What Are the Specifications of a Compact Car?

Small cars like this one appeal to many consumers

Compact cars have gained a large share of the North American automobile market since their introduction decades ago. Consumers have embraced the notion that small cars have advantages over larger ones; many consumers have decided that the trade-offs in creature comforts (which really aren't all that significant) are worth the advantages that come from driving a compact car.

Specifications

To standardize fuel consumption comparisons, the EPA issues standards of dimension to classify cars. Accordingly, compact cars in North America are defined as those having a total interior cabin space of between 100 and 109.9 cubic feet. Other standard dimensions often considered part of the definition of a compact car, but are not technically part of the EPA's definition, include a wheelbase of between 100 and 105 inches, overall length of 161 to 175 inches for a hatchback or a coupe and an overall length of 173 to 181 inches for a sedan.

History

The classification of cars as being "compact" dates back to the end of the 1950s with the introduction of the Rambler American and other cars like the Plymouth Valiant, which, although smaller than the full-size cars of the day, still were larger than the compact cars of today, having an overall length of up to 200 inches. Then, in the 1970s, a smaller class emerged, the subcompact, making the compact car the second smallest class, as it is today, although the distinctions between car size classes have been made less relevant as overall car size has diminished since the time when compact cars were first introduced.

Types

Although the EPA definition of compact cars relates strictly to cars, some other vehicle types have usurped the "compact" moniker. Compact station wagons are considered to have less than 130 cubic feet of cargo space. Compact SUVs are considered to have two rows of seating and be 15 to 16 feet in length. A compact pickup truck is considered to have a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of less than 4,500 pounds.

Characteristics

Compact cars' most striking feature is the gas mileage. They use less gas to fulfill their purpose, which is to transport people and cargo from one location to another. It is true that some features of larger cars, such as headroom and legroom are compromised, but many of the other features associated with larger cars can be found on most compact cars, too. Some people hesitate to buy a compact car due to safety issues---they feel that larger cars can protect them from injury in an accident better than compact cars can. For the most part, the advent of safety features like crush zones, airbags and collapsible steering columns have made compact cars much safer than in the past.

Significance

Since the introduction of compact cars, untold millions of pounds of harmful exhaust emissions have been mitigated from entering the planet's atmosphere due to the better gas mileage of these cars. Also, the small size of compact cars represents a decrease in the amount of resources used to achieve the same objective of transportation. Nothing, really, is lost by using compact cars, but much is gained, and on a personal level, the savings on gasoline bills is significant.

References

• Autotropolis