Quote:
Originally Posted by Cd
The Spark is a full TEN inches taller than a CRX, yet headroom is less than 2 1/2 " more.( 37 versus 39.4 in headroom )( 50.1 "versus 61.1 " height )
Even a new Camry is shorter at 57.9 " tall
A 5th generation Civic has a mere inch less headroom, but again the Spark is right at 10" taller.
Also the car is actually 4" skinnier than the 5th generation Civic.
( 66.9 Civic 62.90 Spark. )
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As said... bolt upright seating position. The extra height all goes towards legroom actually. Older microcars and subcompacts... the previous Spark and the older Fit, for example, had the seat squab low, so your knees would either be all scrunched up or you'd have to move the seat way back to be comfortable. The way they build the Spark gives it a lot of headroom and legroom combined.
They could make the cars longer and lower, but these size constraints are driven by very specific market needs and (stupid) tax regulations based arbitrarily on footprint size rather than overall weight.
Plus, given these are marketed for European urban drivers and third world markets, where they'll typically be driven at just 40-50 mph, the extra drag doesn't matter as much.
Perhaps something like the Merc concept would work if they didn't have to be built for four... Limit them to one rear passenger so you can pinch the body sideways instead of vertically.