current body designs: sloping front ends

[badkuk]

why is it that the front ends of cars these days tend to slope down below the driver's line of sight? i'm quite used to seeing the front edges of the car when navigating tight spaces. with the front ends i'm seeing these days, you'd better be well acquainted with the dimensions/length of the front end . i think it's a bit dangerous, especially if you're still in the "getting to know you" phase with your car.

and ung front portion of the cabin also tends to be sloped aggressively. even if i press my forehead onto the windshield, i still can't see the front end.



baket ganun na ang uso ngayon? better aerodynamics?

[Alpha_One]

Aerodynamics, maybe. But from what I can tell from the Honda Jazz, this design can maximise interior space.

[OTEP]

It is also to enhance forward visibility. The lesser the hood, the more of the road you see.

In other markets it is not really necessary to know where the front end of the vehicle exactly ends as there is abundant space.

Hoodlines may have to rise somewhat again with the advent of pedestrian crash standards in other large markets. Mercedes had to facelift the four-eyed E class just to raise the hood an inch or two to meet said standard.

[niky]

Aerodynamics yes, but there's that psychological thing that's working against it. A lot of people equate the amount of hood a car has with crash safety, whether true or not. A lot of people are skeptical of the crashworthiness of the Jazz/Fit because of this (even though it has excellent protection.) But then, maybe that'll make them drive slower in these new cars.

Personally, I like the more masculine/phallic look of a longer hood. Makes you feel like you're cocooned in a vehicle rather than sitting on top of one.

[oldblue]

engines are getting smaller siguro. that's why paikli na ng paikli mga hoods.

[sequoia]

solution dyan, lagyan mo ng mast na parang nakalagay sa sarao jeepneys na kinakabitan ng ribbon, or yung parang nilalagyan ng flag ng mga service cars ng embassy. feeling ambassador ambassador ka pa.

[badkuk]

hmmm, ok un ah. para pag bigla kang nagbrake dahil sa jaywalker, or me nag cut, mag whiwhip forward ung antenna't mababatukan ung ogag B)

[niky]

Actually, packaging is getting more efficient. The new engines Honda uses aren't really much smaller (check out how much engine bay is around the tiny lump in the old City, for example)... it's just that with new exhaust design and insulation, they can run the exhaust manifold right by the firewall with the passenger compartment, freeing up space, enabling them to make the bay much smaller.

I'm not only against this for cosmetic reasons... I'm against this for reasons of heat. The tighter packed an engine bay, the more an engine will suffer from heat soak and lose power in traffic. Kaya nga the updated City has a longer nose, with counter-rotating fans, to cool down the intake charge.

The previous Civic suffered from heat soak with the 2.0. As does the Lynx (even though it's long nosed).

You'll notice, though, on some cars, that the engine bay isn't the primary reason the nose is shorter. On the new Civic, the engine bay is actually about 2-3 inches longer than it looks. They just extended the windshield and dashboard over the engine bay to give the look of more space, without actually providing any useful space (much like in the Previa).

[gearspeed]

Tagal ko na napansin ito ang mga itsura ng mga sasakyan ngayon pakiramdam ko pahirap na ng pahirap ang pagdrive ng mga tsikot ngayon.Hirap ng makita ang sa ibaba ng tsikot..Parang yung sa optra hindi ko nakita na may harang pala kase sa sobrang baba nung harang sa parking sa ATC.

[woulfe27]

IMO mas maganda porma ng mahabang hood. even yung new mustang mahaba pa rin hood. yung new civic tatlong dangkal lang yung hood, mahaba lang siguro ng konti sa trunk.

[squala]

Drooping hoods are my pet peeve. It's hard to estimate the nose in our usual B2B traffic and tight roads. The current Altis and that 7th gen Civic are examples of this. Now, the 8th gen is even worse, as in zero hood visibility, even if you stoop to the front, thanks (or rather no thanks) to the long, deep, spaceship-like dashboard.

The EK Civic is a very good example of excellent driving position and visibility. For me, it's the perfect compromise of seeing the road and your hood.

[5Speed]

yup.... I dont like those new stooping hoods either....para kang nanghuhula kung mabubundol mo na yung nasa harapan mo....tsaka parang mas madali akong nasisingitan ng mga traysikel...

that's why I like to drive 4x4's like SUV's and Pickup trucks....kita mo na yung hood mo, kita mo rin sila lahat dahil mas mataas ang seating position mo kesa sa normal cars....

[zero]

is it like driving a VW beetle?