2021 Nissan Rogue
I greatly hate this ridiculous trend of having the headlights low on the bumper and Drl's and turn signals up top.
As for this rogue, it could be a chevy-ford-jeep-whatever...
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
A possible new vehicle for my brother's GF. We had to stop planning/shopping for her next vehicle because she recently fell and dislocated her wrist/forearm, requiring surgery, therapy and a long recovery. Might work out better for her in the long run, though, that she waited until now instead of earlier in the year....this way, we'll know what vehicles are too high (or low) or awkwardly-designed for her to easily get in and out of with a sore arm.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,479
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From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,816
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From: UK
The problem is the hard points under the hood - engine block etc. If you hit a pedestrian and their head strikes the hood with no clearance underneath then it's like their head hitting the engine block directly and the impact is generally fatal. If you can create a few inches of space between the underside of the hood and the hard points then the pedestrian's head will hit the softer bodywork and deform it but there's far less chance of the impact being fatal. Some sports car manufacturers don't want to lose the low hood line so they create this space during impact by having pop up hoods.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,479
Likes: 253
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,479
Likes: 253
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2,816
Likes: 7
From: UK
Of course, with the advent of EVs, many with their drivetrain over the back axles, there is the opportunity to design lower hoods while maintaining that space underneath - the Tesla Model 3 has a very low hood.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,763
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From: Maryland
Yep, and without an engine there you can do that. Its about space for the hood to absorb energy
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 68,763
Likes: 4,082
From: Maryland
Here ya go:
https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...atter-feature/
Think modern cars look bloated? Of course you do. Part of what you're seeing is the effect of European and Asian pedestrian-protection requirements that went live last decade. The idea is to leave enough space beneath the hood to keep a struck pedestrian's head from caving it in far enough to hit the top of the engine. So, you'd expect higher hoods and taller noses. But that little bit of air over the intake manifold ripples through and changes everything.
A minimum of 20 mm (0.8 inch) of clearance is required between the underside of the hood and the highest part of the engine or any other hard point such as the windshield-wiper motor or the HVAC plenum. This raises not only the front of the hood but also its trailing edge by at least 0.8 inch.
With the rear edge of the hood elevated, the entire cowl must be raised a like amount—or a bit more if the designers want a wedge-shaped profile. This moves the windshield base and the dash higher as well.
A taller cowl and dash force the front seats to be raised for visibility.
With people sitting higher in the car, the roof goes up to maintain headroom.
Now that the roof is higher, the beltline (the base of the side windows) has to be lifted to keep the car from looking bubbleheaded.
The higher beltline adds sheetmetal above the rear-wheel openings, reducing the wheel-to-body ratio.
Would you believe that pedestrian protection influences wheel sizes? With wheel openings relatively smaller than those on cars made before the regs, the 245/50-18s on, say, a base BMW 7-series don't look very big at all. The solution has been to fit 19- and 20-inch wheel/tire packages to replicate more attractive proportions.
A minimum of 20 mm (0.8 inch) of clearance is required between the underside of the hood and the highest part of the engine or any other hard point such as the windshield-wiper motor or the HVAC plenum. This raises not only the front of the hood but also its trailing edge by at least 0.8 inch.
With the rear edge of the hood elevated, the entire cowl must be raised a like amount—or a bit more if the designers want a wedge-shaped profile. This moves the windshield base and the dash higher as well.
A taller cowl and dash force the front seats to be raised for visibility.
With people sitting higher in the car, the roof goes up to maintain headroom.
Now that the roof is higher, the beltline (the base of the side windows) has to be lifted to keep the car from looking bubbleheaded.
The higher beltline adds sheetmetal above the rear-wheel openings, reducing the wheel-to-body ratio.
Would you believe that pedestrian protection influences wheel sizes? With wheel openings relatively smaller than those on cars made before the regs, the 245/50-18s on, say, a base BMW 7-series don't look very big at all. The solution has been to fit 19- and 20-inch wheel/tire packages to replicate more attractive proportions.
*Mid- and rear-engined cars don't get a pass on pedestrian protection. The forward positioning of their cowls causes another set of problems, including keeping the unfortunate pedestrian's head clear of the wiper motor and the tough-to-crush base of the windshield. On a few such cars with short hoods and steeply raked A-pillars, carmakers use the windshield to catch the pedestrian and minimize injuries through the use of a thicker, flexible laminate layer between two sheets of glass.
Last edited by SW17LS; Oct 27, 2020 at 12:22 PM.
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