Are there any really tall drivers here?
 

Hi,
I'd like to pose this question to members who are around my height 198 cm or 6' 5" (long legs and long torso) and have driven the 940 (and maybe also the 850), the two cars that I have interest in but have not actually sat in either. And before I start bothering sellers on the local classifieds to check out their cars, I'd like to get some of your opinions as to the size of the driver's side interior space for the 940 and also how it compares to the 850. If the two are equal in "space" then my preference would be the 940 but if the 850 has more room, then I'd go there. I of course would opt out of the sunroof option as it robs head space. Anyway, I'd really like to get your thoughts on this. I've asked on another forum but unfortunately didn't get any replies and the one that I did receive told me to "sit in the car that interests you" to see for myself. Good advice but I'm hoping for some help before I decide to do that. Thanks for any and all replies,
Dan

I'm only a short arse but my nephew is about 6 4 and he sits in my 940 quite comfortably. I took him on a long trip a few days ago and he got out relaxed . It seems bigger inside than my old 850 but it would be better to ask someone who has got one . Cheers steve

It's your lucky day, I'm 202cm/6'8".

I've never sat in an 850 so can't say anything about that, but my 740 needed the sunroof removed so that I could actually sit up straight. Also, depending on your proportions you may need to make modifications to the seat rails - mine had split pins in that stopped it moving all the way back, once I knocked those out it was much more comfortable.

A final thing to note is that the headrest on the seats is non-adjustable. It's just about OK for me but if I fully sit up straight, the bottom of it digs into my neck and shoulders a little. Ideally I want to change the driver's seat to something more comfortable, but I have to find the right seat.

If the 940 100% doesn't have a sunroof (some have a solid panel that retracts and isn't particularly visible in photos), I'd say it's worth sitting in for sure.

Im tall had no problem with an 850. avoid any cars with sun roofs they always take up valuable headroom . :thumbs_up:

A good thread,

I myself am only 5'11" however my best friend from school is 6'11" and the only car of mine he has ever been able to drive comfortably was my 740 and as pointed out a car with a sunroof does have less head room as he seemed completely scuppered when it came my 760 fitted with a sunroof and for some reason my 240 just has far too little leg room.

Scott

Lower the seat
 

I am just over 6'8" myself and quite comfortable in my 940. No sunroof, taken out the rubber bump stops at the rear end of the seat rails and lowered the springs in the seat as recommended by Volvo.
Not sure if you can adjust the steering wheel in an 850 (you cannot in a 940).
I have driven a 940 with sunroof for a day and I don't remember the sunroof bothered me. On the other hand, years ago I was in the passenger seat of an early 850 for two days and I still remember how annoying the sunroof in that car was.
Car manufacturers generally take the 90% average driver into account, leaving out the 5% taller and 5% smaller. In the 7-940 design days this was something like 1.92 m. I have the impression that more recently designed cars take taller drivers into account than in the past, as I can usually sit reasonably well in any modern (rental) car.
Also remember that tall are not all the same, some have long legs and shorter torso or vice versa. I would just try the 850 and 940 for size if you have the opportunity.

Thank you very much to all who have replied so far. The take away is no sunroof and it's worth trying out a 940 too. Please keep the comments coming. By the way nice tip about the springs and rubber stops. Thanks again to all.:thumbs_up:

I don't know if this will be much help but the roofline of the 850 has always seemed lower to me than that of the 940 and before that the 7xx models.
It's possible the seat is mounted lower in the car so that headroom would be the same between the two cars which might be another consideration for you.

Although i'm not that tall i sometimes find the seats are a bit low to get into so could be worth checking out as well. ;) :D

It's possible the floor is lower in the 850. In the 700/900 models the floor is almost level with the sills, but it more modern cars with the same sill line, the floor is quite a bit below the sills.

I'm 6 ft 4 in and have experience of both 850 (plus its derivatives) as well as the 940. I find the latter car to be inferior for accommodating taller drivers, particularly when a sunroof is fitted. It feels as if you are sitting very high in the car and above the window sills.

