Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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If one is interested in a small car, I would recommend checking out a Focus. I believe you will be surprised and pleased.
It is roomier than a GOLF IV too.
I found all of them to have a footrest on the
driver's side for the left leg. I found that
this footrest forced my left leg up into an
uncomfortable position and could not find a
seat position that let me comfortably avoid
using it at my height, even on some of the cars that people here seem quite happy with. How do other people deal with it? Do any cars come
without one or with an adjustable footrest
that I could move down a few inches to a good
position for a tall person?
This car has enough room for the largest person to sit behind the wheel and still have room for the family elephant in the back seat, even if it packs an extra trunk..... the front seats are obviously designed with large people in mind. They strongly resemble an extremely comfortable sofa-bed. To get from the front seat to the back seat you have to change planes in Atlanta.
Seriously though; when the designers went to work on this design they didn't forget the large folks amongst us. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, the seats are so large that we were unable to find seat covers that would fit (gotta protect the platinum leather) and my wife had to make them. The seats adjust in 10 directions plus lumbar adjustments; the glass sun/moon roof does not intrude into the passenger compartment AT ALL!
The seats also have excellent lateral support due to the thigh bolsters and the way they are actually recessed (they quite literally surround you in leather and very firm padding).
If you need a car with plenty of room inside that doesn't look like a bus coming down the road the Volvo S80 is the car for you.
I am one of those people who is fairly well balanced between legs and trunk and there is room for my wife who is all legs too.
R.K.
I looked at nearly all the cars mentioned in this topic and I agree with the majority of you. Nissan doesn't understand that a steering wheel should have some UPSIDE adjustment too.. The Pathfinder has the same problem as the Maxima. BMW has short headroom, as do the Inifiniti, Lexus, Accura, etc. Lexus does have an optional moonroof, if you want to wait 6 months and take your chances that you still may not fit. One dealer did tell me that in Florida, lots of Lexus dealers have cars without sunroofs. So take a vacation down there and try them for size before you order.
My height and weight are nearly identical to R_Cramden and I'm amazed he thinks the Volvo S80 has ample room. I tried both the S70 and S80 and for different reasons couldn't live with them. The S70 sunroof was a problem and as I recall (this was almost a year ago) the S80 steering wheel wouldn't go up high enough. I wonder if they made a running change in the design?
I haven't tried the "new" I30, but the ads imply that it has more room inside. Anyone else noticed if it is better than the previous version?
I ended up buying a 96 E320 last year because of the headroom WITH a moonroof. The leg room could be better; the dash hangs lower on the drivers right knee than the left knee or the passengers knees.
I'm also curious about the Chrysler PT Cruiser; my wife is hinting she would like it. But if I don't fit...?? Anyone tried one of the show demos?
I'm glad to hear that many of the American cars still have lots of headroom and legroom. I had a 94 LeSabre that had gobs of room and I have a 97 Concorde that is roomy also.
I've had my Mystique for a while now and just got back from a 300 mile trip. It was wonderful. I really was impressed by the comfort and performance of this car. So check out a contour/mystique if you are looking for a smaller car for taller people.
Volvo V40. Nice ride and handling, but too small. Steering wheel is too low.
VW Passat has great headroom (even sedan). It's one in the short list of cars where I can fit with sunroof. But don't try sit at rear, you'll definitely would not fit.
Subaru Legacy L was OK too , but I guess Outback or GT. will be even better (they have height adjustable drivers seat).
Subaru Forester (no actually wagon) was the best one for me. It has great headroom, steering wheel goes pretty high (unusual for foreign car), and it's just comfortable. Still like Legacy more
Just my 2 cents.
2) And an update...Tried the Subaru Legacy & Forester last nite...found the dealership by dumb luck in going elsewhere...Nice folks but TOO small! The Forester had a chance but seems to sit too high for easy entry by some elderly family member passengers. That's one reason a SUV won't work for me.
Also, the Subaru seat mount in right rear of driver's seat is on side of hump so my normal method of moving entire seat back won't work!
All mounts need to be on floor so must double check on Saturn as didn't on first look..
My current/prior cars were/are 85/89/92 Cavalier sedan & wagons which fit me at 6'-9" quite well.
However, had a pair of bars made at welding shop for these that mount on seat bolts on floor and then seat mounts to it 6 inches back and 1 inch down so have loads of legroom and headroom!
Only new car models that I have tried recently that seem to fit on initial test: New VW Beetle and new Saturn LW1. (Am seriously considering the Saturn but muct recheck first.)
What didn't fit: VW Passat wagon, Subaru Legacy & Forester and Ford Focus.
