Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

I’m in the market for a new or newer economical daily driver for my 300-350 mile a week commute back and forth to work. Problem is, I’m 6’4” and 240 pounds and nothing I have looked at yet is remotely comfortable or easy for me to get in and out of (bad back...not so flexible anymore). Am I really stuck with another mini van or SUV?

What classifies as a “full size” car nowadays is a joke. Just a couple of weeks ago I had to go to Atlanta for some company mandated training. I rented a Chevy Cruze...cute car, phenomenal gas mileage, pretty spunky once you figured out how to stay out of the ridiculous turbo lag...but my legs would go numb after driving for 15 minutes. My cohort from Seattle got a Sentra...exact same issue. Same thing with a Ford Focus and several others I have tested. Not only is the seating positions highly uncomfortable for me, but I have to “tuck and roll” to get in and out of them or else I hit my head every single time.

Any suggestions?

Try a new Honda Ridgeline. Don't laugh, it will get 28-32 mpg on highway at 75 mph. Been a diehard F-150 crew cab driver/owner, and 2 Tundra Crew Max owner. Not quite up to the full size interior space, but very nice and the mileage is a great bonus.

A few years ago I rode in a VW Jetta for the first time and was really impressed with the interior room. I'm more worried about wide than tall and don't need much legroom but it was my cousin's car and he is also 6'4" with a stiff back and when I commented on the room he said that he and his wife had done a good bit of research and found that the Jetta was very highly rated for interior room. Don't know what a current model is like but worth finding one to try on.

Try a VW Golf or Jetta (which are not the same cars underneath any more). I'm only slightly shorter, and I drove VW cars for years.

Try a Chevrolet Trax or Buick Encore. They sit up a little higher than their car platform-mates.

Just for shits-and-giggles, test drive the Chevrolet Bolt. It's all electric, has great head and leg room, plenty of silent smooth power and good ride/handling. You'll find the one-pedal driving addictive and never visiting a gas station is also a plus. It should reduce your fuel costs by 75%.

My 6' 4" (not skinny) nephew fits in a KIA Soul.

I'm 5' 8" ( more or less ) and sometimes have trouble getting in and out of my Vega. Old age I guess, but I couldn't imagine what it's like for all you mountain men.
When in high school we had a wood shop teacher who was over 6' and drove a sixty's era Mini. We were pretty sure the Mini was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.

Ken

Older Buick cars are good for tall people. I'm 6'3" and fit good in a 2008 Lucerne. But it would be nice if the roof was 3" taller.

Volvo cars have plenty of room for tall drivers! Nice comfortable seats too. New cars are expensive , but used can be found reasonably. It is however, not an econo-box, but rather a very substantial and safe car.

I'm 6' 3'" and do not put the seat all the way back in a Volvo S60.

In our Chevy equinox, I'm sore in one hour. In the Pontiac G6 I can go a few hours. In the Volvo S60 a fifteen hour trip is ok.

emsvitil wrote: ↑Mon Mar 25, 2019 1:31 am My 6' 4" (not skinny) nephew fits in a KIA Soul.

My Buddy Doc has a KIA Soul and he loves it because if the ease to get into and out of it!

I talked him into buying a 2-dr hatch Accent before the Soul, but he had too much trouble getting in and out of it.

I loved my Accent 2-dr hatch.

pdq67

Joe-71 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:24 pm Try a new Honda Ridgeline. Don't laugh, it will get 28-32 mpg on highway at 75 mph. Been a diehard F-150 crew cab driver/owner, and 2 Tundra Crew Max owner. Not quite up to the full size interior space, but very nice and the mileage is a great bonus.

I ended up getting a 2014 Ridgeline. Not quite 28-32 mpg but easily gets 24+ mpg at 70-75mph. Much roomier and more comfortable than any other smaller truck out there that I tested. And it can actually get out of its own way...not fast but certainly good enough for a daily driver and it is very functional.

I hope it serves you well. My son is looking for something right now to commute 100 miles/day. His Avalanche is not mileage friendly.

Joe-71 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:44 pm I hope it serves you well. My son is looking for something right now to commute 100 miles/day. His Avalanche is not mileage friendly.

The Nissan Versa Note actually fit me very well, and gets in the neighborhood of 38-40 mpg. But...it would only be useful for me if I only used it for the work commute. It’s a very small car...I suspect that if you ever had a wreck in it they would be burying you in it.

There are lots of economical choices if your under 5’8”