Ques: We see slim cars at Geneva, so can there be in reality

[j123]

We now are seeing plenty of new design concepts at Geneva that are relatively slim (as in can FIT on many different roads) which I would classify as 70 inches or slimmer.

Can these new generation city cars with there slim bodies pass crash regs and still fit people inside. I guess the answer is yes and that we continue to get fat wide bodied cars mostly because they look more imposing and expensive.

I know these are questions that journalists should be asking but the world of automotive journalism really isn't what is once was, so I suppose we must ask these questions ourselves. thoughts. j

[Perd Hapley]

Slim cars are great. I love being able to squeeze past people turning right where even modestly wide cars can't, and I haven't had to squeeze into my car ever - every parking space is WIDE. Also loads of room in the garage.

[j123]

Perd Hapley said:

Slim cars are great. I love being able to squeeze past people turning right where even modestly wide cars can't, and I haven't had to squeeze into my car ever - every parking space is WIDE. Also loads of room in the garage.

Perd isn't interesting how the car makers are always on about how they must make their cars wider to meet "regs" and to make them more "roomy" and to imbue them with more "grip" and "stability" etc. And yet we see so many at Geneva that are slim and seem to be fine in most of those departments? I think we might be getting fed some fables here by the makers and the auto "journalists". j

[Puddenchucker]

I think (some) of the motoring press are finally waking up to what some of us have known for a few years, namely that cars have been progressively, and unnecessarily, getting wider with each replacement model.

The result is they are getting more difficult to park, and more pertinently to the PH crowd, more stressful/less fun to punt down B-roads.

There was a letter in last weeks Autocar where someone pointed out that the new 911 is actually wider than a Merc S-Class. Now, I don't know about you but, IMHO, something that is often regarded as the optimum 'useable' sports car shouldn't be wider than a German Luxo-barge.

[Raize]

I was all like "ah, yes this sounds good" until the 70 inches part. That's still a good 10 inches wider than my car...

[j123]

Raize said:

I was all like "ah, yes this sounds good" until the 70 inches part. That's still a good 10 inches wider than my car...

Well I figured that about where we are now with the Golf and that seems as big as can be fit on country roads we like driving on. Still wide yes, but still within reason I think. Indeed now we're at 75, 76, 77, going towards 80 inch wide cars. Its really too much. j