OT: Why do cars slope inwards at the sides?

Are car manufacturers trying to make people go on a diet or something? Why do modern cars slope inwards at the sides, giving you less shoulder room? And then they have huge centre consoles so you have no leg room. What's the point in buying a car that's big on the outside and small on the inside?

Reply to
James Wilkinson Sword
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I see you don't know the answer then.

Reply to
James Wilkinson Sword

Correct.

Reply to
Mr Pounder Esquire

Prick.

Reply to
Mr Pounder Esquire

I suspect that a lot of the inverse tardis effect is due to safety requirements.

My old 1970s Cortina was fairly small by today's standards, but had great visibility with thin A-pillars, and felt spacious inside. I've been in lots of much larger modern cars that feel claustrophobic inside, with lousy visibility.

Reply to
Caecilius

I think it makes them come out of the mould easier.

Reply to
Andy Bennet

Not sure how adding a huge centre console and sloping the top half of the sides in helps that. Sure, they will have added side impact bars and airbags, but those don't mean the windows have to slope in.

As for visibility, the health and softy folk are shooting themselves in the foot by adding thicker pillars. So it's safer if you crash, but more likely you will!

Reply to
James Wilkinson Sword

Blame the wind tunnel tests. They figured out that shape goes through the air easier. That is also why it is hard to tell cars apart just by looking at them. They all use the same data.

Reply to
gfretwell

Surely air normally goes from front to back (that's the direction we drive in). Sloping sides makes them more aerodynamic going sideways. Only useful if you're attempting to cross a runway behind a jet aircraft.

Reply to
James Wilkinson Sword

Another reason is they need the width att he bottom to accomodate the hips and rears of the passengers as well as the side impact protection and space for window mechanisms at the bottom, but do not rerquire the width at the top. The straight sided look went out with the model "A"

Reply to
Clare Snyder

But since you've got that width at the bottom, why not continue it to the top? It would look nicer and have more room for your shoulders, or when putting large boxes in the back. Some cars are straight, some are not, seems to be about 50/50. Cars that slope in at the bottom look cheap and nasty to me.

Reply to
James Wilkinson Sword

Races should be made up of many different cars. That's why F1 is so boring, they're all the same, adhering to rules in engine size etc.

Reply to
James Wilkinson Sword

That's stating the bleedin' obvious. :-)

He's been in my killfile for quite some time now (and I'm rather choosy about who I allow into my kill file. :-)

Anyhow, just checking whether Pan has turned this follow up into a new thread.

Reply to
Johnny B Good

If he's in your killfile, then it's broken, as you just saw his post. Fuckwit.

Reply to
Kim Smith

Do you sit sideways?

To impress the neighbors.

Reply to
micky

If you don't want to go on a diet, Ford makes vehicles for obese people.

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Reply to
Chubbs

Diet doesn't tend to make very much difference to your width at the shoulders though.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

Maybe a Kenworth then?

Reply to
Willy

They also make a smaller one, grand connect tourneo, having one delivered on thursday.

No I am not obese.

Reply to
dennis

Why do modern cars slope inwards at the sides, giving you less shoulder ro om? And then they have huge centre consoles so you have no leg room. What 's the point in buying a car that's big on the outside and small on the ins ide?

Except for the Isuzu Trooper. We had one in the late 1980s. It had the aerodynamics of a brick. Handled like a pig in the least bit of crosswind.

Cindy Hamilton

Reply to
Cindy Hamilton

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