Modern Vespa

Was at the dealer today sat on a 300 and just seemed smaller than my GTI250. More cramped, shorter, lower. My 2019 Sprint S150 seems larger.

Nope. They're not!

(At least, not smaller than they used to be.)

A bit like my trousers?
Still the same size, yet they seem to be much smaller than they used to be.

Hard to answer. I don't know what a GTI250 is. I don't think it was sold in North America.

The GTS 250 has gotten both bigger and smaller than the GTS 300 depending on what you're looking at and where you're getting your measurements from.

Seems like wheelbase has decreased while overall length has increased.

No, the 250/300 frames are still decently larger than the 50/150 models. The modern largeframe frames have changed a bit, but not by that much.

Sometimes a specific style of seat can make things feel a lot more different than they really are, if you're not used to it. I've occasionally felt a bit "taller" on a modern smallframe, but I think the fact that they're skinnier is what contributes to the illusion.

I know that my '20 GTS 300 is a relatively small machine, and it feels small when I ride it, but I've been kind of surprised by how large it can appear from certain angles when parked next to some of our other bikes, especially my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650.

Granted, it's just a bit closer to the camera than the 650 is in this view, but at a casual glance, it does appear larger than the 650.

It's deceptive, probably because the Vespa has a certain 'plumpness to it's form, and is such a visually solid object, though I think it weighs as much as 100 pounds less than the 650.

On the other hand, it's 53.9 inch wheelbase is only 1.2 inches shorter than the 650's, so there's that.

The second image is the GTS next to the RE 350 I had for a while, and again, it appears to be a pretty substantial bike in this image.

The Enfield 350's wheelbase is 54.7 vs the GTS's 53.9, so there's less than one inch difference in wheelbase between these two, but at 430 lbs 'wet', the RE is substantially heavier than the GTS, and at only 20 hp, you can definitely feel the difference when the throttle is twisted, in favor of the GTS.

google says it's a peugeot and has 4 wheels. So yeah the current vespas are smaller

Ok I made a mistake I have a 2008 GTS250ie now stop picking on me

When looking at used GTS and GTV bikes, Do the one piece seat -vs- the solo saddle and rear fender pillion pad arrangement give the rider a position further back with a pinch more leg room than the other. I have set on the one piece seat but the other version is a bit of a drive to give a test compared to local dealer.

The split GTV style seats have a much smaller area for the rider than it looks like. You're much more limited in how far back you can sit, and I say that as someone who's rather short for the modern largeframes. A lot of folks say they aren't as comfortable as the single seats, either. They look nice, and the leather ones are gorgeous, but they aren't quite as practical.

I had a 2009 Vespa GTS 250 and recently sat on - 2021 GTS 300 Super and the 2023 GTS 300s. They felt the same to me.

I agree. I have a GT200. I have sat on GTS250s and GTS300s, and they look and feel exactly the same to me size wise. There may be minute differences, but not enough to tell.

That was my initial thought but when I had my 2018 and 2023 next to each other they are the same size.

I can't tell the difference between The GT 200, GTS 250 and GTS 300 when I see them on the road

Nope, same frame.