I have two vehicles that I'm looking to sell soon. They are getting a little long in the tooth for me, and having to take them in for maintainence on an increasing basis is becoming inconvenient with my work schedule! So I'm hoping to sell my
Montero, and '98 Volvo V70 wagon, and merge them into one "ultimate vehicle" that does everything I need it to, is exciting to drive, cheap to own, and of course, be affordable.
Challenges: I am 6'-7", 280 lbs, and really long between my hip and knee, with a pretty tall torso also. I don't fit in most vehicles. My hobby is
RC Slope Soaring, and I regularly need to hold 65" long padded nylon bags with wings, fuselages, and misc radio gear. I frequently travel long distances for glider related events, and quite often go off road. That's the hobby element. My work routine and daily driving amount to about 15,000 miles a year, often in heavy traffic. My commute is around an hour each way, most days. So I want a vehicle that is pleasant to drive on the road, can comfortably accommodate my large frame, and
can climb a hill and bumpy loose terrain when necessary.
The Volvo V70 sports wagon holds everything and is really nice to drive to places like
Los Banos,
Torrey Pines,
Pt Fermin, etc...The inline 5 cyclinder is peppy, and returns decent MPG (low 20's average, with a lead foot).
The
1994 Mitsubishi Montero (full size, not the sport), is a total billy goat, and gets 28 mpg with the V6 and 5 speed manual. It's in great shape, and it's paid for, but I just don't quite fit (knees hit the dashboard), and the manual clutch induces leg cramps on trips into LA for work.
Vehicles I've looked at:
Honda Ridgeline: So far, nothing has come close to the Honda Ridgeline for comfort and size (it's HUGE on the inside), and sheer drivability. However, though it's 4x4 system is fine for climbing
Vincent (tested!), it lacks ground clearance and just general manly-ness. I feel like a pussy driving one. I did find two companies that make a simple bolt on space that mounts above the independent suspension and provides 2 more inches of clearance, and it will fit 33" tires on 17 rims thus equipped. The Ridgeline has tons of cool features and is really well thought out, like the trunk!, and is a great size for around town driving. However, little things like the wimpy styling and lack of telescoping steering wheel and proper arm rests at my height make this one no bueno for me.
I also drove the new
4x Tacoma with "Double Cab" and the TRD Off Road package. Way manly! Drives fun, plenty of power, tons of ground clearance, but engine noise, tire noise, wind noise, and just too damm much ambient noise makes it tough to consider as a daily driver. Surprisingly, I fit in it, but not great. Had the 120v power adapter in the bed which was great, and the bed is over 6' in length so wing bags will fit. Just too loud though. When you stomp on the V6, it sounds like it's in your lap!
The
Nissan Titian was the same way. Pretty quiet cabin, but the engine is tuned up LOUD and the exhaust drones it's way through every radio setting. Also feels like the truck weighs about 8,000 lbs.
Nissan Armada, great truck, I already have one, don't need two...though the more I drive it (it's my wife's company car!), the more I like it. However, I am really hoping for something a bit more mid-size, not a massive full size vehicle like the Armada.
Nissan Frontier/Pathfinder/Xterra are sized for munchkins (without knees)
Mitsu Raider. Too small for me, not enough ground clearance either
F150, feels too big, seats are too soft, rides like a truck, the sides of the bed are too high for even a tall guy like me to reach over, and it's $35,000 for a Ford with very little resale value....
Lincoln Mark LT (F150 based luxury truck). I rented one of these and put about 300 miles on it. I was hoping it would have more street tuned suspension because it was Lincoln's idea of a luxury truck. The interior was actually quite nice, I really liked it. But on the 101 freeway southbound, near Oxnard, the road started to have a mild undulation/pressure ridges at the seams. The truck got so bouncy, that I actually had to stop my cell phone conversation because I wa-S T-alk-ING li-KE th-IS! as I bounced down the road. I have driven that same stretch of road multiple times in my Volvo and also in a Chrysler 300 (rental) and never ever new the road was bumpy. Definitely was the truck. This is yet another reason why I really don't want a big truck!
Dodge Ram, interior is poorly designed and built, rides like a truck. The exterior is now 10 years old (or nearly), and still looks great, really great, but the interior is sad. The gear shift is on the steering column, and in drive, the lever drops to about 1" lower than my kneecap needs to be. Virtually undrivable because of a $3 shift lever. Dumb....
GMC/Chevy interior is poorly designed and built, and too small. They use really poor quality plastics and seat cloth. I don't like touching the truck's interior. It's sorta like that fingernails on the chalkboard feeling...
Chevy Avalance, interior is cramped for something so big, and cheap looking. Rides okay though. Concerned about long term durability and squeaks and rattles.
