it seems like you actually think that car manufactures care about the audio in their cars..

but its because they dont take up any space that way. no consumer wants a massive kick panel in the way of their foot space

 

Wouldn't say they don't care, as they care enough to do some research and testing.... it's not to the level we minority (yes we are a minority and the reason for car manufacturers to cut corners on audio) demand.

Take a poll. At what percentage would people buy a car for its audio bliss?

Far less then we would like to see.

I do agree with your last point.

 

The name speaks for itself: KICK panel. Manufacturers don't want the average user to kick the crap out of their speakers getting in and out of their car and come complaining to the dealer. We as car audio enthusiasts are not average

 

91-96 Chevy Corsica had a 4x6 in the kick panels. Sorry, best I can do.

 

Most BMW has midbass in kicks , at least in 90th . and tiny enclosures in the back. I think I still have those somewhere in my garage.

 

think about it.

the average consumer is using their car stereo to listen to radio. Radio with announcers and talking programs, stuff that people need to hear clearly.

they have to put the speaker near the person's ears for intelligibility.

4 corner sound, is the way to get a speaker next to everyone.

It's harder to hear people speaking at your ankles than it is off the dash or right by your kneecaps.


that's why, and also it's harder to get high frequencies from a single speaker element when it's down by your feet.

and the reason they don't do tweeters far away from the kick midranges is cost, who needs to pay for two circuits, two sets of wiring harnesses, twice the liability for warranty concerns.

a speaker where you can hear it, for talk radio.

 

Quite frankly, a kick panel in modern vehicles generally has a fair amount of electronics packed behind it, be it a BCM, etc. Your feet go there, so it's more likely to get beaten up. On a door, the likelihood of water damage really isn't all that great anyway. As for acoustic advantages, well, I don't feel there's any advantage to using a kick panel personally. You may feel otherwise but beauty is in the ear of the beholder at the end of the day.