I know this is Sedan area but thought this info might be of some use here also.
The VW Passat has much more head room then the same body used by the Audi (A4 & A6). The seat is mechanical rather then electric (but still heated, etc) and allows for much more head room.
The volvo v70 is also pretty good. The volvo v40 is not an option (even if you delete the sun roof). Delete the sun roof on any car for an additional inch or so.
gentlegiant
gentlegiant
PS- Even with its sunroof, headroom was fine.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/specialreports/000110_LAGalleryII.asp?idSection=007&idCategory=03
Hopefully when they stretched the wheelbase, they didn't put all the profit in the back seat.
1.It is difficult to gauge true comfort except with a 200-300 mile drive, i.e., not a test drive. That's where sites like this come in handy
2. I, too, hang my right leg out to the side, resting on either the center console, dash, or even the gearshift! The least comfortable car I ever drove was an older Volvo wagon - box on wheels!
3. I agree with the barefoot idea on long drives 100%!!! Think ahead, wear sandals or boat shoes for easy on/off.
What I have read here is generally not encouraging for Japanese sedans. To be honest, I much prefer the feel of Japanese makes. I currently drive a 1988 Honda Civic sedan, headroom is GREAT, leg room less so. But it blows away my wife's '93 Maxima w/sunroof! I lean so far back that I look sideways out the rear window, and can barely reach the steering wheel. The old Honda leaves my lower back much less sore after a long drive.
Does anyone have long-range experience with the Avalon or larger Lexus models? We are ready for new vehicles, and if wife wants SUV, I'll get sedan.
P.S. New idea - share an akward car moment! One summer in southern Florida, I was running errands for a friend's dad. His car was a sexy, silver Mercedes convertible 2-seater, European import, black leather, which I barely fit in. By late afternoon, the huge black steering wheel had left matching burn marks on my inner thighs!!!
My wife bought a Volkswagen Beetle last year and I was amazed at how much headroom and legroom that little car has.
Also I find that General Motors cars fit me better than Fords do.
Anyway - you'll just have to try a few cars until you find one that fits.
- Good luck
a) Legs
b) Torso
c) Combo of a and c - what people call proportional.
Myself, I'm 6'5", with a 34 in. seam, but I where 36" long sleeves. I've also got a size 17 shoe, which does factor in when I buy a vehicle.
The best vehicle I've found is a Large SUV or a mini-van. My 6'0" wife drives a Suburban, and I drive a Ford Windstar. For Long Trips, like 3K miles, we take the 'burb. Before everyone jumps down about the fuel mileage, we've gotten 20mpg, and that is with 4WD.
The MAIN things about vehicles for tall people is
a) ride comfort, and b) room! If you drive a lot, on the highways,long trips,Please do yourself a favor and spend the $$$ to get a bigger vehicle, one that will fit you comfortably. Take it from me, you're payback will be NOT having a stiff and sore back for the next 2 days after the trip.
The Volvo's have a stiff jiggly ride, quoted from Consumer Reports!. I had an 850; I drove on a 6 hour trip, man was I stiff afterwards.
The '98 Windstar is really okay; But my legs feel cramped, esp. by the dashboard. The one mini-van I had a ton of room, was the Honday Odyseey, the new model, not the old 4 cylinder wanna be.
IF you're stuck on a wagon, honestly try the Mercedes E series. I saw one at our local auto show just recently, and it was okay, BUT! for the money, you can buy an Excursion/Suburban. If you're really concerned about the mileage, go for the Excursion with the Powerstroke Diesel.
Hope this helps.
--regdor
And, even with the seat all the way back, there's more rear seat room there than I could ever get in my '89 Celica. (My daughters are destined to approach 6' in a few years, which was one of the factors that led me to the Impala.)
Howard
Intigue. I also looked at the Passat and the Accord I felt that the Intrigue had more room
than both.
The Aurora actually has less room than the Intrigue because the center console interferes
with my leg and my head feels pinched by the headliner. Also the windshield header is too low.
The Intrigue has the headroom I'm looking for as well as a the comfort factor. I'll be getting a 2000 Intrigue GLS very soon.
The CRV was previously mentioned. I tried the CRV and while it had a bit of headroom the position of the steering wheel was a bit odd.
Concerning the Ford Taurus, I thought that the doors were too small considering how far back I had to set the seat.
I would like to know what other tall people are driving.
On the other hand...I'm 6'5" @210 lbs. and though I have 2" off the top, my car is pretty comfortable...and it would be the 2000 Subaru 2.5 RS. I travel min. 74 miles a day (to and from work) and is not bad; especially comparing to other experiences you guys had.