Jeep likes to put the ignitition key right where your kneecap needs to be. DUMB, and extremely unsafe. Capably vehicles, but you need to be under 6'4" to drive one, even their new
Commander, which in reality is much smaller than the commercials make it out to be!
The
Toyota Tundra drove very well, quiet, smooth, powerful, even impressive really. Could easily be a daily driver, but not sure how great it would be off road. Not sure if it would have the traction (weight) in the back to climb the steeper path at Parker, or the bottom portion of
Vincent. I very nearly bought one of these last week, with the end of year rebate and stuff. Ultimately, the design is 6 years old now, and is due for a total makeover in 2007 model year (later this fall). I opted to wait, at least for now.... Interestingly, a 4x4 Double Cab SR5 with TRD Off Road package, and 3rd Party leather seating option was
cheaper new via the Costco purchase program than most USED Tundras I priced.
The
4Runner was impressive. Had the Tundra's powerful V8, softer ride, and I physically fit in it, sorta. Not bad, I am considering one, if I can find a used 4x4 in silver, without a sunroof (too tall for sunroofs!) Very hard to find one without sunroofs. The interior controls are pretty funky, but you can't argue with the long term value of a Toyota. Design is very dated though. They are great cars, but it's hard to get excited plunking down $35,000 for such a bland vehicle.
Hummer H1/H2/H3 - All three Hummer models are too small for big guys like me. Both the H2 and H3 have this gear shift level that sticks right into your thigh. It's just so damm stupid. And the H1, forget about! Designed for little tiny people without legs is my guess. Still, I hear the H3 actually goes off road fairly well. Too bad no one over 6'-4" can drive one. Plenty of head room, but that darn gear shifter!
BMW X5 - Well, the X5 is off the list. Went for a test drive at lunch the other day. Yes, I physically fit (as in, my knees don't rub the dash, my leg fits under the steering wheel, and my head doesn't stick out of the sunroof, but it's undrivable with the seat in that position. I'm actually behind the B pillar, which would be fine if I didn't have a left arm. But I do happen to have a left arm, though it has no where to go in the X5. Can't even reach the door lever!
Volvo XC90 - Just a bit too small in every dimension for me. I really like them, and they are getting affordable (2003 lease turn in's), but even with the seat mod'ed, I still need a shoe horn height and width-wise. I just don't think I could be comfortable long term in one.
Volkswagen Toureg - Driver's seat does go back extremely far, and the air suspension and torque lockers and so forth make it a great off road vehicle (on par with a Land Rover), and it drives smoothly on the road... but you don't get much for your money. You have to have the fully loaded version to get the off road stuff (does that make sense to ANYBODY?), and you are talking major money. Land Rover kind of money. The Porche Cayenne version is just more money for a less capable (off road) vehicle. But at least it comes with power seats! (the Toureg doesn't, even at $45,000 trim level). It was also too small. I fit, but it was claustrophobic. And no one else could fit in the car with me, which would probably prove to be inconvenient. :-)
Range Rover: terrible gas mileage, and oh yeah, anything newer than 2003 is + $50,000, anything older is a maintenance nightmare. But I love the way they look and drive, and there is no equal when it comes to off road prowlness.
Land Rover LR3. Very capable car, lots of early 2005 models available used, can go anywhere, but again, looks plain, bland, and wimpy. Great head room though :-) Legroom however, is lacking. Even if I modified it and the seat moved back, the center console design would chaff my leg. Ugh!
Discovery: No legroom whatsoever. Only short guys can drive these, or most women I suppose.
Range Rover Sport. My ultimate choice! Drives way better than my Volvo, can tackle terrain like my Montero, maybe even better, and looks great. But they are way outside my budget. Used ones are not available and if they were, would still be way out of my budget.
Kia Sorento EX 4wd - Today I was quite shocked when I sat in the Kia Sorento little SUV. It has about 8" of ground clearance, a 4wd system with what appears to be a locking rear diff, and lo and behold, I fit! It is not the elegant kind of fit I am looking for, but frankly, I'm getting tired of not fitting into anything. The one I drove had over 50,000 miles on it, and was far from fresh. The interior rear seats do fold down, but only offer 59.5" inches of clearance. I need 65"... Also (and many car MFR's do this), the smaller of the spilt rear seats is behind the driver. Since I always have the seat ALL the way back, I can never fold down the smaller half of the split seats. So annoying! The Range Rover Sport of course, has it's smaller pass through folding seat behind the passenger, as God intended it to be.
So there you have it. I have no idea what I'm going to buy next. If I had the money, I would buy the RRsport in a heart beat. But I don't, and I do need a car. So the question becomes, what do I settle for? sigh....
