Full-size car

A full-size car is a marketing term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car. In the United States, the EPA uses "large car" to denote full-size cars.

Full-size cars are usually denoted for their length, nearing in basic sedans, with luxury models often tending to reach . Previously, a wheelbase greater than was the criterion. The term first appeared in the early 1960s to define what also became known as "standard"-size cars from the new compact and intermediate models then being introduced. Full-size is also defined in space measurement as greater than 3,300 L (120 ft³) of combined passenger and cargo interior volume.

Use of the term in North America became popular (and necessary) after the introduction of compacts by the US "Big Three" for the 1960 model year, and then a few years later the introduction of what became known as mid-size cars. While length and wheelbase varied (increasing over time) being considered full-size required a width as close as practical to the 80 inch width limit over which the federal government required vehicles to have clearance lights. The term was most correctly applied to cars close to the width limit carrying nameplates of "The Low Priced Three", Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth.

Manufacturers hoped their slightly more expensive brands such as Pontiac, Mercury, and Dodge, would be perceived by the public as more desirable than a full-size car even in situations where they weren't any larger. But while the difference between a full-size car, a basic large Chevrolet, Ford, or Plymouth, and a luxury car such as Cadillac, Lincoln, or Imperial, was clear, both manufacturers and consumers had difficulty classifying those in between, such as large Pontiacs, Mercurys, or Dodges. Manufacturers contributed to the lack of distinction by reaching into the lower price ranges with what had previously been considered medium-priced brands.

For 1977, General Motors downsized its full-size (and higher priced) cars, with overall width cut from approximately 80 inches to the mid-70 inch range. Chevrolet, Pontiac, and the less expensive Oldsmobile and Buick models had a 116-inch wheelbase. More expensive Oldsmobile and Buick models, plus the Cadillac had a 119 inch wheelbase but no more width. The cars sold less well than the 1976 models. GM and Chrysler downsized for 1979, Chrysler even building its downsized car on a modified version of its long running mid-size platform, which was comparable in size to the new platforms designed by GM and Ford. By this time, a huge increase in gasoline prices had made it difficult to sell any large cars, downsized or not. Chrysler had the huge misfortune of introducing two consecutive new designs of its largest cars, in 1974 and 1979, during times when gasoline prices suddenly increased.

EPA interior and trunk volume categories for the most part resulted in mid-size, full-size, and luxury cars common in the mid-1970s all being classified as large cars. The 1980s Plymouth Gran Fury, Dodge Diplomat, and Chrysler Fifth Avenue, classified as large cars at the time, were derived from the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare, originally marketed as compacts.

While many modern cars are referred to as full-size, they don't qualify for the term as used in the 1960s and 1970s. Consumer acceptance of large SUVs approaching 80 inches in width shows interest remains in vehicles capable of three-across seating with reasonable comfort, a strong point of a true full-size car. A true full-size car produced with today's technology, would provide this functionality with the additional advantages of better handling and fuel economy due to being lower than a large wide SUV.

Decline and renaissance

The sales of full-size vehicles in the United States declined after the early 1970s fuel crisis. By that time, full-size cars had grown to wheelbases of and overall lengths of around . In the 1970s due to the fuel crisis and the resulting rise in fuel costs, many people traded in their full-size cars for smaller models such as the Chevrolet Nova, Ford Maverick, and Plymouth Valiant, also it was during this time Japanese cars such as the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic gained popularity. American Motors discontinued its full-size AMC Ambassador in 1974; starting in the late 1970s, the other American automakers began selling full-size cars with smaller exterior dimensions and smaller, more fuel efficient engines. That, combined with gas being cheap once again in the 1980s, full-size cars regained popularity.

Chrysler discontinued its full-size cars (Dodge Diplomat, Chrysler Fifth Avenue, and Plymouth Gran Fury) in 1989. General Motors discontinued its full-size cars (Chevrolet Impala SS/Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser and Cadillac Fleetwood) in 1996. The 2011 model year marks the final year of production of the Ford Panther platform (the Ford Crown Victoria/Police Interceptor, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car).

