It’s time for Americans to embrace small cars

boem@lemmy.world to Technology@lemmy.world – 1077 points –
It’s time for Americans to embrace small cars
arstechnica.com
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Cars have gotten bigger externally, but internally it seems storage space is actually going down. My 2014 Nissan Note has a 10% larger storage capacity than a 2023 Renault Espace, even tho the latter is 50cm larger in all three dimensions and is literally called 'spatious'.

I drive a fucking roadster from 2001 and somehow it has more internal space than a 2021 sedan.

And the crumple zone is your legs, twice the use for the same space!

Jokes aside this whole thread could be summarised as 'safety' for the most part.

You're partly right, but manufacturers aren't just adding more crumple space, they are mainly building bigger and heavier vehicles. And that does not equal safety. Sure the crumple zone might be bigger, but the force of a crash is multitudes higher which results in a net negative, especially for pedestrians and cyclists

They also cover more and more with plastic panels. They are putting a lot into making something look sleek and that's at the cost of usable space.