I'm going to have to disagree with Erin's assessment of our SX4's seating. After spending about four hours in the blue box yesterday, I realized that average-sized American males may have issues with the driving position.
I'm 5'10" and of average build, and I could not find a comfortable seating position. The lack of a telescoping wheel was probably the main culprit. With the seat adjusted for leg comfort, the wheel was way too far away from me. With the seat adjusted to have the wheel within comfortable reach had my legs bunched up. I tried a compromise between the two and everything started aching after 45 minutes.
Then there's the elbows. The door armrest is made from an unyielding piece of plastic. Remind me to pick up some elbow pads from the sporting goods store next time. The center armrest is at least cloth covered, but the angle is all wrong and is uneven with the other side's medieval perch. There's also a hard lump under the corner stitching that hits right where my forearm should rest.
None of this bothered me before on shorter trips, but this was the first (and hopefully last) long trip I took in the SX4. For the rest of the day, I'll be popping Advil like PEZ.
Mark Takahashi, Associate Editor @ 17,137 miles
bkochuk says:
12:15 PM, 10/30/09
Funny pic. Uncovered arm rests are like torture even on short drives. You'd think car makers would have figured this out my now. I mean, how much could a little padding cost?
greenpony says:
03:51 PM, 10/30/09
Just like my Focus. Word for word. In fact, I was typing up this exact same thing (with SX4 replaced with Focus and no Mark Takahashi at the end) before I read yours and said "shoot, he beat me to it."
hybris says:
07:49 PM, 10/30/09
Believe it or not at only 5' 3-4 there about and of average build most cars built after 1995-98 feel a lot like this. I can't see why car makers have to make even their cheap cars fit around you like spandex, as it really cuts into just who consider buying your car in the first place.
thehamsterman says:
07:56 PM, 11/ 1/09
When my mom was looking for a little AWD hatch, we looked at a hot red 5-speed. She seemed to fit well, but the headrest was at such an angle that it made her head tilt down. That was really the biggest issue with that car: comfort. She ended up going with a Pontiac Vibe, which seems to fit better.