Bulging Beltlines: Is Bigger Really Better?

People, in the Western world at least, are getting bigger. We’ve all become accustomed to news headlines warning of an ‘obesity epidemic’, backed up by doom-laden statistics and health experts imploring us to ‘move more, consume less’. While this is clearly a serious issue for humans, it’s difficult not to notice a similar trend occurring amongst cars, which appear to be piling on the pounds even faster than their drivers.

A good barometer of this is the fourth-generation Volkswagen Golf, produced between 1997 and 2004. The ‘Golf IV’ was subject to a barrage of criticism when new regarding its perceived portliness (it was indeed significantly larger and heavier than its predecessors), yet although it remains a common sight on today’s roads, the ‘Mk4’ now appears positively dainty alongside more modern machinery. The numbers bear this out too – today’s seventh-generation Golf has gained a not-insignificant 106mm in length and 64mm in width over its great-grandparent, not to mention a quite frankly staggering 550mm in length over the Golf I of 1974.

And as the Golf has ballooned in size, so has its junior sibling the Polo, in fact the most striking aspect of the recently revealed sixth-generation Polo is its sheer bulk, having grown 83mm in length and 69mm in width over its already chunky predecessor, meaning it is now wider than the Golf IV and comparable in length to the Golf III (also subject to ‘fat shaming’ in its day).

Moreover, it’s not just Volkswagen whose products have spent too long at the buffet. Ford’s Fiesta gained a whopping 404mm in length between 1978 and 2008, along with approximately 300kg in mass (dependent on specification), equivalent to carrying four large passengers at all times. Nor have larger models been immune; take the BMW 3-Series, whose current F30 generation is 269mm longer and 201mm wider than the 1975 original.

E21 is perhaps closer in spirit to the new 2-Series than its spiritual successor…

At this point it must be said that some of these increases can be attributed to welcome advances in crash safety over the years. The occupants of a modern Golf or Fiesta stand a far greater chance of surviving an accident than those of their forebears. On the other hand, one also suspects that consumer demands for greater equipment and comfort levels, the increasing size of people themselves and the common psychological association of bigger cars with greater prestige and social status, have all played a significant role too.

Unfortunately, roads and parking spaces have failed to grow at the same rate as the cars occupying them, therefore as many areas become increasingly congested, cars become ever more impractical to use. Additionally, associated weight increases take a toll on performance, handling and efficiency (although engineering advances have largely hidden this). There’s also an aesthetic impact too – the fatter cars grow, the more difficult it becomes to make them appear dynamic, elegant and all-round visually appealing. This is further exacerbated by (commendable) pedestrian safety legislation governing bonnet (hood) heights, meaning that many modern cars have a front end apparently several sizes too large for the remainder of the body – see the disjointed DS3 and the pudgy-faced Alfa Romeo MiTo as examples.

In response, car designers have utilised a library of visual devices in order to disguise some of this additional girth; the most obvious of these being ever-larger wheels. Many will remember a time when a 16-inch alloy wheels were considered, well, considerable. Not any more. Mid-level superminis are now sporting 18s (larger than the supercars of yesteryear), and SUVs commonly roll on 22s. Hand-in-hand with these often go exaggerated wheel arches, as seen on Ford’s Fiesta and Focus, to visually emphasise a car’s wheels even further and break up ample flanks.

Wing mirrors are another growth area; compare today’s brick-like mirrors with the fragile-looking items found on many older vehicles. Lights too – see the DS3’s colossal headlamps or the giant tail-lamps fitted to the latest Mini hatch, along with emblems (Renault) and even door handles, all helping keep cars visually balanced as they grow. Furthermore, swage lines and undercuts are ever-deeper (see almost any current BMW or the latest Seat Ibiza and Leon) and light-catchers ever larger (see Audi’s Prologue concept). This, along with the increasing prevalence of concave surfacing, demonstrated by Infiniti and others, helps remove significant visual bulk and restore some semblance of dynamism to bloated forms.

There have been clever solutions to the issue of bonnet heights too: the ‘active bonnet’ system pioneered by Jaguar in order to maintain the attractive proportions of its 2005 XK is now commonplace, although this doesn’t seem to have improved the appearance of cars like the current Mini hatch, which has lost the characterful front-end sculpting of prior models despite its active bonnet. More successful is the front-end treatment seen on the current BMW 3-Series, with the bonnet surface dropping off sharply at its foremost tip, creating the illusion of a lower nose, further aided by the horizontal extension of the headlights into the grille, emphasising the car’s width rather than its height.

Regrettably, where the above visual tricks have helped the situation, other trends have instead hindered, with high belt-lines, small glasshouses and the removal of contrasting textured trim from sill areas and lower bumpers further magnifying slab-sided, overblown proportions. The recent prevalence of white as a colour choice seems illogical too, making already inflated cars appear even more so, while simultaneously hiding intricate surface treatment. Furthermore, it seems many designers have felt compelled to fill ever larger expanses of bodywork with unnecessary visual clutter, such as non-functional air intakes, bizarre feature lines (Mercedes A-Class) and tacky graphics, offsetting good work in other areas.

Still, ultimately visual tricks can only do so much; in the same way that wearing vertical stripes and plenty of black isn’t a real substitute for hitting the gym, outsized wheels and fancy surfacing will never be a match for genuinely attractive proportions. Mazda’s current MX-5 (Miata) demonstrates this. Considerably smaller and lighter than its forebear, the MX-5 is taut and athletic where others appear flabby and contrived. Sadly, being a somewhat niche product, it may be wishful thinking to believe that others will (or can) willingly follow its example.

Perhaps instead, it will be emissions legislation, the death of torque-heavy diesel engines or advanced collision avoidance systems which finally put today’s four-wheeled fatties on a diet. Alternatively, might things even get to the point where Japanese ‘Kei car’-style size regulations are introduced elsewhere? Whatever the catalyst happens to be, we can only hope that something will bring about a return to healthily-sized, beautifully-proportioned cars yet again…