Europe
In Europe, cars equivalent to North America's mid-size are generally known as D segment or large family cars. For comparison, the 1998 Ford Taurus weighed around 1,500 kg (3,307 lb), had a 2,757 mm (108.5 in) wheelbase, and was powered by a 3.0 L V6 engine, whereas a 1998 Ford Mondeo weighed around 1,300 kg (2,866 lb), had a 2,704 mm (106.5 in) wheelbase, and was often powered by a 2.0 L I4. European "large family cars" are often offered in sedan and hatchback form, usually with front-wheel drive.
As elsewhere, upsizing has blurred the distinction between types, with models that and are considered compacts in North America, such as the Ford Focus and Opel Astra, approaching the mid-size category by growing larger and fitting more powerful engines with every iteration. However, it is usually thought that the categories grow along the years rather than the cars switching categories. The Opel/Vauxhall Omega/Cadillac Catera, which had dimensions right on the border between the North American categorizations of full-size and mid-size, was marketed as a luxury full-size car in Europe and a mid-size car in North America.
Some compact executive cars fit into this size category.
Read more about this topic: Mid-size Cars
Famous quotes containing the word europe:
“What helps it now, that Byron bore,
With haughty scorn which mock’d the smart,
Through Europe to the Aetolian shore
The pageant of his bleeding heart?
That thousands counted every groan,
And Europe made his woe her own?”
—Matthew Arnold (1822–1888)
“Television is an excellent system when one has nothing to lose, as is the case with a nomadic and rootless country like the United States, but in Europe the affect of television is that of a bulldozer which reduces culture to the lowest possible denominator.”
—Marc Fumaroli (b. 1932)
“Humanism, it seems, is almost impossible in America where material progress is part of the national romance whereas in Europe such progress is relished because it feels nice.”
—Paul West (b. 1930)