My wife is 5ft tall with disproportionately short legs. Suggestions please for a vehicle which will combine good visibility with easy reach to pedals, and also be comfortable for me (6ft) to drive.
Looking for models which have been around for at least a couple of years...
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My wife 5' too with size 2 feet. I'm 5' 11". We cope with Vectra but preferred Cav.
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Nicolle is about 5'4" Me is about 5'11"
Laguna II is good for me but useless for her
Clio is good for her, and with the seat all the way back ok for me
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Mrs P is 5'1".
Found a non-PAS Clio difficult to steer when reversing but otherwise good, although the view was poor.
Nothing but praise for the MB A-class. High seating position, very adjustable seat (incl for height), pedals in the right place.
Currently in an X5, rates it highly but would like a "shrink me" button to assist when parking. Has pretty well got the hang of it now, though.
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This may be a smaller car than you want (is it an only or second car?) but one of the best for this is probably the deerstalker-on-wheels - the Ford Ka.
My daughter has short legs and was very comfortable in hers, while its domed roof caters for people well over 6 ft.
She is also very happy with her current Yaris - not sure how good it is for tall people.
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She is also very happy with her current Yaris - not sure how good it is for tall people.
I'm 6ft and the Yaris is fine for me - plenty of headroom (it's a tall car) and leg/elbow room is ok. The dash in front of the driver is low because the speedo is in the centre, so probably ideal for a short person to get max visibility. No seat height adjustment, though.
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She is also very happy with her current Yaris - not sure how good it is for tall people.
I can second that; My wife is 5'2 and has no problems with finding a comfortable driving position in her "new" (used) Yaris. I'm 6ft and find it very comfortable too - I dont even have to lower the seat height from it's max as there is so much headroom - just move the seat backwards.
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Try an A-Class.
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Just sold my 2yr old Jazz to my SiL who is under 5 feet and she says it's more comfortable and easier to drive then her former Rover 25.
My mate who is 6'2" borrowed it for a week while I was on holiday and did over 1000 miles in it and reckoned it was really comfortable.
Amazingly, because of the seating arrangement, even with a 6 foot plus driver/front seat pasenger there is still plenty of room in the back for adults.
With the rear seats down I transported 2 full size filing cabinets simultaneously.
The Jazz really is a Tardis and a comfortable one at that.
I did 64K miles in just over 2 years and was well pleased.
Plus, if I remember correctly, it came out tops in the JD Power satisfaction survey.
BTW, I have no connection with Honda, just loved that car!
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Slightly off-topic but related:
I sometimes see cars driven by short people who are looking through the steering wheel rather than over it.
I wonder if they actually have proper control of the vehicle, certainly their forward visibility of objects close to the front of the vehicle must be very restricted.
Wonder what the legal position is?
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There were some pedal extension units featured in the motoring pages of one of the broadsheets a while ago, I know it would be a pain if two people needed to driver the car taking them on/off but it could be a solution.
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Brian highlights a key point, proportion is as important as short/tall. SWMBO's family come with short legs/long bodies, her sis is only about 5feet five but brushes the headlining of a fiesta. Useful to have some suggestions but there's no substitute for trying the car out.
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Focus,
Height adjustable seats that work fine for me and my wife.
Carse
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Mrs StarGazer is just 5'2", I am 5'10" so we wanted a family sized car we could both drive safely...adequate visbility, good clearance for steering wheel airbags etc and also retain use of rear seats for adults. Solution was a Subaru Legacy Outback...visibility with seat adjusted up was very good for my wife and even though it was a manual she had no problem with the clutch and was able to keep seat far enough back to avoid crouching over the steering wheel. Steering wheel adjustment was very good...not all smaler cars will have this (reach and rake) and it can make a huge difference.
When I have the drivers seat adjusted for me I can get out and try the rear passegner seat behind the drivers seat and fit in comfortably.
StarGazer
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Vauxhall Zafira- drove one for the first time on weekend, couldnt believe that with seat right back, my legs were still cramped (im 6'2), so with seat all the way forward, should be very suitable for a short person.
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Many thanks for all the replies so far.
To elaborate a bit, wife would be main driver as she is working while I am unemployed/houseperson/semi-retired (delete as appropriate). I would keep on one of our current two old bangers (Honda-engined Rover 213, Citroen BX), so while I would need to be able to drive new vehicle, my comfort is a secondary consideration.
Wife will need to carry young people in the course of her work, so requires a 4/5 door car.
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...oh and to complicate matters further we will occasionally be carrying aged/infirm parents, so don't want too a high step up/down to get in and out. I notice HJ highlights this as a potential problem with the A-class.
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No idea what HJ is on about there.
For adults, the seats on the A-class we owned were at about bum height. So you just slide in - actually easier to get into than a low-slung car and certainly no need to climb up.
Small children need to climb up but, hey, they don't seem to mind. All part of the fun ;-)
Tiny children need to be popped into a car seat that is actually at carrying height - so no need to bend over while holding a child and oooh was that noise my back going?
The car is now with MiL, who uses it to transport two elderly parents (85+) in preference to the family Mondeo.
HJ - I really have no idea what you were thinking there. On this point, we found the car a darn sight better than conventional ones.
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We have a Berlingo. SWMBO is 5'2" on a good day I'm 6'. Both can drive comfortably. I agree higher seating helps with older passengers, my parents (both over 80) find it easy to get in out of. Sliding rear doors have the advantage that children cannot open them into other cars. Three lap diagonal belts in the back too.
Mark
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Bump. Any other suggestions out there? (And thanks for all ideas so far)
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if you want a small car the new micra model takes very small drivers right up to very tall drivers very well indeed, one of the best compromises ive seen
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