Talk:Compact car

Add first images
Ok -- added two pictures of compact class automobiles. CZmarlin 16:06, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

front-wheel drive?
should it be mentioned that most (do object if i'm wrong), are front-wheel drive cars, with transversal engines?

Jerome Potts 05:09, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

European/RoW usage of term
The article stated that the term is uncommon in Europe. However, see e.g.

(UK site)

"... the new Colt is not just everything a demanding 21st century audience wants in a compact car" (from Mitsubishi UK website)

"The idea of an oversize engine in a compact car is appealing. And it's not an anti-ecological extravagance. This Focus can reach 150mph, touches 60mph from standstill in 6.5 seconds, yet returns more than 30 miles for every gallon of fuel - " (European Ford Focus ST review in UK newspaper)

[http://www.carpages.co.uk/vauxhall/vauxhall-astra-review-part-1-15-04-05.asp "A quarter of a century has passed since Vauxhall launched the first Astra in the UK and since 1980 it has enjoyed a dominant position in the compact car class." (Vauxhall Astra 2.0 SRi review)]

"Audi is set to shake the compact car market again, this time with its all-new A3."

"Co-developed in association with General Motors, this Hungarian built compact car (Suzuki Wagon R+) has, in its previous form, consistently been a best seller in its native Japan."

The use may not be standard in the UK, but is still fairly widespread. German usage applies the term "Kompaktklasse" to cars like the VW Golf, the new MINI Cooper etc.; see German Wikipedia.

The term is also common in the UK in compounds such as "compact MPV" and "compact SUV". Jayen466 14:48, 16 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Keep the two articles as seperate entities as they both can mean very different things. 81.145.241.165 05:49, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

saloon vs sedan
The article mentions cabriolets, saloons, and estates. As an American reader, the only one of these words I've even seen applied to cars before is cabriolet. After following the links, I learn these terms are apparently British usage for convertibles, sedans, and station wagons. Is there some reason for using the British words? The actual links all redirect to articles whose titles are the American terms, so it seems like the American terms should be used for consistency. I have not changed this, though, because I understand the need for a global perspective, and I don't really know the Wikipedia policy on this. Could someone help clarify? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.0.89.92 (talk) 19:04, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

part of text violating somebody's copyright?!?
The article talks about the origins of the compact car in the US. This text appears to be almost identical to text at http://www.car-portal.us/en/Automobile-Reference/Car-Classifications/Compact-Car/. Somebody needs to make sure that there isn't a copyright violation going on somewhere. —Preceding unsigned comment added by N'Awlins Contrarian (talk • contribs) 14:15, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Article split / US vs. European
This article is extremely confusing. There is not correlation between European "compact" cars and US compact cars. Also the many cars classified as "Large Family" cars in Europe are classified as "compacts" in the US (compare Ford Mondeo and Ford Contour) So claiming that compact means small family cars as the introduction does, is just plain wrong. If anything the article should explain that the "compact" term as used in the US is considered a contradiction in terms by Europeans because the compacts are quite large. Carewolf (talk) 10:51, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

Very true, the European "small family car" does not appear to be the same as the American term "compact". This article seems to rely on other Wiki articles that are poorly researched,"Vehicle Size Class" and "Car Classification". The US and Canadian governments have classifications of vehicle sizes, but I don't see anything for the European Commission. ACRISS is an industry classification used for rental cars, it is not an official government standard. Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) is a testing agency like NHTSA in the US, it is not the European Commission. The reference listed for the European Commission has no definitions, it is useless. It needs a comparison chart based on official classifications. An encyclopedia is not a collection of opinions, we need valid references. Highdesert (talk) 04:56, 4 September 2010 (UTC) User:highdesert

Is news.google.com a good source?
Someone keeps reverting my edits that contains the term news.google.com. Ferrari S.p.A (talk) 02:19, 11 April 2014 (UTC)


 * Mu.  Mr.choppers &#124;   ✎  02:21, 11 April 2014 (UTC)

Merge with C-segment and get better definitions
The article states that the "compact car is a vehicle size class ... equivalent to the European C-segment". It then has a US and Japan section.
 * Per WP:WORLDVIEW should C-segment be a "Europe" section of this article?
 * In general, in WP, and this article is no exception, WP:UNDUE weight is given to classes. It should be emphasized that there are no formal definitions. "Compact car" is not, as far as I can tell, an official designation of the US DOT and Canadian governments. The PDF from 1999 used in many articles for C-class in the EU is useless as it is too general. Euro NCAP car classifications are Large Family Car, Small Family Car, and Hybrid & Electric. --Cornellier (talk) 12:21, 31 January 2019 (UTC)