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Best Vehicles for Taller/Larger Drivers

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#41 of 794 My experience by edachel Nov 13, 1998 (11:14 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I recently purchased a new car. In the shopping process(took a year) I tried a lot of cars. I am 6'3" with 34" inseam and 37" sleeve length. The Intrigue fit me the best. The Passat was 2nd. The new Silverado Pickup was OK. The Chevy Malibu was surprisingly sized and I think I could have lived with it or the Silverado if I wanted those vehicles. The Mercury Grande Marquee and Ford Crown Vic were short on legroom for me. The Toyota Avalon was way short. I ended up buying the Passat and am glad I did but I think the Intrique favors a tall driver by a small margin. Other vehicles tried: Ford F150 P/U, Olds 88, Toyota Camry, Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler LHS, Dodge Sebring, Chevy Lumina, Ford Taurus. I noticed that power seats can work for or against the tall driver. The Dodge Intrepid is fine with regular seats but loses legroom with power seats. Try the model you like with power seats and without to get an accurate picture. Also the legroom figures given in the spec sections of car tests give very little insight into the actual space in the vehicle. When you get close to something that fits, the position of the accelerator pedal make a difference also.
#42 of 794 BigJim by DCJimR Nov 18, 1998 (10:40 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) Hey, guys.... just test drove a number of cars and would like to pass the info on. I'm 6'4" with a 36" inseam and swore the next car I bought would have a sunroof (something I've had to do without). The Saab 9-5 is probably the roomiest for both front and rear passengers. Loved it! Tons of headroom and more than enough legroom. I was shocked at how much legroom the Audi A4 had...I actually had to move the seat up a bit. The telescoping steering wheel helps. But don't even think of transporting adults in the back seat for long periods of time. The Passat is basically the same car so is probably just as roomy, but with more rear passenger room. The new 3-series BMWs had enough leg and headroom but seemed cramped overall. Not for the claustrophobic. They are classified as compacts, after all. But that's the first time I've been in a 3-series (with a sunroof even) and my head didn't hit the roof (and it was a hoot to drive). Finally, I drove the new Acura TL and found that it also had enough leg and headroom, but without much to spare. I guess I'm a bit biased toward European cars and found the Acura luxurious (not to mention a bargain) but lacking in panache. Overall, I found many more choices available to me than I thought existed before I started looking. Good luck!
#43 of 794 curious5 by curious5 Nov 21, 1998 (6:35 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) a roomy A4?! i'm only 5'11" but when i put the driver's seat back to where i was comfortable, i found that i could not fit into the seat behind it! my legs literally could not get in without nearly twisting an ankle. the dealer gave me this sheepish grin and said "yeah, it can get a bit tight back there if you put the seat so far back." what BS! trust me, the A4 is one tiny car. i'd imagine the same goes for the passat.
#44 of 794 Curious5 by DCJimR Nov 21, 1998 (10:24 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I was referring to FRONT passenger room only in the A4. If you look at my posting again, I commented on the lack of rear passenger room. But it's still fun to drive. And yes, the Passat has more rear seat room than the A4. Enjoy!
#45 of 794 prebmw by prebmw Nov 23, 1998 (11:57 am)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I totally agree with Big Jim. My 16 year old son is 6'5" and 210lbs. He drives a Saab 9000 with plenty of room to spare. We are looking for a new family car and tried a new Passat - he fit in the back seat with room to spare. He was also very comfortable in the Saab 9-5 (unfortunately, dad was not comfortable with the price). We presently have a '98 Camry that he barely fits in. If you can get by with two doors, he has ten tons of room in the front seat of my New Beetle.
#46 of 794 edachel by edachel Dec 03, 1998 (11:09 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) The Passat is not "really short on legroom" I have a '99 Passat and one of the reasons I bought it was the legroom. The Intrique was a bit better but the Passat is solid in the legroom department. If you have the front seats all the way back, the legroom in the rear does get tight from an adult standpoint. No question about that.
#47 of 794 DCJimR by DCJimR Dec 10, 1998 (1:08 am)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I agree with edachel....the Passat for me has more than enough leg room. Unlike notmyrealname, my experience was so bad with the 9-3 that I couldn't even take it for a test drive because I could barely bend my leg. Sad, because my current 900 is fine. Prebmw: those 9-5's are pretty nice, eh? A little out of my price range, too. I'm also interested in the 1999 Accord Coupe, and will probably try to get out for a test drive this weekend. My past experiences with Hondas have not been great as far as leg and headroom, but notmy's posting gives me hope. Ciao!
#48 of 794 DCJimR by DCJimR Dec 12, 1998 (8:54 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) Took a test drive in the 99 Accord Coupe today. Adequate head and leg room....but didn't like the car. <sigh> Too bad, cuz I really liked the styling. Very comfy, though. The ride was just a bit "boat-like" for my tastes. Back to the VW dealer. Happy Holidays all.
#49 of 794 charlief by charlief Dec 28, 1998 (11:27 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I'm a 6'4" female, and like most tall females, all leg! I've got about a 36-37" inseam, and cars are definitely something of a problem at times. For the past 4 years I've driven Explorers and LOVED THEM. I could push the driver's seat all the way back and STILL put a 6'2" person COMFORTABLY behind me. But, having driven a truck for so long, I was craving to get back into a sedan / coupe and get back to the FUN of driving. You want to try a tough match? 37" inseam, driving stick, and heels. Hah! THAT'S a demanding legroom experience! But, like so many before, the 98 Passat won, hands down, for best fit in it's class (and it's a pistol to drive!).  I normally live by several rules, and in 4 years time I found that they didn't change much - so I though I'd pass `em on... 1. Coupes have longer seat tracks than sedans 2. Understand that if you are 6'3" or taller and insist on a sedan you will turn it into a coupe anyway because nothing less than a midget can fit in behind you. 3. If you really really need all 4 doors - get an SUV. They're not that expensive. And FORD makes the best, most comfortable one on the market. Even my 6'9" boyfriend fit comfortably driving. 4. Coupes/Sedans: Almost anything German/Swedish beats out anything American/Japanese for legroom & overall comfort (except for the 90's Jetta, which put decent seat tracks, yet NO YOKE on teh steering column so you felt like you were a mile away from the wheel!!) Good Luck! Replies to this message: 6ft4lady (Apr 19, 2006 1:06 am)
#50 of 794 jbrownfield by jbrownfield Jan 08, 1999 (4:10 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) Check the Saab 9-3 Series for a new car and old Saab 900 Series thru 97-98. I'm 6'4" and drive a 98 900S w/ sunroof. Absolutely no problems with the clearance-even wearing baseball cap or outback hat when traveling to fly-fishing locales. Used 900 Series 97-98 can be found well under $25K

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