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| This ] is fairly new, pioneered by the ], which found consumer demand for a small but upscale sedan in the late 1970s, as well as ]. The luxury car nameplate ] then branched down to create the 1982 competitor ]. The class then grew with the arrivals of the ] and ]. | This ] is fairly new, pioneered by the ], which found consumer demand for a small but upscale sedan in the late 1970s, as well as ]. The luxury car nameplate ] then branched down to create the 1982 competitor ]. The class then grew with the arrivals of the ] and ]. | ||
| Current compact executive cars have body length range from about 4500mm to 4750mm, and engines between 1.8L ] to 3.5L ], in ] or ], with output between 140bhp and 300bhp. Performance models even have power over 400bhp (such as ], ] and ]). | |||
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Compact executive car is a mainly British car classification term applied to premium cars smaller than executive cars.
Dimensionally, these vehicles are often shorter than large family cars, and the rear leg room and boot/trunk size is smaller to accommodate larger engines. While they offer the buyer less equipment, inner room or engine for the money, the material and building quality is higher and the nameplate itself is part of the value proposition. Compact executive cars are usually available in sedan / saloon, station wagon / estate, coupé and convertible / cabriolet body styles.
This market segment is fairly new, pioneered by the BMW 3 Series, which found consumer demand for a small but upscale sedan in the late 1970s, as well as Volvo. The luxury car nameplate Mercedes-Benz then branched down to create the 1982 competitor Mercedes-Benz 190. The class then grew with the arrivals of the Rover 600 and Audi A4.
Current compact executive cars have body length range from about 4500mm to 4750mm, and engines between 1.8L straight-4 to 3.5L V6, in petrol or diesel, with output between 140bhp and 300bhp. Performance models even have power over 400bhp (such as BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and Audi RS4).
See also
- Category:Compact executive cars for a list of cars categorized as such
- Luxury car
- Compact car
- Executive car
- Large family car
- Mid-size car