Cars for tall people?

What cars have the most room for drivers over 6 feet tall to drive comfortably?  For the purposes of why I am asking 1980-2005 cars available under $5k would be most useful, but feel free to list any you can think of.

Telescoping steering column, room above the accelerator pedal for large shoes, and a reasonable amount of seat adjustment are probably the most important parts.

My picks would be for older cars:

-P2 Volvo

-Mercedes W210 and W140

And for new cars:

-Hyundai Elantra GT

-Buick Regal Tour X or Sportback

I'm 6'1" and I drive a Mazda 6.  It actually fits me pretty well.  It's not on your list, but I'm pretty happy with mine.

Miata.

I am less than thrilled with the interior room in my P2.  The seats sit way too high off the ground, which causes uncomfortableness if I want to sit forward enough to be able to reach the controls on the dash.

Oddly enough, this means I wound up having to run a similar driving position as my RX-7: Sit really far forward so knees are tucked up behind the steering wheel and mashed into the ignition switch, and then recline back to a comfortable arm length from the controls.  The only other way to give my knees a place to go involves not being able to hit buttons without a reach forward.

In reply to Knurled. :

That's funny, I would put a Miata close to the bottom of the list, especially the newest ones.  I haven't owned a P2 Volvo, but driving around in a V70 for 20 minutes I thought it was one of the better cars I have tried as far as interior space.  It's amazing how bad most newer cars are as far as room for tall drivers, Mazda does do a reasonable job on all of their other cars though.

I'm 6'2" and the Thunderbird/Cougar on the MN12 platform always comes to mind as one of my favorite cars to sit in. But I may be biased, having owned one of each. Lincoln Mark VIII would be approximately the same.

Are you long legged, or long body?  Long body, Neons are a cheap answer.  Long legs, Volvo's have extendible steering columns.

P71 or any Panther platform.

Scion xB 1st gen.

Suzuki SX4's have a lot of head room.  They're kind of Italian in the short leg / long arm way, though, which I don't love.  I wish mine had a telescoping column but I don't think that was ever offered in the 1st gen cars that the USA got.

Honda Fit.

My father is over 6 ft tall and daily drives a Fit. They have a ridiculous amount of headroom.

I'm 6'4" tall and when sitting up straight I looked over the windshield of my '66 Datsun Roadster.  Don't get one of those.  
 

My 2011 non-sunroof Accord was decent. 
 

My '73 Capri was really great for this 6'4" driver.  Throw in good seats and I think that would be a lovely space to spend a lot of time sitting in.

I’m 6’6”. Out of all the cars I’ve ever owned, my favorite was a 2004 Mazda Protegé 5. I usually drive full-size trucks or SUVs, but the Protegé actually fit quite well. 

Tk8398 said:

In reply to Knurled. :

That's funny, I would put a Miata close to the bottom of the list, especially the newest ones.  I haven't owned a P2 Volvo, but driving around in a V70 for 20 minutes I thought it was one of the better cars I have tried as far as interior space.  It's amazing how bad most newer cars are as far as room for tall drivers, Mazda does do a reasonable job on all of their other cars though.

Agreed,  I would not pick a Miata.  The 2018 Miata I had as a rental was very uncomfortable and I'm just over 6'2".  I have an 03 cl600 as a dd and it has a lot of room and great seats.

I am 6'4 and wear 33' length pants so more long body but kinda both I guess.  The problems I run into with most cars are that I have to lay the seat back so far to keep my head from touching the roof that I can't reach the steering wheel comfortably, so I have to put the base of the seat farther forward, then I can't fit my knees behind the steering wheel because most telescoping columns in older cars don't have enough adjustment.  Does the CL600 have a lot more room than the W220 sedan?  I have owned both W220 and W126 sedans but my head touches the roof when I have the seat adjusted to comfortably reach the steering wheel. 

One of my college friends is 6'10" with a size 17 shoe and fits pretty well in a Legacy. Previously he drove a Soul. He might be a bit over the norm for tall people though. He found my e36 litterally impossible to drive.

My W116 S class has gallons of headroom for a tall driver but I'm not sure that carried over into newer generations. Check out the W126 and W140 though. They are nice cars that can be had realtively cheaply.

Tk8398 said:

I am 6'4 and wear 33' length pants so more long body but kinda both I guess.  The problems I run into with most cars are that I have to lay the seat back so far to keep my head from touching the roof that I can't reach the steering wheel comfortably, so I have to put the base of the seat farther forward, then I can't fit my knees behind the steering wheel because most telescoping columns in older cars don't have enough adjustment.  Does the CL600 have a lot more room than the W220 sedan?  I have owned both W220 and W126 sedans but my head touches the roof when I have the seat adjusted to comfortably reach the steering wheel. 

