Janice is right. My '94 Accord is the same size as today's civics. I didn't like the new civics though as I felt cramped in them. The new RAV4s are bigger than the older ones as well. Now my Scion xB (the box!) is about 2 feet shorter than my old accord but has TONS more room inside, a lot of it from the high roof. (You could sit in the seats with about 4 inches to spare. I put a 6'7" guy in there and his head was a couple of millimeters from the ceiling. Pretty darned impressive eh?)
I think part of it is safety. People were buying SUVs when the gas prices were low because they thought they were safer. Sure, they'd survive a crash better than a smaller car but they have a nasty tendency to roll over.
Then there is the backlast against gas guzzling SUVs and you get the current generation of sub-compacts like the Fit and the Yaris. But people still want leg room and cargo space so designers are getting creative with interior designs. Plus safety features have improved considerably so you don't have to be surrounded with several tons of steal to survive a crash.
(no subject)
I think part of it is safety. People were buying SUVs when the gas prices were low because they thought they were safer. Sure, they'd survive a crash better than a smaller car but they have a nasty tendency to roll over.
Then there is the backlast against gas guzzling SUVs and you get the current generation of sub-compacts like the Fit and the Yaris. But people still want leg room and cargo space so designers are getting creative with interior designs. Plus safety features have improved considerably so you don't have to be surrounded with several tons of steal to survive a crash.