VW for tall driver???

miningman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Location
alberta
TDI
2003 Golf
My daughter's 2003 tdi golf is reaching the end of its usefull life...... a legitimate $2500 estimate for necessary repairs, and due to a stroke , I cant pull wrenches any more. My son in law is mechanically useless.

Looking to acquire something that would become her husbands car, and she then uses his gas guzzling SUV. He's a big boy, maybe 6 foot 3 inches, and I was very disappointed when we inspected a Toyota Camry, and his knees basically hit the steering wheel in a way that would make it a very unsuitable choice.

Does a Passat deserve consideration??? Do the newer Golf Wagon models provide adequate leg room for tall drivers??

If I get encouraging answers to these points , then should we be looking at gas or diesel.?? I think its fair to say that the tdi motors have some major benefits but unless one is able to ones own maintenance , then fuel savings are rapidly eaten up by repair costs.

Because I am only familiar with the 2003 ALH motors, I cant claim to be up to speed on dieselgate , HPFP s etc, but I get the impression that if we buy a used tdi, say 2009- 2013, we're still at serious risk. What exactly does the 2015 -17 models have in way of warranty after the various fixes??

Or should we home in on a 1.8l gas engine?? Or any other obvious choices, especially from knowledgeable tall people.??
 

1854sailor

Resident Curmudgeon
Joined
Aug 10, 2004
Location
Westerly, RI
TDI
2015 Golf SE SportWagen, 2015 Golf SE Hatch Back.
I'm 6'-6" tall and have absolutely no problems with head or leg room in either our current '01 Golf or '15 GSW. Same goes for the B5.5 Passat wagon that we sold last year.
 

miningman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Location
alberta
TDI
2003 Golf
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I forgot to mention that the family includes two youngsters, so a four door is almost essential and it pretty well has to be an automatic as he doesnt drive standard. Kinda kills the New Beetle idea.

Im absolutely amazed that sailor can get his 6.5 foot frame into a mk4 golf. I probably need to check his actual height / body structure. No way can I see him in a older golf but the pictures of the newer golf wagens look intriguing.

Internet research does provide "listed " leg room but apparently this has to be looked at sceptically. Apparently seat height and other considerations become important .

Sonatas and Kia s seem good on paper but neither would be my choice in terms of mechanical issues.
 

JDSwan87

Black Swamp Thing
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Location
Michigan near Toledo
TDI
2001 Jetta TDI, 5 speed Lagoon Blue Metallic(sold); 2005 Jetta TDI Wagon auto
6'2" 370lbs, I daily drive a MKIV Jetta, no complaints. Now if there is a rear facing car seat behind the drivers seat, forget it. You will eat the steering wheel and be miserable.
 

tadawson

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Location
Lewisville, TX
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL, 2015 Passat TDI SEL
I'm 6'5", and fit the Passat well. The Golf is very crowded to me, and there is not enough room for me to drive one with a manual (knee hits door handle before clutch could come up to engage). Jetta is similar, but a tad better. For me, the Passat is a clear winner, and I would not own anything other than the TDI.
 
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hey_allen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Location
Altus, OK
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI
I'm 6'4" and have no issues with a mk4 Jetta, though as already stated, room behind the driver is a bit limited with the seat near the back of the tracks.

Personally, I don't even use the full rear position, as having the seat a notch or two closer to the steering wheel and slightly reclined is more comfortable and still provides plenty of headroom.
 

scooperhsd

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Location
Kansas City KS
TDI
NB, 2000, RED(5 Speed conversion) 2015 Golf SE
I'm 6', but have the torso of 6'2" - no problems in my 2015 Golf.


I'd echo about the headroom on the ALH Beetles, but you said 4 doors is a requirement.
 

crazyrunner33

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Location
NC
TDI
'10 Golf(bought back)
I'm 6'8" and 270 lbs here, the MK6 Golf was a great fit for me, and I assume the MK7 would be similar. I test drove the Golf and the Passat and found the legroom for the driver to be identical, the extra space in the Passat is given to the passengers in the rear. If people are going to be riding in the back often, the Passat is the way to go.
 

Lex Tdi

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2016
Location
Lexington ky
TDI
2013 Passat
Definitely a passat, and the back seat room is by far the best in the business, I can get both carseats in the back and still go all the way back on the drivers side.
 

