# OT: Small wagon for tall guy ?



## keen (Jan 13, 2004)

I am 6'5" w/ a long torso. I am in the market for a used small wagon. My first choice was a truck , Chevy Colorado crew cab - not enough head room. I don't want a beast of a full size truck either. I need 4 doors to haul around kids. I tried Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Dodge Dakota - all felt poor for headroom. Now I am looking @ wagons - VW, Volvo, BMW ??? Any help woulf be appreciated. Thanks.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I know your pain. I'm 6'4" and am not comfortable in most cars and trucks. For exactly that reason, I drive a GMC Yukon. A couple of other cars in the family fleet are a Mercury Grand Marquis, a Saturn L300 and a Dodge Durango. I look pretty silly in the Saturn and I don't really fit well in the Durango either. My next truck is going to be a Suburban. I have a pretty big family and lots of bikes and stuff. 
How about a Ford van? I drove them for years. Tons of room.


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## one piece crank (Sep 29, 2008)

*Vw*

Give VW a try. I'm 6'4" and drive a 2003 Jetta wagon (tdi). PLENTY of leg and head room. I can even put the seat too far back! They have a ratchet lever to raise/lower the seat to your preferred height (or click it up as you shrink during the day!).

Tom P.


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## SteveF (Mar 5, 2004)

Subaru's have pretty generous head room...plenty of trail-head cred, too!


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## BigMark (Oct 23, 2009)

Ditto on the VW Jetta wagon...just look for one without the sunroof/moonroof option (I never liked holes in the roof anyway!). These silly things rob the front seat passengers of 2-3 inches of headroom. TDI is nice...40-45 mpg...hard to find in stock though. I am 6'6" with a 35" inseam and I could adjust the seat to the point that I had to reach for the clutch.

As far as American iron, consider a Dodge Magnum wagon (not sure they still make them but used should be available). Without the sunroof, I found these cars be somewhat acceptable.


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## Heckled (Jan 31, 2004)

I'm a little shorter at 6'3" but with a 32 inseam, so torso is probably pretty close. I just traded in a BMW 528i sedan, wagon should be same cabin size, plenty of head and leg room. I drove the Audi All-road, a little small for my taste. Decided on a Subaru Outback, it was a little short on headroom until I realized the power seats have a height adjustment, tons of room now. I put on 1000 miles on a 8 day mtb trip through CO and UT last month, super comfortable the whole trip. My other vehicle is an x-terra, good headroom not much leg room. The Outback has just as much cargo space and 10mpg,s better than the Nissan, something to consider.


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## usca1158 (Sep 20, 2009)

yeah but then you have to drive a station-wagon...  Something I hope to never accomplish in my life.

What about a smaller SUV? Like a 4Runner or Xterra or something. ( I would advise against Pathfinders if you have long legs too. I'm 6'6" mostly legs and my shins are up against the glove box in my girls 2010)

Us big guys just need big vehicles. I drive an 02 4Runner and I fit great, legs and all, although if your all torso you might be a little awkward in my car. Although my next purchase will most definitely be an F-150 FX4 Super Crew. SO much room its almost retarded.


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## steadite (Jan 13, 2007)

I'm only 6-0, so not in your league by any means, but have tons 'o headroom in our Pontiac Vibe. Nice car all around...not the most refined maybe, but good mileage and roomy.


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## carlhulit (Sep 13, 2005)

VWs are great, I have a passat and the jetta and golf are good for headroom too. Subarus are not (legacy/outback), especially with a sunroof, the impreza series is ok for headroom but has no legroom. Wagons are them most versatile vehicles you can get, mines comfy with 3 people bikes and gear for a weekend, and reasonable with 4


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## brunsje (Aug 4, 2009)

I have a new FORD F150 Crew Cab and it has a ton of headroom.


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## keen (Jan 13, 2004)

I went into a few used car dealerships. I thought the Jetta wagon was going to have some room but it was short in the headroom. My brother is also 6'4" and drives a 05' Subaru Outback - It has poor head room but he says you can adapt. I am tired of hunching and making do. I don't want or need a full size SUV or Truck. I may have to look into smaller SUV's but there seem to be quite a few that are 4x4's which I don't need - extra parts to fail.


