Feature – Page 2

Why Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) are popular in India?

March 28, 2021September 18, 2021 VD

SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) is neither a sport vehicle nor a utility vehicle but a fancy name coined by an automotive manufacturer to lure an overpaid ambitious middle class who thinks they need a 2 ton vehicle to show off their success and rule the road. Currently compact and subcompact SUV forms are dominating the automobile market in India and sedan sales are continuously dropping.

Cars are one of our most expensive possessions after home and despite there being so many different body types, makes and models, we still have our favorite dream car. In recent years, people’s old time favourite sedans are getting replaced by the big and bold SUVs. 15 to 20 Years ago people wanted the hottest new sports car and now want masculine SUV. Let’s understand why the cultural dynamic has changed.

SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) is neither a sport vehicle nor a utility vehicle but a fancy name coined by an automotive manufacturer to lure overpaid ambitious middle class who think they need a 2 ton vehicle to show off their success and rule the road. Currently compact and subcompact SUV forms are dominating the automobile market in India and sedan sales are continuously dropping.

SUV prices have also dropped in recent years comparable to competing sedans. The lower price, comfort, go anywhere capability and more space have all helped the SUVs popularity fly. This shift is observed overseas as well. Consumer shift to buy bigger vehicles is more than welcome for auto industry. For OEMs selling SUVs is more profitable than selling midsize sedans. That’s the reason all major Auto manufacturers have jumped on SUV brand wagons. There are 38 SUVs launches currently in pipeline for the year 2021 in India. Premium car makers like Mercedes, BMW and Audi are expanding their SUVs manufacturing facility.

Most of the compact and subcompact SUVs are actually crossovers but still people are loving them. Let’s understand why Luxury Range Rover to Nissan Magnite SUVs are so popular in India?

Practical and Versatile

The silver line of an SUV is higher ground clearance. They are rugged and strong. The thirst for adventure is also gaining popularity. Bigger advantage SUVs have over sedans is ground clearance which means you don’t have to worry much about hitting the bottom of your car when you are driving around villages and off roads. SUVs are versatile when it comes to practical usage in day-to-day life. It can carry more cargo, it can move people, It gives you good visibility. Driver is sitting position is high to give a better view of the road. At night when lights are on; driver have a bigger broader view of the road. You can drive freely and it is a big selling point of an SUV. The option of versatility is huge.

Car enthusiasts hate this shift as they love more fun to drive and lower ground clearance cars.

Sporty

Today there are lots of stylish options available in the SUV market. SUV Design has improved substantially. SUVs are no longer ugly and slow. In 2020 SUVs look masculine and they have attractive body lines.

Spacious and Roomy

Spacious and roomy has been a huge development in SUV. Past 15 to 20 years, SUVs have become bigger, more spacious, and they have been able to accommodate more people and more cargo. 7 or 8 seater SUVs make SUVs a great mode of transportation as people mover. Many families enjoy road trips, intercity travel and want to carry everything with them. For those families, an SUV is the perfect vehicle that not only handles the daily commute but also performs well on highways. It is easy to transport stuff like groceries, equipment and supplies in an SUV because of its cargo space and shape.

Performance and Fuel Economy

Today’s mid-size SUVs are faster than a sports car 20 years ago. Fuel efficiency has improved substantially for SUVs. Even if fuel prices rise in future automakers don’t foresee trends to swing back to normal small cars. Perhaps consumers will shift to more compact and fuel-efficient SUVs.

Safety

If you are concerned with safety many of today’s compact and subcompact SUVs perform well in crash tests baring few exceptions. Be sure to check crash test scores from Global NCAP, Asian NCAP and ARAI online. SUVs have longer crumple zones and hence there will be less forces on passengers inside. The bulky design of SUVs may better protect passengers inside but its larger mass creates an increased danger for pedestrians and passengers in small cars.

It is of utmost import to understand how much cargo and passenger space you need. As well as road conditions if you need all wheel drive. Ultimately consumers need to decide whether they need such bulky not so environmentally friendly vehicles which are marketed as lifestyle choices.

Lesser-Known Performance Car Division of Mass Market Manufacturers

February 28, 2021September 18, 2021 VD

Racing is a passion and people who are passionate about racing always want to own a winning car. The car that can bring zing in life and hence car companies have started manufacturing road cars that are performance oriented.

Toyota RTD

Toyota has emerged as a global top automobile company. TRD (Toyota Racing Development) was started in 1967. TRD 3000 GT was the streetcar version of Supra. TRD Camry was the first car to get Toyota TRD Badge. TRD Badge comes in TRD Sports, TRD off-road and TRD Pro. Toyota offers Camry, Tundra and Supra under TRD Badge. TRD production has also specialization in off-road vehicles.

Skoda VRS

VRS is the fastest Skoda ever made. Skoda Octavia is an iconic car in India. Owning a VRS badge means a fine handling machine with responsive steering, no body rolls when driving through the corners and top notch performance. Performance based Skoda Octavia VRS gets a two litre turbocharged engine that generates 245 horsepower.

Renault RS Performance

Renault group’s Alpine brand which manufactures most fun and performance oriented compact sport cars. The RS Trophy from Renault sports was developed with race cars in mind.

