Cars for Tall People
Last year I went car shopping and for a man my size (6-11) it wasn't easy finding a car at all. Most car sites listed tall 6-2. Don't get me wrong thats still tall, but for the super tall, here are the ones I found. Lincoln Navigator
Honda Element
Mini Cooper
A friend of mine also drives a Scion xB that he likes, and he is around 6-8. The Navigator was the only one that really fit me, even though the Mini Cooper was surprisingly roomy. Even the Ford Excursion did not have the same room that the Navigator did, I guess cause the seat has more adjustments.
Wasn't crazy about buying a high-end gas guzzler, but figured I also wasn't crazy about losing my legs in my old Dodge Stratus should I get into a wreck.
What cars do you drive / find the most comfortable?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by doug on
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There was a car show at the South Towne Expo Center (Salt Lake City, Utah) where all the cars were unlocked and you could just go up and sit in any of them (and I sat in lots of them). They were new models too. It cost $7.
Perhaps consider trying a self service junkyard such as PicknPull or Tearapart. It only costs $1 to get in, and you can also sit in many different models of vehicles. Wear grubby clothes or coveralls because it is usually dirty inside.
I tried the sit in many cars thing with a car dealer and he got mad at me, so I wouldn't recommend that method.
From my car sitting experiences, I would definitely not rule out small or subcompact cars and only look at large trucks. Some of the small cars fit me as good as or better than large vans or trucks, and they are a lot cheaper.
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Attached should be a picture of me sitting a Dodge Sprinter Van (last year at a car show where they let you sit in all of the cars (except the bentleys and exotics, but they let you sit in the corvettes I think).
I am 6'7" tall (according to the doctor's office at a physical, and I was just standing normally at the time, not ramrod straight to somehow inflate my height for whatever reason).
Someone was interested in this model so I thought I'd post.
I have the seat jacked up as high as it would go and slid back as far as it would go: still plenty of headroom:
The problem lies in the fact that the windshield doesn't go up that high so you can't really drive around like that because you won't be able to see stoplights. My legs had a comfortable amount of room and it's nice to sit up straight and have your legs hang down rather than straight out in front of you. After an hour of driving lowriding with the seat down low for extra headroom in a car it starts hurting a bit for me, but sitting up straight driving for all day I don't get the same thing, and feel okay.
Also, when you're slid that far back you need a telescoping steering wheel or else your arms are going to get tired being fully extended to the max all the time. I've never actually encountered a telescoping steering wheel in real life, but I've heard of their existence.
I've heard they make passenger versions of this van (this one was cargo), and that the diesel gets decent gas mileage (from edmunds review).
From the picture it should be apparent that you can't stand up straight in the back, but you can stand up ducking and walk around. I think they may make a taller version with a roof extension and I wasn't in it.
This is a very large and tall vehicle. - Attachments:
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dodge_sprinter_car_show.JPG, 1.3 MB
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The car show was motor trend:
http://www.motortrendautoshows.com/
Not like a car show where you can look but not sit in and touch, but a car show where you can sit in and touch most of the cars. Most of the car makers were there: GM, Ford, Toyota, Hyndai, VW, Subaru, Honda, etc.
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Permalink Reply by Steve McCarty on
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ive only now found this site, and while im sure the OP has chosen a car by now ... some of my favorites are, any panther body ford car ( crown victoria/ grand marquis/ lincoln town car ) the chrsyler 300/ charger/ magnum ... the ford flex ... my friends passat wagon - one of few cars where i need to push the seat up a bit from all the way back ... or any full size ford pickup truck ... i currently drive a 2006 monte carlo, and lets just say, i cant sit up straight, but its a compromise for the speed of the car
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Permalink Reply by Michael Jeffery on
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I am 6'8" and I drive a F150. I found the tall street journal by searching for: best sports car for tall people. I have, over the years found that MG B series cars are surprisingly fitting...if one unbolts the seat.
