"Smart" vehicles that fit tall people?

[chantellee]

My husband and I are selling our 2010 Subaru Forester XT. We also have a 2000 Toyota Avalon. Both vehicles were paid for in cash. Our only debt is our mortgage which is $700 per month. It's a private lender (my parents) at 2.5%. We would like to use the money from the Subaru towards investing or paying down the mortgage.

After we sell the Subaru we will be looking for a "new" vehicle. MMM's list of "smart" cars is great, however, they are for the average-sized person. My husband is 6'6 and we chose the Subaru initially because it fit him (long legs and torso). There must be ample headroom or his vision of the road is impeded on by the roof. He wouldn't mind a car, however, he has bad knees and finds getting down to a car difficult.

Any suggestions for "smart" vehicles for tall people?

[Matt K]

A 2008-2010 Subaru Imprezza has ample headroom (even for someone 6'6"). It is very reliable, but nto as fuel friendly as other vehicles.

Kia Spectra5 (wagon) has huge headroom as well (I met someone 6'7" who sat in one comfortably). It isn't great on gas for a compact car, but will be better than larger cars. They are fairly old now (replaced bythe Forte), and being a kia they have low resale prices. I'm not sure on it's reliability, but I believe it is average or better.

The Nissan Versa hatch also has a fair bit of head room, but I'm not sure just how much. Both the above cars have at least 5" above my head (I'm 6'0" with an 'average' torso height).

[babar]

I'm 6'6" and my wife is 6'8" (no not a typo there) and we both fit nicely in my VW Jetta. All the VW models I sat in have the same dash/seat configuration, so they have the same legroom, with some variation in headroom based on the car shape.

If I had bought an automatic, I'd still have the original model Scion xB, which has by far the best head room/leg room of any vehicle I've tried. With the front seats all the way back, I can get in the back and my knees don't touch! The newer model xB lost 2-3 inches of headroom so now my head barely touches, so it's out of my future.

[Spork]

You might test drive a Matrix.  I get about 30mpg combined.  I'm 6'2" and this is the first car I have ever driven where I didnt have the seat all the way back.

[chantellee]

Thanks everyone. I'll share this with him and we'll do some research into the used car scene!

[ferrosapien]

I am 6'8" and i just switched to a honda fit.  Leg room is ok, head room and visibility are the best I have ever seen.  Fuel economy is decent at 30mpg city.  Mine is an auto,the manual would do better.

[ketchup]

I'm not too familiar with most newer cars, but the Kia Spectra5 (already mentioned) is good for headroom (I'm "only" 6', but share a long torso/short legs stature with my 6'1 father, so headroom is often an issue), and the PriusC is NOT.  My old Chevy Sprint was fine on headroom, same for my friend's Geo Metro (practically the same car), despite being tiny. 

[Zaga]

My DH is fairly tall and wide, while I'm about the size of a 12 year old girl, so finding an inexpensive commuter car that works for both of us (we carpool together) is a bit of a pain.  Also, we've been out test driving recently.  The best 2 for comfort were the Scion xB and the Kia Soul.  Also good were the Nissan Versa hatchback, the Hyundai Accent hatchback, and the Honda Fit (though that one was a bit narrow for DH).

[Villanelle]

Toyota Echo.  It is small but fairly tall.  They were made in the early 2000s, they are super cheap used, get amazing gas mileage, and have surprisingly roomy trunks for such small cars.

[frugaldrummer]

I have a2009  Toyota Matrix, and used to date a guy who was 6'6".  He had both a fairly long torso and moderately long legs, and he could ride in it, but would have been cramped for a long road trip.

I dated another guy who was 6'5" and he drove the Matrix without any difficulty.  I would guess his torso was a little shorter, with more of his height in his legs.

My current boyfriend is 6'3" (see a trend here?), all legs and a very short torso (seriously - I'm 5'6" and sitting down, we're the same height!) and he fits in the Matrix no problem.  Someone can even still ride in the back seat behind him.

S0 - I guess what I am saying is, it may work, but a lot depends on the torso-to-leg ratio of the driver.  So you just need to go out and sit in a bunch of cars.

[vern]

I'm 6'6" and I approve of this thread.

[RadicalPersonalFinance]

I'm 6'6".  I fit comfortably in the Prius and in the Toyota Echo.  No experience with the other brands mentioned.

[unpolloloco]

Try the hyundai accent hatchback.  As long as you don't need to seat someone directly behind the 6'6" person, it should work (amazing amount of space for the size of the car)!

[Villanelle]

I'm 6'6".  I fit comfortably in the Prius and in the Toyota Echo.  No experience with the other brands mentioned.

So happy to see another Echo mention. (Or is that an Echo Echo?)  Half the time, when I tell people I drive a Toyota Echo, they don't think that's a real thing or they assume I bought it while living in Japan and that it is something only available there. I love my Echo.  Simple, small, amazing gas mileage,  good trunk space, and at 14 years old (its a 2000) and still going strong with no major problems to date and about 80k miles. 

[rtrnow]

I am 6'8" and i just switched to a honda fit.  Leg room is ok, head room and visibility are the best I have ever seen.  Fuel economy is decent at 30mpg city.  Mine is an auto,the manual would do better.

I have a fit and though I'm only 6' I don't even have the seat all the way back. Wow on the difference in fuel economy. I do mostly city driving and my worst tank was 35+ and usually average 37+ and I'm not a gentle accelerator.

[Gerard]

Any suggestions for "smart" vehicles for tall people?

I'm 6'4", and I've had good luck with the Via 3:
http://www.bicycling.com/node/59319