Sedans are a dying breed. The compact-SUV and all the other SUV segments are dominating the Indian market. The Indian car market wants simple, compact cars with a ton of features, safety, decent performance, and they should look like SUVs. That has marked the death knell for the Sedan segments. No one is buying sedans anymore. There aren’t many sedans either. Sales aren’t encouraging. But why are they any good? Why should we cherish them?
Now before you start complaining about sedans not clearing speed-breakers, most sedans now have enough ground clearance to clear speed-breakers (and even then, many could clear). Let me make a case on why sedans don’t deserve to die.
First off, sedans drive better than SUVs. Bring any SUV, even a Skoda Kushaq, or Kodiaq, or a Creta N-line if you so wish, a sedan equivalent will drive better than it any day. The sedan will feel more composed around bends, and in a straight line, due to it’s lower ride height, which gives it a lower center of gravity, and better aerodynamics than an SUV, which is essentially a brick on wheels. The sedan, by virtue of better aerodynamics, has a lower drag coefficient than an SUV. This means that it deals with less air resistance, that is drag, while cruising on a highway at high speed, compared to an SUV. This gives a sedan better fuel efficiency on highways than an SUV. If you look at sedans, they will give you, in most cases, more space, and more boot space, than an equivalent compact or mid-size SUV in the market today. Sedans also generally have surprisingly better suspension and better ride quality (mostly on a highway) as compared to compact or mid-size SUVs because it is easier to get a better suspension setup on a sedan than it is on an SUV. In general, it is surprising that not just from a fun-to-drive aspect, but even in practical areas, like composure at high speeds, high-speed ride, fuel economy, and the sense of space, sedans are still the better solution. If the Indian market thinks logically, in my opinion, most of them would rather buy a sedan, or a hatchback, rather than a front-wheel-drive “SUV”. But, what are your thoughts on this? The sedan, except for city use, is the quintessential long-drive family car. Do let me know! #SavetheSedans.
