Small on the Outside, Big on the Inside

In the name of sustainability — yours and the planet's — you are determined to ditch that gas-guzzling, pavement-crushing SUV and start driving something more sensible. The trouble is that you still need room for your tuba. The good news is that car designers are devoting more energy to making the interiors of small cars both livable and functional, so you can both cut the cost of everyday driving and get to polka band practice on time and ready to play.

Today, even smaller automobiles are becoming a living space on wheels," says Larry Erickson, the former chief designer in Ford's Strategic Design Group, who in 2008 became chairman of the Transportation Design Department at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. "Designers are working to stay in step with trends in entertainment, and the march of technology also drives design. For example, you can push the dash forward to create more room, but then maybe the airbag can't be located properly. But as airbags become less costly and easier to install, we'll see seating that moves people to new locations and makes maximum use of the volume of the vehicle.