Are Cars Getting Smaller?

[Richard A Thackeray]

[QUOTE 4725947, member: 9609"]If its GVW is 5 tonne as per @Richard A Thackeray suggests then I would guess you would need an operators licence and a tacho fitted, which thankfully means that no one in their right mid would go through all the hassle (trouble is anyone wanting one is not in their right mind)

(it may be classed as 'dual purpose' with having two rows of seats and that may relax some of the rules)[/QUOTE]
The weight is a guess, from seeing the one in 'Sin City Motors' that was involved in that 6x6 build in my YouTube link

It'll be a different pot of piranahs in the States, but as you say, if it was legal to drive one here, Constructions & Uses may have exemptions for dual-purpose useage??, ie; non-commercial
I used to have a Defender 110Td5 CSW, that was 12 seats, & I had to write a letter to my insurance company stating I would not use it for 'hire & reward'
I managed to confuse them for a while, with my argument that it wasn't a mini-bus, as it had sideways facing seats too, & it wasn't a 'crew-bus', as it had forward facing seats.........................

By the way, 'Sin City' is a cracking series, & appears to be back on Dave channel again (look out for the 'Apprentice')

 

[mjr]

Side impact protection system, older cars had very little unlike newer cars.

Yeah, the doors are pretty crammed now. Trouble is, they've made all the other panels flow from it and there seems very little in ones like the rear wing, but it makes it harder to fit a bike in (although it's easier than ever if you want to get at the electrics).

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Conversesly, some Yankee cars are getting smaller

I've just had a look & the Dodge Charger, best known in this country as the General Lee, or the assassins car in 'Bullitt'
Granted, yes the only real similarity is the name, but.....

2017 derivate
Wheelbase = 120"
Overall length = 200

1969 derivate
Wheelbase = 117
Length = 208"

 

[screenman]

Yeah, the doors are pretty crammed now. Trouble is, they've made all the other panels flow from it and there seems very little in ones like the rear wing, but it makes it harder to fit a bike in (although it's easier than ever if you want to get at the electrics).

Do you work on the same cars do? Rear quarters are often a bugger to get into. Bikes are for riding, not putting in the backs of cars.

 

[screenman]

Do you work on the same cars do? Rear quarters are often a bugger to get into. Bikes are for riding, not putting in the backs of cars.

What you often find stuffed inside the rear panels are sometimes the tool kit, the computor the fuel filler pipe and some strenthening. All stuff just designed to make my job harder, or should I say more interesting.

 

[Alex H]

Bikes are for riding, not putting in the backs of cars.

Which, after 7 pages, neatly brings us back to the original problem

 

[screenman]

Which, after 7 pages, neatly brings us back to the original problem

I had to look back to see what was the original problem.

I think cars come in many different shapes and sizes, bit like bikes.

 

[Levo-Lon]

On the upside you are quite likely to survive a big accident these days...when a texting fook witt hits you at 50mph

 

[srw]

You can buy a new 500 with the old one painted on the side for scale.


There's one in the car park at my work View attachment 342973

That looks remarkably like an "after" picture in a nuclear accident video - the little car has been vapourised and all that's left is its outline behind.

 

[srw]

When we moved to France in 2010, we brought with us a LHD Ford Focus Estate, 2006 version. It's been a good car for us and suits me well, even though I have to put the seat right back to drive (I'm 6'2" or 189cm )

Now we have made the decision to return to the UK, I thought we should perhaps get the updated version of the same car. (The Pino will actually fit inside the car without splitting). However, after a trip to the local dealer, I find I can't drive the new version as I don't fit. Despite putting the seat down and back, the steering wheel is about 1cm away from my legs, whereas in the old car it's about 5cm. I know there is a version where you can adjust the steering wheel as well, but I suspect this is not available or all models (unless someone knows different)

The roof line is also lower as we found out when parked next to a new one in the supermarket car park yesterday.

After the Ford experience we decided to try Toyota (I have had Avensiss / Avensi? in the past). The Avensis seems to be the same size, and the estate version is huge, but I can't get in an Auris. The Verso is fine, but it's a van with windows.

Anyone had similar experiences?

I'm really surprised.

We had a 2000 1.6l Focus hatchback. It was comfortable but not spacious, and did OK on fuel efficiency. The next sensible car we bought (we've done frivolous - a money-pit and not as much fun in the long run as we thought) was in about 2007, when we took the bags for our tandem down to our local Ford showroom and discovered that the CMax hatchback was a perfect size for them; it's a simple derivation of the Focus with a bigger body. That was a 2003 model, and with a 1.8l engine was more efficient than the 1.6l normal Focus. It's also much more spacious inside. Yes, it's a taller body (and that includes more headroom), but it's also wider inside.

When that one eventually died we swapped it for a 2013 2011 (sorry, misremembered the reg number) model with a 1.6l engine (more efficient again). It's bigger again. Whereas the 2003 model needed a lot of careful wangling to take a tandem, with the 2013 model it's a triviality - you just put the rear seats down, wheel the back end of the bike in, take the front end of the frame off and throw it (carefully) on top.

[edit - as I reread that it's not obvious that both our tandems have S&S couplings. But they do.]

That car will easily take a full-sized bike with rear seats down. Take the rear seats out and the load space is enormous. By taking front wheels out and dropping saddles a bit we've got three full-sized adults and two full-sized bikes in it. I've not tried, but since the middle seat in the back operates independently of the other two I suspect you could get four people and at least one bike in there.

And I've got a good three or four inches of headroom above me when I'm driving (I'm about 6'). The steering wheel is adjustable.

 

[mjr]

Do you work on the same cars do? Rear quarters are often a bugger to get into. Bikes are for riding, not putting in the backs of cars.

Nowhere near the range of cars and not as much as you.

The bikes wouldn't go in/on cars anywhere near as much if the train operators weren't such nobbers about them, but it's the easiest way to ride faraway for many. I don't condone it for regular rides if there's another local group.