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Permalink Reply by Joshua Wetherell on
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I'm only 6'5", but unusually wide across the shoulders, which makes it very difficult for me to drive any four-door car unless i want to lean to the right about 10 inches all the time because of the door post pushing against my left shoulder. I, too, found the Tall Street Journal by doing a web search about what cars were best for Big/tall folks. About three days ago, I ended my two-year quest for an economical car I can fit in by buying one of the Volkswagen New Beetles. I opted for the diesel model due to the fuel economy (rated at 43 MPG, Better than most Hybrids), but was also tempted by the turbo gasoline version. The only drawback I ran into was that I had to get one with an Automatic because my Size 14 EEE shoes were too big to manipulate the gas without hitting the brake in the manual transmission model. Oh, and i get some funny looks when people see a 6'5", bearded guy who looks like a Logger get outta a car that most people equate with teenage female drivers...
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Permalink Reply by Dorian Foster on
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I just bought a KIA Soul 2010 the thing looks small on the out side but it's got plenty of room. I'm 6'9 & 350lbs. The gas money i save now from when i used to drive my Truck, i've gone from 70$ a tank to maybe 30$. Also no body ask's me to help them move anymore.
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I agree: I'm not nearly as big as you (I'm 6'7" 230 lbs), but I liked it as well. I did a lengthy test drive of a 2011 kia soul manual transmission and I was quite impressed. It's better than the 2006 (old body style) scion xB because the xB pinches your legs in and doesn't have shoulder room. It's better than the new body style scion xB because the center console doesn't get in the way of your knees like the scion did for me. Better than the versa because visibility is much better due to the taller windshield. And you sit up much taller than most cars, so if you have the circulation problem or whatever it is that comes from sitting down low this is much better. I didn't have a width problem in it either. And it's one of the most inexpensive cars you can get.
It's the most comfortable car I've sat in so far and comfortable to drive with a manual transmission (at least the clutch pedal leg wasn't getting stressed or tired). For some reason my gas pedal foot was getting a little ancy after driving around for 30-45 minutes.
The backseats are roomy too, and I could sit up straight in the back, although I think my head touched.
I recommend it, I think it's great for tall people (and possibly wide people, or a combination of the two) and especially if you don't want to spend 2-3 times as much on a gigantic truck.
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I'm 6'7", 230 lbs, 44" size chest for business suits (so relatively narrow shoulder width).
I just test drove a Nissan Versa. It's okay and an inexpensive car, in that I fit in it without being uncomfortable. It has the same problem
for me as the Toyota Matrix, in that my head is so far back I have to duck to see stop lights and so it becomes a visibility problem. I'd say
this is roomier to sit in than Toyota Matrix. The seats in the versa are indeed comfy as they say, and wide enough for me. Can't sit up
straight in the back though. The only cars I've found that I remember I could sit up straight in the back were the scion xB (newer body
style), and Subaru Forester back seats.
I sat in the new model (2010 or 2011) Scion xB and it's okay, and the back seats are nice that I don't have to duck my head permanently butjust sit normal. I didn't like the center console because to get your foot to the gas pedal you have to warp your knee because the gas pedal
is to the right of the center console. I don't know why they do that. Didn't have a width problem in the newer body style Scion XB. The
older body style Scion xB (2006 and before) I test drove and I had a shoulder width problem in it. It also pinches your legs in with the
center console. It had great visibility. I just felt pinched in with my legs and shoulders. I also had the knee warping problem with the
gas pedal on the Ford Fiesta and the Mazda 2.
The Aveo was okay to sit in as well as the Honda Fit. I think were both doable. As opposed to undoable such as the Mazda Miata where you
couldn't really turn the steering wheel without making more hand be blocked by your knee.
The Dodge Challenger (or Charger, I forget which, it was the expensive souped up one) was comfy to sit in but visiblity was rather low.
