There was a time when you could always tell what kind of car you were looking
at.
ThatÃ?Â?s a Mustang.
ThatÃ?Â?s a Cadillac.
ThatÃ?Â?s...a mess.
But youÃ?Â?ve probably noticed cars look an awful lot alike these days...The realities
of technology and engineering are much of the reason.
IÃ?Â?m B.C.
with the Top 5 Reasons Cars Tend To Look Alike.
5 - Bunker Windows: Driven a Camaro lately?
You probably felt like a tank
commander.
And its not the only car with windows like slits.
Short greenhouses
are current fashion, but also front ends are higher for pedestrian safety.
The rest
of the car body has to follow to look right...but you canÃ?Â?t just raise the roof as well
or you end up with a clown car.
So it stays low while the carÃ?Â?s belt line comes up
and thereÃ?Â?s not much room for glass in between.
4 - Fat Faces: So many cars have huge, deep front ends, even sporty big dollar
cars that can afford the best plastic surgeons.
Again, thank pedestrian impact
concerns.
A fatter, flatter bumper tends not to lop a pedestrian off at the
knees...and a higher hood allows some space under it so the hood acts as
something of cushion before the pedestrians head meets the unmoving engine
beneath with a sickening thud.
This is all good news in the crosswalk, not so
much in the showroom.
3 - High Belt Lines: Drive with your arm out the window today and youÃ?Â?ll blow
out your rotator cuff.
The sill, or belt line as its known, is typically high as a
consequence of hoods being higher, again that to pedestrian impact standards.
You canÃ?Â?t raise the hood without raising what follows it so goodbye rakish driving
posture.
It also doesnÃ?Â?t hurt that high belt lines convey a sense of side impact
resistance to the shopperÃ?Â?s eye.
2 - Thick Pillars: You may as well just face forward these days, thereÃ?Â?s almost
no visibility out of some cars.
WhereÃ?Â?s the periscope for this Acura ZDX?
One big
reason for the massive pillar trend is aggressive federal rollover crash standards.
And those pillars often contain airbags as well.
So big pillars will let you walk
away from a lot of crashes, but might keep you from seeing youÃ?Â?re about to get
into one.
1 - Big Butts - Almost every car looks like Mrs.
Doubtfire these days, with a big
Ã?Â?ol frumpy rump.
ThatÃ?Â?s largely for aerodynamic reasons in pursuit of increasingly
critical MPG.
A car that generally gets higher toward the rear tends to generate
less drag and use less fuel.
But walk around the back of a Ford Taurus and
youÃ?Â?re not sure youÃ?Â?ve found the rear of the car of the front of a truck.
For more car tech top 5Ã?Â?s like this and to watch the best show for the modern
driver, visit CNETOnCars.com.
