Team-BHP - Car for family prone to motion sickness

lol:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram1980 (Post 5563943)

I own a 2012 Ford Figo 1st gen diesel. I love this car and recently have done some fixes/upgrades (fuel injector replacement, LED headlight & 9 inch android unit). So I plan to retain this car for as long as it lasts but I am looking to add a new car with below requirements.

Should be petrol automatic as my wife wants to start driving. Good ground clearance (>190mm); Sunroof is must (family’s only non-negotiable wish).
Should not cause motion sickness to the passengers ( mainly for my wife ). My figo doesn't affect her (due to sedan-like setup and stiffer suspension?) while she faces this constraint in most other cars.
Should be easy for my elderly parents to ingress / egress
Budget should be below 20 lakhs. Looking at long term (~10 years) ownership like my current car.
Usage will be a mix of city and highway. Distance to the office is 15 km one way. In the city, it should be easy for a new driver (my wife is 5’2” tall ).

Following are the cars considered in the order of my current preference

Nexon Petrol AMT- Yet to do test drive. I like the road presence and features offered. Dark edition looks great. I didn't find the cabin space to be too different from my figo and I am worried about the ease of ingress / egress for my parents.
Kushaq / Taigun - 1.0 TSI A T. Did a test drive of Kushaq and loved the ride experience. The cabin is premium and spacious enough but stretches the budget to above 20L in the top end variant that offers sunroof.
Slavia / Virtus - Good ground clearance (SUVish level). 1.5 lakhs cheaper than its SUV sibling. Am sure it will have less body roll than an SUV and so motion sickness should not be an issue. I feel it would be difficult for a new driver to get used to the road view and length.
Hyundai/Kia/Maruti CSUV options - Not considered due to soft suspension and safety concerns. Wife gets nauseated in Creta with city driving itself.
Magnite/ Kiger - not comfortable with these brands as they could close operations like Ford in near future

Looking forward to your expert views and opinions on best car for my requirement

The XUV 400 would meet your requirements and would be ideal for city runs, being electrically powered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prasad M G (Post 5565611)

The XUV 400 would meet your requirements and would be ideal for city runs, being electrically powered.

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Originally Posted by DevilzzzzOwn (Post 5565032)

I would wholeheartedly recommend the Nexon EV and XUV 4OO.

I'm not keen on EV options. In my view, this is still a developing technology and needs infra upgrade all over India to avoid range anxiety. My typical use case is to do a 4 day round trip Bangalore > Udupi > nearby temple towns > Shivmoga > Belur > Bangalore. For this I just don't see using EV without intricate planning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevilzzzzOwn (Post 5565032)

Come to think of it, since your wife is going to drive the car, I wouldn't worry too much about the motion sickness aspect.

While the need for going automatic is for my wife to drive. But when we travel as a family, I will be the designated driver :D; And usage is not just city (I use two wheeler most days to office); it will be 50:50 for city and highway. Also usage will not more than 10K per month to justify the strong hybrid options
Anyway, she doesn't feel the motion sickness when I drive my figo diesel (guess I'm not such a bad driver :p).

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Originally Posted by Rakeshmbalaji (Post 5565011)

Please test drive the 5th gen city CVT

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Originally Posted by sreerknair (Post 5565059)

A low slung Sedan with an AT/CVT transmission and large glass area is the best bet for people with motion sickness to travel in.

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Originally Posted by vegitakarthik (Post 5565148)

If you can wait few months for Honda Elevate launch, CVT version will fit perfectly for your requirement

Agreed. I see lot of suggestions to try out Honda (couldn't quote all). I will be visiting Honda showroom this week and I plan to also rent City CVT for a day and do proper highway runs
On Elevate, I didn't like the first look. If it is in showroom (I didn't see it in Bangalore Mahadevapura), I can decide after seeing it in flesh and TD but not sure about this timeline. Any new car can have niggles for first 6 months. So I might end up waiting for close to 9 months or even 1 year if I opt for it which is not ideal. Family is pushing to book Slavia already :coldsweat

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram1980 (Post 5563943)

[*]Should not cause motion sickness to the passengers ( mainly for my wife ). My figo doesn't affect her (due to sedan-like setup and stiffer suspension?) while she faces this constraint in most other cars.

I am not an expert on this topic, but can share my experience:

My wife and both kids have motion sickness. My first car was a Wagon R (Petrol). Both my wife and son used to throw up in most journeys that was more than an hour throughout my ownership of ~7 years.

My second car was a Fiat Linea Diesel. Same story continued. My Wife, son and daughter (new addition to the family) all had severe motion sickness in this car too. Any journey slightly longer than usual city rides, we were always prepared for the worst.

My current ride is a Honda City ZX (Petrol CVT). I have this car for more than 1.5 years and not once we faced the problem. It was like magic, the problem disappeared all of a sudden, the moment we moved from Linea to the City.

