Why are new cars so TALL ?

[Cd]

Just wondering why it is that new cars are so tall.
The average small car today has a height of around 60", while small cars such as the Honda Civic from the early nineties had a height approaching 10" below that figure. ( 50.7" )

Why such a tremendous increase in height ? I realize that Americans keep getting larger, but this is usually seen in the gut area versus their height.
Small cars are growing more tall than wide. An example being the Aveo, which is actually 8" slimmer than the '93 Civic, yet is also around 8" taller.

[Frank Lee]

Cuz women and short guys like to try to tower over other traffic.

And the popularity of SUVs, PUs, and Xovers.

And the less flexible aging population.

And Robert Cumberford's insistance of the desireability of wearing a 10-gallon hat while driving.

And today is the anti-'60s.

[KITT222]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

And Robert Cumberford's insistance of the desireability of wearing a 10-gallon hat while driving.

Now that you said that, I have to try it.... (now where can I find a hat like that from up here?)


Taller cars are more space efficient, and give the feeling that the car is bigger than it really is. And, of course, automakers trying to pry people off SUVs. My Vibe is a bit taller than my step-moms Corolla, yet the overall shape of my Vibe is much more like the teardrop template than the Corolla.

[NeilBlanchard]

For one thing, you get a lot more legroom when sitting upright. And you can fit more/taller people in a given length car when the seating position is upright. It has more volume than a shorter car of the same length. As a tall person (I'm 6'-4") I am not able to sit comfortably in many cars much larger than my little Scion xA. My sister had a Legacy a while back, and I needed a shoehorn just to fit, and since it was a standard I don't think I could have driven it at all...

And yes, the visibility out of the car is helped when you see over the hoods of the SUV's/minivans/etc.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Cd

Just wondering why it is that new cars are so tall.
The average small car today has a height of around 60", while small cars such as the Honda Civic from the early nineties had a height approaching 10" below that figure. ( 50.7" )

Why such a tremendous increase in height ? I realize that Americans keep getting larger, but this is usually seen in the gut area versus their height.
Small cars are growing more tall than wide. An example being the Aveo, which is actually 8" slimmer than the '93 Civic, yet is also around 8" taller.

I own an '09 Aveo, and I don't think it is much slimmer if you are factoring in the side mirrors. Yes, it is taller as I can attest from washing it. It also stands higher off the ground than a Fit or a Yaris, which is desirable to some of us as we get older. (I and my wife aren't getting taller or fatter, but we are getting older.) One reason I bought it is that it is easier to get in an out of a car that stands higher; also it is less likely to bottom out on driveways and bad roads.

It seems it is just the trend in recent years to make small cars resemble bigger cars or look bigger than they actually are. This is especially true in American auto design.

It's probably about fashion and appealing to what people wanna be or
pretend to be... ("Big hat, no cattle"?)

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

For one thing, you get a lot more legroom when sitting upright. And you can fit more/taller people in a given length car when the seating position is upright. It has more volume than a shorter car of the same length.

You can also get more legroom and volume by lengthening a low vehicle. Then the frontal area gets to stay small, and it's easier to design in a smaller wake area.

[cfg83]

Cd -

I agree with KITT222 that you get more interior volume with taller cars, but I don't like the "tall" proportions of today's cars. One of the reasons I liked the 1st-Gen Pontiac Vibe was that you could get it with an unpainted lower section. For me that made it appear as if the Vibe wasn't as tall as it was, and got away from that "wash of metal" I like to complain about.

But I like what Frank said even more, that the aero benefits too.

CarloSW2

[Arragonis]

It does get a little silly some times though...

[CapriRacer]

Look at it this way.

If you want to lower the roof line and still accommodate the same height passengers, then you have to tilt them - and that results in a longer chasiss, longer doors and a longer roof - all of which add weight - and more weight than would be saved by using a lower roof.

And as we all know, reducing weight probably has the largest effect on fuel economy.

[JasonG]

The height of the Tata Nano and the Smart drive me crazy when i see all that frontal area.

I agree that it's a visibility thing.