Well, drove an FR-S A/T

[poormans_LFA]

It was great except for the fact it was cramped and my leg got stiff while my knee was pinned against the steering wheel whenever I got on the brake. I could "get used to it", but at the cost of my comfort I'm not sure it's worth it. More to come later.....

[Mr.Jay]

woah curious how tall are you?

[mezdup]

Originally Posted by Mr.Jay

woah curious how tall are you?

this and did you adjust the steering wheel?

[Chewie4299]

There's a lot of adjustment in the seat and the steering wheel. Many a big/tall man have said they've found this car surprisingly spacious and comfortable.

[Mr.Jay]

Yeah I've had a couple 6'4 6'5 sit in the car and they fit so in my head I'm thinking this guy is like 6'9 or some crazy Yaoh Ming gaint 7'3 or something haha

[poormans_LFA]

As I was backing out, immediately I could feel how nimble the car is in ordinary driving maneuvers: steering was super light and easy. This car IS MADE for carving the road, period. The suspension is rock solid and you feel like you're riding on rails, nothing less, though it feels entirely compliant for everyday driving. Numerous times I stomped it while going around a corner and the car was completely committed, no twitchy tail. At the same time I wasn't exploiting this cars full potential on a closed track, but for enthusiastic driving on the streets it's pretty AWESOME. Even though the steering was pretty light as mentioned, the solidity of the suspension more than made up for the somewhat inert feeling at the helm.

What else: stereo was pretty crappy, but who cares, tons of solutions for that, and uhhhh...yeh, this car pretty much rocks and totally lives up to the hype. Of course, it's not terribly fast, but for the cars intended purpose it's more than sufficient. I could only imagine what it might feel like with more power in so light a car.

At the end of the day I'm just too long in the legs for this car; my knee kept rubbing against the steering wheel with the way my right leg was angled when I had to get on the brake pedal and off of the gas. After I got out I could really feel how cramped my leg was confined in that space. One more FR-S for some seriously lucky guy or gal out there.

[poormans_LFA]

Originally Posted by Mr.Jay

woah curious how tall are you?

6'4.5"

Originally Posted by mezdup

this and did you adjust the steering wheel?

of course. everything was maxed out on adjustments: seat all the back and all the way down. I even tilted the seat back a little bit at one point, but I'm not super comfortable driving like that.

Originally Posted by Chewie4299

There's a lot of adjustment in the seat and the steering wheel. Many a big/tall man have said they've found this car surprisingly spacious and comfortable.

here's the one thing rarely emphasized in any of the height discussions we've had on here in regards to this car: it's a big difference where you're height is- your legs or your torso. from what I've read most guys on here who are tall have their height in their torso, which is great for this car because it has pretty good headroom for its size. my height is located in my legs, and in most cars there just simply isn't the room to stretch out. the cars that generally do well for tall guys with long legs are almost always German cars. Germans are generally pretty tall people and design their cars with accommodations for such folk. I need not get into the Japanese perspective, but for people like me we're out of luck, with a few exceptions.

[Jared0934]

damn dude you big ass mofo, i dno man if you really like the car you can always rip out the back seats, clean it up and custom fabricate sliding seat rails that extend further back for you...I'm sure you can do that shit on a budget shouldn't be more than a few hundred for a good job. I kinda feel your pain? I had to ride with no cushions on my buckets in my 240 because I had no head room w/ a helmet on and my head would always bang off my roll cage...

[poormans_LFA]

I figure I'll take it for another spin before I really forget about this car, but I know how I felt today and it wasn't good.

[Chewie4299]

You need one of these....





This is Darth Vader's truck right here.....

[poormans_LFA]

sick truck, but i'm NOT spending that kind of money on gas. no way.

[sho220]

Originally Posted by Chewie4299

You need one of these....

Or one of these...saw one on the showroom floor of the dealership I bought my FR-S at...it's one bad mofo....

[Khyron686]

Originally Posted by poormans_LFA

I figure I'll take it for another spin before I really forget about this car, but I know how I felt today and it wasn't good.

Gen Coupe or Mustang - more room for you and still good driving! Gen Coupe 2.0 should be close on gas as well. No sense shoehorning yourself into something you're not built to fit in.

