Subaru (mods) for tall people

[Guest sanssel75]

I am in looking for my 3rd car in 20-some years. The first two were Subes. Well, this time I am having second thoughts about this 3rd one being a Subaru unless the tall folks (and I am speaking of anyone over 6'4") can give me some clues on how I can keep harmony, short of trading in the spouse instead of the car!

 

I am a short lady, little over 5 feet tall. My spouse is 6'6". He rarely drove either of my Subes. He lamented being unable todrive the 92 Legacy SW because his knees got in the way, even with the seat slid all the way back and seat bent back. This could be a problem in the future since we have a young passenger in the back seat.

 

What could I look for in the 2003-2004 lineup and what mods can I make that will let my spouse drive without looking like a pretzel?

 

Thanks in advance

[Guest Hondasucks]

I'd think a Forester would have teh most headroom. Although you could get something with a Sunroof, and buy him some aviator goggles :rollin: sorry couldn't resist. I'm 6'1" myself, and I find it a *bit* hairy unless I'm in something with a sunroof, well, my legacy has a bit of room even with the shade closed, but my 83 GL-10, I could tell that my head would be hittin the roof if it werent' for the sunroof.

[Guest applegump]

I would test drive all the Sube models your interested in a see which has the most leg/headroom. Im 6'3", and in my 90' Legacy have no trouble with leg room but if I sit up staight my head touches the roof lining. BTW the NEW legacy will come out shortly so Id definately wait to see what the dimensions of that are.

 

'90 Legacy 2.2 130,000 miles

[Guest Legacy777]

If you can wait until mid 2004, the new 2005 MY legacy will be out. You can check out pics and such on subaru's japan site

www.subaru.co.jp/legacy/b4/index.html

www.subaru.co.jp/legacy/t...index.html

 

This thread on NASIOC has tons of info, and pics. Beware that if you have dial up the first page is pretty much entirely pics

forums.nasioc.com/forums/...genumber=1

 

These are the interior dimensions for the wagon:

 

Interior dimensions:

length-1840mm

width-1445mm

height-1190mm (45mm less if you have a sunroof)

 

Don't know if it's the same for sedan.

[Guest outbackninetyseven]

I'm 6'4" and find I have plenty of head and leg room in my first generation OB, and also the new ones I have sat in. I think the Legacy platform may offer more leg room than the Impreza, so the Forester has lots of head room but a bit less leg room, IMO. We had an '89GL sedan, that was way too small for me to drive for any distance.

 

FWIW, our TS has plenty of head room for me, but the leg room could be just a bit more. It may depend on your spouse's leg vs. torso length... my inseam is 36" and shoe size is 14, so the legs and feet take up a lot of space, but my torso is closer to average length.

 

Some people have successfully added a bit of seat travel by moving things around with spacers or washers. I haven't needed to do this though.

 

Go for a test drive, that's the best way to know!

 

Steve

[Guest Suzam]

and I fit better in our MY95 sedan and my mother-in-laws MY98 than I do our MY01 but I blame that on the fact that it's a Limited with power seat. I just can't get it low enough to clear my head (under the sun roof) without tilting the back, I also look though the very bottom edge of the top tint on the windshield. Also even with the rearview mirror at the top and right of it's travel it's STILL in my line of sight (it's the auto dimmer that's a bit larger on the bottom), I suggest trying different model trim lines just to make sure the fit isn't better even with the same body style

 

BTW my inseam is 34" so most of my height is in my torso.

 

And I can't stretch out my legs fully either. I get dents in my skin when I wear shorts.

[Guest andywatson]

I'm 6'3", and I have no problems in my 98 Legacy OB wagon. I've got at least a couple inches between my head and the roof. I also fit just fine my my wife's 97 Impreza. I test drove an '03 Impreza RS and a WRX, and I also had no trouble with the roof, or with the seat being too close to the steering wheel.

[Guest ShawnW]

Do any of the newer subaru's have the height adjust seats like the old GL's from 85-91 had?

 

That gained the car quite a bit of legroom for me. This would only work in a vehicle that has enough height to let the seat adjuster make up for the lack of legroom.

