Don’t be the guy in the image above. If you’re just plain tall, or have really long legs, we feel your pain – and you should be driving a car that fits you right. A few Autoblog editors fall into the long camp, and despite vehicles designed for Americans generally being generous with interior room, it’s not always easy to find a car that’ll work without contortion. No one wants their knees digging into the underside of the dash just to reach the wheel, or their head brushing the headliner all the time.
We can save you some time by helping you eliminate cars, trucks, and crossovers that aren’t friendly for the long-of-frame folks like yourself, but there’s no getting around the fact that you need to spend some real time in the vehicle you’re interested in to know for sure. Adjust things to match the way you usually drive. Don’t try to get away with a seat reclined more than is comfortable, or other tricks to try and make a too-small vehicle “work”. It won’t. Be realistic about it. If you’re 7 feet tall, a Mazda MX-5 Miata is going to be uncomfortable for you. There’s no getting around it.
Outside of the smallest classes of vehicles – subcompacts and sportscars, like the Ford Fiesta or Subaru BRZ, for example – there are actually lots of options. We’ve calculated that 38 inches of headroom is, for most tall-torso folks, the ideal minimum amount. Any less, and you’re unlikely to fit. Likewise, if leg room is a concern, we’ve found 43 inches to be a good dividing line.
Rather than sit in every car on the lot, save a bit of time and use our Car Finder tool. The “Head Room” filter eliminates anything with less than 38 inches of headroom, and the “Leg Room” knocks out anything under 43 inches. You can then apply other filters, like bodystyle, price range, year, make, model, and transmission to find vehicles you’re interested in that’ll fit your tall, long lifestyle.
Every body is different, but play with the filters and we’re sure you’ll find some cars, trucks, or SUVs that meet your criteria. Don’t forget to test-fit yourself before you get your heart set on something! Good luck.
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