Bad fit for tall people?

[tiburonh]

I test drove the S yesterday. Fell in love with the driving experience, but hated the front seat. I'm 6'3"; had plenty of leg room and just (barely) enough head room, but the lack of an adjustable headrest is a major problem and a deal breaker for me. The lump at the base of the fixed headrest stuck out right in between my shoulder blades, which made for a very uncomfortable ride. And the top of the head rest only came up to the top of my neck, not the top of my head -- which makes for a potentially dangerous situation in event of a crash.

Has anyone else out there run into this problem? If so, do you have any suggestions for a fix?

Thanks.

 

[Kaivball]

I am 6'5".

Get the Pano roof. No other height issues.

 

[MarkR]

I got the pano roof for the same reason. If it can work for you, go for it.

 

[purplewalt]

I am 6'-3", do not have any issues with headroom clearances.
I do not have a pano roof, so that Option would give you an extra couple of inches should you decide the rest of the car meets your qualifications.

Leg inseam and waist to top of head vary for each individual, so perhaps you have a longer torso and neck than I.

But at the end of the day, YOU need to be happy and satisfied about how the car accommodates YOU.

 

[brianstorms]

6'4" and no probs -- intentionally got the pano roof to ward off this potential issue.

However I am noticing my right knee is up against the leather/whatever surrounding the lower left hand corner of the 17" screen, and that even in just 1/2 hr, my knee and leg are sore from being slightly twisted differently than in any previous car. Makes me worry about San Diego to Silicon Valley drives. I'm still experimenting with seat adjustments to get it right.

 

[anticitizen13.7]

Has anyone else out there run into this problem? If so, do you have any suggestions for a fix?

I think that your best option may be to wait for the Model X, because it is an SUV and will likely have a substantially taller interior than the Model S: http://www.teslamotors.com/modelx. Scroll down to the photo of the "Falcon Wing" doors, and you will see a Model X parked next to a Model S. Note the big difference in vehicle height of the cabin.

 

[spentan]

I am 6ft 9in, and ~180kg (~400lbs), and I checked out a model s last month when I was in the states.

I fit fine with the pano roof once I'm inside the car, getting in with the steering wheel fully extended is not as comfortable as i'd like as the seat is so far back, its past the B-Pillar (I think thats the one)

 

[Beavis]

I am 6'4" and have the pano roof. No problems. My son is 6'8" and he fits. Do you have a really short inseam and a very, very long body, like a giraffe?

 

[mnx]

I test drove the S yesterday. Fell in love with the driving experience, but hated the front seat. I'm 6'3"; had plenty of leg room and just (barely) enough head room, but the lack of an adjustable headrest is a major problem and a deal breaker for me. The lump at the base of the fixed headrest stuck out right in between my shoulder blades, which made for a very uncomfortable ride.

Thanks.

I've never noticed the lump sticking out and being uncomfortable.... Also I have plenty of headroom. I'm 6'4"...

 

[Phil Gorski]

I'm 6' 4" and we have several tall guys in our PDX Club who are my height or taller. Never had or heard or anyone with similar complaints/concerns however, if that is your conclusion sounds like it's a Model X or bust. What are you driving now?

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I drive to lunch nearly every day with my coworker and best friend who is 6' 6", and he has no problem. I have also let him drive it and no issues in the driver's seat. I do have the pano.

 

[100thMonkey]

I don't know about you, but for me going for the S was a big jump and I found myself periodically getting stuck on little stuff. it's a process, keep checking it out. it may not work for you but, finding the right car is like finding the right shoe, it's very individual in terms of fit. on the other hand you may find that some of this is just jitters. I test drove the S four times and had a distinctly different impression after each time. I'm 6'3" and couldn't do the regular roof, had to go with the pano roof. I even fit decently in the back seat with the pano roof. I suggest making lots of adjustments with the seat and see if you can make it more comfortable for you. putting the seat back can help. I have the seat all the way down. the only thing I had to comprimise on was the comfort of exit and entry, I have the seat so low that it takes a bit more effort, but I figure that's a small price to pay for everything else that is amazing about the S.

 

[tiburonh]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. The issue for me is not actually head room, it is fit of the seat, and specifically that the fixed headrest is too low. To 100th Monkey, I will take your advice and do a couple more test drives to see whether I can grow accustomed to this and not see it as a deal-breaker. If not, then I will follow the suggestions from others of you that I wait for the arrival of the X and give it another try.

Regardless of how my own story turns out, I am jealous of all of you that have found happiness with this incredible vehicle.

 

[Darmok]

6'5" here, 36" inseam, no pano. I find there to be more head room than in my old RX330 and excellent leg room. The seat isn't all the way back, for the first time in any car for me.

 

[CapitalistOppressor]

I test drove the S yesterday. Fell in love with the driving experience, but hated the front seat. I'm 6'3"; had plenty of leg room and just (barely) enough head room, but the lack of an adjustable headrest is a major problem and a deal breaker for me. The lump at the base of the fixed headrest stuck out right in between my shoulder blades, which made for a very uncomfortable ride. And the top of the head rest only came up to the top of my neck, not the top of my head -- which makes for a potentially dangerous situation in event of a crash.

Has anyone else out there run into this problem? If so, do you have any suggestions for a fix?

Thanks.

If you don't mind spending money, I'm sure there are plenty of companies in your local area who could customize the seat for you. Matching the interior materials might be problematic, but thats what custom shops do. Open up the Yellow Pages and see if someone will give you a quote.

Edit: For that matter order cheaper interior materials and have the entire interior redone with the materials you want. There isn't any rule that you keep the front seats that Tesla gives you.

- - - Updated - - -

Or a less expensive alternative might be to see if your local Tesla store will let you sit in the car and fiddle with the seat adjustments for an hour to see if any are more comfortable.

Edit2: Ahh, I see this was mentioned

 

[jas]

From the pictures, the head rests in the Model X look low too.

 

[brianstorms]

From the pictures, the head rests in the Model X look low too.

I've seen several Model X's in person and yeah the seats at least in the alpha version were not that impressive. Just didn't seem rugged the way they should be in an SUV-like vehicle. I had much better seats in my Audi Q5.

 

[tiburonh]

Thanks Brian. Very helpful, though disappointing, to know the Model X seats don't seem, so far anyway, to be different from those in the S.

The Q5 is what I'm driving now; before that was the BMX5, and before that was the RangeRover. All had way better seats than the Tesla. Oh well....

Thanks also to Capitalist Oppressor (great name for a Tesla owner!). Many years ago I had the rails extended on a Mercedes sedan to get more leg room; the notion of doing a whole custom seat had not occurred to me and I'll look into how that might be done, though I worry about how doing that would impact the warranty and insurance.

 

[huntjo]

Not sure I would put any stock in the seat experience in a non drivable prototype of he model X.
Re: the OP's question - I agree with the suggestion to just spend some time playing with the seat settings in a showroom or a nearby kindly owner's car.

 

[wcalvin]

I am 6'2" and fit OK with pano roof; fit in regular roof as well. The problem comes when exiting the driver's seat. Swivel and the only way to lift your own weight is with left knee extension.

I'm going to next experiment with a seat setting "Exit" that raises the steering wheel and advances the seat so that I can swivel on the seat to get two feet flat before exerting myself.