Are car beltlines ever going to lower again? (coupe, convertibles, SUV)

[Corerius]

I'm sick of cars you can't see out of, modern Camaros being a ridiculous example.

Is there some DOT safety regulation that implies that you have to sit *in* the car? or is it just a style that won't go away?

Thank God I'm not 5'2".

[Vision67]

As an old guy, I can get into a Camaro, I just can't get out of it!

However, not all cars have high belt lines. I think the Toyota Camry and VW Passat are two examples of more upright styling.

The best boxy car for visibility is the Subaru Forester.

If you don't like the high belt lines, don't buy the car. The market will sort it out.

[Giesela]

I agree. The back windows tend to be tiny and/or the metal pillars are wide. So they added rear backup camera's. I still want to SEE. Hate merging and changing lanes. Its like the want you to ride in a windowless bubble. Plus I can't put my arm on the window anymore while driving because its too high. Sure my seat goes up, but it also goes forward when it goes up so I can't get it high enough.
Hate, have hated it for awhile, waiting for it to change and it doesn't.

Someone thought it was they have to have all that metal/small windows as somewhere to put all the airbags. IDK whether that is true or not

[kapikap]

Certain cars are made for certain purposes, and a sports car is built for looks, not really function.

Hatchbacks and wagons have the best visibilty, but not for everyone. The best sporty cars are h/b and wagon models, with powerful engines, simple conviniences.

The car companies are building to certain specs, to get good crash test scores, tech continues to save lives. Belt lines are going up, and bumpers of the big trucks/suv are getting lower.

The US has higher standards in safety then all other countries.

[Tiffer E38]

Originally Posted by Giesela

Someone thought it was they have to have all that metal/small windows as somewhere to put all the airbags. IDK whether that is true or not

This is true. Crash protection regulations are making the cars with taller sides for crush protection, and thicker roof pillars for rollover protection. Yes, people want to see, but they also are required to be protected from other people. Catch 22 situation, however, as visibility goes down, the possibility of minor accidents you need to be protected from goes up...

But none of it yet matches a '50s custom car for high beltlines and low rooflines:

[BLS2753]

Originally Posted by Tiffer E38

This is true. Crash protection regulations are making the cars with taller sides for crush protection, and thicker roof pillars for rollover protection. Yes, people want to see, but they also are required to be protected from other people. Catch 22 situation, however, as visibility goes down, the possibility of minor accidents you need to be protected from goes up...

But none of it yet matches a '50s custom car for high beltlines and low rooflines:

That thing looks like at least a thousand dollars of bodywork every time you hit a pothole.

[Corerius]

Originally Posted by Tiffer E38

This is true. Crash protection regulations are making the cars with taller sides for crush protection, and thicker roof pillars for rollover protection.

That doesn't strike me as being entirely true. Besides the fact that convertibles still exist, so rollover doesn't seem to be a 100% killer reason, I have a strong feeling that an awful lot of this is style driven.

I think I saw (don't hold me to it) a car designer weighing-in on a Chevy website about Camaro design. The upshot was that every time they ran a version with better visibility by prospective buyers, they didn't like it as much. Perhaps we are all being held hostage by the whims of 28 year olds.

Now, if you could just buy a new Datsun 510, then you could actually see out of a car.

[NY_refugee87]

I'm a Chevy guy. You couldn't give me a camaro. A pillars right in the view when going into a corner.
Out of the 3 I'll take the challenger.
That car is comfortable and you can see out of it.

Now that 50 Merc... I'll take that in a heart beat as it probably has the low back buckets out of a 60s impala despite it being chopped and channeled (cool kids call it body drop) I'll bet my head won't be jammed in the head liner if done properly.

50 merc or 54 Belair Coupe chopped on air ride a potent small block and 4 speed yes please.

[Horizonite]

One of my cars is a '15 Camaro, no visibility problems whatsoever. Maybe the OP should opt for one of these:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ntleftside.jpg

You can always repurpose it as an aquarium when it dies on you, lol.

[engineman]

It is a PITA when I go to the drive up window at the bank and it is a struggle to reach over the top of the window sill. I am 6'2" not exactly a shrimp.