6' 1"

I find my two 940s without sun-rooves and with manually adjusted seats quite comfortable. My 940 CD estate with electric driver's seat and sunroof has always seemed cramped and I've felt it would be useful to be able to put the seat a bit further back and a bit lower. I hadn't been aware of the spring mod until this thread, but I'm not sure whether it would work with the electric front seat because the motors are under the seat.

Just to confirm that you are speaking about the 940 when you say that you find the car to be "inferior for accommodating taller drivers, particularly when a sunroof is fitted. It feels as if you are sitting very high in the car and above the window sills". Is this correct? I'll definitely consider this. Also, can you please tell me more about your experience with the 850 itself (I assume no sunroof?) as far as interior room is concerned for a person of your height? Thanks again.

Sorry for the thread resurrection but since owning my 940 I have always felt pretty cramped driving it ( I'm just over 6'2" but have long legs ) one main problem is knees on steering wheel.

I'm going to look into removing rear rubber stops but wondered if anyone else has any suggestions

Cheers

sorry duplicated this

Have you tried lowering the seat or tilting the base of it Mark? I've guessing the full range of adjustment is there, my passenger (manual) seat has all that courtesy of a lever on the inboard side of the cushion, drivers is electric in mine but previous 740s have had the manual set up.
A friend of mine is a bit taller (6'8") than you and doesn't have the same trouble so i'm guessing you need to experiment with the seat position.

I've tried every tilt in the book Dave but still no joy. I need it to go back further.

I have a friend who is 6' 7" but has a shorter inside leg than me so I think that is my problem. I can see a little rubber stop and also a split pin across the rail so I will investigate that

Cheers

Good luck with the stops Mark, hopefully it sorts things out for you. Alternatively you may need to make some plates up to move the seat an inch or two back on the runners which might be the easiest/best long term solution for you.

Removed the rubber stops and that is slightly better. Will have to take seat out to remove split pins which should give me a couple of inches:shocked::shocked:

I'm 6ft 2 as well Mark and after reading this thread I got in mine earlier and thought actually yes it is a little snug in the 940!

Blimey! :err: how do you squeeze into a 360 Luke? :eek::speechless-smiley-5:eek:

I have loads of headroom but cant get my knees under the steering wheel.

I have no problem in my V70,my wife's Skoda Fabia or our works Ford Focus.

Think removing the split pins will cure it though :teeth_smile:

Just a thought Mark, if you get the seat far enough back so your legs aren't getting intimate with the handlebars, will you still be able to reach said handlebars? :thinking:

Haha, it's a bit cramped is all, my leg is tucked up against the centre console and I can't get the seat far enough back but I enjoy driving a 360 so much I put up with it.

No problem with that Dave ! I have long arms as well. :teeth_smile: I reckon even with pins removed I could go back further. I've never owned a car that hasn't had the seat as far back as it will go

The friend i mentioned earlier that's about 8'6" tall has an MX-5 as a track day car, fully road legal so he can drive to/from the track. He's removed the runners from the seat and mounted it on fabricated mounts directly on the floor, further back than Mazda ever would have put it and still has trouble getting in and out. I did suggest to him at one point he should simply remove the drivers seat and sit in the little "jump seat" intended for kids but to be fair, it's more of a ledge really, barely big enough for a sprogs butt so that idea was abandoned - also because he would have had to have had his head poked out through the rear screen! :lol:

I once tried to move an MX5 for a colleague as a traffic warden was approaching and she was on an important call. Grabbed the keys and ran out to said vehicle and discovered I couldn't get behind the wheel :shocked::shocked: Luckily traffic warden was understanding :teeth_smile:

Drove the car to work this morning and it seems better now I've removed rubber stops. I'll see how this goes for a while before removing split pins

I've looked at my mates MX-5 a few times he's obviously guessed my thoughts as he's warned me if i got in, i wouldn't get out! Not that i could actually drive it :nah: these days, one too many pedals! :rolleyes:

Maybe a little play with the tilt to bring the front of the seat up and/or the back of the seat down will improve things further for you Mark? Sounds counter-intuitive, bringing your knees closer to the steering wheel by lifting them up but it also brings your bum down, giving a more comfortable driving position and less overall knee movement. Might work for you, it's worked for me in a few cars (and i'm a relative short-ar5e @ 5'11"), if not it might give you an idea which other ways would work. :thumbs_up: