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Best Vehicles for Taller/Larger Drivers

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Avalon, Pontiac Bonneville, Lincoln Navigator, Buick Rendezvous, Sedan, Wagon, SUV

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#51 of 792 Markus by Markus Jan 09, 1999 (4:14 am)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) Hi, I am 6'3, and looking for a European-made car that will fit my frame. The Passat fits great, but it is a little pricey for me, as I am looking to spend under 20K. I was thinking along the lines of a used Saab, I have test driven a used 900S coupe, and it fit great. But I found it strange that when I recently sat in a 9-3, and it didn't fit me at all. The only other contenders seem to be the Passat or a used A4. Also, has anyone had success with leg and head room in the Volvo 850? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully next week I will have a chance to drive a New Jetta. If that fits my body and budget, it could be the solution.. Thanks! --Markus
#52 of 792 DCJimR by DCJimR Feb 08, 1999 (9:56 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) Markus: I currently have a 1990 Saab 900 and I fit fine in it (I'm 6'4" and 36" inseam) and have had the same problem as you with the new 9-3....I don't fit at all! I test drove the new Jetta and had plenty of room. Did you like it?? I thought it was a fantastic car. I had test drove the A4 and thought the Jetta was much quieter. If VW gets its act together and starts importing the GLX, I think I've found my new car. Good luck. Jim
#53 of 792 DCJimR by Markus Feb 21, 1999 (3:26 am)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) Jim - I actually just test drove the new Jetta last week. My first impression was that it is a very nice car, handles great and has generious interior space and comfort. While I was waiting in the showroom for the guy to pull my test car around, I took turns hopping back and forth from the Passat to the Jetta. The Passat seems to have a bit more room, which is no surprise. The jetta had just enough leg room for me, but I would love the extra few inches which are available in the Passat. Head room is great in the Jetta though. I also felt the driving position was a bit higher in the Jetta than in the Passat.    How did you feel about the Jetta's performance? I thought the 5-speed had reasonable pick-up, but to me the engine just seemed a bit wheezy and under-powered. I haven't test-driven the Audi A4 yet, but I think that is next on my list. I assume it will be comparable to the Passat.     I have also been toying with the idea of getting a used Saab. How has your '90 model held up through the years? Do you think I would be getting myself into a money pit, if I bought a '91 or '92 900? I have never driven a Saab from that generation, but I had always wanted one. I will probably ask around the Saab topic, once the discussion on corporate market strategy winds down over there. Good luck, and let me know what you decide! - Mark
#54 of 792 2099 by 2099 Mar 05, 1999 (4:53 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I'm 6'7" with a 36-37 inseam and am having a difficult time finding a new car that I fit in comfortably. My '89 Buick LeSabre has 124,000 miles and counting and its getting tired. It's been a reasonably good car, great mileage, lots of room, but the drivers seat is like mush (probably due to my size). I went to the Auto show in Cleveland last week and must have tried almost everything there. The cars I was most comfortable in were a 1999 Buick LeSabre (also tried the new 2000 LeSabre, but it actually had less leg room in my opinion), the 1999 Buick Century..lots of legroom in front with the seat all the way back but it makes the backseat useless, and the Dodge Ram pick-up. The Infiniti Q45 was pretty roomy, but not as much as the above. I must be longer from the hip to the knee than most tall people as my knees were hitting the dash with the seat all the way back in the Mercury Grand Marquis, Pontiac Bonneville, Lexus LS400, Audis and Mercedes. The Malibu was also roomy, but cheaper looking than the Buick Century. Olds Intrigue had more room than the 88 IMHO but any car without a bench seat is tight for me. Tried the Avalon but it has the same room in the front as my wifes Camry which is okay to ride in but hard to drive for me.
#55 of 792 Jettaman by Jettaman Mar 08, 1999 (4:55 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I've purchased a new Jetta and am picking it up tomorrow. I'm 6'2, but most of my height is in my torso, so headroom is always a major considertion for me. As I was looking for new cars, I had to rule out several for this reason. The Jetta actual headroom is adequate (minus the sunroof of course), but it's the line of vision that causes me a bit of a problem. The roofline of the new Jetta slopes down to meet the windshield, so that my line of vision is distracted by the sun visor, which is right AT my line of vision. I like the car enough, however, to have purchased it. To compensate, I am removing the sun visor (never use one anyway), and then I'm A-OK.
