Why are new cars so TALL ?

[botsapper]

A very complicated question on the evolution of the higher 'H'-point. Until just recently and unfortunately, the bean-counters/marketing analysts set product targets to which engineering/design professionals begin their work. Unfortunately this led the the demise of many car companies, where product was 'not' king.
In the case of the 'taller' dims, it is set by target specifications for the target demographics. Exterior proportions & designs are optimized for the occupant, cargo & system package. The previous generation sales champions - popular pickups/SUVs set the 'H'-point standard or benchmark for many new crossovers/new vehicles. They preserve the taller & upright seating (BMWs X3-5-6,MDX, MKX, SRX, Q5, Cayenne, CR-V, Countryman, etc). The key to maximizing interior space is raising the 'H' point - the elevation in which the driver and front passenger hips naturally sit. Elevated above where it would be in a conventional reclined driving position. The benefits are many: first it means the commanding driving position; secondly it means the driver's and passengers' hip to heel angle is as close to ease & comfort. Finally, and critically, a high and upright driving position provides more room in rear row seating.
There is a cool marketing/engineering/design infographic that could make sense on the creation of the production models.
process outline : curb industries

[NachtRitter]

I've never enjoyed cornering hard in a vehicle with an upright seating position... and since I like to conserve my momentum, I nearly always corner hard when I drive by myself (I give passengers a break).

[Frank Lee]

I've had pretty much from one extreme to another: Microbus, bolt upright and high; to Spitfire, seat virtually on the floor, arms and legs straight out horizontal, the whole thing a few inches off the ground. There are pros and cons to each and AFAIC, they and many things inbetween are all OK as far as being able to be comfortable and controllable. I don't think seating position as it relates to potential comfort is the driver of higher heights.

[NeilBlanchard]

Japanese high school team designs 18-inch tall electric car [w/video] — Autoblog Green

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by botsapper

The key to maximizing interior space is raising the 'H' point - the elevation in which the driver and front passenger hips naturally sit.

That's still going back to the "design for one market segment, and forget the rest" philosophy. I'm not the least interested in maximizing interior space, or the comfort of back-seat passengers that I'd never have ('cause I don't want a back seat).

[basjoos]

Another question that might be related is "Have bumper heights increased since the 80's?" With the advent of SUV/truck popularity, you had a large population of vehicles introduced to the road with their bumpers at a much greater height than the average car bumper and which presented a great safety threat to them. So taller cars might be a way for car designers to design taller bumpers into a car that are a closer match with SUV/truck bumper height. One advantage of my boattail is that it puts my bumper (the tip of the boattail) at the same height as the bumper on my F-150, which is at typical SUV height and rides over the height of my OEM Civic bumpers, rendering them almost useless in a crash with a SUV or full size pickup.

[SvdM]

I also don't quite get this either... smaller run-abouts seem to have more headroom inside the car than a nice-sized family sedan. What's the point of making a smaller car that's lighter and narrower, only to add unnecessary height to the roof? This only increases the frontal area again, actually robbing the car ever so slightly from a selling point small cars are usually marketed for: Their fuel economy.

I would like to see more small coupés. Many young people work much longer before starting a family with kids, making a small coupé version of (say) the Daihatsu Cuore/Charade totally valid in my opinion.

[PaleMelanesian]

When I'm going to be driving for a long time, I adjust the seatback a notch or two more vertical to reduce back/shoulder strain.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by SvdM

I also don't quite get this either... smaller run-abouts seem to have more headroom inside the car than a nice-sized family sedan. What's the point of making a smaller car that's lighter and narrower, only to add unnecessary height to the roof?

It is done for marketing appeal. It creates the illusion that a small car is roomier inside and appears larger than it actually is. It may actually have more total interior cubic foot space due to the increased headroom, but most of that space is unusable or serves no purpose (other than creating the desired illusion).

Since most American vehicles in recent decades have been SUVs, the fashion has been to make everything look like an SUV, even if it is a small car. (We may tend to think in terms of practicality and fuel economy, but the average car buyer does not.) The reason I don't own an SUV is because they have a large exterior but usually are not very roomy in cargo area capacity.