[spacemanspif]

Originally Posted by darcane

This touches on something that I've been wondering about for a while.

In an effort to reduce fuel consumption to meet CAFE standards, manufacturers have been trying to reduce drag by chipping away at Cd. But equally important is A (frontal area) and that has typically been increasing, year over year. The XL1, for example, has a great Cd, but the small frontal area plays every bit as much of a role in it's fuel efficiency.

I suspect this may be a trend that we will start seeing too, especially as the mpg targets get harder to meet.

Doubtful; look at the difference in size between an older Metro and a new Mirage. Car companies keep making taller and wider cars to add comfort and safety. Many people complain about how hard it is to get in and out of low cars, my older (in their 40s) friends used to complain constantly about getting in and out of my Saturn and now say "this car is so much easier to get in/out of than your old Saturn" about my Focus. Consumers want easy in/out and shoulder/head room so I only see cars getting bigger and bigger...