#56 of 792 tt66 by tt66 Mar 13, 1999 (3:33 am)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) Well here it goes. My wife has her heart bent on a sunroof in our next new vehicle. I am interested in moving back into a sedan now that we have had our fun with an SUV for 8 years.    I am 6'6" with a 35-36" inseam. A car with a sunroof was going to be difficult and expensive. But I have managed to uncover some surprises. Order from least to most expensive (roughly)and all with power sunroofs (factory installed not add on): Chevy Malibu (I haven't driven it but seem to fit in front passenger seat fine. I have driven a none sunroof version as a rental car. Decent car for the the reasonable price.) VW Beetle: Wins the award for maximum headroom. Just not functional enough in other ways. VW Passat: This one surprised me. The manual height adjustment is a breeze to use and I still had several heights I could set without bumping my head. I drove this car in Scotland for 400 miles. Loved it. Test drove in the US and liked it as well. I would choose the V6 over the 1.8 Turbo 4. You really have to wind the 4 up to get the power. Handles very well. Comfortable interior with enough features and no extra fat. Worlds worst cup holders. Spilled several drinks in Scotland. My wife feels thrown around a little too much on corners (seats don't seam to hold her in place well when I get in the fun mood) Saab 9-5: If only I was 6'5". My wife really wanted this one. I really liked the 5speed on the 4 cylinder. But that liner brushing the top of my head would drive me nuts before 8-10 years are up.    Audi A6 Quattro: Well equipped, enough room. Fantastic winter traction through heavy snow. Quiet with just a little engine noise out the muffler in the back. Smooth handling. With the Autostick (Tiptronic) transmission it moves pretty well but you can feel the weightiness of the car. Cornering is much smoother in this car vs. the Passat. Number 2 on the car choice list. Volvo S80 2.9 and T6: Third best headroom after the Beatle and Passat. Best legroom. The power seat really moves a long ways. T-6 is wonderful balance of power and smoothness. Excellent transmission. Super seats although the A-6 seats provided a little longer seat cushion for leg support. Now we have to decide if we really want to spend $40k. This is the car if we do. I fit in the Mercedes E series and S series, BMW 5 series but these generally go beyond reasonable investment in a depreciating asset (Especially when living where they use salt on the winter roads). Do not fit in Audi A8 (older body style with flat roof vs. A6 rounded roof) or A4. No to all Japanese and other American sedans with sunroofs although I haven't been in a Lexus 400 recently to know. Hope this is useful to any of you in the 2 meter height range. tt66 (tall tom 6'6")
#57 of 792 lex28 by lex28 Mar 19, 1999 (3:25 am)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I'm looking for a midsize import car with a sunroof or moonroof that will have enough head room for me. I'm 6' and i'd like at least 2" of extra head room so i won't feel like i have to slouch to be confortable. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
#58 of 792 flyfishing47 by flyfishing47 Mar 21, 1999 (12:11 am)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) The Volvo S80 T6 with sunroof has very good headroom (front seat AND back seat). It's also the first car I've owned that I didn't need to put the seat all the way back to get sufficient leg room.
#59 of 792 glennvdw by glennvdw Mar 30, 1999 (5:13 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) The '90 Taurus bought used when I entered grad school 7 years ago has served its purpose. It's getting me to the finish line (which has taken longer than expected). I fit very well in it. 6'7", 36 inseam. Liked the car, didn't like the reliability. And the next big repair will probably end the car's term of service. I've been looking for the next car. Looking at used cars in the '96-'97 range. So far the best has been aHonda Accord V6 LX well-equipped. I was shocked to find that I fit comfortably in the car even with the sunroof. The seats sat very low in the car, with both legs and head fitting nicely. And yes, I could fully extend my legs without the acrobatic squirm even most large cars require. I test drove an Avalon, but found that the space between the brake pedal and the center column was not wide enough to confidently put my foot through. Every time I went to the accelerator, I found myself brushing the edge of the brake pedal. Distracting enough that I really couldn't get a feel for the rest of the car. Never found a bench seat version to try. Has anybody else noticed this problem in the Avalon? Does it exist in the Camry's? Still have the Passat to try, but the Accord felt good on the road, and looks to be the next long-term car for me. The Chrysler large cars look promising, but after the Taurus, and Chrysler's history with the Concorde et al. line, I want several years of reliable service before I go for one.
#60 of 792 timadams by timadams Apr 08, 1999 (4:53 pm)
Replying to: fudd2be (Mar 31, 2000 6:17 pm) I am 6' 3", with headroom being more of a problem than legroom. I bought a 98 Honda Accord partly because of the tremendous amount of front and back seat headroom and legroom. If you are familiar only with older Accords, you will be amazed at the new generation Accord (1998 and newer). Plenty of room for tall drivers and passengers.

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