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According to the new rules in India, any vehicle that has an engine over 1500cc, ground clearance of over 170mm and an overall length more than 4000mm is classified as an SUV. However, this new definition has also engulfed a lot of the sedans in the market today which sadly are now classified as SUVs. This definition is mainly for taxation purpose and has got nothing to do with the actual details in the vehicle.

SUV: abbreviation for sport utility vehicle- a large car with an engine that supplies power to all four wheels, that is normally used as a passenger vehicle. (Definition of “SUV” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

On the other side, there are SUVs that are still classified as regular cars. For example, the Mahindra Thar and the Quanto which measure less than 4 metres aren't SUVs any longer; at least not in our government records.

Unfortunately the term SUV is pretty abused as this, any car with higher ground clearance is sold as a SUV in India.

Alcazar, Safari, Hector Plus, are nothing but MUVs now, but they are being termed as SUVs just on the basis of slightly higher ground clearance!

And when someone amplifies the term SUV and doesn’t even mention 4WD/AWD in it, I wonder how the market has evolved where people start calling even the S-Presso a SUV.

This post is what got me boiling, now wheel-arch sizes, side body cladding and larger tyres determine a SUV!:








As seen there is absolutely no mention of 4WD/AWD.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQJnbEal...dium=copy_link

I wouldn’t call anything without AWD or 4WD an SUV. But from what I’ve seen, it matters for the Aam-Junta as it’s one of the pride-points of ownership. A neighbor girl recently told me proudly that she got an SUV… I said wow which one and she said Maruti S-Presso! She was beaming with satisfaction and I couldn’t make out if it was because it was her first car or because she thought it was an SUV. I blurted out - “That’s not an SUV…” but she turned indignant and was adamant that it was an SUV and advertised as such and that’s why she got it and not another car. Curious, I scanned the Internet and came across some ad/brochure with a glowing reference to its “SUV-like stance”. Say no-more!

Score: Maruti - up by One more, Consumer - zero!