Even something like an Odyssey or a Civic is about five or six inches taller than they was in the 90s. If Chevy added six inches of height to a Buick Roadmaster, they'd end up with a vehicle as tall as a Chevy Blazer (a crossover), but over two feet (!!!!) longer!!!
Which brings me to another point people seem to forget about classic station wagons: they were fucking massive. A Buick Roadmaster could haul kids, furniture, Labradors, and ass because it was roughly the foot print of a modern Escalade. Not everyone wants to drive around a 18 foot beast of a vehicle, so station wagons became smaller and we called them crossovers.
So yeah, a modern Rav4 is going to feel smaller than a Grampa's Olds Cruiser, because it is a lot smaller.