Mid-Size SUVs Ranked by Published Ground Clearance, Plus the AWD Versions

Among mid-size SUVs whose makers actually print a ground clearance figure, the Honda Elevate sits highest at 220 mm, followed by the Renault Duster at 212 mm, the electric Mahindra BE 6 at 207 mm and the Tata Sierra at 205 mm. The Maruti Grand Vitara, Maruti Victoris and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder are missing from that ranking for one reason: none of their makers publishes a clearance number. They are, however, three of the only four mid-size SUVs here sold with drive to all four wheels and hill descent control. The Grand Vitara Alpha ALLGRIP starts at Rs 18,04,700, the Victoris ZXi+ ALLGRIP at Rs 18,68,900, and the Hyryder AWD now comes only with a 6-speed automatic. The ladder-frame Mahindra Thar Roxx 4x4 is the fourth.

So this list has two tables. The first ranks the cars on the clearance figure their makers print. The second covers the AWD and 4x4 versions, which matter more than a few millimetres once the surface turns loose or wet. Prices are ex-showroom Delhi, checked October 2026.

Mid-size SUVs ranked by published ground clearance

Rank	Model	Published ground clearance	Where the maker prints it	Drive	Starting price (ex-showroom)
1	Honda Elevate	220 mm	Elevate brochure, footnoted "as per Honda internal data"	Two-wheel drive (no AWD version in brochure)	Honda publishes no fixed price list
2	Renault Duster	212 mm	Renault Duster page and brochure	Two-wheel drive (no AWD version in brochure)	Rs 10,49,000 (strong hybrid from Rs 16,99,000)
3	Mahindra BE 6 (electric)	207 mm unladen, 222 mm at the battery	BE 6 brochure, key dimensions	Rear	Rs 19,45,000 (Sporteq One 59 kWh, without charger)
4	Tata Sierra	205 mm	Sierra brochure	Two-wheel drive (no AWD version in brochure)	Not captured: Tata's price page did not render for us
n/a	Maruti Grand Vitara	Not published by Maruti	Brochure has no clearance row	2WD, or ALLGRIP AWD	Rs 10,76,500
n/a	Maruti Victoris	Not published by Maruti	Brochure has no clearance row	2WD, or ALLGRIP AWD	Rs 10,49,900
n/a	Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder	Not published by Toyota	Brochure and live spec page have no clearance row	2WD, or AWD	Toyota's price was not available to us

We also looked for a clearance figure in the brochures we hold for the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun and MG Astor and found none, so they are not ranked either.

Why the 210 mm figure is not used here

Most comparison sites, and our own broader list of SUVs with the highest ground clearance, give the Grand Vitara, Victoris and Hyryder 210 mm. We could not find that number in any document Maruti or Toyota publishes for these three cars. The Grand Vitara and Victoris brochures print length, width, height, wheelbase and turning radius, then stop. Toyota's Hyryder brochure and its live specification page do the same. Since every other row in the ranking comes from the maker, putting a third-party 210 mm next to them would let an unsourced number outrank a sourced one. So the three Toyota-Suzuki cars sit outside the ranking. That does not mean they ride low. It means you should ask the dealer, or measure.

The AWD and 4x4 versions

Version	Drive system	Gearbox	Certified mileage	Hill descent control	Published clearance	Price (ex-showroom)
Maruti Grand Vitara Alpha ALLGRIP	ALLGRIP Select 4WD	6-speed automatic	19.20 km/l	Yes, ALLGRIP only	Not published	Rs 18,04,700; Alpha(O) ALLGRIP Rs 18,62,600
Maruti Victoris ZXi+ ALLGRIP	ALLGRIP Select AWD, Snow/Sport/Lock/Auto modes	6-speed automatic	19.07 km/l	Yes, ALLGRIP only	Not published	Rs 18,68,900; ZXi+(O) Rs 19,26,900
Toyota Hyryder AWD	AWD	6-speed automatic	19.20 km/l	Yes, AWD only (brochure)	Not published	Not available to us
Mahindra Thar Roxx diesel 4x4	Part-time 4x4 with low range, electric locking differential	Manual or automatic	Not published by Mahindra	Listed in brochure	Not published	MX5 D MT 4WD Rs 19,56,000; AX5L D AT 4WD Rs 21,67,000

The Grand Vitara and Victoris mileage comes from their brochures. The Hyryder figure and gearbox come from Toyota's live specification page, which now lists "5MT(2WD) / 6AT(2WD/4WD)" and "AWD 6AT: 19.20 km/l". Toyota's older brochure PDF still says AWD is manual only. The live page is the newer document, so we follow it, but confirm the gearbox with a dealer before you book.

