I've been struggling for a while to understand why the maps in Carmageddon XNA feel smaller than in the original game.  I hadn't been able to put my finger on why until now.  I was watching a youtube video of the Maim Street map when I saw view from the start grid was not the same as the original.  The Field of View I was using was wrong!  The field of view controls how much the camera sees sideways, which has the effect of making objects directly in front of the camera seem stretched.

Heres a screenshot from the original game.  Note the lampost and small amount of yellow barrier on the right.

Now my game, on the left using the standard 45deg field of view, and on the right using 55.55 (as found in Carmageddon's general.txt settings file). On the left, the buildings look taller and stubby compared the shot on the right, where the buildings appear to stretch into the distance more. Its made a big difference to the feel of the game as you drive around :)