Auto show thoughts, and big men

[T'Girl]

The traveling Auto Show came to Seattle last week and it's got me thinking about how the auto industry doesn't take big men (or normal sized men) into consideration when designing cars.

I saw lots of men getting in and out of various cars and in more than a few case were struggling in the process. One man I struck up a conversation with said that he was look at pickup trucks not because he loved trucks, but because he found the "cockpit" (his words) to be so comfortable and roomy.

You can buy a nice pickup truck for under $20,000, a car with a similarly sized internal area would cost two to three times as much. First car we saw walking in was this brand new giant Rolls-Royce, it's insides were the size of a truck's, over $150,000.

Some of the board members here are likely big guys, do you think modern cars are getting ridiculously "tight? And do you feel your dimensions aren't being taken into account by the auto industry?

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I feel like this is all some kind of wacky metaphor.

 

[scotpens]

The sportier car models do tend to have tight cabin dimensions.

My 2007 Ford Focus hatchback is a fairly small car but it's tall. In normal driving position I have several inches of clearance above my head -- and I'm just a tad under 6 feet.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

A lot of modern coupes and sedans sacrifice headroom in favor of aerodynamics with a smooth, gently sloped dome shaped roof.

Being 6'6", if I drive someone else's car or take a test drive, I generally find that I have to raise the steering wheel as high as it can go, scoot the driver's seat all the way to the back, and then lean the seat back so far that it would make it almost impossible for someone to sit behind me. Even then, the top of my head is usually hitting the roof, my knees are high enough that I can get a sunburn through the window if I wear shorts, and if I take a turn too sharply I hit my head on the seatbelt loop on the support column between the front and rear compartments.

So, yeah, it's a problem I've experienced from time to time, and you do have to pay a premium to buy cars that don't look like they were designed for clowns or Shriners.

 

[tomalak301]

A friend and I go to two auto shows a year (One in San Francisco and one that includes a ride and drive in San Jose) and it feels like for the most part you sit in one car, you've sat in them all. I agree that they don't really take the size of the indivdual into account when designing the car, it's just all the bells and whistles that comes with it. This is probably why I still with the Hondas or Toyotas for the most part. For example, I really liked the new accord because it was quite spacius but not too big for my needs.

As for the shows themselves, they're fun to go to. We try to go to the ones that allow you to actually test drive the vehicle. Also, another reason I go is Ford gives away $50 every year for testing out a new car. Most of the time I go to the dealership and just get the card signed off. It's a great program.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

A friend and I go to two auto shows a year (One in San Francisco and one that includes a ride and drive in San Jose) and it feels like for the most part you sit in one car, you've sat in them all.

That was definitely not the case when I went car hunting a few years ago. The Toyota RAV4, for example was a major pain in the ass - in fact the entire body - for me. It literally hurt to sit in. And yet other cars like the Honda CR-V were completely comfortable and much better for my body type.

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm a pretty tall guy, and one of my main issues when buying a car has been leg room. The last car I bought was a minivan just because it was the only one I could find in my price range that was actually comfortable to sit it. I was 22. College guys usually don't drive minivans.

 

[auntiehill]

Hubby is 6' 4". Trying to find a car for him to drive, that we could afford, and where his head wouldn't hit the top, was a struggle. He really wanted a Prius, because he loved all the tech gadgets but he simply couldn't fit in the damn thing. Surprisingly, the Camry was only car he liked that he actually could fit in, and where his head wouldn't hit the roof every time he hit a speed bump. I think it was just that the seat adjusted back--and down--far enough, whereas most other models would not.

 

[tomalak301]

A friend and I go to two auto shows a year (One in San Francisco and one that includes a ride and drive in San Jose) and it feels like for the most part you sit in one car, you've sat in them all.

That was definitely not the case when I went car hunting a few years ago. The Toyota RAV4, for example was a major pain in the ass - in fact the entire body - for me. It literally hurt to sit in. And yet other cars like the Honda CR-V were completely comfortable and much better for my body type.

Well, there is a difference between Car and SUV. I guess what I was talking about was just the sedans. Other than a few highlights (Honda and Toyota), most of the cars I sat in were the same, in terms of space and leg room.

 

[scotpens]

A lot of modern coupes and sedans sacrifice headroom in favor of aerodynamics with a smooth, gently sloped dome shaped roof.

The thing is, a car doesn't have to look low-slung and slippery to have good aerodynamics. My aforementioned Ford Focus has a drag coefficient of .32, which, for modern production cars, is right about in the middle of the list.

Whereas the sleek-looking 1963 Corvette coupe had a drag coefficient of .45.

Of course, nobody cared about drag coefficients -- or fuel economy, for that matter -- when gas was 25 cents a gallon.

 

[J.T.B.]

You can buy a nice pickup truck for under $20,000,

Jeeze I wish, I was in the market about a year ago. Where I live, under $20K might get you a base model compact pickup, 2WD, standard cab, manual trans 4 cylinder, but not a lot of room in those.

 

[Captain Ice]

You can buy a nice pickup truck for under $20,000,

Jeeze I wish, I was in the market about a year ago. Where I live, under $20K might get you a base model compact pickup, 2WD, standard cab, manual trans 4 cylinder, but not a lot of room in those.

I was just about to mention this. Here, to get a pickup with a decently sized cabin in it you have to spend at least $25,000 and most are $35,000

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I'm a tall guy, 6' 6" and I prefer small cars. The last car I bought was a Honda Fit, a tiny little car that gets really good gas milage. My car before that was a Toyota Matrix, which for a small car had tons of room. My ideal car is the Mini Cooper, one day I will own one as my fun car.

 

[Sigokat]

I'm a tall guy, 6' 6" and I prefer small cars. The last car I bought was a Honda Fit, a tiny little car that gets really good gas milage. My car before that was a Toyota Matrix, which for a small car had tons of room. My ideal car is the Mini Cooper, one day I will own one as my fun car.

A buddy of mine has a Honda Fit. He's a big guy, probably about 6'2" or 6'3" with broad shoulders. He used to be a body builder in his younger days in the Army.

He loves his Honda Fit. When I first saw him with it I was like "You can fit in that?" and sure enough he could and very comfortably.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Some of the board members here are likely big guys, do you think modern cars are getting ridiculously "tight? And do you feel your dimensions aren't being taken into account by the auto industry?

Heh. I'm a short guy, but it's not like all cars are designed to favour my short arse. Head room is obviously not an issue here: on the contrary, sometimes it seems the car is driving all by itself...

(Well, not really. But on some models of cars, I have troubles seeing the front of the engine hood/bonnet. Another issue of modern streamlined design.)