How is the vehicle's overall dimension defined?
2 Answers
The overall dimensions include the vehicle length, vehicle width, and vehicle height. The vehicle length is the distance between two vertical planes perpendicular to the vehicle's longitudinal symmetry plane and respectively touching the foremost and rearmost protruding parts of the vehicle. The vehicle width is the distance between two planes parallel to the vehicle's longitudinal symmetry plane and respectively touching the fixed protruding parts on both sides of the vehicle. The vehicle height is the distance between the vehicle's supporting plane and the horizontal plane touching the highest protruding part of the vehicle. Here is additional information: 1. Vehicle length: A longer body means more longitudinal usable space, providing ample legroom for both front and rear passengers, ensuring no sense of confinement. However, an excessively long body can make turning, U-turns, and parking inconvenient. 2. Width: Primarily affects seating space and maneuverability. For passenger cars, if three seats arranged side by side are to provide a spacious feel (mainly sufficient shoulder room), the vehicle width generally needs to reach 1.8 meters. 3. Vehicle height: Directly influences the vehicle's center of gravity and interior space. Most passenger cars have a height below 1.5 meters, significantly lower than the natural sitting height of a human, sacrificing some headroom for passengers. This is mainly to lower the vehicle's center of gravity, ensuring stability during high-speed cornering to prevent rollover.
When it comes to the overall dimensions of a car, it essentially refers to the complete external measurement indicators from front to rear, width, and height—in simple terms, how big the vehicle is as a whole. For example, the overall length is the straight-line distance from the front bumper to the rear bumper, the overall width is the widest point between the two sides of the doors, and the overall height is the vertical distance from the highest point of the roof to the ground.
In practical life, having driven for many years, I’ve found that these dimensions directly affect parking space requirements and road safety. For instance, if the dimensions are too large, parking becomes particularly challenging, especially in tight urban parking spots, and the car might even get stuck in narrow lanes. Additionally, the overall dimensions influence aerodynamic efficiency and fuel consumption—a car that’s too wide might scrape against sidewalks, while excessive height increases the risk of hitting height-restriction barriers.
National regulations set upper limits for different vehicle dimensions, with strict restrictions for trucks, while smaller dimensions for regular sedans make them more convenient. When buying a car, I recommend checking the dimension parameters and considering your parking space to avoid daily inconveniences.
In short, understanding these definitions helps us choose more practical car models, improving driving convenience and safety.
