Charger A Large Car ?

[JMF]

Just wondering if a Charger is considered a large car in the USA ?

I'm in the U.K. and I have a 70 and most people I speak to comment on how big the car is , I think in comparison it's about the same size as a 7 series BMW but it seems a lot bigger for some reason

[XH29N0G]

I think modern cars look puffy (inflated, holding their water, etc.....) and look 'larger' than the classic chargers.

 

[JB400]

Only thing I see large about the Chargers are the overhang in the front and back.

[ht4spd307]

Your correct in questioning that  but in fact they aren't much longer than most large cars but for some reason look massive i can't put my finger on it either

[Kern Dog]

They look long. I agree, the body overhand lends to the impression that they are long cars.
The new Challengers are quite thick through the middle whereas the Charger looks shorter and thinner.
Ever notice how a Crew cab longbed truck looks shorter when it is jacked way up compared to when it is stock height?
It is a matter of perspective.

[Mike DC]

  
Yeah, there's a lot of variables on this one.


--  When are we asking the question?  Chargers were midsize in the 1960s and they are midsize today.  But they looked pretty big by 1980s/90s standards.  The US car fleet shrank for a while in the gas crisis era.  Today the fleet is bigger than ever.


--  How are we measuring size?  Classic cars had relatively small cabins by modern standards.  They look big because the bodies had large overhangs.  For a classic Charger's exterior size, the headroom and rear passenger legroom is surprisingly small.  Modern cars look more pudgy because they have more cabin space (and safety).


--  Are we comparing the classic Charger to the average modern US car, or the average modern US vehicle?  Modern US pickup trucks are so big it's ridiculous.  Trucks & SUVs make up a big percentage of the fleet now.  Classic chargers are definitely not 'big' compared to those.      


This is a completely normal sight in the USA today. 
Sure, a classic Charger would be a big car next to that blue BMW M3 in the pic.  But a Charger isn't big compared to the trucks.  



           

[Kern Dog]

People have become a LOT fatter since 1970.
A LOT.
Look at any picture of people at a beach, at a public event, a concert, drag race, anything. Fat people need more seat room.

[6pkrtse]

I consider a Charger a mid-size car. Now a New Yorker, New Port, Imperial etc are large cars. I have a 70 Challenger and it is 1-1/2 feet shorter than a Charger but slightly wider. I also have a 74' New Yorker and it is 2' longer than the Charger.

[Homerr]

If you've ever waxed a 2nd gen Charger, then yes, a Charger is a large car.

[Nacho-RT74]

Yes, is a large car on today standards. A bit shorter from the past point of view but still large.

Even a classic Dart is a Large car on today standards. That doesn't mean new large cars aren't  being made today, but any regular family mid class car today is smaller than an A Body which it was the USA cheap class car... and with better designed/distributed interior space.

And even natural born American Cars got family smaller car options such as the original Valiant, Corvairs...

Is also true in EUROPE and Asian market there were even SMALLER cars and still considered family cars. Some of them marketed in USA too under American Brands, such as the Colt, Cricket...

[375instroke]

When I went to college in the early '90s, my '69 Super Bee stuck out about two feet past every other car in the parking lot.

[Fitz73Chrgr]

If you've ever waxed a 2nd gen Charger, then yes, a Charger is a large car.

If you've waxed a full size pickup, then a Charger isn't so big.

[Mike DC]

  
Old & new Challengers.  

Notice how the factory stylists made the bottom areas of the new Challenger black.  That's a common trick on modern cars to make the body look leaner.  

The difference in the wheel size is what jumps out the most IMO.    

Also, look at the amount of vertical room for the engines on the two cars (oil pan to air cleaner).  The modern Hemi motors are designed for the new cars & trucks.  We're lucky those motors still fit into the old bodies so easily.  

[Kern Dog]

I notice shorter overhands front and rear.

[Mike DC]

            

I notice shorter overhands front and rear.

Funny thing is, the overhangs are probably similar if you measured them and didn't count the 1970 car's extra bumper guards.  But the modern car's overhangs appear a lot smaller in proportion to the rest of the shape.  

             

[JB400]

[birdsandbees]

 

[OzCharger69]

The size is normal but it feels and looks like a big car.

[MoparMike68]

Much too often people confuse length with height although the 2nd gen chargers are longer
then challenger, dart or the like modern cars are taller making then look big. Mike's photo noted
the blacked out bottom on the modern car that was intended to give an illusion of a lower profile and that's
what makes the classics more desirable. 

[ACUDANUT]

Anything bigger than a fiat, is huge in the the UK.  (yes I have been there).