Hi Everyone, We’re looking for a good used car that can handle New England winters and accommodate 2 infant/child carseats. My husband is 6’4" and he pushes the driver’s seat so far back in our 2003 Subaru Forester that there’s barely room left for a passenger’s knees. A carseat won’t fit. Right now we just have one carseat on the other side, but we’re expecting a second child and we need a car that will also fit a seat on the driver’s side. Any suggestions?
A newer Forester may have more room, but if it doesn’t you may need to consider FWD vehicles as an alternative. A FWD car with a set of snow tires on it will, in some cases, outperform an AWD vehicle with all season tires on it in the snow. If you can handle the ugly, a Scion XB would probably be an excellent fit for your situation. It is amazingly roomy for a tall person, and the backseat area is surprisingly spacious. Repairs and fuel cost will also be low, as it is largely based on the Toyota Echo. A set of snow tires and wheels will also be cheap for this car, and it will do well in the snow with the snow tires. Do consider this and other alternatives. You probably don’t need AWD as much as you think you do.
I’d look at used Ford Explorers. There are a lot around, prices are reasonable, and they seem to hold up well over time. Should handle the 6’4" husband and have room for car seats. Not great mpg, but relatively low price to buy one means you can afford the fuel.
Take a look at a Honda Element too.
The only place where you might NEED AWD/4WD is the mountain regions. Outside of that any good fwd vehicle will be fine. I’m 6’3 and have the same problem. When kids were little wife would drive and I could comfortably sit with my passenger seat up a couple inches.
The CRV and Rav are amount the best cars for tall drivers. The CRV affords the most rear legroom. The Nissan Rogue works for my 6’5" son with decent room in the rear at the same time.
I drive a Honda Pilot, and am 6’8". I put the seat all the way back, and there is room in the second row of seats. Carseat fits easily.
The Chevrolet Equinox rear seat moves forward and back. Go for a test drive and seat your one child behind hubby.
I forgot to tell you that it is reliable and well thought of in the automotive press.
I forgot to tell you that it is reliable and well thought of in the automotive press.
It’s only been out for 7 years…How do you know how reliable it is??? Most people haven’t even reached the 200k mile mark yet…let alone 300k miles.
I am 6’5", and can relate. My wife just traded her Forester (which never had enough room for me) for a Ford Explorer. Leg room is ok, even when I sit in the passenger seat, in front of our baby’s car seat. I do have short legs and a long torso for my height, so head room is an issue. The Explorer’s seat rails slant up from back to front, so as you move the the seat forward, you will lose head room.
We ended up buying the Eddie Bauer trim level. The seat bottoms are too shallow on the XLTs, and for some reason they have less head room than the Eddie Bauers. my legs and neck were stiff after a 10 minute test drive. In addition, the driver’s seat in the Eddie Bauers is height-adjustable, which is a plus. It gives me an excuse to be able to drive our “nice” car.
Blah, Blah, Blah…