[gkrishk]

why are the rear windows of modern hatches so small? Not only are they small, the effective area is made even smaller by a wide rim of black paint. Why is this so?

[BenjiRoss]

I think the reason is that to make the cars more streamlined, decrease resistance at higher speeds and keep them stable the back of the car should be shorter than the front - that appears to be the reason.
I could be totally wrong though. Please don't beat me up!

[gods-envy]

Originally Posted by gkrishk

why are the rear windows of modern hatches so small? Not only are they small, the effective area is made even smaller by a wide rim of black paint. Why is this so?

What car do you drive buddy?
haven't faced such a problem in my palio though.

[greenhorn]

I found reversing in the swift very painful. Rear vision was bad, and the window sills were also high. When i was looking out of the window, I had to stretch a bit to get my head over it, almost like leaning over a wall!

[gkrishk]

Originally Posted by gods-envy

What car do you drive buddy?
haven't faced such a problem in my palio though.

The Swift has a small rear window-possibly for aerodynamic and styling reasons. But why does the Santro's rear window(also other cars) have a large part of the glass obscured by black paint all round the edge? The Palio has a rather large rear window and the black surround is quite thin.