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...
That said, I
really don't get it when people run out in a blind panic to buy a minivan as soon as their first baby is born. When I was 11 1/2, my brother 9 and my sister not quite 7 my dad got a new '86 BMW 325e 5spd coupe and all three of us fit fine in the back. I can't vouch for putting a car seat back there, of course...
--T.J.
