9 Images That Show How Much Bigger Cars Are Now

Thanks to things like safety regulations and the consumer's desire for all manner of creature comforts, cars are a lot bigger than they once were

Matt Robinson

Updated: 10 Oct 2024

9 Images That Show How Much Bigger Cars Are Now

BMW M2/E36 M3

Here’s the image that inspired us to revisit the subject of old vs new car size comparison. Yep, the ‘our’ BMW M2 longtermer dwarfs CT video man Alex’s E36 M3, despite the fact it’s the little brother of the E36’s modern successor, the F80 M3.

It’s not just the M2: thanks to safety regulations for both occupants and pedestrians plus the consumer’s unquenchable thirst for all the latest in-car tech and creature comforts, cars are generally a lot bigger than they used to be. Take a look through these remaining images, and you’ll see what we mean.

Fourth-gen Subaru WRX STI/first-gen Turbo 2000

Fiat 124 Spider

Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/8C

Audi TT

While the setup of the image skews the comparison a little bit, the new TT is indeed a larger than the first-gen car by a reasonable degree. It’s 150mm longer, and 69mm wider.

Reminiscing about @zoutegrandprix touring in convoy with the @JaguarUK E-type... in a @JaguarUKPR F-TYPE #classic 👍🏼;— ian_tonkin

VW Passat B2/B8

Range Rover Generations

Here’s another image with a perspective that skews the comparison, but it shows how much more bulbous the current Range Rover is. It’s a lot bigger too, being 292mm wider than the first-generation Classic.

Old #Maserati vs new Maserati - which do you prefer?? #classiccar #moderncar #musclecar #supercar #car;— eurosparesltd

What other old vs new comparisons have you seen?

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

Solution

I love car throttle but stop putting alex his m3 in every article! Most of the time you can spot the article is based around his lemon. plz staph

He needs to write enough about it to make it worth the purchase. That will be a while…

the fiat didn’t grow that much
but that alfa tho

My old Peugeot 405 was a nicely sized sedan that weighed just over 1000kg. Now those cars weigh north of 1500kg. So yeah, everything’s bloated now. And you better believe it’s all safety related.