[lloydofcochin]

I have not driven an SUV over long distances but I have done so with my Palio SDX and I've never felt fatigued over long drives.

The Car is a joy on the highways and even though a hatch it gives me a big Car feel with a very good ride.

I feel that the factors which will increase fatigues is as follows

1) Road conditions (4 lanes are a joy to drive). Driving in the 2 lanes in Kerala will make you go bonkers.
2) Ergonomics. Seating is very important and so is the availability of a dead pedal
3) Air conditioning helps immensely in reducing fatigue
4) Relaxed cruising will keep you fresh rather than high speed driving which will tire you mentally & physically
5) Early morning starts help since you can get better visibility & less traffic. Night driving is more taxing.
6) Cars with better in gear acceleration helps in easier overtaking
7) Cars with better ride & handling will surely reduce driver fatigue
8) For me having a good flowing conversation with my front seat co-passenger helps to remain fresh

[avisidhu]

For tall people, how well they are able to move their legs also makes a difference. I have noticed that simply moving the seat back/forward by a single step helps many a times. Of course in an SUV you dont need to pull any such stunt so it's better, other factors nowithstanding.

Originally Posted by ampere

Overall I would prefer a compact cross-over which has elements of both thrown in.

and that's why I lust after the Yeti, even though no one around me seems to like it!

[puchoo]

For me its the seats only - and beyond that its my mental state alone. I drive to Shimla and beyond very often - upto about 400 kms , which translates into about 7-10 hours of driving depending on traffic / road conditions.

A bulk of this over the last 5 years has been done in a Wagon R - and many of them have been continuous - not even 1 stop , be it for tea or a quick loo break.

The seats bother me now - and i typically need to stop after about 250kms to relieve by aching back and the effect carries forward into the next day. Secondly i find that if i am not in a hurry to get to the destination it leaves me much more relaxed , a rushed approach translates into getting more mentally fatigued.

[rxpaul]

Originally Posted by mohandasnikhil

Well having driven Sedans, SUVs and Hatchbacks over long drives as well as intercity runs over the past 6yrs in India I would rate them this way
Sedan > SUV > Hatchback.
I have driven a multitude of the below cars over 2,00,000kms and my ratings are an average of what I feel regarding the class of the vehicle that is available in india.

1. Hatchbacks:
Good Bits: They are easy to manouvre in city traffic, gearshifts are nice and smooth, clutch is nice. NVH levels are bearable.
Bad Bits: Seats aren't always comfortable, pedal positions aren't ideal. On the highways they'd dont always have enough grunt to make overtaking easy increasing stress. Bumps and Potholes are felt more. Lack of Safety Equipment on a lot of the cheaper hatchbacks.
Evaluation based on: WagonR VXi, Swift Vdi, Fabia 1.2Mpi, Beat LS

2. SUVs
Good Bits: Good Ground Clearance makes it easier to tackle bad roads, high seats are more comfortable. View makes manouvering easy, the mammoth size works to your advantage in city traffic cos cars, ricks, bikes tend to give you way.
Bad Bits: Clutch is heavy, gearshifts are hard, parking is a pain. NVH levels are high (high end SUVs not included), Ride Quality isn't good, Poor Handling isnt confidence inspiring on the twisties
Evaluation based on: Scorpio VLX, Innova, Toyota Prado

Sedans
Good Bits:Comfortable Seats, Good Gearshifts, Good Power for Overtaking, Good Ride Quality
Bad Bits: They feel the most vulnerable in city traffic, cos you are always worried of someone scratching a corner you cant see clearly. Bad Roads tend to unsettle low slung sedans the most. Parking in the city is a stress.
Evalution Based on: VW Jetta, Skoda Laura, Chevy Optra, VW Passat

Some of my most stressfree highway drives have been in my old Skoda Laura LnK AT, while the best city drives were in my Skoda Fabia 1.2Mpi.

I think your Laura was streefree because it was AT. I have not used SUVs so i cant comment, but i think the biggest issue with Sedan driving in India is 1. poor handling in potholes and 2. headlights of suvs & trucks beaming right into your face on 2 way roads.

