Mazda5 for the tall

robert_lord

I’m tall – 6’5” to be exact. We have 2 kids (1 aged 5 and 1 infant). I have to admit, I wasn’t the most comfortable in the car when test driving. However, I am still trying to convince my wife that she can have the 5, so I wouldn’t actually need to be driving it as much. Her concern for me is that I would be uncomfortable on long trips. She is also concerned that there isn’t much in the way of room in the 2nd row for the kids with baby and booster seats when I have my seat pushed all the way back.
I was really hoping to hear if any other folks can make do with this car if they are on the more “freakish” end of the height spectrum.

daharon

I'm short - 5'5" to be exact. We have 2 kids, both aged 1.5. My wife is pretty tall though, and we've experimented with jamming the seat back all the way. One of the things we liked about the 5 was that the 2nd row seats can take rear-facing infant seats and forward-facing boosters even with the front seats moved back as far as they'll go. If you want to also recline the front seats way back, an infant seat will get in the way before a booster does, but you can just adjust the second row seats aft. You'll want the third row seats down for cargo in this case, as it will be too cramped to fit most people back there, and access is blocked by the kid seats anyway.
I can't of course speak to the headroom issue, but I bet that if you feel cramped during a short test drive, then a long trip will quickly get annoying. Maybe it's worth the extra ten grand for a Toyota Sienna?

robert_lord

Thanks so much for the reply! These were the type of experiences I was hoping to hear about. What you say makes sense. I'm thinking what I might do is just warn the dealer we are coming in with kids in tow, and strap all of the seats right in for a true test drive in realistic conditions.

I hear you about the Sienna. It is silly to buy a car if it doesn't fit right, but I know I could use the extra $10,000 for other things. Not to mention the money saved on gas mileage. If I can get my wife to drive this as her regular car, the amount of time I will need to be squished in there might be rather minimal.

athenasius

Hey Robert
I am wondering if you height is more from the upper or lower body. The reason I mention it is that when the height of the seat is lowered the seat also moves backward. I am about 6 feet and in the beginning I did find it a bit uncomfortable with my leg on the gas but I think your body accommodated the other thing to remember is that the actual seat is actually shorter than most so the support under the thigh does not go down the leg as much again you get used to it. I personally preferred the Mazda 5 over the sienna as I enjoy the more car like driving and more nimble feel. As the front passenger seat deactivates the air bags when not enough weight and am pretty sure how far forward it is maybe you could put one of the kids in the front and move the seat all the way forward giving you loads of leg room in the middle row and the wife can drive lol

robert_lord

Heh, well something tells me she won't take kindly to me asking her to chauffeur me around.

I called my dealer and we are going to try and get a fully loaded test drive in the next week or so. I would love for it to work, but if it feels uncomfortable, we will have to look at other options. If only it had an extra inch or two...

riproy

Robert,
I am 6'3" and have owned one for 2.5 years. My height is fairly well proportioned between upper and lower body. I wouldn't want to be any taller than this for driving in this car. I could use a little more leg room presently but it is adequate. The passenger front i find has less knee room than the drivers side. Head room has never been an issue - it is knee and leg room. 6'5" might be a bit too tall, but then it depends on your body type too.
Take it on a long test drive.
Good luck

calvus805

I'm 6'2" and have plenty of room in the Mazda5.

Just rent a Mazda5 for the weekend and take it for a long drive. The week before I bought my Mazda5 I rented one for $70 (three days, Enterprise weekend special) and put about 700 miles on it.