Nissan Nismo

Nissan R32 had made Nissan Motorsports International Limited known for performance vehicles. Nissan 350Z is another car which was built on sports tuned chassis by Nismo. Nissan can tune any passenger car into Nismo performance cars. Nissan has GT-R Nismo, 370Z Nismo, Juke Nismo, March Nismo, Note Nismo, Patrol Nismo, Sentra Nismo and Sereno Nismo to offer under NISMO performance badge.

Hyundai N Line

Hyundai introduced fun to drive performance-oriented cars for the mass market under the sub brand N Line. Hyundai claimed its first victory at the world rally championship in 2014. Hyundai N line adopted motorsports technology in street cars like i30 N, Veloster N, i30 Fastback N which are available in the international market. Under N Line i10 N Line, Elantra N Line, i30 N Line, Sonata N line, Kona N Line and Tucson N Line are available. Hyundai i10 N Line is now available for sale in India.

Ford RS

Ford offers ST and RS badge performance vehicles. RS vehicles are manufactured in Germany. RS cars are more expensive than ST badges. RS vehicles are all wheel drive, have a more advanced suspension system and more power to weight ratio. RS is faster than ST whereas the fuel economy is better in ST. ST models are front wheel drive vehicles.

Volkswagen GTI

MK7 has more power than it ever had in previous generations. Car is powered by a 2 Litre turbo engine that generates massive 245 horsepower. One of the most modern hot hatches today is the Seventh Generation Volkswagen Golf GTI, widely regarded as the root of the hot hatch house. Volkswagen Golf has 40 years of GTI history. It is a heritage car which was launched in the year 1976. Since the launch of MK1, the Golf GTI has been on the wish list of nuclear families. It was a car that every family had loved in the 70s who couldn’t afford to own luxury cars. All Golf GTI have classic golf ball gear shifter, Scottish checked pattern seats and GTI badge on steering wheel.

Sedan Vs SUV

February 7, 2021September 18, 2021 VD

After home, buying a car is the second most expensive purchase you are going to make. If you are looking for a new car but with abundant choices; you don’t know how to begin and what to buy. For decades drivers have had the choice of Sedan and Hatchback but now a new segment is getting popular that is sub compact SUV or Crossover SUV and this segment is giving stiff competition to both premium hatchback and compact sedans.

Last decade, 2010 to 2020, though Price of base variants of compact sedans were equal to crossover SUVs, they were sold like hot cakes and sedan sales had taken a serious dive. Thanks to its wide popularity and practicality.

Each car body style has its own pros and cons. No product is made for everybody. Let’s explore more in detail to find out which one is the best choice for you as per your needs. Here are the things you should consider.

Ride & Handling

Easy manoeuvring is the one benefit that a sedan offers is much better than any car body type. Riding dynamics, steering and handlings is better for a sedan than SUV. Car performance is lighter and more aerodynamic. 0 to 100 reach for a sedan is much easier compared to SUVs. Sedans have longer wheelbase and they are wider too that allows stable, smoother and quieter driving experience. Navigating through rough roads is pretty much simpler in SUVs, having said that crossover SUVs have marginal increase in ground clearance compared to hatchback. Crossover SUVs have more alleviated levels of view that offer potential improved visibility. Driver has good all round visibility which feels like the driver is in control of the vehicle. SUVs are agile with a smaller turning radius. SUVs have smaller wheelbase compared to compact sedans. Most crossover SUVs only feature front wheel drive like sedan and no all wheel drive options.

Driving and Comfort

Sedans have much better driving comfort. Sedan cabin design is more driver focused while Crossover SUVs give a more airy feeling. Sedans offer more legroom while SUVs offer more headroom. Crossover SUVs offer a high riding position where foots are beneath while sedan foots are stretched out in front of you.

Road Presence

SUVs are becoming Status symbol in India thanks to its muscular look. It gets respect on the road; small vehicles keep aside so that SUVs can have an easy way off because of its road presence. Though some crossover SUVs look like more hatch up vehicles than Sport Utility Vehicles.

Space

Dimensionally compact sedans have more wheelbase than crossover SUVs. Sedan wins the race for overall cargo capacity in terms of volume in litres but there is much more to it apart from numbers. Sedan boot space has certain limitations when loading bulky items due to its shape. SUVs allow much flexibility due to its two-box design; Folding seats configurations are easy to do and offer larger cargo space.

Safety

Sedans are safer as their center of gravity is lower. Sedan driving feels more under control and less tippy. In case of rear end collision, the three box design of the sedan provides better protection for second row occupants than crossover SUVs. Technology incorporated is way more advanced than that of SUVs for the same price. Sedan’s manoeuvring is easy at high speed though features like electronic stability control, traction control have made crossover SUVs more safer than before.

Not to forget, Sedan’s fuel economy ratings are better due to its aerodynamic design than compact SUV.

Crossovers SUVs are agile, peppy and fun to drive. Crossovers look attractive to the younger market while Enthusiast normally prefers the low sitting position of sedan. Sedan occupant feel lower to ground while crossover SUV features high driving position. Sedans are not as versatile as Crossover SUVs. My heart says SUVs because of road presence, passion, social status but my brain says Sedan as the driver comfort, the fuel efficiency and technology is good in a sedan. Buy a car that makes sense to you and not just emotionally excited.

Just give your comments which one you prefer?