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Is the contour a midsize compact?

m4gician

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Jun 5, 2006
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Location
Toronto (Woodbridge)
If I had to rate the size of the contour now (with cars like the civic, corolla, and the subcompacts like Fit, Versa, etc.) what would I say it was?

It's too big to be a compact (not nowadays however), but it's too small to be a midsize sedan,

it's a sedan, but would it be a sub-midsize sedan?
 
For Fuel Economy Information, the EPA classified it as a compact for comparison purposes. I remember it being classified by the automotive reviews as a midsize sedan, when I bought it. And rental car companies classified it as midsize too when they were still available for rental.
 
For Fuel Economy Information, the EPA classified it as a compact for comparison purposes. I remember it being classified by the automotive reviews as a midsize sedan, when I bought it. And rental car companies classified it as midsize too when they were still available for rental.

Correct: EPA compact in 96 (vs the 96 Stratus/Cirrus which had enough interior volume to be a midsize.)

Taurus was an EPA midsize. "Full size" was reserved for boats like the Crown-Vic.

I think the Escort was also a compact, with cars like the Fiesta, Festiva, and Aspire filling the subcompact ranks over the years.

Rental companies always inflate their class titles.
 
In terms of design and layout, I would call it a midsized car. It is more comparable to Accords and Maximas of its time -- or even Mazda6's -- than modern compacts which generally have a shorter wheelbase, more upright seating and a taller passenger compartment that result in roughly the same interior space as a Contour.
 
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And according to Budget Rent-A-Car, a Hyundia Sonata, Pontiac G6, Chevrolet Malibu, and other similar sized cars, thowe are now FULL SIZED cars. Six months ago those were all mid sized cars and if I want one of them today I need to pay for an UPGRADE. So by that reasoning the Coutour is FULL SIZED (not).
 
In terms of design and layout, I would call it a midsized car. It is more comparable to Accords and Maximas of its time -- or even Mazda6's --....
Correct. When I used to rent from Hertz in "the old days", whenever they did not have a Contour and did not upgrade me to a Taurus, I would end up with a Mazda6 or Accord.
 
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