all the talk is about going gree downsizing cars to save on fuel tax and so on
You could have a big economical car - it just wouldn't be a "performance" one, though.
Are small cars (...) totally impractical for a tall people? Are they bad for the health of those who are tall (...) ?
It depends on the design. Few people get in and out of their cars more than a few times a day. Tall people ought to be fairly easily catered for, see below.
or even overweight?
Well, that's a big problem in itself. Very fat people have far worse health issues than getting in and out of a car.
Are smaller cars more at risk of injury to the occupants in a car on car collision?
That depends to a very large extent on what sort of collision you choose to have.
I am 6 foot 2 inches tall am single have no family but I surf so have need to carry a surfboard on the roof of my car
Is there no "small" car that can carry a board on some sort of roof rack like this (possible manufacturer improvement)?
I have no real need for a 'big car' other than that occasional trip to the airport with luggage in the back
You'd have to have a mighty lot of luggage for it not to fit in the car or on roof rack of some sort!
a or a visit every now and then to a DIY shed.
Hm. I think that you can fit really quite a lot in a small trailer. I know that there are disadvantages to them, but again, storage issues, for instance, one of the "hard" issues, might be alleviated by design.
I expect apart from being easier to park and cheap to run there would be serious downsides in being to transport anything 'big' if I ever needed to...
"If I ever needed to" - so you haven't needed to, yet!
Or maybe car makers just don't think of tall people when they design and build cars?
Remember, the average height for a UK male is 5' 9". Your 6'2" is therefore balanced by someone who is 5' 4".
a strain on back thighs and knees when you get in and out (compared to) walking around in shoes that were too small.
Yes, but the very vast majority of people do not spend their days continually getting in and out of their cars!
Oh dear I meant to ask a simple question about superminis but seem to have got distracted.
Just wait until this thread branches into an unmanageable confusion of mis-readings and assumed intent!
I would be interested to hear thoughts and views on such cars and how practical or impractical they actually are.
I should think that small cars are far more practical than most of us would want to think... especially should a few features be added by manufacturers.
Edited by FotheringtonThomas on 14/08/2008 at 22:49
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I used to view myself as being tall at a fraction over 6ft but now feel pretty much average.
In terms of cars, the turning point was when I did not need to automatically move the seat right back as far as it would go when I got into any car.
I now drive the current Panda and even in that the seat does not need to go right back. The driving position is great and as I have the 4x4 version it is easy to get into as I don't need to drop down into it.
For carrying items, I downsized to the Panda from a long wheel base Nissan Terrano 2 and have not missed the bigger car as I can put longer items onto the roofbars. OK, I can only seat 4 rather than 7 including the driver but these days I'm usually on my own in the car anyhow (Chris no mates).
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I used to view myself as being tall at a fraction over 6ft but now feel pretty much average.
In the nineteen hundreds the average height of male members of the marines was 5'6"!
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That's an astonishing dimension for a male member!
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Wash your mouth out, doctorchris ;-)
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Brilliant Chris ! Can't see the keyboard properly for tears !...............
;-))))))
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Interesting to consider how average height in the domestic market affects the design. Japanese average male height is around 5'4" - Germans are on average 5'10" Swedes 5'11"
If you are tall buy a Volvo!
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I can't stand this, moving from male members to the volvo (once the favoured car of gynaecologists)!
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the volvo (once the favoured car of gynaecologists)!
So that's what it was! I thought that the implement used was called a speculum, until Ben Elton said it was a Ford Cortina. Turns out it was a Volvo ...
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I've always wondered how the name Volvo was given to a make of car (Latin for 'I roll') - maybe we're getting near to an explanation.....:)
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Small cars are not impractical for tall people provided they are normally proportioned (I know someone who is tall with short legs, and he has headroom problems in some cars). But they might be for very bulky or fat people.
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I'm 6ft and there are few cars I haven't been able to find a comfortable driving position, whatever its size.
In fact there's plenty of headroom and leg room in the front of my VW Bora, which isn't all that different in these respects to my best mate's recently departed Mondeo or his brand new Mondeo Ghia.
In the back, however, it's a different story...:-)
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I'd say most cars are badly designed for tall people, not only in terms of leg or head room but foot room too. Cars such as the Ford Fiesta offer great legroom and headroom but they design a peddle box with no room for a foot rest or to place a left leg anywhere, the seat belt also doesn't go high enough. Other manufactuers design seats that just don't go back very far, case in point the Honda Jazz.