The ranked cars

1. Honda Elevate: the tallest published figure, with a caveat

Honda's brochure prints 220 mm under the heading "Ultra-High Ground Clearance", with a footnote that the number is "as per Honda internal data". That is still the maker's figure, which is why it leads, but it is a company measurement rather than a homologation document. The Elevate is 4,312 mm long on a 2,650 mm wheelbase and turns in a 5.2 m radius. Honda's brochure lists no AWD version, so the clearance helps over speed breakers and broken patches but does nothing for traction on a slippery climb.

2. Renault Duster: clearance plus published angles

Renault's Duster page gives 212 mm along with an approach angle of 26.9 degrees and a departure angle of 34.7 degrees, the only car in the first table whose maker prints all three. The petrol Duster starts at Rs 10,49,000 and the strong hybrid at Rs 16,99,000 on Renault's site. Its brochure lists no AWD version. A 26.9 degree approach angle is modest next to a ladder-frame off-roader, so the front bumper, not the underbody, is likely to touch first on a steep ramp. If angles are your real concern, our list of SUVs with the best approach and departure angles covers them in detail.

3. Mahindra BE 6: an EV with more under the battery than the body

Mahindra's BE 6 brochure gives 207 mm unladen and 222 mm at the battery, on a 4,371 mm body and a 2,775 mm wheelbase. The long wheelbase is the catch for rough roads: the longer the gap between the axles, the easier it is to ground the middle of the car on a sharp crest, whatever the clearance number. The BE 6 drives the rear wheels. On Mahindra's BE 6 Sporteq page the range opens at Rs 19,45,000 without a home charger, or Rs 20,20,000 with the 11.2 kW charger.

4. Tata Sierra: 205 mm on the longest wheelbase in the first table

The Sierra brochure prints 205 mm and a 23.1 degree ramp-over angle, on a 4,340 mm body with a 2,730 mm wheelbase. Tata is one of the few makers that publishes a ramp-over figure at all, and it is the number that tells you how a long car copes with a hump. The brochure lists no AWD version. Tata's price page did not render for us, so we have left its price out rather than guess.

The AWD cars in more detail

Maruti Grand Vitara ALLGRIP: the cheapest mid-size AWD automatic

At Rs 18,04,700 the Grand Vitara Alpha ALLGRIP is the least expensive way into a mid-size SUV that drives all four wheels in this group. ALLGRIP is offered only on the top Alpha petrol automatic, and hill descent control and the drive mode selector are fitted to the ALLGRIP cars only. Certified mileage drops from 20.58 km/l on the 2WD automatic to 19.20 km/l with ALLGRIP. The weakness is the one this article keeps returning to: Maruti does not publish the clearance, so you are buying the AWD system, not a guaranteed ride height. The strong hybrid, which certifies 27.97 km/l, cannot be had with AWD.

Maruti Victoris ALLGRIP: AWD with the newer cabin

The Victoris offers ALLGRIP Select on the ZXi+ and ZXi+(O) automatics, at Rs 18,68,900 and Rs 19,26,900. That is Rs 64,200 more than the cheapest Grand Vitara ALLGRIP. Its brochure lists Snow, Sport, Lock and Auto terrain modes and hill descent control on the ALLGRIP version, with certified mileage of 19.07 km/l against 21.06 km/l for the 2WD automatic. The Victoris holds a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating, but check the applicability grid on that page for your exact version before relying on it. As with the Grand Vitara, no clearance figure is published.

Toyota Hyryder AWD: same hardware family, no price

Toyota's live specification page shows the Hyryder AWD with the 6-speed automatic and a certified 19.20 km/l, and the brochure lists hill descent on the AWD model only. Toyota's Delhi price list did not return a price for this version when we checked, so we cannot tell you where it sits against the two Marutis. Ask the dealer for a written quote.

