Why are Indians fascinated with faux SUVs?
Soumi Roy 14-10-2025
Table Of Content
Walk into any Indian car showroom and you’ll see one segment dominating the floor: the compact crossover (or "faux SUV"). These aren't the rugged, 4x4 vehicles of old, but unibody, front-wheel-drive machines. Yet, they are everywhere. Why has the Indian consumer so strongly gravitated toward these vehicles? Let's break down the factors.
What Are Faux SUVs?
Before answering the above question, let us take a look at the definition of an SUV. SUV is an abbreviation for Sports Utility Vehicle. An SUV’s body sits on a ladder frame chassis. It can have either a manual or an automatic transmission.
Additionally, it would have an extra set of high-ratio and low-ratio gears attached to a second gear shifter tucked right beside the primary gear shifter, which helps these vehicles get out of even the stickiest situations with ease.
The power from the engines of SUVs is sent to all 4 wheels all the time (4x4) or most of the time to the front wheel and then to the rear wheels when the vehicle detects that it is losing traction; this system is known as AWD or All Wheel Drive.
Now, faux SUVs have the stance and the dimensions of an SUV, but they have a unibody construction. Unibody construction means that the body and chassis of a vehicle is the same single unit. Additionally, pseudo SUVs are universally front-wheel-driven vehicles. There are a handful of pseudo SUVs that are equipped with an AWD setup but no separate high and low ratio gearbox.
Now that we’ve defined the term, let's explore why they are so popular.
SUVs = A Symbol Of Success
Owning a large home in a posh location is perceived as a sign of success. The same perception applies to SUVs or large cars in general.
SUVs or at least, faux SUVs, entail aspiration – a factor that is abundant among people with large amounts of disposable income. On top of this, crossovers and their bold, muscular design project a strong road presence packaged neatly with an aura of prestige!
Easy Access To Pre-Owned Luxury!
For many, the used car market offers a budget-friendly way to own that big, imposing crossover sooner, fulfilling the aspiration of status without the sticker shock of a new vehicle. However, if you are planning to take this avenue then don’t buy a used pseudo SUV without first taking a look at its vehicle history report.
A Commanding Driving Experience & Tons Of Internal Space!
Pseudo SUVs offer elevated seating to the driver, which allows the latter to have a commanding view of the road ahead. Improved visibility through the front windshield lets drivers feel confident while driving a large vehicle through a pot-hole-riddled road saturated with chaotic traffic – conditions that are pretty common here in India!
Sedans and hatchbacks have their fair share of upsides, but compared to crossovers, these two former categories of cars fall short on legroom and headroom. Furthermore, crossover SUVs are known for their adjustable last row of seats that can either seat two people or can be folded down to increase the overall boot space of the car. So – hatchbacks and sedans, compared to crossovers, lack space, comfort, and cargo space, making crossovers ideal for families, extended road trips, and hauling huge amounts of luggage.
Faux SUVs Offer High Value For Money
When compared with hatchbacks, MUVs, and sedans, crossover SUVs are known for their feature-rich cabins, such as sunroofs, connected infotainment systems, and modern safety features like ADAS, which means that crossover SUVs offer a superior feature-to-price ratio.
The perfect bridge between a hatchback and an SUV is a crossover. Crossovers, compared to hatchbacks and sedans, are more practical, capable, & offer impressive ground clearance. Furthermore, compared to sedans and hatchbacks, crossover SUVs have greater water wading capabilities.
On top of this, pseudo SUVs, compared to full-size SUVs, have the turning radius of a hatchback or a sedan – making them perfect for city use since maneuverability as well as parking becomes easy for the average urban jungle-dweller!
Clever Marketing Made Indians Fall In Love With Faux SUVs
The Indian car makers, just like the rest of the world’s automobile manufacturers, are often praised for their unique ways to market vehicles. India is a developing nation. Despite the fact that the arterial road networks of India are on par with international standards, the capillary roads of India are still riddled with potholes, unruly traffic, and a lack of parking space. Hence, it would have made sense if Indians had adopted small cars just like the Japanese had adopted Kei cars. However, thanks to incessant hammering of this concept – “You Need To Have A Huge Imposing Vehicle To Leave Your Mark In The Society” through non-stop marketing campaigns in traditional as well as digital marketing channels, Indians gravitated towards SUVs or at least FWD SUVs, instead of sedans and hatchbacks; the categories of vehicles that used to rule Indian roads back in the day! Is this fascination a good or bad thing? Will it change? Only time will tell!
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