 

Im only 6' tall though.

[Guest andywatson]

yep, my 98 has the seat-height-adjustment-rachet-thingy. The 2003 Imprezas I test drove also had them, so I think it's standard these days. I

[Guest Subaru Maker]

Josh is correct about the newer model coming out next. Their is considerably more leg room in the front seats. I am only about 6' but one of the guys I work with is 6'6" and he has no problems at all in the new wagon design. I haven't tried out the sedan yet. If you can wait that long, it might be worth it.

[Guest mattocs]

I am only 6ft tall and I have my seat in my 1995 Legacy all the way back...but it has plenty of leg room. I like to be far back (I am paranoid about the air bag <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\"> ) but I think an Outback would have a good bit of room...the only way to know is to go get in one.

[Guest Brus Brother]

I'm 6'4" (36" inseam long legger) and the 2000 Legacy GT was a hit for me because SOA began using the outback bump up on the roof line (like the 94 Legacy) which allowed me the luxury of the sunroof. Legroom is substantially better than in the imprezza/forrester footprint though I could probably wear a top hat in the forrester and still have room to stick a feather in it.. If you try the Legacy L without the sunroof, there may be additional headroom of about 2" to be gained. I'm curious about any other hints subiemaker can give about the 2005 MY?????

[Guest helpMySubbie]

im 6"6" myself and i drive an 89-RS and much the same with seat slid rite back , one 10mm spanner , power drill , one straight ruler , and a spare afternoon take (i live in NZ and not sure of the WOF or VIN laws there )but i took the seat and rails out and drilled some new holes throu the floor pan with a 12mm power drill about 3" back from the original and after doin so would have got away with 2" i recon , obviously not much in the way of room behind there now but enuff for a baby seat

[Guest photo2001]

I'm 5'11" so don't fit in the over 6' category you are interested. In any case there is a lot of extra headroom in my 2000 Forester, but I could see why anyone 6'3" or taller would have leg room problems. Don't know if anyone has suggested this, and don't even know if it's possible, (or safe?) but wonder if it might be possible to have the drivers' seat rails extended farther back in your Subaru? You might try checking with a local custom upholstery place as a start.

In my old car, I had a Recaro CSE seat installed because the standard seat had no height or tilt adjustments and there just wasn't enough leg support. The Recaro wasn't cheap, but I was able to drive the car for years and would have had to trade it in otherwise! Btw, when is Subaru going to offer a power drivers' seat in the Forester. Don't have to make it standard, but at least as an option. I see that in the 2003 model, they eliminated the tilt adjustment in the Forester, (manual tilt). I don't think there's a power seat option on the new XT. Come on Subaru!

[Guest sanssel75]

Thanks for the replies. Now I figured what was going on for us. My friend's spouse (6'5") drives an Outback Limited and he just advised, forget it, you won't find many cars that fit him. He had a 36" inseam. My spouse has longer legs (38" inseam) so most cars are not going to work...though when I met him he had a Corolla where he installed extension bars to move the seat back.

 

We did squeeze him in a Forester and he was a bit uncomfortable for the test drive. DH said he fit into an Impala. I drove an Impala rental a couple months ago but was not terribly impressed by it.

 

So back to my original analysis. I added a couple of (heaven forbid) small SUV's to my search list for a test drive (RAV4 an CR-V) just to see how they would compare to driving an Outback...I go riding today!

[Guest Brus Brother]

The Forrester has significantly LESS legroom than the Legacy since it is built on the Imprezza footprint. The steering wheel is also more confining in the Forrester and seating more upright. Any hope of staying in the Subaru line should be directed towards the Legacy models and one without a moonroof would add 2" headroom. I actually waited a full model year for the 2000MY when they adopted the Outback roof line for the standard Legacy. The Legacy GT has motorized seat positioner that seems to garner more space than the manual one I tested in the 2003 Legacy L.

[Guest Flowmastered87GL]

Get a BRAT GL and take off the glass fun tops.... then you have infinite headroom :rollin: