car) is a good five seater and so was the Amby in which I learnt to drive.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

We Indians really to know to pack it in. Elantra (my present car) is a good five seater and so was the Amby in which I learnt to drive.

I do not think there is anything wrong in trying to seat the number of people a vehicle actually claims to seat. In fact, it is advantageous to the owner's wallet, the road and the environment.

Yes, the Elantra was a good 5 seater but it is defunct now.

[sumeshmani]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Which is precisely my point of this thread. For 5 comfortable seats, SUVs/MUVs/Crossovers are the only option in India today at a budget of say, 25 lac INR on road.

Has someone sat in the Nissan Sunny? I hear it is very spacious and comfortable for 5.

I agree. From the Sunny ad to official reviews, the space is being pointed out as its USP.
I would like to steer the topic back in the direction of existing sedans. Can the rear bench of sedans like SX4, which has a hard center squab, be modified to make room for the 3rd passenger?

[drmohitg]

3 of the 4 cars I own currently are comfortable for 5 people namely:
1. Innova
2. Corolla Altis
3. Lancer: Its actually a very spacious car from inside. It is almost as good as the Altis I believe and is extremely comfortable too. The lower positioning of the seats can be a issue while getting in and out of the car. But once you are inside you feel quite comfortable.

[joslicx]

Why is legroom/headroom the only parameter for comfort? What about "where does the person in between keep his/her hands" being a parameter as well? In my opinion no sedan can "really comfortably" seat 5. What most can is they can "adequately comfortably" seat 5 with "adequately" being totally subjective! The person in the middle will always be mildly/somewhat uncomfortable with no place to rest hands on.

drmohitg I disagree with Corolla and Lancer. I have sat with 2 other people (I am not heavily built and neither were the other two) in a Lancer. It was mighty uncomfortable for us! There was hardly any headroom and we were sitting too tight with hardly any space in between. I also drove a Corolla in US (prev gen) and it was also stricktly for 4 people only. Once tried 5 on board and people werent happy!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by joslicx

drmohitg I disagree with Corolla and Lancer. I have sat with 2 other people (I am not heavily built and neither were the other two) in a Lancer. It was mighty uncomfortable for us! There was hardly any headroom and we were sitting too tight with hardly any space in between. I also drove a Corolla in US (prev gen) and it was also stricktly for 4 people only. Once tried 5 on board and people werent happy!

But then which sedan do you feel offers more space then the Altis? Or the Lancer in its segment. Honda surely doesn't have more space then the Lancer. Ofcourse if we throw in Accord and the likes they will win hands down.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

But then which sedan do you feel offers more space then the Altis? Or the Lancer in its segment. Honda surely doesn't have more space then the Lancer. Ofcourse if we throw in Accord and the likes they will win hands down.

Well, I think sedans are meant to seat 4 in comfort and 5 with some compromise. Doesnt matter what sedan it is! Last year I traveled to Sweden and took a cab from Airport to hotel. It was a BMW 5 series sedan. I thought it also would not have seated 3 at the back in total comfort. See for me handrests are also imperative for comfort. The person in the middle often has to keep shifting his/her hands as there is no place to keep them. Generally we keep them behind the headrests and that too gets tiring after some time. It is from that perspective I think sedans CANNOT seat 5 in total comfort. Doesnt matter even if it is a 1cr+ rupee 7-series.

I havent used too many cars to be able to compare Altis. In this segment I have sat in Altis as well as Manza (quite spacious car), Lancer, City, Sonata Transform, Chevy Cobalt, Subaru Impreza etc and I honestly do not think any of these can seat 5 in total comfort.

3 at the back in any sedan is always a compromise on comfort front. What we can discuss is relative comfort and that would be quite subjective.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by joslicx

3 at the back in any sedan is always a compromise on comfort front. What we can discuss is relative comfort and that would be quite subjective.

+10. Thats very true. The middle person always has to suffer. but if we have to choose for the best compromise my vote will go to Manza/ Lancer/ Altis in there segments. I haven't travelled in the new city so I am not sure how is the space on that one.

[Valkyrie]

Long time back, the 118NE was a good 5 seater.
Now, I guess the prize has to go to Manza and the Logan, considering the price!!
Coming to hatchbacks, Vista is there and also the old Indica.
Our household owns the Fiesta (Old one), Beat and i10.
None of them are 5 seaters, infact I will rate Beat over the Fiesta.