Is a 110mm Minimum Ground Clearance Sufficient?
3 Answers
Currently, there are quite a few vehicles in the domestic market with a minimum ground clearance around 110mm. If a vehicle's ground clearance is too small, it is not recommended to frequently drive on bumpy roads. When driving on unpaved surfaces, it is necessary to reduce speed and carefully choose the driving path. Passing on highways generally poses no issues, but performance on other road surfaces will certainly be problematic. Additional information: The minimum ground clearance for sedans typically ranges between 110mm to 150mm. For instance, the Audi A6 sedan has a minimum ground clearance of 142mm. SUVs generally have a minimum ground clearance between 200mm to 250mm, such as the Toyota Land Cruiser with 220mm.
It depends on the road conditions you usually drive on. When I drove a sedan with a minimum ground clearance of only about 100mm, it was completely fine for city commuting, and I could even manage to go up curbs by angling slightly. However, if you frequently drive on dirt roads or bumpy sections, 110mm is indeed a bit risky, with a high chance of scraping the undercarriage. Like the last time we went camping in the countryside, my friend's SUV with 120mm clearance had to be very careful on gravel roads. I recommend installing an engine guard and keeping the tire pressure not too high, which can provide some extra buffer space for the actual ground clearance. If you often drive on rough roads, this height might still be a bit of a stretch.
110 millimeters is roughly the height of a smartphone held vertically, which indeed isn't very high. I've observed friends' urban SUVs, and most maintain a ground clearance of over 180mm. However, for city commuting alone, this height is sufficient. One easily overlooked detail: when the trunk is fully loaded with luggage or the car is fully occupied, suspension compression can reduce the ground clearance by another 2-3 centimeters. I encountered this situation last week while helping someone move—a slope that was passable suddenly scraped the undercarriage. My advice is to slowly go over speed bumps one wheel at a time and to plan detours in advance when encountering unpaved roads.
