RE: Seat Height and Head Room...

[Tim Irwin <timi@Interlinq.com>]

Wow, and I thought I had trouble finding a car that fit. I've narrowed
my search down to the Jetta GLX, Mazda 626, and maybe a BMW 325 (haven't
had a chance to drive one yet), as they are the only cars I've found so
far to be fun to drive, have good power, and have enough headroom in my
preferred upright position (and that I might be able to find an
affordable used model). For some reason, I was unable to get comfortable
in the pre-'98 Passats, thought a quick sit in a '98 looked promising.

I doubt the seats sit any higher in the GLX, its just that the roof is
lower due to the standard sunroof (which could easily take up that
1.7"). The other models do not come standard with the sunroof, so their
headroom measurements wouldn't include it. One advantage of the pre-98
Passat GLX is that it didn't come standard with the sunroof (though it
might be difficult to find one without).

I've also found that the published headroom numbers don't necessarily
mean a whole lot, as I've sat in many cars which claim to have 38 or
more inches of headroom only to have my head planted on the ceiling,
while others with lower numbers are fine. What's also amazing is that
I've found several SUV's (which look rather tall), to have less headroom
than the '85 RX7 I managed to squeeze into (I sold it to someone taller
than myself). The only true test is first a quick sit to see if its
possible, then as long of a drive as the salesman will let you get away
with.

Good luck with the fittings.

Tim Irwin 
(6', longer torso, upright seating position)
'89 Mazda 323 (lots of headroom) -- For Sale as soon as I find a
replacement
'94 Acura Integra (Not bad w/o sunroof)

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Khan M. Klatt [SMTP:kklatt@nw.verio.net]
> Sent:	Tuesday, June 23, 1998 8:46 PM
> To:	jettaglx@igtc.COM
> Subject:	Seat Height and Head Room...
> 
> 
> It just goes to prove that I love this car so much, I tolerate little
> things about it that I maybe shouldn't.
> 
> What I'm talking about is how much my car is bugging me now that a
> friend
> of mine has been teasing me about the headroom in my car. Sad thing
> is, I
> think he's right.
> 
> Let me explain:
> 
> I can't comfortably drive my car without leaving the sunroof cover
> open all
> the time. Not the sunroof mind you, just the sunroof cover (the
> plastic
> thing with the carpeting on it that you can slide back without opening
> the
> sunroof).
> 
> When I'm driving, I notice my head is noticably to the right of the
> wheel
> so that my head is in the 'sunroof space' or tilted to the right. (And
> I'm
> only 6"1, not like I am monstrous or anything) I can't sit straight
> up. I
> can't believe that the Jetta is too small a car for me, because
> sheesh,
> it's not a very sleek car (compared to say a Corrado, which is several
> inches "sleeker").
> 
> On the other hand, the GLX has an inch or so of LESS headroom than a
> standard GL, GT, WB, TDI, or GLS. Here is the info from vw.com:
> 
> 
> 		Jetta GL	Jetta TDI	Jetta WOB	Jetta
> GLX
> 		---------	---------	---------
> ---------
> Head Room,
> Front/Rear,
> inches		39.2/37.3	39.2/37.3	39.2/37.3
> 37.5/37.3
> 
> 
> So the GLX does have 1.7" LESS headroom than the others. I can't
> *IMAGINE*
> that they are using different bodies for the GL vs. GLX, and they are
> the
> same height from the ground up (save perhaps a few slivers of an inch
> for
> wheels/tires), so the only possible answer is that the GLX seats are
> simply
> higher in the GLX than in the GL's, etc.
> 
> I would just tilt the seat back (and "luge the car" as my friend
> teases me)
> but my legs are so long that I can't move the seat forward enough to
> reach
> the steering wheel when I'm tilted back like that.
> 
> So my questions are:
> 
> 1. Do any of you 5"11 or taller have this problem? How did you solve
> it, or
> do you cope like I do?
> 
> 2. Am I right about the seats in the GLX seating us a little higher?
> 
> 3. Can I maybe get GLS leather (color matched) seats to seat me in a
> better
> position? (Maybe a perfect time to upgrade my car to side impact
> airbags)
> 
> 4. Maybe it's time to seriously consider trading in my GLX for an Audi
> A4,
> Passat GLX, or maybe wait for the A4 Jetta?
> 
> I love my car, but I am finding that it is looking smaller and smaller
> every day, with people not having room for their feet in the back
> seat, me
> not finding enough room for my head, etc. Now if I could give up
> several
> cubic feet from the TRUNK (sheesh, you could fit an entire morgue in
> the
> back) for space in the cabin...
> 
> -Khan
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> 
> Khan Klatt <kklatt@nw.verio.net>                               Verio
> Northwest
> Network Engineer                                      Bellingham
> Branch Office
> Tel 800.591.2757 x 13                                      725 N.
> State Street
> Fax 360.738.8315                                          Bellingham,
> WA 98225
> 
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