This was an excellent design; it provided more interior and trunk space than non-cab forward designs. I had a '98 Dodge Intrepid with this design, and I couldn't get over how roomy that car was. The '06-'11 Civic sedans were also designed this way, but for some reason, this design isn't utilized anymore. I wonder why?
What happened to the cab forward designed sedans?
- Thread starter grampi
- Start date
Crumple zones?
It made engine work difficult. It was stupid to have to remove the left front wheel and fender liner just to change the battery. Since there was no good way to check the liquid level in the battery you had to use a maintenance free battery.
Likely meeting the safety requirements is the reason. Manufacturers don’t care how hard or easy their cars are to work on.
Style and looks too. With a transverse inline 4 cyl the Neon had lots of space. Transverse V6's don't seem to be nice to work on in any vehicle?
The last decade of Mazda3 looks like it should have a longitudinal inline 6 and be RWD... Or the designer really loved the BMW clown shoe car
The last decade of Mazda3 looks like it should have a longitudinal inline 6 and be RWD... Or the designer really loved the BMW clown shoe car
Weight distribution?
You got that right! Sometimes I think they TRY to make them more difficult to work on...
There are still several trucks on the market where one has to remove the body to access certain parts on the motor.
I would think weight distribution would've been better with the CF design...
I can tell you what happened to one of those cars... My '95 Intreped was "accordioned" between some multi-colored Oldsmobuick and the Intrepid that was behind me one rush-hour commute back in November 2000. I figure the driver of the Oldsmobuick must have been drunk or something, when the 9 of us in the pile-up moved to the shoulder, he just took off...
That was too bad, I really liked that Intrepid.
That was too bad, I really liked that Intrepid.
Cab forward hasn't disappeared. It's still implemented in many designs but it's less extreme than it was when it first appeared. Many cars have the A pillars moved forward along with a rather raked windshield.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Is that look cab forward or windshield forward?
Look at the space between the base of the windshield and the steering wheel to determine that.
Realistically speaking, federal requirements always come first. Everything else is second.
Just like Hemi, it’s just advertising.
Cars that had the CF design clearly had more interior space than than those that didn't. It wasn't just an advertising gimmick...
Until you look at what cab forward really is. It’s putting the cab over the front axles.
My '99 Intrepid ES was a great car. So roomy inside, great seats, big trunk. 3.2 Liter V6 mounted the right way. Only drawback came when the battery needed changing: the left front tire and wheel had to come off to get to the battery. Otherwise I would buy another one like that in an instant. The Dodge had more interior space than the 2006 300C HEMI that replaced it.
I don't see a problem with that...
The Intrepid was an excellent design that was poorly executed. Our '98 had the 2.7 and I loved everything about that car until it hit 60K miles. At that point it started burning oil to the tune of a qt every 500 miles. I changed the oil and filter every 3K miles and used nothing but full syn since new. The 2.7 was a garbage engine, but the car itself was wonderful. Like you said, it was nice and roomy with a huge trunk. I actually got 36 MPG with that car once on a trip. I would buy that car again if it had a decent engine...