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## Tom93R1 (Jan 26, 2005)

I have an older Volvo 850R wagon, it's pretty quick and handles quite well. So actually fun to drive! I am 6'5" and fit quite nice. At some point I want to upgrade to a newer V70R, very nice!


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## TooTallUK (Jul 5, 2005)

As a tall Brit married to an American, I take a great interest in cars on both sides of the Atlantic. I'm amazed at how big the Yank cars are with so little actual room for the driver. I'm also stunned at how low spec the fit is on American vehicles.
Try the European wagons - more adjustable seats & steering wheels are more available. I drive a Volvo V50 - small sporty wagon but out of the comparable Honda, Jaguar, Saab, BMW and Audi it offered the best interior and by far the best seats for a 6'7" man.


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## keen (Jan 13, 2004)

TooTallUK said:


> As a tall Brit married to an American, I take a great interest in cars on both sides of the Atlantic. I'm amazed at how big the Yank cars are with so little actual room for the driver. I'm also stunned at how low spec the fit is on American vehicles.
> Try the European wagons - more adjustable seats & steering wheels are more available. I drive a Volvo V50 - small sporty wagon but out of the comparable Honda, Jaguar, Saab, BMW and Audi it offered the best interior and by far the best seats for a 6'7" man.


 I agree about american vehicles being large but small in interior space . My wife is 5'2" and drives a Ford Expedition - I can drive the vehicle but not in 100% comfort.


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## sixate (Feb 27, 2008)

keen said:


> I went into a few used car dealerships. I thought the Jetta wagon was going to have some room but it was short in the headroom. My brother is also 6'4" and drives a 05' Subaru Outback - It has poor head room but he says you can adapt. I am tired of hunching and making do. I don't want or need a full size SUV or Truck. I may have to look into smaller SUV's but there seem to be quite a few that are 4x4's which I don't need - extra parts to fail.


I'm 6'8" and I drive an 07 VW Rabbit, and I have plenty of head room. My girlfriend has a 2010 Mazda 3 hatch and it also has plenty of head room for me. Neither are wagons, but a hatchback is close.The Mazda 3 has more interior room in the rear. When I bought my VW a few years a go I also tested an 97 Mazda 3 hatch, and it also had plenty of head room, but I wanted a 2 door car so I opted for the VW. Maybe try to find a Mazda Protege 5 wagon to see how that works. I always liked those cars.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Yeahbut...*



usca1158 said:


> yeah but then you have to drive a station-wagon...  Something I hope to never accomplish in my life.


SUVs (especially live axle rail framed SUVs) handle like crap on the mountain twistie paved roads... basically everywhere except for fire roads, and don't get me started on the crappy gas mileage.

My wife drives a 99 Audi A4 wagon. Bone stock, it handles really well, and quattro makes it just stupid fun. On freeway runs, it gets 29-30 mpg and still pulls its 3300 pound self 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. Also, stick rules. Hard to find stick wagons. IIRC, Audi stopped importing stick wagons with this latest generation, which is sad.

Some folks want to drive sports cars, but want something big enough so you can put tons of gear inside.

Yeah, A4 is probably not a good choice if you are a tall person, but the Jetta Wagon or Passat wagon would be.

Pony up for the sport package! Factory tasefully lowered a bit and sport wheels. :thumbsup:


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## ImaKlyde (Sep 6, 2004)

Mazda 6 sport wagon here. 6'3", mostly torso. Lots of head room, decent leg room. Lots of seat/steering wheel adjustability; room for four, their bikes (my rack is only two right now though) and gear, with room to spare-ish. Plus as mentioned: lots better handling, exceleration and fuel economy than the 4x4 SUV that sits next to the house most of the time.

Brock...


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## Mikecito (Jun 2, 2007)

I'm 6'2 and have plenty of headroom with my 05 Subaru Forester XT (with sunroof) and it's pretty darn fast too.


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## pnwdave (Sep 29, 2009)

Test-drive a Scion xB. You will not believe the interior room, especially the headroom. I'm 6-04 and can wear a hat with room to spare.
Edit: Here it is with my 29er racked on top.


