WHETHER it's companies scaling down their operations, families moving to smaller homes or drivers plumping for smaller cars, downsizing has become quite the thing in austerity Britain.
As ever, the motor industry didn't take long to latch onto the new trend, recognising that it needed to do something in response to cash-strapped customers' demands for cheaper-to-run cars.
One of the ways in which car makers have achieved this is not necessarily by making smaller vehicles - but rather by downsizing what's under the bonnet.
More economical, smaller capacity engines have become increasingly popular, especially in smaller cars, with turbochargers bolted onto them to avoid any loss in power.
Nevertheless, it is still something of a surprise to see cars the size of Skoda's flagship Superb equipped with a modest 1.4-litre power pack.
You'd more usually expect to see 1.8, 2.0 or 2.2-litre units in substantial executive offerings such as this - but the 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine in proved quite a revelation in the recently launched third-generation Superb.
Aided by the fact that improvements in manufacturing techniques and materials make the new version up to 75kg lighter than its predecessor, the 147bhp unit has no trouble at all in shifting the Superb's substantial frame.
In fact, it provides some quite perky performance when paired with a compact and snappy six-speed manual gearbox, with the 0-62mph sprint coming up in 8.6 seconds and a top speed of 137mph.
A responsive throttle, precise steering and the extra stability offered by an 80mm increase in the wheelbase also make this an enjoyable and engaging car to drive for its size.
But it won't cost a fortune to run, with that 1.4-litre power pack boasting average fuel economy of more than 56 miles per gallon thanks to something called active cylinder technology.
This allows two of the engine's cylinders to shut down when not needed and, coupled with an automatic stop-start system, also helps to achieve carbon emissions of just 116g/km - a 30 percent improvement on the outgoing equivalent.
Engine aside, though, nothing else about the new Superb can be described as downsized.
The saloon-styled hatchback that I drove is almost three centimetres longer and almost five centimetres wider than the outgoing model - building further on the class-leading space for which it was already well-known.
Five adults will fit with ease and all will have plenty of room to stretch their legs while the extra width of the new car means that there's better elbow room all round too.
The Superb's already huge boot has also increased in capacity - eclipsing the previous model by some 30 litres. Folding the rear seats down, achieved simply by pulling a lever in the boot, increases luggage space to a whopping 1,760 litres - more than many mid-sized estate cars.
And all of that extra space is enhanced by some of the simple practical touches which have become familiar to Skoda owners in recent years as well as a wealth of standard high-tech kit.
The trademark ticket holder on the windscreen, ice scraper in the petrol filler cap and storage under the front passenger seat are all there, plus a removable torch in the boot that charges itself when docked and, in all but entry-level cars, an umbrella stowed in its own discreet cubby in each front door.
The SE L Executive model I drove sits one grade below the range topper and has all the equipment you could need and more including leather upholstery with heated seats, satnav and infotainment system with eight-inch touchscreen, drive mode selection, dual-zone air con, cruise control, electronic stability control and an automatic braking system in the event of an imminent collision.
The only slight disappointment is the lack of a reversing camera, but there are front and rear rear parking sensors.
And the whole thing is packaged in a re-designed body reflecting the bang up-to-date styling of Skoda's other recently revamped models. Lines are much cleaner angles sharper and the front end much more purposeful.