It's actually the C size car, Auris, civic, focus, C4, Golf, Cee'd where I find it most disappointing, I know there is more room in a Colt in the cabin than a Golf. Indeed the Colt is far and away the best tall persons car on the market for the combination of legroom, headroom, great pendle box spacing and still achieving wonderful MPG.
Edited by carl_a on 15/08/2008 at 01:51
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I'm 6' 2" and have owned various small cars including a Peugeot 106, a couple of Fiestas (mkIV and V), a mk3 Polo and an original Mini. Of that list, the only one I can identify as being remotely uncomfortable, and then only remotely, was the 106 due to its cramped / offset pedal box. Otherwise, it was fine.
The Mini still stands out as a work of genius in terms of packaging. So much room in the front for such a dinky car.
Cheers
DP
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I notice many people complain about bad backs and other ailments caused by their car... but how many actually take the time to fully adjust their driving position to one that suits their build? Next time you are out just take a look at the strange positions many people take when driving a car... If I was that doctor mentioned earlier I'd take them out side to their car and see how badly adjusted their driving seat was and then get them to read the manual...
BTW I'm 6' and there's only been one car I've not been able to get comfortable in - I can't remember its name, but it dated from the 60s and the seat wouldn't go back far enough...
Going back to the OP, I hardly think that having to carry a full sized surf board is typical of the general public... I'd regard that as an "exceptional load"! ;-)
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Spot-on comment about setting the driving position up properly to avoid discomfort and in the long term chronic aches and pains.
I have noticed a similar inability of people to set up a bicycle properly for comfort and optimum efficiency. Admittedly, this is harder to do as there are more variables involved and altering them involves some spanner work but is well worth it in the end.
It surprises me that motorcycles often allow no adjustment of any of their fittings or, at best, a varaible seat height.
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"It's actually the C size car, Auris, civic, focus, C4, Golf, Cee'd where I find it most disappointing, I know there is more room in a Colt in the cabin than a Golf. Indeed the Colt is far and away the best tall persons car on the market for the combination of legroom, headroom, great pendle box spacing and still achieving wonderful MPG."
It's funny you should mention that -- I've had horrendous problems with Astras, Focuses and our old Nissan Sunny with cabin space. With the Sunny there was plenty of space once I was in, but the steering wheel wouldn't go high enough and I had to rub my knee against it every time I clambered in. The Astra and Focus (both previous models) were fine on that score, but the seat could have gone back further and the width of the footwell could have been a lot better -- I constantly found myself banging my left knee against the centre console (which was made of hard plastic -- forget the upper dash, this is where they should be putting the rubberised edges!!!).
Surprisingly, the Korean cars (Hyundai Accent and Daewoo Nubira) have no such problems in this area. Plenty of space and the steering wheel goes up sufficiently. The Accent in particular was a surprisingly spacious car -- better than the Primera I have now (which is still a little bit cramped for me).
As for small cars, they're all a bit squashed, but the worst of the lot has to be the 1600cc auto 1999 Clio model my dad has. I can barely fit into the passenger side without hitting my legs against the wheely-bin grade plastic dashboard. The driver's side -- forget it. Horrible.
In the back I have problems as well. Surprisingly the worst car I had for this was the old Cavalier (and Vectra after that). While these were spacious in the front, the back had terrible headroom and I found myself having to sit diagonally to avoid hitting my head on the roof.
I'm 6'1", 18-stone but have longer than usual legs as you've probably gathered....
Edited by jase1 on 15/08/2008 at 13:37
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I've always wondered how the name Volvo was given to a make of car (Latin for 'I roll') - maybe we're getting near to an explanation.....:)
Because Volvo made ball bearings before they started making cars.
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It's all down to individuals' dimensions, isn't it? Some people have long legs and short bodies, others long bodies and shorter legs.
I am 6ft 1in and 15 stone, my son is 6ft 6in and 14 stone - he fits in some cars I can't sit in and vice versa. For more than 10 years he has driven and latterly hill-climbed a Pug 205 GTI that fits him fine while I can't get near it.
What I don't understand is why people of all sizes buy cars like Berlingos and Kangoos that have masses of completely useless space above head level, enclosed by square feet of wasted metal that costs more to lug around, not to mention the extended carbon footprint blah blah zzzzz
Or the stupid names, come to that.
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My Brother is 6ft 3ins ... he's had back trouble most of his adult life, it got so bad he had to have 2 vertebrae fused together.
He now drives a Vauxhall Agila which, although a small car, is a tall car ... personally, I can't stand small cars - I just don't feel safe in one, I'm 6ft and can just about live with the Almera but felt more comfortable in my previous Focus ... I'd get the Nissan Cashcow next time = high ride.
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