Infact i used to find night driving in my Santro more comfortable than in my Octavia. Even though the Santro's headlights were much weaker, the fact that you sit higher up and therefore less stress from opposite headlights resulted in better vision and therefore less stress....what say ? any comments !

[BheemBoy]

If an armrest is added as a standard fitment to all these hatches, it would make long distance travelling very comfortable.

[CRtorquefan]

Huge hand of applause to all of the tbhp-ians for posting such a logical & justifiable content here.

Originally Posted by ampere

That is why most folks want an "SUV" with a sedan like comfort. Nothing beats the comfort of a sedan.
Raise the GC a bit and seating comfort gets a bit un-settled, in-spite of the seats being very comfortable.

Overall I would prefer a compact cross-over which has elements of both thrown in.
We want to have our cake and eat it too!

I think Maruti Suzuki SX4 strikes the perfect balance of what Indian road conditions demands. Its high ground clearance(=190mm) is really a boon to tackle road undulations, potholes, Waterlogged roads & also at the times when we need to shift out of the road boundary for crossings.
Every type of road condition is so much handy for a such types of car, like SUVs(of similar GC levels) without compromising on the Ride Comfort levels.

Another car which comes to my mind & were having such capabilities was Chevrolet(=Subaru) Forester.

[puchoo]

Agreed and i have to add that to my reasons as well. Given a chance i would love to go for an AT , reduction of gear changes for me - be it in the city or the highway would be a boon and substantially contribute to a more relaxed driving experience for me.

Originally Posted by rxpaul

because it was AT.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by avisidhu

And that's why I lust after the Yeti, even though no one around me seems to like it!

So do I, but the price and badge is a let-down. Looking at Duster next year for the same
reasons. But I doubt about "sedan" like comfort which we may get. Hoping for the best.

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

I think Maruti Suzuki SX4 strikes the perfect balance of what Indian road conditions demands. Its high ground clearance(=190mm) is really a boon to tackle road undulations, potholes, Waterlogged roads & also at the times when we need to shift out of the road boundary for crossings.
Every type of road condition is so much handy for a such types of car, like SUVs(of similar GC levels) without compromising on the Ride Comfort levels.

Another car which comes to my mind & were having such capabilities was Chevrolet(=Subaru) Forester.

Exactly the same thoughts here. There was one more with the same elements, which
was not accepted (or was ahead of its times). Ford Fusion.

That is what I have been driving for the last 6+ years.
- It IS a car.
- Great GC (198mm),
- Great Power (1.6L/100BHP) and high seating. (Petrol Version)

Now for my next upgrade/change I want to continue with similar specifications
and add diesel to the requirements.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Agreed and i have to add that to my reasons as well. Given a chance i would love to go for an AT , reduction of gear changes for me - be it in the city or the highway would be a boon and substantially contribute to a more relaxed driving experience for me.

Ohh yes definitely AT would be making a hell lot of difference I'm sure. You have one arm and one leg free, what more can one ask for

Problem is, we still have way to many highways that are not yet multilaned, and have traffic coming from the opposite direction that needs to be dealt with. So unless you have an engine with decent horses under the hood, an AT might not be of much use on the highway.

Would love to hear opinions of people who have shifted to AT, and how their long distance driving experience has been in terms of reduction in driving fatigue.

[Anarchy83]

I feel that SUVs reduce driving fatigue primarily due to a couple of reasons:

a) Long drives on good expressways - The bigger the car, the more it "sticks" to a lane. I can relax my concentration a bit since sway and road undulations do not seem to hit the driver as much as a smaller car.

b) Driver Space - My Endy has a very comfortable arm-rest and on the door side, the panel where you rest your arm is on the same level as the arm-rest. It starts to feel like you are lounging in a Lazy-boy, rather than controlling 2 tons of metal speeding at 150...

The comparison was based on three cars:

1) Ford Figo - though I consider this quite a smart car in the city, I'm a bit apprehensive about long drives. The brakes are, at best, mediocre. The car moves forward quite a bit more than you expect. If you are speeding on an express-way (I assume 100 kmph), and god forbid something jumps in front (even if its some way away), the Ford Figo will not brake in time. Figo is quite reliable upto 70 - beyond that, it takes quite a lot of calculation.

