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Old 12-06-2009, 11:10 AM   #187 (permalink)
Cd
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Pug nosed versus sloped nosed cars

By now, I'm sure we all have seen our share of cars that are designed with a what looks like a crushed in 'pug' nose.
Examples of this design would be on new cars such as the Prius, the Yaris, the Corolla, as well as others from other makes, such as the Civic.
( I think I just made some enemies with that comment )
At first, It made sense that the reason that the nose is bulbous versus tapered down is that it helps the vehicles in a front impact. Since the hoodline in higher, it has more of a chance meeting up with the front bumper of SUVs.

But then I got to thinking about cars like the Corvette. If car designers have to make cars with front ends that are more blunt, how do sports cars get away with having a sleek design that lacks the upright front end ?

It certainly can be done and result in a safe and lightweight car - just look at the Honda Fit, which has quite a nice looking snozz.
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