23 Forester
Length: 182.7 inches
Height: 68.1 inches
Width w/o mirrors: 71.5 inches
Rim size: 17 or 18 depending on trim
They are less than 10 inches different in every aspect.
I keep hearing people say cars are getting bigger bigger bigger, but they aren't. There are still plenty of normal sized cars out there. People just have this strange perception of them.
Yes, in absolute fairness there are some cars that are bigger, like they do seem to be marketing larger trucks and less of the really capable small trucks like the S10 or in nowaday terms a Ford Maverick. But this whole consensus on how cars are just getting so big is a stretch.
Yeah, I think the zenphone is the only option I'm aware of with decent specs. Xperia may still have a small phone option, and I'm not sure what size fairphones have generally been but I know they're planning to release the fairphone 5 before too long.
No it's because fuel economy regulations are higher on smaller vehicles, and less stringent on bigger vehicles. Car companies would rather make monster trucks than pay a small tax.
I mean if you ran over a nail, more sidewall isn't going to save you. But yeah one inch smaller diameter rim helps a ton in having a comfortable ride and hitting potholes and stuff like that.
The problem is that people keep on buying the larger wheels.
I can bash my car over bumps and save money doing it.
EDIT: Weight ruins everything. You go through more rubber, more fuel, more oil, more brakes and add premature wear on engine and suspension components. You also get less acceleration, worse handling and longer stopping distances - all while pumping out more noise and emissions. Weight has zero upsides unless you're playing carmageddon.
You should get the smallest car that gets you by, not the largest car on your budget.
Anything less than 40 series is just too low profile for daily driving, with 40-50 series being the sweet spot for sports cars, and 45-55 for economy cars or muscle cars. 65-85 is for trucks obviously.
If you are truly driving a track focused car then by all means, a 30-35 series tire will give you better feel than a 40-45, but at the expense of harshness over every expansion joint or pothole or dimple on the road.
I'm fine with smaller wheels, but as a Prius owner, I'm tired of my car being SO low to the ground. I can't park in my own shitty driveway because my car eats shit on the curb of it no matter my angle of approach.