My, how you've grown...

[New POD]

8 hours ago, Maurice Marina said:

Ask a “mini” cuntyman owner

Cuntyman assembled in Austria. 

[Eyersey1234]

My old Fiesta was almost exactly the same size as a 1950s Ford Prefect 100E.

[Kiltox]

2 hours ago, New POD said:

Cuntyman assembled in Austria. 

My neighbour has a Massive Countryman - it’s bloody huge! 

11mm wider than my fucking 3 series aparrently

[rantingYoof]

My neighbour has a Massive Countryman - it’s bloody huge! 
11mm wider than my fucking 3 series aparrently

I've got a photo somewhere of my S60 parked next to a Countryman and the Volvo looks like a pull-back-and-go toy.

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[si1881]

Not a great picture but my 'project' Tipo next to my now sold Ibiza.  The Ibiza was the same length and notably wider (it wouldn't go down the side of the house even with the mirrors folded in without catching the fence posts) than the Tipo but is in theory from the size class below... and don't mention the hard ride/seats, cheap plastics and continual warning lights (on the Seat that is).  Hate to think what the current one is like, can't imagine things getting smaller.

[bunglebus]

Once again, I'm struck by how small my "big" car is

 

20200218_145130 by RS, on Flickr

[PhilA]

I take a look at this and agree; there's a certain amount of design convention nonsense that' being pushed upon us that provides no alternative to the current design trends.

My Pontiac is a good case in point for the recurrence of this but for different reasons. If you take a tape measure to it, you realise that it is actually a big car. 18 feet end to end, which is longer than a lot of modern parking spaces. The roof is quite high compared to the beltline due to the 1940's/50's temperament of Mister Average who wanted to wear his Trilby whilst driving. As a result of that the car has to be made longer so not as to look all dumpy. Compare it to a Willys of the same era to see what I mean. There is a very large amount of room inside. I sat in my Jeep Grand Cherokee this morning- by the name it is the big version- internally in the cabin there is less room for passengers than in the Pontiac. There's certainly less rear legroom with the front seats all the way back, yet the Jeep is much taller, nearly as long and a fair bit wider.

Also, figure that it was sharing the road with a lot of other makes of cars- many more than exist today and that there were still cars from the 30's sharing the roads with it (being only 20 years old at the time) so although it wasn't a huge departure from the design styles used in the early 40's, it was paving the way for the mid fifties, wider bodies and more powerful engines. Twenty years before cars had much less powerful engines, the demands were similar; high ground clearance, long travel suspension and big cushioned tyres to take up the road surfaces once you got outside of town- most of which were dirt roads. If you weren't on that they you were on the not exactly billiard-table smooth concrete square roads of Eisenhower's Interstate system which could be equally bumpy. Cruising speeds had increased from 30-35 to 45 miles per hour or more and the vehicles were significantly more heavy than their predecessors, being made from thickwall cast iron and heavy gauge home-rolled steel. People expected to be able to climb up on their cars and not put dents in them still. People did recognise that they were heavy cars and they handled like a plate of blemonge but that's what they wanted in that sector. Something soft and squishy to take them from A to B in luxury. Keep in mind that you could also in the same year purchase a Ford Anglia (sit-up-and-beg shape) in the USA, or a Triumph TRA. Those you bought if you were po' or eccentric.

In terms of technological advancement, the improvements are plain to see, whether they are actually needed or not. Engine design in terms of refinement and longevity is hugely improved, at the demand of increased fuel processing. Maintenance is significantly reduced- I've not changed the spark plugs in my truck in 11 years and they still work fine. Virtually nothing needs to be greased regularly. I've never set the points because it doesn't have any. In all that time I have had to replace 2 fuses (my fault both times) and a relay.

 

So, some things have changed for the better but the big butter-dish styling exercise that modern cars have gone to is something I'm waiting to see go away. I want a car that is comfortable, has a resonable amount of get up and go in a straight line and doesn't leave me feeling exhausted with a sore ass after 6 hours on the road. What they decide I need will always be up to them because 3 main manufacturers, 5 shapes of vehicle gotta fit everybody...

 

--Phil

[808 Estate]

Took these a couple of years ago.

[vulgalour]

A very large luxury saloon car and several small hatchbacks.

[Spiny Norman]

This is one of these pics where you're briefly left struggling to identify the large people carrier parked next to the big old Volvo.

It's a Honda Jazz, the smallest car they sell here.

[Sir Snipes]

I just happened to look at the dimensions of the current Micra over the original. It's only grown about 200mm in all directions but boy does it show. 

[bunglebus]

The latest Micra is anything but

[rantingYoof]

The LS400 can make some cars look smoll...This photo was taken from a Lotus Elise.



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[UltraWomble]

On 7/19/2019 at 1:29 AM, rml2345 said:

I was surprised to find when I had the AX that the C107go was about the same size. 

 

But with one less seat inside.

Which is something that boils my piss

[Six-cylinder]

My camera recorded the scene differently to rml2345!

[Inspiral_Mondays]

No photo I‘m afraid, but when I had my W124 I once parallel parked it between 2 new Mondeos. It looked hilariously dinky and fragile in comparison. Nice long bonnet for the inline 6 gave it far nicer proportions though, at least to my eyes.

[bunglebus]

Neighbours have a acquired a 126. Look at the size of that Mini!

 

[Alusilber]

I think I deliberately parked next to the F-Pace in the work car park one day so I could take this photo...

[MorrisItalSLX]

[bunglebus]

[tooSavvy]

😕

[Macscrooge]

I was in a friends newish Clio recently - it’s enormous. On the outside. 

[Matty]

On 12/5/2020 at 3:28 AM, MorrisItalSLX said:

Small or far away?

[bunglebus]

Small car is small

 

[Fumbler]

May have posted this on here before so apologies if I have!

Taken a few days after I bought the car in 2019. Nissan really have made those extra 200mm on the new Micra really, really show.

The new Jazz is something like 5cm shorter than the previous one, and is lighter too, but the styling makes it looks much larger than it actually is. Must be to do with all the polygons they design into the bodywork and stuff.

[rob88h]

Sorry, I’m sure the comparison has been made, but I couldn’t resist. 

(Back bumpers are in line with each other)

[Crackers]

A few from me here.

In its day the P6 would have been a large saloon car, and in isolation its proportions make it looks like a fairly big beastie.

Collection day told the real story: Citroen C1 looks tall and bulky in comparison;

Parking it next to a small SUV and a standard hatchback, it almost vanished:

 

[Datsuncog]

Same manufacturer, similar market segment - 21 years apart.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

9 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Same manufacturer, similar market segment - 21 years apart.

Neither considered attractive at launch, maybe we’ll look back at the  CHR (?) more fondly in 25 years.

[martc]

2 hours ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

Neither considered attractive at launch, maybe we’ll look back at the  CHR (?) more fondly in 25 years.

Probably - as most of us will have cataracts and jam jar bottom specs by then.