SilverGhost

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Location
Back in So Flo - St Lucie
TDI
'05 Golf - totaled :(, wife's '13 Beetle - buy back, TDIless
6' and all legs here. If I push the seat all the way back and down I can't reach the pedals in a Passat. Used to drive a MkIV Golf and had same issue, but then the front seat almost touched the back seat.

Jason

PS: currently driving a 02 Jetta and fit with a rear facing car seat behind me, but I'm also skinny so I have room between me and the steering wheel.
 

merk

Veteran Member
Joined
May 17, 2006
Location
Etna, NH
TDI
03 Jetta sedan, 03 silver wagon
We had the passat 03 wagon. we are all tall and a tall dog. Plenty of head and leg room
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I forgot to mention that the family includes two youngsters, so a four door is almost essential and it pretty well has to be an automatic as he doesnt drive standard. Kinda kills the New Beetle idea.

Im absolutely amazed that sailor can get his 6.5 foot frame into a mk4 golf. I probably need to check his actual height / body structure. No way can I see him in a older golf but the pictures of the newer golf wagens look intriguing.

Internet research does provide "listed " leg room but apparently this has to be looked at sceptically. Apparently seat height and other considerations become important .

Sonatas and Kia s seem good on paper but neither would be my choice in terms of mechanical issues.
 

miningman

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Location
alberta
TDI
2003 Golf
Well I feel a moral obligation to update this thread. Thankyou to all the 6 foot + posters but last week the Son in Law and myself spent several hours in the local VW dealership. . The new 2019 Golf wagon and the Passat both had his knees up against the steering wheel , with the seat in the fully back position. The Tiguan provided marginally adequate geometry but just watching him enter the vehicle prior to sitting in the seat did not look like the most comfortable exercise. Buying an SUV to replace his old 2004 Pacifica was not out of the question, but I have not yet fallen in love with the Tiguan model , so the search continued.

Hyundai as a manufacturer was not at the top of my list of choices, but internet research suggested the Sonata model had 45.5 inches of drivers legroom which was better than all other mid size cars , and more than many of the available SUVs. So this needed evaluation at the Hyundai dealership. My son in law had a preference for a hybrid which I did not personally endorse but the new vehicle was to be his , so I tried to keep an open mind.

The Hyundia dealership had a used 2012 Sonata hybrid advertised , so once we expressed serious interest he went away to get the keys. There were brand new 2018/19 Sonatas in the show room so I encouraged the SIL to try them out. Results were again disappointing, yes he could get in but to me , any longer journeys were going to a literal pain. So then we got to sit in the 2012, Finally something that he could get into without contorting his body, and all the leg room a long legged driver could ask for , with adequate leg room in the back for a couple of pre-teenagers!! We could only take it for a very short test drive .....it needed to go thru the shop before being fit for sale , but I was impressed. Waited for the salesman to invite us back to the dealership so I did some more research. Learnt that for the Sonata model , generation 6 covered 2011 -14, with a slight style change in 2015 resulted in Generation 7. This style change compromised the comfort of long legged drivers , so for customers like us, Generation 6 was much superior. So before the 2012 was available for a test , theres a 2014 advertised at a different dealership. After a test drive with a knowledgeable salesman , I really started to re-evaluate my prior negative thoughts on the hybrid technology. We did the deal yesterday, will be taking delivery next week.



So for a 2014, with only 71,000 km . on the clock , one previous owner . full maintenance records supplied, 5 months remaining on the factory mechanical warranty and 42 months remaining the battery and Hi Voltage electrics , we paid less than 50% of the price of an equivalent 2018 / 19, Someone else incurred the depreciation and unless some serious issues arise, we should be good for years of fun driving. And yeah the obvious objection is we're almost forced into using the dealership servicing dept for everything. But I'm now crippled , cant pull wrenches and the SIL is not mechanically inclined, so that was going to be the case whatever we bought.

A long rambling post, but from what I have learnt , The 2011-14 Sonata hybrid is ideal for tall drivers, and ANY tdi gearhead who is looking to move beyond the optimum 2003 tdis, take a Sonata hybrid for a test drive....... you'll be impressed.

Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be an owners club anywhere near as usefull as this one. The daughter still drives her 2003 tdi so Ill still be around here
 
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