[PrideRed]

Some cars actually have gone in opposite direction.

1. Swift: Current gen is actually 10mm shorter than previous generation. Also thanks to crazy rules, engine is now 1.2Ltr as compared to 1.3Ltr of first gen Swift.

2. Endeavour: Previous gen endeavour was over 5M in length, thanks boot mounted spare wheel. Current one is under 5M. Engine also has shrunken, 1st gen had 2.L and second gen came with 2.5L or 3.0L option.

3. Dzire: Again thanks to regulations, 1st gen was well over 4M while the current gen is under 4M.

4. Supra: First gen was over 4600MM and the length has decreased with every iteration. Current gen is just 43xxM in length.

But yes all these cars have grown w.r.to width and make a lot more power.

[roy_libran]

Well... Humans, in general are larger and heavier than their predecessors from even just a couple of decades ago, and to aggravate matters even further, more comfort seeking and less hardship tolerant.
So, it is no surprise that cars, couches, chairs etc. are all getting larger.

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Making certain models bigger and bigger may satiate our inner needs as an individual but cost us all more as a society. People like me who drive 5-metre long cars are the cause of this malaise.

I would generally agree with your views sir, but on this I'd differ. The human society progresses only by competition, the strive to aquire more and by and large resource aquisition. That's why we all aim to get that next promotion, the bigger condo, the next villa or as you put in 'the 5 meter land yatch'. If we remove this need and if people tend to be satisfied with 'small is beautiful', pretty soon we would have a world full of people without ambition, motive or drive.
What we need is a balance between unbridled greed and optimisation of scarce resources.
I support the trend of making bigger cars, there is a market for it , so why not?

[mmxylorider]

Look at people sizes and those have grown as well. General well being, more money and demand for luxury features result in a platform bigger than before to haul this and thus a bigger powerplant as well. The limitation is solely on width driven by road safety.

And it's all relative. The Sunny and the Versa (here) are identical but the Versa seems puny compared to other cars on the road while I felt the Sunny (during an airport pickup) was luxurious!

[ramzsys]

There is another number that will govern our automobile buying and operating: the time to commute through the urban jungle.

As the country grows, expect more people leaving the rural and the traffic density will multiply several fold. Without the proportional lane expansion happening, the smaller the car less of a hassle to drive it.

[EshanS]

I like this move. Bada hai toh behtar hai does work at times. I mean, plonk an automatic in a sedan or a SUV its a breeze to drive in the city as well. I think size is the last thing on your mind, maneuvering a behemoth is the problem, but an automatic would just be fine.


I could barely manage myself at the back of the POLO, and I'm 6ft tall. Big cars are welcome.

[PaddleShifter]

Interesting perspectives. I remember seeing a write up some time ago titled "How cars have become fat" on facebook. Did a Google search and found it along with a few interesting images (Copyright- Respective owners).

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/10-...s-have-become/

A newer version of same is now available as well.
https://www.carthrottle.com/post/10-...s-have-become/

I would like add a few points before sharing the images:
1. Many hatchbacks and sedans have a more aerodynamic shape these days. If we see the earlier or first generation versions, the A pillars were more upright, the dashboards were much smaller/ thinner (imagine Scorpio like dashboards for those who want a comparison with modern cars). Now, the A pillar has a lesser angle or is more acute with the door window line). This design also requires a longer dashboard so that driver sits a bit father from the windscreen for headroom sake.



2. Cabin space: Some cars are growing to increase the cabin space, to jump a segment (price wise and size wise), or to accommodate the more aerodynamic design due to which increase in size is required even to maintain the same cabin space. There are some that are growing just because they were too tiny to begin with (aka FIAT 500).

Posting some photos below:




A few more:

[PearlJam]

Personally, I am not a fan of very big sized cars. As the external dimensions increase, the internal dimensions don't keep up proportionally. This means that, as driving (and parking!) in our congested cities becomes more and more difficult, the comfort/space inside doesn't increase as much. For example, the 320d is almost 4.7+ metres in length, and 1.9 metres in width - but is still seemingly short on space inside. There are a few other examples too.

I think a 4.2 to a maximum 4.3 metres length gives a perfect trade off between practicality and size. However, there are very few options for someone looking for a fun, solid, safe and powerful car (say 180+ bhp) in this segment. Most of them are more than 4.6 metres.

The Polo GTI is too small. The Mini Cooper is too quirky. The X1, new GLA, Q3 are still 4.4+ metres. I can only think of the recent Audi Q2 that fits the bill.

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

For example, the 320d is almost 4.7+ metres in length, and 1.9 metres in width - but is still seemingly short on space inside. There are a few other examples too.

I think a 4.2 to a maximum 4.3 metres length gives a perfect trade off between practicality and size. However, there are very few options for someone looking for a fun, solid, safe and powerful car (say 180+ bhp) in this segment. Most of them are more than 4.6 metres.

The Polo GTI is too small. The Mini Cooper is too quirky. The X1, new GLA, Q3 are still 4.4+ metres. I can only think of the recent Audi Q2 that fits the bill.

Sedans are growing aerodynamic. Therefore you get the long bonnet, big dash and a long boot with a curvy coupe like roofline. So even with 4.7 meters of length the passenger compartment gets to be low and cramped. Similar problems on the Merc as well.

If you want a reasonably powerful 4.3 meter car then on top of my mind are the mini countryman and the landrover Evoque .

[sramanat]

I test drove the new Honda City yesterday and it felt rather roomy and I kept thinking about my 2006 Camry and 2009 Corolla. Seeing this thread I googled the dimensions of those cars and indeed the 2021 India spec City is as large as 2009 US spec Corolla! At least on paper.

[Amrik Singh]

Here are two more legends

The older Corollas were also quite compact

[anb]

I prefer cars to be smaller as traffic is increasing and parking spaces are decreasing.

[mohitchalla]

I have no complains with this trend. I enjoy bigger cars with ample space inside.

Although driving them in tight urban spaces can be an issue sometime. It is a trade-off that I am willing to make.

[Fateh Salim]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

1. WagonR.

A little data on the Wagon R. The new generation car (2019-present) is 56mm longer and 125mm wider than the previous-generation. In terms of wheelbase, it has the same numbers as the ignis (2,435mm).However, It is 25mm shorter in height due to the lack of roof rails.


I didn't want to use a sourced photo, so created my own.

[AZT]

That 1980 Land Cruiser would still look good today. The height and wheelbase increase of 275 mm and 126 mm is lesser than the others.