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## Tom93R1 (Jan 26, 2005)

My friend has a new xB and I just could never get over its, umm, beauty 
It sure is roomy though, for the price you just can't get much more interior space!


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## watermoccasin (Jan 28, 2004)

Another one to check out is the Honda Element. Surprisingly roomy inside.


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## Baine (Jun 4, 2009)

I have a first gen xb and a second gen xb. Both have been great cars. The first gets 31
mpg as long as I don't turn on the supercharger and the then I get 26 mpg. The Second
one get 26 because of it's larger engine. It cost me about $160 per car and twenty minutes
to put 1-1/4" receiver hitches on both cars so I can run a rack off the back. I'm 6'-4" and
was 375 lbs when I bought the car becuase of it's space. Down to 270 now. Some friends
and I have just finished a build-off competition second gen xB for a local Scion Distributor.
They gave us a new car and $8000 to build what we wanted in a car that will then be
auctioned off for charity at Barret Jackson. We went with a MTB theme. The car got a
Five Axis Body kit and wheels, Tein coilovers, Katskin leather upholstery, full MTX audio
speakers/sub/amp, JVC nav head unit, Inno bike rack, two Gary Fisher bikes. It also
got custom pinstriping and the body line down either side is a MTB tread pattern. There
was so much more in fine details and suspension work.

here is the link to the our car and the other one in the contest.

https://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e21/Box_Rod/xB Build Off Debut/?albumview=slideshow

Here is a picture of my 29er on the custom rack I built.










this is the inside


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## Servita (Oct 7, 2009)

I am 6ft.8 and I have been driving for almost two years the VW Touran, plenty of headroom. When I leave for mountin biking I put my XXL 26er Stumpjumper into the cabin without removing any wheel etc of my bike.

Best Regards


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## GTscoob (Apr 27, 2009)

I'm 6'9" and have happily been driving a Subaru WRX wagon for 5 years. The wagons have an extra inch of headroom over the sedans, just make sure not to get one with a sunroof. Its one of the few cars I'm comfy driving a 5spd in, most cars dont allow for enough left leg movement to disengage the clutch. The interior of the Forester/Outback Sport/WRX are very similar.

The only other car that has felt as comfortable as my subaru was a VW Golf/Rabbit/GTI and a Mini Cooper. The Mini is just a bit small and underpowered for my tastes though. BMW 3 series are also very roomy.

My observation is that small cars are generally built to maximize space and the dashes are designed to maximize legroom. ie, I'm more comfortable in my Impreza than a Legacy, Mazda 3 than Mazda 6, VW Golf over a VW Passat, etc. You just need a seat that has height adjustability. 

The Golf will be my next car, with the height adjustable seat and tilt/telescoping steering wheel I was able to get the most comfortable I've ever been in an automotive.


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## Diamondhead (Nov 2, 2007)

I'm 6'6" with a long torso, and I roll in a Ford Escape hybrid 4x4, even with a sunroof I have head room to spare. beter trailhead "cred" than anything out there, and I average between 32 to 36 mpg. It's a Ford, so it has top notch build quality (way better then the other domistics, and better then most of the imports), I have 42,000 mi on mine and I've had zero problems.
My only complaint is it is only rated 1,200 lbs towing cap.

Cheers :thumbsup:


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## R. Fink (Sep 6, 2005)

*Honda Element*

I'm 6'7" and have been happy with my Element for the last 4 years. Could have a little more leg room but has tons of head room, perfect for someone with a long torso.


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## nsomniac (Dec 1, 2009)

We have an 05 4runner, and it's borderline too short for me at 6'4" with a 35" inseam. I have an 08 mitsubishi lancer evolution, and it's got a ton of headroom. I push my seat up with a helmet on when racing, and I still have 2" of clearance. You should look into the Ralliart Sportback version. It's got a hatch, paddleshifters, decent gas mileage, great performance, and plenty of space.

Used options - don't overlook the audi allroad 2.7 biturbo. Extremely performance oriented with a great quattro drivetrain. The audi a4 or s4 avant is another nice choice. You could also look at a Volkswagen Passat 4motion wagon. All of the above VW and Audi cars are also easily upgraded by chipping them for a good boost in power too if that's your thing.

Good luck!


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