In India, many a time the frustrated 4-wheelers drivers make the statement " are the speed breakers built on roads or roads build for speed breakers!" Well, we all know how narrow our streets are and the freedom residentials take in making speed breakers anywhere according to their wish and will. And vehicles are not meant to travel just on the main roads, they go inside the colonies as well, most of the times! Even my own street has three speed breakers without any technical build up.
In such a scenario, ground clearance becomes a significant factor in choosing a vehicle to be bought. It is the measure that tells us about the height of the vehicle's lowermost part from the ground level. Luxury vehicles like that of BMW or Jaguar see the problem of lower ground clearance due to which they cannot easily surpass the speed breakers built without keeping such technicalities in mind.
As a rescue, The Automotive Research Association of India has revised the norms to measure ground clearance. Unlike the previous methods where the ground clearance was measured in accordance with the kerb weight of the vehicle, now the vehicle will be loaded to its full capacity and then the gross vehicle weight will b calculated. Then only the ground clearance of the vehicle will be decided, considering the peak height of the technically build speed breakers that it can ride through without damage to the components present at the base of the vehicle. This way, the ground clearance shall be decided when the vehicle is in its least suspension and the ground clearance is bound to reduce in number.
The official ground clearance of the Toyota Fortuner is 184mm from now on, which was 225mm previously.This would make the drive smoother than before on Indian roads, which requires a reduced ground clearance in comparison to other countries with better-constructed roadways transportation systems.
