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Rant: new car styling that requires TINY WINDOWS

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drooartz

drooartz

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So I just spent a couple days shopping for a new commuter car. Needed a small, efficient hatchback that can haul my music gear, get good mileage, and be reliable. For various reasons I was only looking new.

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/ubbthreads.php/topics/829240/The_new_commuter_2012_Kia_Fort

One thing my wife and I both noticed right away is that the current styling trend of a high (and rising) belt line on new cars is reaching truly a truly ludicrous point. Many of the cars we looked at (particularly the Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Accent) were otherwise very nice little cars BUT YOU CAN'T SEE OUT THE BACK OF THEM. At all. If you're below maybe 5' tall I might not see you back there.

Really.

This picture sums it up -- comes from a review on The Truth About Cars. A Mazda Protege5 parked next to the Accent. Accent window is 1/2 the height.

Designers of the world, THIS MATTERS. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE OUT.

Accent-v-P5-rear-450x337.jpg


I'm not driving a Ferrari, where "What's-a behind me is not important." I'm driving a small hatchback. I want to see out of the D*!% thing.
 
While I totally agree with you, I wonder if the auto makers are reducing the amount of glass in order to save weight, ie, get better mileage? Glass is heavy!
 
The Prius is also the pits... with a foil right in the middle of the rear-hatch. It also has amusing dinky windows in the door that have their own ventilation (and are otherwise worthless).
 
When searching for a new car for my wife last year we eliminated the new models of a lot of cars we previously liked due to that rising beltline. It was quite annoying, especially since we are both short. No such problem in the Mini Clubman...
This time we ended up with the Subaru Forester.
 
It would seem inevitable that the windows on modern cars will become more rakish, and smaller. Aerodynamics demands it.

The days of big widows and good visibility when backing are long gone, I'm afraid.

One more reason to drive vintage cars. :yesnod:
 
I agree 100% re the rearward visibility. I can't accept that they're needed for aerodynamic reasons or structural integrity. Related to this - some recent cars have rear headrests that make it almost impossible to see out the rear. I removed ours (rear headrests) which probably isn't the best idea re safety in a collision but at least I can see back there now.
 
So, Drew, what you're saying is that AMC got it right after all:
 

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Mickey Richaud said:
So, Drew, what you're saying is that AMC got it right after all:
Click to expand...

Ah, the ol' fishbowl. LOL
 
AN5Sprite said:
Drew, sounds like you're looking for a Honda Fit....why did you sell yours?
Click to expand...
I loved my Fit (put 52k miles on it in 3 years) but it was a 5-speed manual and my wife can't -- and won't ever -- drive a stick. Necessity meant that we needed a different car with an auto. I just about bought another Fit with an auto, but decided it was time for something different and I liked the Kia.

I will add that the visibility out of the Honda Fit is really quite good.

Mickey Richaud said:
So, Drew, what you're saying is that AMC got it right after all
Click to expand...
In terms of visibility, yes. In other terms...

vagt6 said:
It would seem inevitable that the windows on modern cars will become more rakish, and smaller. Aerodynamics demands it.
Click to expand...
I can see the aero issues as far as the overall shape of the car, but the rising belt line and tiny rear windows are just a styling stupidity. Lower the belt line, put on smaller wheels, and you can have an aerodynamically efficient shape you can see out of.
 
Many are adding rear view cameras.
 
Well....Given what you said you're looking for, another Fit is really the best answer. (IMHO) It's a great car for the money. It's stunning how much you can get inside one, milage is great yada yada (you know all this). We've got an automatic sport model (my wife also refuses the manual trans) It's fine. In sport mode you can paddle shift it if you want to wind it up. For us it replaced a 4wd extra cab Ford Ranger. (cash for clunkers
grin.gif
) The Fit is a better truck than the Ranger ever was. I only have nit-picky complaints about the car. (noisy at highway speed, sun-visor is a joke, arm rest is also laughable but that's about it) If I did it again I might opt for the Sport/Navi model with the leather seats and the steering wheel radio control etc.
 
AN5Sprite said:
Well....Given what you said you're looking for, another Fit is really the best answer.
Click to expand...
I loved my Fit and was very close to buying another one. Had we not looked at the Forte 5 it would have been a slam dunk and I'd have another in the driveway. The Fit is truly a Tardis of a car, way more interior room than you would think for such a small package. The Forte 5 was just a bit quieter and more powerful (helpful in the mountains where I live) for similar gas mileage and price; that and we were ready to try something different.The Kia has plenty of space and has some clever engineering details of its own.

If nothing else, I was very pleased to see how much better this segment has gotten since I was last on the market in 2008. At that time, pretty much everything in the class other than the Fit was sub-par. Now (window visibility aside) it's a very vibrant market with lots of interesting options. Nice to see the small car gaining.
 
From what I understand, Kia is loosly connected to Hyundai. I can tell you first hand, Hyundai builds one heck of a dependable car (now).
 
kellysguy said:
From what I understand, Kia is loosly connected to Hyundai. I can tell you first hand, Hyundai builds one heck of a dependable car (now).
Click to expand...
Much more than loosely connected. They're making very solid stuff these days.
 
IIRC a son-in-law started KIA or somethng like that. or maybe it was Daewoo.
 
Drew,

No disrespect here,but if that was such a problem,
why didn't you buy a (few year old) used vehicle?

- Doug
 
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