When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Lots of people can't really fit into the small cars anymore. Therefore "actual size" still works. My F56 fits just fine, I could fit in the smallest Mini but it wouldn't be a comfy ride, nor a simple entry / exit.
That raises a 'huge' question: At the outset, who was the spoiler suffering from rectal enfilade that is quoted as saying "bigger is better" should have had his hoozits defiladed.
Sadly, in most Western countries the MINI is about as small as you can make and still meet modern crash standards (Japanese Kei cars excepted). My MINI came with one of those stickers on it, but I want to replace it with one that says Fun Size instead. In all honesty though, when compared to the sea of oversized trucks, SUVs and Crossovers, the MINI feels small. I don't think the interior has any more space than the original, but that's because the seats are thicker and more substantial and the structure has a safety cage design so that the structures the airbags are attached to do not shift significantly in a crash. While I dearly love the original Mini, I don't think I would feel safe driving it in the heavy urban traffic where I live.
The comparison I would like to see is with the last very small car you could buy in the US, the original Geo Metro. I had one and I think the length is the same as the R50, but the roof was lower and the car was narrower. I also remember that driving the Metro, I was looking up at the back bumper of a Pontiac Grand Am!
Last edited by Blue R50; Dec 13, 2019 at 08:11 AM.
...the Elan's size makes it difficult to get into or out of.
Once inside, there's little hip room (due to the backbone frame), little headroom (styling and aerodynamic considerations), and it's also pretty tough trying to see over any object larger than a tall dog.
And, for some insane reason, the traditionally miniscule foot pedals (a revered principle among British car designers) are huddled together in the middle of a passably wide space."
Oh, how I wish I had size related pictures of my MGA or Fiat 124 Spyder...
But my Wife’s MINI (2004 R50, which we still have) seemed to be positively diminutive when she ordered it. So much so, my Wife was afraid to drive it home from picking it up at the dealer when it came in. She had come from a Jeep Grand Cherokee and before that a Chevy 9 passenger station wagon. But it took only 7 miles of driving it to turn face from one of fear to one with a grin from ear to ear...
But it took only 7 miles of driving it to turn face from one of fear to one with a grin from ear to ear... 
