How have "wagons" gotten so big?

[Cd]

Originally Posted by CigaR007

People are getting bigger too.

Yes people are getting fatter, but I'd be interested to see how much of an increase in height there has been over the last thirty years.

Are people actually growing larger, or are they just getting more fat ?

[CigaR007]

I meant bigger in size (fat), not necessarily height-wise... my mistake.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by Small4Seater

This is a problem for highly fuel efficient cars because only one decimal is used for the ratings.

That seems to me to be a good "problem" to have.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Cd

Are people actually growing larger, or are they just getting more fat ?

Both.

Well-nourished and well-educated people are indeed getting taller as well.

Average height for 21 year old men in Flanders was 180.4 cm (71 inches) back in 2004.

When I was that age 20 years ago, 180cm was rather exceptional.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by euromodder

Average height for 21 year old men in Flanders was 180.4 cm (71 inches) back in 2004.

Still, that should be no bar to small cars. I'm a bit taller (72 in), yet could comfortably drive (and live out of, for months at a time) an Austin-Healey Sprite, as well as a number of other sports cars over the years. And I've been pretty happy with the Insight, though I wish it allowed a bit more of a reclined seating.

[shovel]

People are definitely bigger now, and we have more crap that we like to haul around with us everywhere we go.

I paid a visit to the Indianapolis racing car museum a while back, and saw a lot of vehicles like this

- I'm a relatively in-shape person (6'1" and 185 lbs, willoughby athlete measurements) and there's no way i could shoehorn my butt into one of those seats. I think when I was 10 I might have fit.