My husband is 6’6" and he has been driving Buick LaSabre and we love it. It is 2000 and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately Buick’s new cars are too small. He needs a large enough car to carry 2 to 3 passengers occasionally. We would prefer Japanese car. Thanks!!
The top ranked small car in Consumer Reports is the Hyundai Elantra.
If i’m not mistaken it has the most interior room in it’s class.
And of course it also has a real warranty. 5 years/60k bumper to bumper & 10 years 100K on the powertrain.
My wife absolutely loves her 02 Sonata & it’s been an xlnt car for it’s first 128,000 miles.
If hubby wants a bigger car, check out the Ford Fusion Or Hyundai Sonata.
These cars will both be very reliable & offer the most bang for the buck.
One huge advantage on the Fusion is that ABS/esc/traction control are -i believe- still options that -if you are so inclined- you can just say no to.
Unfortunately on the new Sonatas all this electronic nonsense is now standard equipment.
I hesitate to recommend them because they have been known to have some issues, but frankly just about the only fuel-efficient cars out there that are comfortable for really big people are Volkswagens. He could try seeing how he fits in a Yaris or a Fit or an xB or a Versa, as these have a lot more head and shoulder room than the Japanese econoboxes of old, but the Rabbit/Golf is probably the only one that’s going to have enough legroom.
He needs to make the rounds of the showrooms, or a car show if possible, sizes vary so much (people sizes, that is). I’m 6’5", very tall in the body, so the xB and the Honda Fit work for me. Not so for others. And it depends what you mean by economy. Base Accords and Camrys are good too, as long as you don’t get a sunroof.
Actually, the CarTalk website gives you quite a few resources to research this. here is a “Special Needs Zone” that specifically addresses the needs of tall drivers. You can find it here: http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/Special-Needs/short-tall-links.html#tall
One of the articles they recommend is this one: http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/101513/article.html. I found it funny that you LeSabre was mentioned in that article specifically.
You can also use the CarTalk Product advisor at http://www.myproductadvisor.com/mpa/auto/inputSummary.do?referrer=ct&refId=cartalk. It allows you to enter what you want in a car. Amongst these things are roominess and fuel economy. In the end it will spit out cars that fit your bill. Yiu can even compare them side by side, and in the list that is presented to you there they have the exact measurements of headroom, legroom, shoulder room so that you can compare hard data.
In addition to these resources my personal experience with a friend who is 6’6 is that a Honda Accord suited him perfectly.
But the resources mentioned above should give you pointers that go beyon andecdotal evidence.
In general, as a previous poster said, avoiding a sunroof will go a long way.
Please keep us posted as you proceed. I’d be really curious what you end up with.