I am tall guy and have to push the seat all the way back. If I do so, I then have to hold steering wheel with my hands straight - very uncomfortable.
What I am looking for is car whit adjustable steering wheel distance. It's not a very common feature and sellers don't usually list it.
How do I find one?
fiatracer,
Apr 29, 3:43pm
pretty sure all the jags and bmws I've owned had this
pandai,
Apr 29, 3:48pm
Both of our Hondas do this
familiadude,
Apr 29, 4:06pm
Our premacy has this but we hade an atenza the same year that didn't have this go figure
poppy62,
Apr 29, 4:14pm
Mercedes.
edangus,
Apr 29, 4:18pm
BMW E38 7 Series
brapbrap8,
Apr 29, 5:41pm
Might be able to lengthen the steering column on your exsisting car with an aftermarket steering wheel and boss kit. The legalities of that depend on what your car is and how old obviously. My friend who is 2.25m tall did this on his car, as well as custom seat rails to get it back far enough.
Otherwise make sure the seat back is pretty straight up and down as it should be, not reclined back like kiwi drivers seem to like having it.
mortonmob,
Apr 29, 7:37pm
2nd Gen (08 - 12) Mazda atenzas have this also.
motorboy2011,
Apr 29, 8:10pm
M35 stsgea
veda127,
Apr 29, 8:22pm
Holdens.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 29, 10:08pm
European cars are generally designed for taller people, and also more likely to have this and other extra equipment.
VW group cars (Audi/VW/Skoda) are well supported in NZ and may suit you well. Which one would probably depend on your other requirements (Size, type of use etc).
If you are super tall, you might find something like a Golf Plus which is a VW Golf with a higher roof etc may suit you better. I have a short wife and find that our cars with the higher seats require less adjusting between drivers. For this reason you may find higher seating puts you in a more comfortable position as well.
Best of luck with it.
zetec,
Apr 30, 1:43am
Most cars of Focus, Corolla, Golf size and upward have two way adjustable steering, a lot of smaller cars only have up-down adjustment. Just check the car you like, if a late model likely to be listed in the specifications.
dzhme,
Apr 30, 4:02am
I am sure it is, but how about European support cost?
Is it drastically more than Asian?
bobwyn,
Apr 30, 4:15am
my holden avalanche does.
inkapuka,
Apr 30, 4:52am
Holden commodore my old vx berlina did
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 30, 5:08am
No, not at all, service costs are much of a muchness. Obviously if you buy a super basic car like a Yaris or it's European equivalent the Fiat Panda parts/repairs for some items will be cheaper than if you buy a more sophisticated vehicle like a Lexus or an Audi A6. But compare like for like in terms of sophistication, much of a muchness.
About the only trap with the likes of VW is some dealerships are also Supercar agents and employ full time Barista's and other nonsense. Obviously if you take any car to one of these places you will pay a premium.
There are loads of excellent third party VW specialists around though who are super reasonable.
Remember, you are talking about the most popular car platform (Golf Platform, assuming you get a Golf Plus, Passat etc) in the world by a long shot. Just the Golf alone is the most popular car by volume, then you have all the derivatives to add to that number as well. VW Group as a whole are pretty much neck and neck with Toyota in terms of being the largest manufacturer by volume. All of which means a huge R and D budget to get things right and loads of after market parts and specialists to keep costs down.
Very hard to beat VW overall in terms of how much car you get for your money and overall running cost. Especially here in New Zealand.
Up to you though, can only speak from having over a dozen of these late model Golf derivatives in the family and having serviced, repaired, paid running costs etc myself.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 30, 5:20am
Also. if you do take some VW group cars for a run and decide that's what you want. Come back for some specific advice on picking a good one, what maintenance will be required to bring it up to date (including cost) and what costs to expect ongoing in terms of servicing, running costs etc.
What you get depends on your other criteria as there are loads of VW's that will likely suit. Something that I would also be considering in your shoes is electric memory seats if you have anyone else driving the car. Either a touch of the button or your own key will automatically set the seat and mirrors etc which can save some hassle with multiple drivers.
In general I am thinking VW Golf, Skoda Octavia, Audi A3 or A4 etc but it all comes down to budget and what your other requirements are. At this stage we don't know your budget, whether you are looking new/used etc so really we are just stabbing in the dark recommending anything.
mugenb20b,
Apr 30, 5:36am
2005 Toyota Vitz / Yaris.
brapbrap8,
Apr 30, 5:38am
Haha I second the memory seats idea, I am about a foot taller than my partner and it is such a nuisance having to slide the seat all the way back before I can even get into the drivers seat, then having to adjust the mirrors after that.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 30, 5:44am
The ones that work on the key are even better too, they tend to have to move a long way for a tall person and with the key/fob setup that starts as soon as soon as you unlock the car. Tends to be a bit slow otherwise!
socram,
May 1, 12:54am
My 45 year old GT has fixed seating, adjustable steering column (albeit with a spanner) but the pedals are adjustable instead! Extremely good for those of us long of leg. Not so good when you let "Racing" Ray Williams drive it, as he had to use a borrowed pillow or a cushion as extra padding!
casper35,
May 1, 4:29am
Nissan fuga has.
justwotever,
May 1, 4:43am
my 66 oldsmoblie dose
nave12,
May 1, 8:08pm
E series falcons/fairmonts had it.
karlp2,
May 2, 2:10am
My FG falcon has it as standard, plenty of head and leg room for a tall person like yourself too.
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