Know About Cars

Compact Cars

Compact cars are increasingly getting popular in India. More and more car buyers are drawn towards these cars. These cars are easy to drive and comfortable.

About Compact Cars
A compact car is also known as a small family car. These cars are bigger than a supermini car but littler than or equal to a mid-size car. International compact cars are to some extent bigger than the compact cars manufactured in the United States. For United States and other nations, the present size of compact car respectively is around 161 inches (4,100 mm) and 175 inches (4,450 mm) long for hatchbacks or 173 inches (4,400 mm) and 187 inches (4,750 mm) long for sedans (saloon), convertibles, or station wagons (estate car).

Sport utility vehicles and multi-purpose vehicles derived from small family cars (frequently known as compact SUVs and compact MPVs) have comparable sizes, varying from 165 inches (4,200 mm) to 177 inches (4,500 mm) in the United States, and from 173 inches (4,400 mm) to 185 inches (4,700 mm) in international-based models.

In Japan, any car which is more than 11.2 feet (3.4 m) long, 4.9 ft (1.48 m) wide, 6.6 ft (2 m) high, with an engine of more than 40 cu in (660 cc), but is less than 15.4 ft (4.7 m) long, 5.6 ft (1.7 m) wide, 6.6 ft (2 m) tall and with engines of or less than 120 cu in (2,000 cc) is regarded a compact car. The dimension measurements are infrangible, suggesting there is no particular consideration for CUVs, SUVs, station wagons, minivans, or hatchback cars.

Compact cars are essentially C-segment family cars that are bigger than Supermini cars. Important categories of compact cars include hatchbacks, cabriolets, sedans, and station wagons.

Engine configuration of compact cars
Normal engines are 1.5 to 2.4-liter straight-4s, utilizing either gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel. These engines feature a range between 75 kW (100 bhp) and 127 kW (170 bhp). Some cars also feature cost-effective 1.3 or 1.4-liter engines. High-performance editions of compact cars, known as sport compact sedans or hot hatches, may feature turbocharged 2.0 or 2.5-liter engines or V6 3.2-liter engines, ranging highest outputs from 127 kW (170 bhp) to 224 kW (300 bhp).

Popular models of compact cars
Some of the most popular models of compact cars are as follows:

Europe
  • Vauxhall/Opel Astra
  • Ford Focus
  • Citroen C4
  • Peugeot 308
  • Fiat Bravo (2007)
  • Alfa Romeo Giulietta
  • SEAT Leon
  • Lancia Delta
  • Volkswagen Golf Mk6
  • Skoda Octavia

Asia
  • Honda Civic
  • Tata Indigo
  • Nissan Bluebird Sylphy
  • Mitsubishi Lancer
  • Subaru Impreza
  • Mazda 3
  • Hyundai Elantra
  • Maruti Suzuki SX4
  • Daewoo Lacetti
  • Kia Forte
  • Toyota Corolla.

United States
  • Pontiac G5
  • Chevrolet Cobalt
  • Dodge Caliber

Australia
  • Holden Viva
  • Holden Cruze

Compact cars in India
Car manufacturing giants like Toyota, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, General Motors, Volkswagen, and Nissan Motors have come up with various models of compact cars. At present, Chevrolet Spark and Hyundai i10 are one of the most favorite compact vehicles in India. Since India is one of the fastest growing automobile markets in the world, compact cars have good growth potential in the country. Some other popular compact cars in India are as follows:

  • Ford Figo
  • Chevrolet Beat
  • Maruti Wagon R
  • Volkswagen Polo
  • Mahindra Mini Xylo

Other compact cars like Nissan Micra, Skoda Yeti, and Toyota Etios are expected to be launched in the near future.