Following on from the thread on problems that tall people have - short people suffer too.
My misses is just 5ft and had terrible trouble finding a car she could drive without hitting her knees on the lower dashboard. Nor could she find a single manual car that allowed her to sit a decent distance from the steering wheel ( and its airbag ).
Here is an example - two Skodas - in the Fabia, she could sit close enough to operate all the pedals without hitting her knees on dashboard, just - the larger Octavia, not possible!
There seems to be a trend to fill in the space under the steering wheel with plastic coverings, but these can seriously hamper knee room., nor do they provide a range of adjustment that allows short people to avoid sitting 2 ins from the wheel!
Its one of the reasons she has gone for automatics because she can sit further back on account of no clutch, which generally needs pushing down much further than either of the other two pedals. She reckons she gains 2-3 inches in legroom by going auto and it allows her to sit more comfortably too.
Seems like cars are designed for a narrow band of people heightwise.
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Is any of this worry about tall/short people actually about the size of cars or about the range of adjustments for the driving position? The latter, I would say. Why can't manufacturers simply fit adjustment mechanisms that allow an infinite combination of settings for seat height and distance from wheel?
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Stu,
You're quite right. My height is short and I faced same issue. Most cars which don't have seat height adjustment I feel pain in my leg after driving over half an hour. In my most comfortable position, I'm quite near to steering.
Unfortunately, this problem goes away if I drive more expensive cars eg. Range Rover, Mercedes S class etc. These cars offer so many adjustments on seats and steering wheels, that not only I could feel very comfortable but also I could even see the bonnet while driving!
More unfortunately, I could not afford buying these cars so I drive a Suzuki Ignis (with height adjustable seat) which is quite comfortable for me (several hours of continuous driving with no pain in my body) and also cheap.
You're spot on clutch and brake! For same reason, while driving on motorways, I usually push the seat further than while I'm driving on town.
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a Suzuki Ignis (with height adjustable seat) which is quite comfortable for me
Ah! An Ig! They're OK, they are. I drove one for a while a year or two back. Quite skittish on roundabouts and things. I liked it.
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Although it fits the stereotype, small jap cars seem to be suited to small people, perhaps because the japs are somewhat smaller in stature?
Ive found the driving position in my Charade is excellent for my 5'5 height as i sit a reasonable distance from the wheel but can still get the clutch right in. It also helps that the car is quite an upright design and doesnt have much lower dashboard.
Whether it would suit someone as short as my other half I dont know.
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> Although it fits the stereotype, small jap cars seem to be suited to small people, perhaps because the japs are somewhat smaller in stature?
This reminds me of a trip to Japan a few years ago.
The taxis weren't too bad (being as they were usually Bluebird-sized), but when we got off the plane they put us on a little bus to the airport itself.
I've never felt more like a quart stuffed into a pint-pot in all my life. It was like sitting in a Junior-school chair. Cue much pointing and giggling by a bunch of teenage Japanese girls sitting nearby....
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Wouldn't it be great is we could get HonestJohn to start including in his reviews quick opinions of someone who is, say, 5 foot tall and someone who is 6 foot 4 inches tall - get both ends of the scale?
I am 6 foot 2 inches tall, and like another poster in the tall thread, I used tower over people but these days I see numerous 20-somethings and teenagers who tower over me so there is a huge range out there.
I think the height issue is an important aspect of a car review that is simply left out by the pertrolhead reviewers who mainly concentrate on how fast something goes - thankfully, HJ is different and his reviews are the best in my opinion but, time and time again, I read a great HJ review of a car only to go along to the showroom and discover that I simply can't get in the thing let alone be comfortable and healthy inside.
There are serious health and safety issues that are ignored by care reviewers. Perhaps NCAP will eventually pick up on this?
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