Wasn’t that the whole idea, that everyone would just hit the other guy’s bumper instead of his sheetmetal?
Most SUV’s are running a foot over my bumper height.
Um, because different cars are designed, um, differently?
Why don’t we all just drive the same model car?
A less sarcastic answer- some cars are designed with a specific function in mind. A large truck or SUV might need higher ground clearance for driving off-highway, while a sports car will be low-slung for speed and less air resistance.
Wouldn’t it be a lttle unrealistic to have a Hummer’s bumper match up with the bumber of an MG Midget?
Not if you’re driving the Midget and crash into a Hummer.
Bumpers are designed to protect the vehicle, not people. You’d be screwed either way Musicat.
I believe that (at least in terms of the USA, anyway), all cars have the same bumper height. The problem is that SUVs and Minivans (and probably Hummers as well) are classified as light trucks, and aren’t subject to the same restrictions on bumper height.
Yes, I think this is pretty dumb, too, but then nobody asked for my opinion when they made up the rules…
Hardly dumb if you have to drive off-highway, even occaisionally. No way in hell I’d drive my mom’s Dodge Intrepid anywhere but a road, it would be useless.
Different intended function = different body configuration
Cars all do have matching bumper height. Since someone mentioned an MG midget look at this 75 midget with federal bumpers and this early car. You can see that the bumpers have been moved up on the body, and the body was jacked off the suspension to achieve the Federal bumper heights.
FTR the bumper height is also the height of the intrusion bars in the doors of cars.
Now trucks don’t follow the same rules, however some small trucks have rather tall bumpers that do extend down to where many of them do contact car bumpers. This of course assumes that the owner doesn’t put super duper giant big tires, and a body lift on his truck.
When Volvo designed the XC 90 they added an extra crash member under the front bumper that is at exactly car bumper height. This was done to protect the occupants in the other car.
Even those cars with similar bumper heights do not always collide bumpers-on. A friend of mine rear-ended someone with his American Road Boat. The nice soft-ride shocks compressed at the front as he braked to avoid the crash, allowing the nose of the car to dip significantly. When he hit the car, his bumper was too low and he went under the car in front (no, not all the way under… but enough). His shocks then re-established the front end’s correct height – or tried to, with the bumper of the other car on the hood of his car!