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Same name, bigger car: the Golf has grown 58 cm since 1974

Well-known car names have grown by up to 61 cm from their first generation to their latest. The VW Golf is now 58 cm longer and 18 cm wider than the 1974 original.

Car Size Guide analysis · 8 famous names · Updated October 2026
+58 cm

longer: the VW Golf, 1974 original vs today’s Mk8.

Growth in length, first to latest generation
Range Rover+61 cm 1970→2022VW Golf+58 cm 1974→2019Ford Fiesta+48 cm 1976→2017Vauxhall Corsa+44 cm 1982→2019VW Polo+36 cm 1994→2017BMW 3 Series+36 cm 1975→2018MINI+23 cm 2001→2023Nissan Qashqai+11 cm 2006→2021

Key findings

  1. Range Rover: 444.5 cm (1970) → 505.2 cm (2022), +61 cm long, +27 cm wide.
  2. VW Golf: 370.5 cm (1974) → 428.2 cm (2019), +58 cm long, +18 cm wide.
  3. Ford Fiesta: 356.5 cm (1976) → 404 cm (2017), +48 cm long, +17 cm wide.
  4. Vauxhall Corsa: 362.2 cm (1982) → 406 cm (2019), +44 cm long, +23 cm wide.
  5. VW Polo: 371.5 cm (1994) → 407.4 cm (2017), +36 cm long, +12 cm wide.
  6. Also: BMW 3 Series +36 cm; MINI +23 cm; Nissan Qashqai +11 cm.
Method and caveats

First and latest generation in our dataset for each name, comparing like-for-like body styles where possible (BMW 3 Series: saloon; Range Rover: the 1970 “Classic” vs the 2022 L460). Where a source gives a range, we use the lower figure. Body widths exclude mirrors. Lengths vary a little between versions of the same generation.

Cite this

Car Size Guide (2026), “Same name, bigger car: the Golf has grown 58 cm since 1974”, https://carsizeguide.com/research/same-name-bigger-car/

Related: Range Rover (2022) · VW Golf (2019) · Ford Fiesta (2017) · Vauxhall Corsa (2019) · VW Polo (2017) · BMW 3 Series (2018) · MINI (2023) · Nissan Qashqai (2021) · UK garage sizes