Small Car for Big Guy

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I don't think the Element will measure up to his mpg needs, if you are averaging what I've been told. Low 20's.
 
I'm 6'2", 195 and drove a Yaris and Scion xD yesterday. Both had plenty of room for me. The Yaris surprised me. It has a little pep to it for a 1.6L. I drove a 5 speed and it had a nice feel to the clutch and shifting. The xD was an auto, 1.8l and it was pretty good too. I also drove a Scion tC but had VERY little headroom due to the sunroof.
 
Folks must not only consider how tall they are, but also if they have long or short legs or a short or long upper body. Two people that are the same tall may very well not fit in the same car. One might have to sit on the back seat to drive, the other one may have to stick his head out of the sunroof. Just a thing to consider!
 
I can't really relate to the "big guy" thing (5'6" 200#), but I drive an xB and the little car has a ton of room inside. I have had 5 adults in the car without any complaining. Averages around 31 mpg.
 
we test drove a vibe for 24hrs. terrific car. We ended up with an escape, cuz this is the family car and the vibe might be small for 4 of us on road trips. However, it was a terrific car - that toyota 5 spd with the VVT engine was really, really nice.

Mike
 
Probably too pricey for the budget, but I know of a former NFL player that fits nicely into a Mini Cooper (and it is his favorite car...)
 
copy and pasted from carsdirect.com about scion Xb. The scion xb isn't as boxy as it was, it is redesigned for 2008.

If you had the chance to test drive this model, which feature(s) surprised you in a positive way?
SURPRISE AFTER SURPRISE
by lottorvn, TX

"This mini SUV surprised me because of room inside. At 6'4" the leg room in both front and especially the rear like a limo. Drives like a sports car, great cornering, turns on a dime, no parking stall to small. Great sound system and the view is great all around. I got...Read more"
 
Right, the Xb is now a Matrix/Vibe replacement.(?) Def worth a shot, but not likely to get a good price discount. Corolla would have to be the best car for low money, unless you go smaller. Element starts at $15k, a great deal, but mpg is a concern as was for me when I looked at it.
 
actually, the scion XD is a replacement for the scion XA.
Scion XD is a Vibe/matrix clone
Scion XB has been redesigned with 2.4L camry engine and is 800 lbs heavier than previous boxy design, it's still boxy but with more of a MiniSUV look.
Scion TC is the same coupe.
 
The truth is no one can easily recommend a car. It really depends on your arm length, torso length, leg length and belly. Also if the vehicle has a telescoping steering column helps too.

Even if a car fits you may find the seat abysmal given your rear end shape.

Too many variables.

That being all said I would test drive any small car that sparks your interest and go from there.
 
I second the comments about it depends on the body.

Sitting, I'm as tall as many who are 3 or 4 inches taller than me standing. I have relatively short legs to the size of my torso.

So, at 5'11" headroom is often an issue for me.
 
The Corolla is definitely designed for small people, since it has very short seats. The roomiest small car is probably the Nissan Versa. I'd recommend taking a Mazda3 for a drive too.
 
Id look for an MT Accord 4-cyl. 34 MPG and a better car than other stuff.

I had a ford focus rental, and found it to be great, Im 6ft4 and 235, BTW. IIRC, the MT version of that car is rated at 37 hwy.

A good friend has a toyota matrix that is is very happy with. I fit good headwise, but find it very lacking in legroom.

JMH
 
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The Corolla is definitely designed for small people, since it has very short seats. The roomiest small car is probably the Nissan Versa. I'd recommend taking a Mazda3 for a drive too.




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I drive a 2005 Corolla and am 6 foot 5" tall. Too close to 300 lbs and fit in the car nicely. More room that my Outback.

My head does not hit the headliner, my knees have room and when on cruise I can place my feet in more than one place.

I've got 90k on it so far and still love the car. Not a single issue (never been back to the dealership) and I have only changed the oil/filter, Air filter and PCV valve. Thats it.

Last 6 tanks have been above 44mpg. Highest about 47mpg. Not bad for a 14k OTD car.

Best advise I can say is go drive the cars your interested in. The ION had good room for me also. Civic was tight for me.

Take care, bill
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Mazda3 if you like to drive a car.

The 2.0L sedan gets good gas mileage, the 2.3L hatch is peppy with more room (wish they offered the 2.0 in the hatch).
 
No, not really.

The Matrix and Vibe are clones, sharing the same 1.8l 1ZZ engine.

The xB has a 2.4l.

The xD replaces the old xA and shares the same engine as the Vibe/Matrix/Corolla, the 1.8l 1ZZ.
 
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I drive a 2005 Corolla and am 6 foot 5" tall. Too close to 300 lbs and fit in the car nicely. More room that my Outback.





Interesting... the matrix and corolla are more or less the same car, arent they?

My head fit great in the matrix, but my legs dont... Im only an inch shorter than you, so Id think you'd have an issue too (unless you have a really long neck
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I wonder if the corolla somehow has a lot more legroom than the matrix.

JMH
 
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