As usual, you make a lot of excellent points. However, since I have experienced both these cars, I had to call this one out:

BMW 3 Series:
Wheelbase (in) 108.7
Length, Overall (in) 178.2
Width, Max w/o mirrors (in) 71.5
Height, Overall (in) 55.9
Track Width, Front (in) 59.1
Track Width, Rear (in) 59.6

Chevy Cobalt Sedan:
Wheelbase (in) 103.3
Length, Overall (in) 180.3
Width, Max w/o mirrors (in) 67.9
Height, Overall (in) 57.1
Track Width, Front (in) 58.7
Track Width, Rear (in) 58.1

While most of those dimensions are very similar and both are classified as "compact", what sticks out like a sore thumb is the 3.6" of width difference between these cars - it actually seems like even more than that. When you take into consideration how much that number affects the total volume of the car, that difference is huge.

 

I believe he was comparing "weight" not "dimensions".

 

Uhhhh yeah.....Cobalt sized 3 Series weighs more than Mustang GT, when in fact a 3 series is much larger than a Cobalt, hence it's not going to be the relative "featherweight" that the Cobalt is.

 

I believe that weight is much like anything which includes attention to the laws of physics. . . a prime consideration in achieving the characteristic of the final product.

One must also keep in mind a central fact: Everyone wants to go to heaven, however no one wants to die. By this I mean that there are some things that people want but they will not accept the trade-offs.

Safety, NVH, handling, feel of velocity change, the lack of squeaks or rattles over time, the demands of price to avoid having the final product from being an aspirational but unaccesible product, etc., are looked into carefully by smart companies.

Don't sell short the fact that some lightwweight materials can expand and contract at different rates than heavier materials, thus resulting in bigger body panel gaps which many folks would mistake as shoddy workmanship and thus percieve the actual desirable result as the undesirable lack of quality perception instead.

Weight matters. No way around it.

Marketability simply must be considered.

None of this changes the chase to accomplish both.

 

Perhaps he meant interior dimensions?

 

I like it - nice, simple view of the way things work....or should work.

 

Yeah, I don't know.....but if you've been inside both those cars, there's waaaaayyyy more room in the BMW; definitely wouldn't need to measure to tell the difference.