Originally posted by Desiato:
Quote:

That's the problem with the Contour and a lot of other midsize cars like the Grand Am, Stratus, Jetta, etc.: They take up the space on the road like a midsize, while having less interior space than many compacts. The Focus has more interior space than the Contour, and my old roommate had a late 80s/early 90s Civic that was absolutely cavernous inside. I suppose maybe engineers just aren't under the gun to utilize space efficiently when they've got more space to work with...



I'm not sure about the current Jetta platform but old Jetta's and Contours are technically compacts. I'm almost certain that early 90's civics have less space than a Contour.

The difference between a small midsize and a large compact isn't total size, but the dimensions. Modern compacts have a lot of space because they are taller and shorter with tall seats that position your legs more vertically. They tend to be 2-3" higher with a wheelbase that is generally 3-5" shorter and width that's about 2" narrower than a Contour. Interior space ends up about the same with leg comfort going to the modern compact, depending on whether you enjoy being seated more upright.

For me, the dimensions of modern compacts ruin the driving experience. A lot of the Contour's good driving dynamics come from its dimensions, in my opinion.



Yes, the Contour is a compact, while the Cirrus/Stratus, although about the same size on the outside, were midsized cars.

I remember at least one road trip from KS to IL with two kids in carseats, a 45 lb dog, a week's worth of luggage and baby gear for the 5 of us, and a few Christmas presents, to boot. That was back when the Contour was our "large" car (next to our 91 Civic sedan.) Previous to that, when the Civic was the large car (next to our CRX), we made regular trips home (pre-kids) with a big plastic box on the roof.

Didn't really consider a minivan until we started working on kid #3, and even then we knew we were looking at the space as a luxury, rather than a necessity.

Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998