I've owned both,  but am really not sure whether the coupe or sedan has more headroom.  The steering wheel does telescope out a good bit,  which could help with the issue you're describing.  I'm more legs,  so generally have the seat way back and the telescoping steering wheel really helps with that.

I am right at 6 feet tall, which is right at the upper end for a lot of cars.  A couple thoughts though:

- lots of room in an E36 or E46 after a sunroof delete (or if you find a rare slicktop).  Granted, most of the ones I've sat in are race cars (with race seats), but there aren't any heroic efforts required to get the seat lower (unlike a Miata) and I've still got at least 2 inches between the top of my helmet and the roof.

- Tall friends of mine swear by SW20 MR2s.  You wouldn't think a 2-seat sports car would be good in this regard, but apparently the mid-engined nature means the foot well goes really far forwards, and they've got a decent amount of headroom too.

Newer Subarus seem to have a decent amount of room too, but owning a CVT out of warranty sounds like a horrible idea, and the only one left that has both a manual and pushbutton start (cause the giant key stabs my leg) is really slow and $30k lol.  I drive a 96 Legacy now and it's ok but definitely not great. 

I have a W126 too, and it doesn't have much room in it for such a big car, I have to turn my foot 45 degrees to reach the accelerator and my head touches the roof.  The W220 is even worse, even with the steering column extended all the way.  I used to have a W210 and that one was fine, but too worn out to keep.  I haven't driven a W140 but I have sat in them and they have a ton of room too. 

I should try BMWs, I have only ever driven an E30 and E28.  Finding an E46 that isn't trashed would be pretty hard now though.  AW11s are extinct here, but I remember them being too small for me back when they were common in the junkyard and sat in one to see if I fit.

Of all the cars I have seen in person, the Volvo is the clear winner for anything under $25k as far as comfort, but I know I would regret buying one after trying to keep it running long enough to actually be useful.  I looked at a few and they drive fine but were all in really rough shape.

New body style Impala and Cadillac XTS have more real legroom than anything I have been in in a long while. You may not be able to touch the floorboard with the seat all the way back.

I feel your pain. Not in your desired budget range but we recently got a 2016 Outback and it is comfortable for me at 6'-5" (35" inseam). 

MGB if you can tolerate the Englishness. Huge inside, small outside.

In reply to Tk8398 :

You mock but at 6' 1" I always found the NB Miatas very comfortable, I had both a 99 and an 04 as a daily driver.  On the other hand, my wife had an 08 that I could never get comfortable in and I have ridden in my boss's 16 and wasn't a good fit.

Cotton said:

Tk8398 said:

In reply to Knurled. :

That's funny, I would put a Miata close to the bottom of the list, especially the newest ones.  I haven't owned a P2 Volvo, but driving around in a V70 for 20 minutes I thought it was one of the better cars I have tried as far as interior space.  It's amazing how bad most newer cars are as far as room for tall drivers, Mazda does do a reasonable job on all of their other cars though.

Agreed,  I would not pick a Miata.  The 2018 Miata I had as a rental was very uncomfortable and I'm just over 6'2".  I have an 03 cl600 as a dd and it has a lot of room and great seats.

Everyone fits cars different.  I'm 6'3-6'4 with a 35" inseam and can drive an NA all day long with great comfort.

It's nicer now than when I was younger.  I was 6'5, and my Subaru was comfy in the evening, but tight for headroom in the morning.  That sort of thing doesn't happen anymore, I guess my spine took a set.

But mainly, the answer is always Miata.

How are you tall? I am 6'6" with big feet, short legs, and a long torso. I care more about total headroom than a telescoping steering wheel because I have long arms.

The best choices for me are German hatchbacks.  Golfs, Minis, etc.  They generally a wider range of seat adjustments than the American or Japanese competitors.

BMWs without sunroofs generally work but are hard to find.  I need an aftermarket seat to fit with a helmet.

Subarus normally work but I haven't sat in very many.

Volvos are tough due to limited headroom and the the large wheel well on the left side of the pedal box.

I don't fit into many modern Mazdas including all Miatas, Mazda 3, Mazda 5, and RX8.

I don't fit into any Toyotas with sunroofs including the Land Cruiser and Sequoia.  FRS isn't even close.