Car Sizes

[sub39h]

I was just wondering about this today... every generation cars get a little bigger. When the B8 A4 was first released it was reported as being nearly as big as the original A6. The current Polo is a similar size to the Mk1. The 135i M-Sport is meant to be a spiritual sucessor to the original M3 (or at least is reported as being such) and is a similar size.

So where will it stop? I mean it seems a little futile - why buy a Polo the size of a Golf when you can buy a Golf? or an A4 the size of an A6? 

And what will happen when the A1 is the size of the A3? will they release an A0.5? BMW are already having to think of a new naming system for cars smaller than a 1-Series.

Just interested to see what will happen or what peoples' thoughts are on this phenomenon lol...

[Little_Dave]

Yeah cars definitely are getting bigger as the years go on like for like but im not complaining as i have trouble fitting into most cars anyway so its all good for me 

When you see some of the big mercs or bmw's they look like small ships on the road, really can't understand why anybody would want a car so big in the first place as believe me there isn't alot more room inside driving them, apart from the rear maybe but nobody ever seems to be in the back 

My dad has an old P reg polo and it looks tiny compared to the new mk6 version, narrower and shorter but then they are years apart and i guess because of people in this country, and all over the world for that matter, getting bigger in general the car companies have had to respond by cattering for that or risk losing customers and valuable sales

Dave

[PDT]

Bigger is fine as long as the supermarkets / multi storey car parks realise that cars are getting bigger. I struggle getting my 3 series around some multistoreys, would hate to have to park the new 7 series or a full size SUV.

[stealthwolf]

Agree that cars are definitely bigger and after seeing Hurdy's polo GTI in action, reckon it's more of a successor for the original mk1, even if only in spirit.

More safety features and more comfort demands means larger cars. Which is a pain as the garae in my current house fits cars built from a similar era so I have trouble getting the mk5 in there.

+1 for parking spaces. We need wider ones. I remember someone getting a parking ticket for not correctly parking in a space. Turns out they had put the car in fine but because the car was so big, all four wheels were on the white lines.

[Bane]

I reckon that the growth in size has more to do with crash design and safety legislation and also the trend for more interior room.
If you look at modern cars from the front or rear,they are all of a similar strategy-the wheelbase width is something like a third wider than the roof,giving a car a triangular appearance and better stability.
As for crash protection,have you seen the amount of space between the frnit bumper and the engine block?You could almost make a hatch and call it extra luggage space!
I used to have a NK2 GTI and the rad was more or less right behind the bumper and when I had to replace the headlight bulbs on my missus MK4 1.6 recently,I could not figure out how the designers had allowed for so much space behind the bumper but still couldn't get my hand in behind the light unit to get the old bulb out!

[welikeaps]

Bigger is fine as long as the supermarkets / multi storey car parks realise that cars are getting bigger. I struggle getting my 3 series around some multistoreys, would hate to have to park the new 7 series or a full size SUV.

I know that feeling. When driving a 3 series last week I kept thinking i was going to scratch the front end whilst going round.

As for shops only costco seem to have decent sized car parking spaces.

[garrardrj]

Just park like a "Twat" over two spaces and you've got plenty of space then , i do.  Got called a Twat , oh dear 

[Hurdy]

The thing is, smaller cars are now trendy and this trend for smaller, more economical cars is going to take off. Big power doesn't necessarily have to mean a big engine and big fuel bills anymore. The "supermini"  cars like the Polo, Corsa, Fiesta etc are all now punting out cars with 180-210bhp. This is where the family hatch was around 7 years ago, but the cars are smaller, more economical and if you don't need the extra room of a hothatch, then the supermini gets into those parking spaces easily. I know QD will agree with me on this - "lightweight, smaller, supermini hatch, performance cars are the future"

[jhtrophy]

The thing is, smaller cars are now trendy and this trend for smaller, more economical cars is going to take off. Big power doesn't necessarily have to mean a big engine and big fuel bills anymore. The "supermini"  cars like the Polo, Corsa, Fiesta etc are all now punting out cars with 180-210bhp. This is where the family hatch was around 7 years ago, but the cars are smaller, more economical and if you don't need the extra room of a hothatch, then the supermini gets into those parking spaces easily. I know QD will agree with me on this - "lightweight, smaller, supermini hatch, performance cars are the future"

I agree with the small performance car thing, trouble is new ones aren't small! The polo weighs 300 kilo more than a 172 which weighed 200 kilo more than a 205 gti