Mahindra Thar Roxx 4x4: the ladder-frame alternative

The Thar Roxx is a different kind of car: a ladder-frame SUV with a part-time 4x4 system, high and low range, and an electric locking differential on the diesel 4x4. Mahindra's brochure prints an approach angle of 41.7 degrees, a departure angle of 36.1 degrees, a ramp-over angle of 23.9 degrees and a water-wading depth of 650 mm. Those are the numbers that matter off the road, and they are far beyond the Duster's. Mahindra does not print a ground clearance figure for the Roxx in the brochure we read, nor certified mileage. The 4x4 is diesel only, starting with the MX5 manual at Rs 19,56,000 and the AX5L automatic at Rs 21,67,000. Our guide to off-road SUVs with hill descent control compares it with the other ladder-frame cars.

Which one fits which road

If you mostly face tall speed breakers and flooded city underpasses, a published 205 mm to 220 mm with two-wheel drive is enough, and the Elevate and Duster have the highest maker-printed numbers. If your trips involve wet ghat roads, gravel or snow, traction matters more than height, and the Grand Vitara, Victoris and Hyryder AWD automatics are the mid-size cars built for that. If you need to cross real terrain, only the Thar Roxx 4x4 has low range and published off-road angles.

For a general comparison of these cars beyond clearance, see our guide to the best mid-size SUVs in India.

How this list was built

Every clearance figure in the ranking comes from the maker: Honda's Elevate brochure, Renault's Duster page and brochure, Mahindra's BE 6 brochure and Tata's September 2026 Sierra brochure. Mileage for the Grand Vitara and Victoris is the certified figure in each Maruti brochure, and the Hyryder's comes from Toyota's live specification page. Maruti prices come from Maruti's own variant price lists on the NEXA and Arena sites (single-tone paint); the Duster, BE 6 and Thar Roxx prices come from Renault's and Mahindra's model pages. All prices are ex-showroom Delhi, checked October 2026.

What we could not verify: ground clearance for the Grand Vitara, Victoris, Hyryder, Creta, Seltos, Taigun, Astor and Thar Roxx, because their makers do not print it in the documents we read; the Hyryder AWD and Elevate prices, which Toyota and Honda did not publish in a form we could read; and the Sierra price, which did not load. The Elevate's 220 mm is Honda's own internal figure, as its footnote says.

Frequently asked questions

Which mid-size SUV has the highest ground clearance in India?

Among mid-size SUVs whose makers publish the figure, the Honda Elevate is highest at 220 mm, a number Honda footnotes as its own internal data. The Renault Duster follows at 212 mm, the Mahindra BE 6 at 207 mm and the Tata Sierra at 205 mm.

What is the ground clearance of the Grand Vitara and Victoris?

Maruti does not publish one. Neither brochure has a ground clearance row. The 210 mm often quoted for both cars comes from third parties, which is why we do not rank them on it.

Which mid-size SUVs have AWD and hill descent control?

The Maruti Grand Vitara Alpha ALLGRIP (from Rs 18,04,700), the Maruti Victoris ZXi+ ALLGRIP (from Rs 18,68,900) and the Toyota Hyryder AWD all pair four-wheel drive with hill descent control and a 6-speed automatic. The Mahindra Thar Roxx diesel 4x4 adds low range and is a ladder-frame SUV.

Is the Hyryder AWD manual or automatic?

Toyota's live specification page now lists the AWD Hyryder with a 6-speed automatic only, certified at 19.20 km/l. An older Toyota brochure says AWD is manual only, so confirm with the dealer.

Does higher ground clearance matter more than AWD?

It depends on the road. Clearance helps over speed breakers, potholes and standing water. AWD helps on loose, wet or steep surfaces where two-wheel drive loses grip. For a ghat road in the monsoon, AWD usually matters more than 10 mm of extra height.

Is the Mahindra BE 6 a good rough-road SUV?

Its published clearance of 207 mm, rising to 222 mm at the battery, is high for an EV. Its 2,775 mm wheelbase is long, though, which makes it easier to ground the middle of the car on a sharp crest. It is also rear-wheel drive only.