Can cars get any wider?
Discussion
Fox- said:
ikarl said:
what the f
k is an "M-lite"?
It's what some people seem to call the 135i M Sport since it got renamed 'M135i'. I think it makes them think it's a proper M car.k is an "M-lite"?TooMany2cvs said:
jimPH said:
Quite the contrary, it's fairly well used term
So much so that several people have asked what it meant in this thread, and lots of others would have been wondering - I certainly was.If I'd had to guess, I'd have assumed you meant a quick Mini, tbh.
It sounds like some sort of underseal.
CoolHands said:
I’m certain fwd was a better solution to cabin space; not performance.
Transverse fwd (ie Mini), yes you are correct.However many fwd cars before (and even after) the Mini had cumbersome, not particularly well-packaged arrangements of longitudinal engine over gearbox and diff, or engine way out in front of or behind of transaxle. Even the tiny, relatively modern Renault5 originally came this way.
I would suggest that with his username, 2CV is a fan of classic Citroens where the longitudinal fwd arrangement with engine behind the axle was conducive to good handling.
donkmeister said:
CoolHands said:
I’m certain fwd was a better solution to cabin space; not performance.
Transverse fwd (ie Mini), yes you are correct.However many fwd cars before (and even after) the Mini had cumbersome, not particularly well-packaged arrangements of longitudinal engine over gearbox and diff, or engine way out in front of or behind of transaxle. Even the tiny, relatively modern Renault5 originally came this way.
I would suggest that with his username, 2CV is a fan of classic Citroens where the longitudinal fwd arrangement with engine behind the axle was conducive to good handling.
edit just realised the engine is still in front of the axle so maybe not quite what you meant
CoolHands said:
thanks I didn't know about a 2cv engine layout. I presume it's some kind of boxer engine from looking at pics. I wonder how they could fit the engine and gearbox longitudinally in front of the passenger compartment. Best pic I could find
edit just realised the engine is still in front of the axle so maybe not quite what you meant
But the Traction/DS/R4...edit just realised the engine is still in front of the axle so maybe not quite what you meant
You could think of it as mid-engined, but at the other end...
Remember, at the time RWD meant a live axle and cart springs. That continued right through into the 70s and 80s, right until manufacturers switched their mainstream cars to FWD - giving huge benefits in handling and roadholding.
Now, we all think of Mk2 Escorts in terms of RS2000s and rallying - but the majority were 1100 and 1300. Avengers. Marinas. Chevettes.
They've rebadged it you fool!skyrover said:
This is the real problem in the UK IMO... tiny parking spaces.
Roads will always be large enough, but parking space standards are utterly backwards compared to the rest of the world.
I have to agree, car parks are ridiculous in most places. I parked up in a multi storey today and left my E Class parked up but I park about 2 inches from a wall which leaves me plenty of room to open my door and same for the driver next to me. If you park in the middle of the spaces it's a really tight fit. The nose of the car over hangs the end of the space anyway. Roads will always be large enough, but parking space standards are utterly backwards compared to the rest of the world.
It's worse in supermarkets but I would say that newly build places are better. Bluewater for example has more reasonable parking spaces.
That said, my trust of people not to hit my car regardless of parking spaces is still not 100%! haha
ExPat2B said:
Its not just performance stuff though.
Look at Volvo's new offerings.
They might be nice cars, but I could never buy the new XC90 or V90, as it would make parking in the usual places impossible, as its just too wide, the doors are too thick, you can't lift kids in and out both sides whilst parked between two cars in a normal sized space.
Isn't that why they have 'parent & child' spaces though?Look at Volvo's new offerings.
They might be nice cars, but I could never buy the new XC90 or V90, as it would make parking in the usual places impossible, as its just too wide, the doors are too thick, you can't lift kids in and out both sides whilst parked between two cars in a normal sized space.
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