During the 1980s and 1990s, full-size cars lost ground to other vehicle types as family vehicles. Initially, full-size sedans and station wagons lost ground to minivans, which offered additional seating and cargo capacity with lower fuel consumption. During the 1990s, full-size sedans and wagons lost further ground to mid-size and full-size SUVs, as they had similar towing capacity and a V8 engine started becoming an option in mid-size versions. In North America, full-size station wagons would vanish during the 1990s; Ford was the first to discontinue theirs after the 1991 model year, with GM following suit after 1996.

Now that fuel costs are high once again, people are looking towards today's more efficient vehicles. These include automobiles such as compact and mid-size vehicles powered by smaller, more efficient engines. American-brand full-size sedans such as Buicks, and luxury full-size Deville DTS are still best-selling in the full-size segment. However, there is a serious attack on full-size from promoting agencies, trying to replace the size with price range. Thus, for instance, a review like the one from USA News, named "Best luxury large cars of 2008" (see a link below) has included only one large car (Cadillac DTS) and all others are really mid-size cars. This is mostly because, in Europe, full-size cars have only recently gained in popularity. During the 1980s, full-size cars were rare in Europe, but now they have become a common sight. In Germany, full-size cars make up 15% of the total number of cars (VDA annual report), however, this number includes likely mid-size cars as well.

Outside North America

A "large family car," the equivalent of a full-size car class in Australian terms, often denoted by width. Therefore, the Ford Falcon, Toyota Aurion and Holden Commodore are considered large cars in the Australian and New Zealand markets. These cars are sometimes referred to as "family cars" in Australia, and are typically or more in length.

In Europe, the terms "executive car" and "luxury car" may refer to cars of this size, such as the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Volkswagen Phaeton, and Jaguar XJ.

List of full-size cars

Note: This list is current as of the 2011 model year.

Current full-size cars

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Acura RL

Audi A8

Bentley Continental Flying Spur

BMW 7 Series

Buick Lucerne*

Buick Park Avenue (China)

Cadillac DTS*

Chevrolet Impala*

Chevrolet Caprice (Middle East)

Chrysler 300

Daewoo Veritas

Dodge Charger

Ford Crown Victoria*

Ford Falcon (Australia)

Ford Police Interceptor

Ford Taurus

Holden Commodore

Holden Statesman/Caprice

Honda Accord sedan (North America)

Hyundai Equus

Hyundai Genesis

Hyundai Grandeur/Azera

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Hyundai Sonata

Jaguar XJ

Kia Opirus/Amanti

Lexus LS

Lincoln MKS

Lincoln Town Car*

Maybach 57 and 62

Maserati Quattroporte

Mercury Grand Marquis*

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Nissan Cima

Nissan Maxima/Cefiro

Nissan President

Rolls-Royce Phantom

Saab 9-5

Samsung SM7

Ssangyong Chairman

Toyota Avalon

Toyota Century

Toyota Crown Majesta

Volkswagen Phaeton

Volvo S80

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Recent full-size cars

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Bentley Arnage

Buick LeSabre

Buick Park Avenue

Buick Royaum

Cadillac Deville

Chevrolet Caprice/Caprice Classic/Impala SS

Chevrolet Impala* (full-size 1958-1996, and again from 2000–present)

Chrysler 300M

Chrysler Concorde

Chrysler LHS

Chrysler New Yorker

Daewoo Arcadia

Dodge Intrepid

Dodge Magnum

Ford Five Hundred

Ford Fairlane (Australia)

Ford LTD (Australia)

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Infiniti Q45

Kia Potentia

Kia Enterprise

Mercury Marauder

Mercury Montego

Mercury Sable

Mitsubishi Dignity

Mitsubishi Proudia

Oldsmobile 88

Oldsmobile 98

Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser

Opel Omega (Europe)

Pontiac Bonneville

Pontiac Grand Prix

Pontiac G8

ZIL-41047

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See also

Car classification

Vehicle size class

References

External links

Official US government car size class definitions

use of "large cars" in "Best Luxury Large Cars 2008 from USA News