Wagon R => Was tall body structure the culprit? I don't know
Linea => is Diesel smell a contributing factor? I am not sure
City => Is it the combination of body type + smooth CVT that's working in our favour now? Not sure, but may be likely

Though I still don't know the root cause and what exactly in City solved it, I am really happy that we can take the car out now for long drives without much worry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ram1980 (Post 5563943)

Should be petrol automatic as my wife wants to start driving. Good ground clearance (>190mm); Sunroof is must (family’s only non-negotiable wish).
Should not cause motion sickness to the passengers ( mainly for my wife ). My figo doesn't affect her (due to sedan-like setup and stiffer suspension?) while she faces this constraint in most other cars.
Should be easy for my elderly parents to ingress / egress
Budget should be below 20 lakhs. Looking at long term (~10 years) ownership like my current car.
Usage will be a mix of city and highway. Distance to the office is 15 km one way. In the city, it should be easy for a new driver (my wife is 5’2” tall ).

Have this very same problem, albeit only when I'm not the one driving. Primary factors that lead to this:

1. Stop-Go-Stop traffic; Sudden acceleration and deceleration
2. Vibrations and harshness of diesel engines
3. AC running continuously leading to a deficit of fresh air

A free revving, naturally aspirated, petrol-powered CSUV should be a good choice for you. Hint: The latest Japanese kid on the block, offered with a brilliantly refined petrol mill

Quote:

Originally Posted by RidingHood (Post 5564990)

1. Is the option for lesser body roll & easier ingress/egress contradictory?
You need a car with a lower Centre of Gravity, like a sedan (Eg : Virtus/Slavia) for lesser body roll, but does that make it very difficult for your parents to get in and get out?

Absolutely not. Many older folks find it difficult to climb onto taller cars. For them, a car with a low floor is more suitable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gck_tourer (Post 5566771)

Question for moderators. Who picks or decides the picture for a new thread? I am asking this question as I am seeing a lot of new threads having pictures of Volkswagen Virtus and Taigun although the thread is brand agnostic. Are we promoting Volkswagen deliberately or is it we are simply in love with these cars?

I suppose you are talking about the pic that is displayed alongside the top-threads list. I believe it is automatic and some pic that the AI thinks is suitable for the topic gets picked. For this thread, maybe it picked a VW image cause there are many mentions of the Virtus/Slavia twins within the thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rakeshmbalaji (Post 5565011)

Please test drive the 5th gen city CVT, I feel the in gear acceleration is extremely smooth and linear

Spot on. Did the TD of City this week and n traffic conditions, CVT is smooth to drive. In Slavia/Virtus, I felt that the car a bit jumpy in bumper to bumper traffic. Wife didn't feel any wow factor (unlike Virtus ride) though even though city backseat is more spacious. For me it is going be the eternal dilemma of heart vs mind between Virtus/Slavia & City. Need to try this City in highway setting once and hope it helps me decide among the other 3 options (Virtus/Slavia/Taigun)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmyjimmyaaja (Post 5567902)

I think you might try out the Kia Carens

Thanks but I'm not considering Kia due to poor score in safety tests (Carens is 3 star rated like Seltos). Even then, I did read the carwale link article shared and felt it was misleading. It is written as if it a honest personal ownership review but it is penned by the editor of the portal!

Hi,
I would give you my take.
My first car was a Polo GT Tsi. I selected it after TDing various cars and it smelled the best. A quirk maybe. But my motion sickness used to be triggered even by smell.
But everyone in my family has motion sickness too. And it was bad for them. For me i dont get motion sickness while driving but if i am a passenger then thats it.
Now i have recently upgraded to Honda City ZX-CVT - Top of the line with all bells and whistles.
But i should say everyone is very comfortable even in rear seat. and the sun roof makes it better. The body roll is minimum in corners and it feels very planted.
Family loves it.
So if you want a car for your family then i would definitely recommend the 5th gen honda city.
It may not satisfy your driving passion but it is a great car overall.
All the best for your decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dr.aviansh (Post 5582259)

Did you check the suspension part numbers for both the hybrid and non-hybrid?
If you're saying by difference of ride quality, please enlighten what you noticed in the two?

Also, tell if you are comparing Toyota Hyryder with Toyota Hyryder and not with Suzuki Grand Vitara.

I haven’t compared the suspension part numbers yet, but I own a Grand Vitara MT and my friend owns a Hyryder MT; both have similar ride quality. I found it little bouncy and unsettling at 33 PSi (recommended).
I also had an extended TD of Grand Vitara Hybrid and found that it rides far better than mine. It rides flat over potholes and have a mature ride quality like the Nissan Kicks( the benchmark in my opinion). It could be due to additional weight of the battery pack under the rear seat or different suspension tune.

Hyryder S Hybrid should have similar ride quality as the Grand Vitara Hybrid.

I am also sailing in the same boat of deciding a car with family members prone to motion sickness (Including myself). Somehow, I have been able to manage it without much of an issue, but still my mom is much vulnerable. While I make her follow all the tips and tricks(Maintain clear visibility of the road ahead, not reading books/watching mobile etc.), she gets motion sickness in some cars, but not on the other ones. Here is the list of cars categorized. All the below cars are yellow board taxis(Except Ignis) driven by different drivers.

No Motion sickness
Innova
Xylo
Ignis

Prevalent motion sickness
Dzire
Etios

While driving style is a very significant factor, I have found my mom comfortable in Innova/Xylo/Ignis which all happened to have raised seating. However, majority of the opinion in this thread points to Sedan being a better choice than SUV/crossovers. However, Dzire and Etios experience has been bad for her. Are these the right cars to conclude that Sedans do not work for her? Or can the experience be totally different in a proper bigger Sedan like that of Honda City? Need some help on this to decide to go with a crossover or sedan based on this factor.