this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2023
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I think the most absurd is, that even former basic cars like the Polo get bigger and bigger. Modern Polos seem to take up more space than a gen. 1, 2, or even 3 Golf - but with barely more space inside.
Effects are, they take up more public space when curb parking, perversely hindering their brothers to get through. Some just barely fit single garages built in the 50ies, totally inconveniencing the driver trying to get out. One'd thing people buying these would see these self created problems, but apparently not.
Ok but a lot of that space is taken up by crumple zones and the like, things that make far fewer people die. Euro NCAP legislation drives a lot of the change you are seeing, and a lot of it for the better.
Completely agree, Crumple zones, sound deadening, side impact safety bars, airbags, rollover reinforcement, even just the structure of the seats has changed dramatically over time. Sit in a mk1 golf or polo and marvel at the exterior coloured painted metal on the inside of the car, and now think, how was it ok to make a car with this little safety?
Crumple zones do not reflect the ridiculous proportions of that pickup truck.
The VW has perfectly fine crumple zones for a collision with another car of up to double it's mass and size. They are also designed to give pedestrians a fighting chance of minimal injury in built up areas.
Due to the arrival of these pickups, all cars need to get bigger and more reinforced to deal with a collision.
Trucks are actually the vehicles that have increased in size the least if you compare the same models (same brand, same cab and bed), height is the only major difference that make them seem much bigger than the older models and that height is due in part to safety standards, including the capacity to hold 1.5 times their weight on their roof.
I hate how not mini the Mini is now.
I mean, the Mini Cooper S is really only 7” longer and 200lbs more than it was a decade ago, and the rest of the dimensions are pretty much the same. There are loud of other models they make which I do agree aren’t very small lol
That wasn't a MINI either. The last really small MINI was produced 23 years ago. See also here: https://www.carsized.com/en/cars/compare/mini-cooper-1990-3-door-hatchback-vs-mini-cooper-2013-3-door-hatchback/
They don't see their big car being the issue. They complain about parking spaces so small these days that they "have to" use up multiple/park halfway on the curb/block the biking lane.
Yeah basically all modern cars have tiny interior volumes, even tho externally they are huge.
As a comparison, my 2014 Nissan Note can maximally carry 2012 liters. The 2023 Renault Espace - a label whose name literally means spacious - can only carry 1818 liters. And that's while it's 50cm taller, wider and longer than the Nissan while weighing a whopping 50% more.
I don't know about interior volume, but the only modern cars that I've been in that I actually considered spacious on the insides are those newer Civic models. Like from 2015 or so. My friend has one of them, they're decently compact from the outside, but my god the only time I've had that much legspace and headroom in a car was in vans.
Now, admittedly, you're not gonna be hauling sofas and fridges with one, but as a people mover and grocery getter? Really damn good.
Exactly. I honestly think my 2 door saloon has more capacity than all these light SUVs.