[andreyiv]

I know this is obvious, but make sure your butt is all the way back in the seat and touching the seat back. I'm 6' even and can fit a passenger behind me (granted one without feet, but with legs) with my normal driving position. I can just fit with a helmet in that position, so I don't think all my length is in my torso. This is with the seat all the way down of course, hence the no feet comment.

Good luck!

[WolfsFang]

Originally Posted by sho220

Or one of these...saw one on the showroom floor of the dealership I bought my FR-S at...it's one bad mofo....

Is that the tocoma baja?

[poormans_LFA]

Originally Posted by WolfsFang

Is that the tocoma baja?

yep: http://www.toyota.com/tacoma/baja.html

[sho220]

Originally Posted by WolfsFang

Is that the tocoma baja?

Yes...Tacoma Baja TRD...looks bigger and badder in person. Love the Taco's....

[poormans_LFA]

if anything i'm eye-balling the next MINI Cooper S...I've always LOVED these cars and the next one is moving to a BMW FWD platform. While it is essentially a FWD Bimmer it's a less complicated BMW at that, and that means less problems (though MINI is not the greatest brand when it comes to reliability, but it's an exception I'm willing to make). The only other non-boring car out there I'd otherwise consider would be the WRX. I'm not your typical car buyer in any sense: I'm an enthusiast that demands to drive something FUN, even if it comes at a cost, just not too much a cost.

[Hawaiian]

Originally Posted by poormans_LFA

if anything i'm eye-balling the next MINI Cooper S...I've always LOVED these cars and the next one is moving to a BMW FWD platform. While it is essentially a FWD Bimmer it's a less complicated BMW at that, and that means less problems (though MINI is not the greatest brand when it comes to reliability, but it's an exception I'm willing to make). The only other non-boring car out there I'd otherwise consider would be the WRX. I'm not your typical car buyer in any sense: I'm an enthusiast that demands to drive something FUN, even if it comes at a cost, just not too much a cost.

2 things;

First, the seat height adjustment (left center) works like a pump. I didn't figure that out right away. There are about 10 pumps between max and min height.

Second, take a look at the 2014 mustang if this doesn't work out. The rumors make it look interesting. Weight reduction, independent rear suspension, design refresh, ecoboost. It might be something.

[86'd]

If you're buying the Mini new I'd probably say go for it.

But if its a first year redesign then, eh, probably not.

If you've looked at Mini forums for more than a minute there are SO many quirks with these cars its amazing. That's what kept me from getting a GTI or used 335i.

It'll come with run flats, it will ride very rough, it will leak, it will overheat; it will cost $$$ for repairs once out of warranty.

They say WRXs rattle, well they haven't driven a Mini. Ours rattled like crazy.

Is it fun? Yeah, but I think people buy Minis because 1. They're cute/original 2. They're "Mini" BMWs, 3. They're fun.

And IMO for the size of the car the torque-y engine didn't really fit the personality of the car. I wanted a high revving 1.6-1.8 NA engine...but whatever...in the end it just wasn't worth it...

The WRX, (although it has the looming ringland problem, mostly on STIs and pretty rare) is pretty reliable especially when compared to the Mini. Yes they're different cars, but its plenty fast, big aftermarket, space if you need it and handles well.

They're actually not that heavy and not that big for a sedan, but the interior is very spacious.

Lastly the Mustang GT can be had for about the same price as the WRX; just look on truecar at how many GTs there are selling for below invoice, it's crazy.

If the BRZ didn't exist and I didn't need the space of the WRX, I'd probably would have ended up with a Mustang GT...I really like them.

If Mazda made a new Mazdaspeed Miata, that would be something to look at, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon. And you probably wouldn't fit, lol.

Good luck on your search!

[Bonburner]

Steering Wheel:
Pull out the holding lever, yank/extend all the way and push it up/highest angle.

Seats:
Down pump the seat adjuster
Pull back the seat position to the back

Audio:
Turn OFF the audio console
Press the Multiknob
Adjust sounds from TC to FR-S, balance, subwoofer on/off
Turn ON the audio console
Adjust feel/hear/simple(i think was the third choice), treble, etc

Come back after you've tried all the above :]

[Gregory Gawaran]

Im suprised, im 6'4" and im pretty big guy and i fit very comfortable in it.