2) Santro - Tall Boy design feels like the first bump in the road will topple me. While it may not be true, but the lightness of the car does not inspire too much confidence. And when a large trailer overtakes you, the bernoulli effect is quite noticeable - the car will sway. I find that the strain of concentrating on the road to compensate for such events tire you out.

3) Endy - This is a fat, thick road hugging beast. The body roll in this car is absent, the weight to height ratio causes the car to completely "stick" to the lane you are in. Sway is nearly impossible. All these things add up to so much less work for the driver. Therefore, no less hassle, less thought, simple driving = more comfort.

[puchoo]

that goes without saying , but i have driven one in the city and the Highway and obviously the comfort and convenience felt was more in the city for me but it helped a lot on the highway as well.

I have never driven an AT on the hills though , wonder what that is like.

Originally Posted by avisidhu

Problem is, we still have way to many highways that are not yet multilaned, and have traffic coming from the opposite direction that needs to be dealt with. So unless you have an engine with decent horses under the hood, an AT might not be of much use on the highway.

[anujmishra]

Originally Posted by VW2010

I will say SUV doesnt decrease fatigue but just gives that extra space and fov that makes you feel you are not fatigued.

You are saying contradictory argument in one sentence. "make you feel you are not fatigued" this is what SUV give and yes it is less fatigued. Ultimately, one wants to feel he is not stressed and not fatigued.

I have done recently long distances in Honda City, 800, Alto and in my Safari.
In 800, Alto 250 - 300 Kms per day more than sufficient.
In Honda City, 500 - 600 Kms at max.

In Safari, I easily do more than 1100 Kms a day, not feeling fatigued. Yes, Space, High Seating Posture combined with excellent suspension of Safari adds to this. Most of the sedans makes you seating like couch.

Yes, I cannot say same thing for Scopio, it is full bouncy, bouncy.

Regarding body roll, who drives vehicle in Zig-Zag fashion on straight roads.

[Viper21]

I can only compare two cars, Scorp and my Manza, i can definitely say the manza is far better for the driver and the occupants. Ride quality if not the best, is safe, The only problem is the power, More gear changes in the manza than the scorp which leaves my left leg a bit sore for sometime. Overtaking needs to be planned sometimes.

Bottomline i find the manza much more better than the scorp.. (my views)

[Samurai]

I have driven most kind of vehicles on long drives, both on good roads and horrible roads, including Cars, SUVs and open Jeeps.

In my opinion, the driver fatigue depends protection on from elements, ride comfort and stress.

1. Protection from elements: This is one of the foremost reason for fatigue, especially if driving on dusty or polluted or adverse weather. After a 400kms drive in a doorless Jeep, there is hardly any energy left. Same thing can be experienced if driving a car with all windows rolled down. Same distance in an AC car, can be lot less draining.
2. Ride comfort: This can be a non-issue if the roads are of great quality. But if the roads are sub-par, like in Karnataka, the ride comfort of the car really matters. Here SUVs can have an upper hand provided they cushion you well against pot holes. I switched from sedan to SUV after moving to the bad-road paradise of Karnataka. It has really helped in keeping my sanity.
3. Stress: This is one more major cause of fatigue, and stress is usually caused by stop-n-go traffic. I do 2-3 long distance trip every month. When I drive from city to small town, I leave early to avoid the city traffic. I always manage to reach there fresh enough to go to office after 8-9hours drive and work for few hours. However, when I drive back from small town to city, I usually catch the peak hour traffic and those last 1-2 hours of driving (for 16kms) completely drains me out.

SUVs decrease fatigue only if the road conditions are bad, and your SUV has good badroad suspension. Otherwise, I don't see much difference.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by avisidhu

Would love to hear opinions of people who have shifted to AT, and how their long distance driving experience has been in terms of reduction in driving fatigue.

I have both AT and MT on highways. In the long drive, there is not much difference in terms of fatigue between the two. ATs IMO are handy only in the city driving. I have always felt better in a MT car for highway driving but the minute you enter city limits and know that you would crawl there for next 2 hours, you wish your MT car could instantly be changed to an AT