Why does a modern "compact" car needs to be bigger than some old-school 4WD rig?

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by airbiteses

Ecky Tell me which of you are the best riders of Honda FIT/JAZZ or Honda Insight? Without asking about combustion. Only about the dynamics of the car, how it keeps on the road above 200 km/h (125 mph), or tilts strongly when cornering?

The Insight's handling isn't great when stock. It rolls a lot in corners, and seems to lose grip over bumps. The factory tires have lousy handling, to get great economy. However, I've put in stiffened rear springs and removed weight from the rear, and it helps a ton. With sticky tires, the handling is not refined at all, but precise, quick and confident. The car has very little body roll. Some have suggested a small rear roll bar can improve things further. I think with some work it can have excellent handling, but aftermarket options are limited.

The Fit handles very well in stock form. I haven't modified it at all, but the car has little body roll, hugs corners, and rides better than the Insight in its stock configuration.

I'd say it's hard to compare the two because the Fit's seating position is so much higher. It rides high and upright like a crossover, while the Insight rides very low, more like a sports car seating position.

[Angel And The Wolf]

The 2011 Prius, though short, is called a Midsize sedan, because of it's interior room. A long car with a small interior could be called a compact.

Other than that, model names grow in size over the life of their name. Consider the growth from the first imported Civic (CVCC) to the current 4 door. Or the first accord to the current accords.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by airbiteses

Ecky Tell me which of you are the best riders of Honda FIT/JAZZ or Honda Insight? Without asking about combustion. Only about the dynamics of the car, how it keeps on the road above 200 km/h (125 mph), or tilts strongly when cornering?

You are not going to get a 1st Gen Insight to go 125 mph, unless you add a rocket assist. Even 100 mph takes a downgrade and/or a good tailwind.

I think it does handle fairly well, although it takes some getting used to. The wheel alignment is absolutely neutral, which means that it wanders very easily unless you are paying attention.

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

You are not going to get a 1st Gen Insight to go 125 mph, unless you add a rocket assist. Even 100 mph takes a downgrade and/or a good tailwind.

I think it does handle fairly well, although it takes some getting used to. The wheel alignment is absolutely neutral, which means that it wanders very easily unless you are paying attention.

Agreed. That has a lot to do with the alignment specs.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by acparker

Crashworthiness is what has driven up weight and size. I'm not complaining. Too many SUVs and full-size trucks around to feel safe in a Metro.

At least in a 3rd-world country like mine, some new small cars which are bigger than a Metro are not so much more crashworthy at all...

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Recently spotted this '67 CJ-5 in downtown Florianópolis. Surprisingly it's not so hard to see a handful of those still serving as a daily-drive all year round, despite the lack of some comfort features which are now widespread even in the cheapest econoboxes.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Seeing such a beauty downtown is not so unusual, even though I guess it may haven't seen any actual dirt roads for a while.