"Pinched" is relative to my 1995 Ford Aerostar minivan, that currently is #1 or #2 of most comfortable driver's seat I've experienced. I
think the Toyota Tundra I sat in at motor trend with the bench seat and no center console may be #1. But the driver's seat in the old
Aerostar sits up a little higher it feels like than an F150 and the roof just happens to be shaped so that I barely miss messing up my hair.
I just like the sitting up tall rather than low to the floor so your legs hang down rather than be more straight out. I think it's more
comfortable to drive than my dad's F150.
I also sat in a Jeep compass or patriot or something that the guy said had the same chassis as the Dodge caliber at the car show, and that wasquite comfy. It's funny because I'm right at this borderline where my head hits the roof for most mass produced cars, and barely misses it
for others, so the difference is just inches. And I'm making this distinction with cars: does my head hit the roof, or not, to decide if they
are "good" or "bad", when really I could be comfortable in one where my head hit the roof but not too hard and leaning the seat back still be
reasonable confortabe and "fit". I'm just spending SO much time trying to find the "Holy Grail" of cars for me, that really I should just
quit it, there are more important things in life. I did find Subaru tended to make the most roomy and most headroom (regardless of the specs
they have on websites) cars with the Forester being my preference. The Jeep Sahara or something like that with the removable roof panels was
funny in that my head barely didn't touch the ceiling because there was a recess in each of the roof panels and no upholstery there because it
was removable, and you could sit up straight in that one. Pricey though.
For some reason I avoided trying the minivans though I think you'd have much better luck with the sitting up straight business in them. Yes,
I think for tall people, minivans would fit better than cars generally. I sat in a Mazda CX-7 or CX-9 and it was nice, sat up straight, and
no head problem, and I think the visibility was good too. REally, a minivan is a tall car with and extra row of seats. If they could just
take away the extra row of seats and extend the hood out so it's not such a pain to get at anything for repairs, that's the kind of vehicle
I'd like.
Oh, and the Ford Transit is kind of like that, only it's unfortunately cargo + 2 seater only. It had plenty of excess headroom because it has
those raised roofs you see sometimes on vans and the Dodge Sprinter built in. It was comfy like the aerostar, and may indeed get good gas
mileage too. I wish they wouldn't made one with seats in the back.
But if you're much larger than me you might check out a Ford Transit that might be less expensive and better gas mileage than a huge SUV or
truck.
I didn't like the American Trucks (Chevy/Ford) because they had this rollbar put in that makes the roof headroom go away right where my head
would go. Normal people's heads wounldn't go there, but mine does. On the aerostar there's space right there for my head, but not say the
latest Ford Ranger or I believe Chevy full size trucks.
Just some ideas to try (ranked in order of comfyness to me for driver's seat only):
Ford Transit
Toyata Tundra bench seat (not center console)
Jeep Patriot/Compass
Mazda CX-7 or 9, I forget which
Jeep Sahara
Subaru Forester
Nissan Versa
Honda Fit
Chevy AVeo (how long will it take until this falls apart?)
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I'm 6'7" 230lbs.
For me, the Kia Soul beats them all for price and room combination. I bought one recently (2011 base model)
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Permalink Reply by Luke Carlson on
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Soo, back to looking for a car again - thinking about a Toyota Highlander or Honda Pilot. Also keeping the Volvo XC70 on the radar. Anybody have thoughts or experience with one of these?
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Permalink Reply by John on
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I am 6'8 with just a 34 inch inseam so all of my experience is in trying to find a vehicle with ample headroom. If you have a bigger problem with legroom, then this response probably won't be valuable. I have driven both the Highlander and the Pilot. From a headroom perspective, the Pilot is better. By that, I mean that I can get my hand in between the top of my head and the roof of the Pilot if I make my hand flat. So, the Pilot is a better car comfort-wise for those that need LOTS of headroom. But, the Highlander is otherwise a better car just for driving. I never tried the Volvo. I read its specs and not nearly enough headroom to even bother trying it out. Please post what you end up doing and good luck.
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