The front end is probably so upright due to the new crash standards of cars these days. Belt-lines and hoods have to be higher than ever before. And on a smaller(ish) car, it's going to be that much more obvious due to the proportions of said vehicle.
There was a good article in Car and Driver a couple months back talking about the way it has influenced the car-design world, wether we like it or not. I'll see if I can link the article later.
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