It's a process that's continuous - when Ford introduced the Escort in 1968 it was the smallest model in a 5 car range of Escort/Cortina/Corsair/Zephyr/Zodiac - now the Escort's successor Focus is 2nd biggest model in a 4 car range of Ka/Fiesta/Focus/Mondeo.

It's a clever marketing ploy, copied by Opel/Vauxhall where the Astra used to be smallest but is now 2nd biggest.

Supermarket parking spaces, defined by the minimum required under planning laws have never increased but are increasingly impossible to accomodate a "family" sized car without inevitable dings from adjoining car users.

I think this trend might have peaked though. I have recently read about several new cars being smaller and lighter than their predecessors.

The one which sticks in my mind is the Peugeot 208, smaller and lighter than 207. The current Mazda 2 the same. Can't remember the others though!

But yes, amazing to think that a new Polo is bigger (and heavier) than early Golfs.

50% - or more - of UK citizens are obese. Fatties need bigger cars. All the rest is BS.

Edited by madf on 10/01/2013 at 12:53

Fat people can fit in smart cars without a problem. The reason cars are getting bigger is endless regulations from the bigwigs about safety, crumplezones, airbags and cars having to be a certain shape to protect iPod zombies when you run them over.

Yes but I owned a Ford Scorpio and the Vauxhall Omega was a really common taxi where I live about 10 years ago. Those cars actually had room in the back.

The mk4 Mondeo is bigger than the old Scorpio and don't get me wrong it's a very nice car but there's not as much room inside.

Of course you could argue a 15 year old Omega or the like will fare as well as a soggy roulade in an accident.

Cars getting bigger is inevitable.

Like the Aygo?

The size of particular models has crept up from one generation to the next, like the current VW Polo is bigger than the original VW Golf - but then smaller models are introduced to fill the void left at the bottom of the range - like the VW Fox and now the VW Up.

Several years ago Ford said there wasn't a market for a Ford Granada/Scorpio. Consequently it wasn't replaced. Now the Mondeo is larger than a Scorpio. I believe? sales of the Mondeo are dwindling because it is too big for Sierra/Mondeo man, and the choice of cars today is much more diverse.

The Vectra-C and Mondeo mk4 were both upsized ready to fill the gap to be vacated by Omega and Scorpio - although Scorpio was dropped much earlier than planned due to plummeting sales, hardly surprising as it was just a Sierra in drag.

I guess those that need a larger vehicle tend to choose MPVs.

Scorpio sales never climbed up the cliff.

So the bottom line is we need smaller cars, agreed ?
So why do people still continue to buy large/huge cars that are much bigger than they actually need ?

I find the latest Ford Focus too big, remember it's predecessor was the Ford Escort. At this rate the Focus will grow to the size of the Mondeo and the Fiesta will be the size a Focus should be, wait a minute, it already is...

Then there is the latest Astra, which looks like it's eaten the previous too versions in one meal. What next, a Corsa the size of an Astra...when will it end ?

Exactly the point I was making.

jamie, the Grandad climbed the cliff while the Scorpio............

People who used to buy a Mondeo buy a BMW/Audi. ;)

So the bottom line is we need smaller cars, agreed ?

No!

For those that want smaller cars, there's plenty of choice - but some want bigger cars to accomodate growing families, either in number or in age.

A family car when you've got two 5-6 year olds is very different to a family car when you're got two strapping 15-16 year olds.

Personally, I need a car that will comfortably take 5 over-sized adults long distances with a shed-load of equipment in the boot with 4wd and high ground clearance for off-road tracks - but at different times take 2 over-sized adults, 2 full-size adults, 2 kids in big car seats plus kids paraphenalia on ordinary roads.

Yet back in the 80s my mum and dad put two children, buggies and a dog into a proper old Mini.

After that we had a Datsun Cherry and then a Ford Escort estate.

Discovery?

"Personally, I need a car that will comfortably take 5 over-sized adults long distances with a shed-load of equipment in the boot with 4wd and high ground clearance for off-road tracks - but at different times take 2 over-sized adults, 2 full-size adults, 2 kids in big car seats plus kids paraphenalia on ordinary roads."

That's a big ask, RT, but a perfectly reasonable one echoed by many. What sort of car do you have and does it meet your needs?

2010-2012 Hyundai Santa Fe meets all my needs at the moment - but on the new 2013-on model they've lowered it and made access into the 3rd row more difficult - they've done the same with it's Kia Sorento sibling - so replacement will be impossible without a huge budget increase.

Edited by RT on 13/01/2013 at 05:23