Can Tall Guys Fit?

  There's a trend afoot at this year's North American International Auto Show. Small, fuel-sipping cars are on display and garnering some attention amid a trend of high gasoline prices and auto makers' need to balance out steroidal truck offerings to meet toughening average company mileage standards.

Can tall drivers participate in this trend? A six-foot-four Dow Jones Newswires reporter tested several small-car models in a highly unscientific survey and found that, for the most part, drivers of some stature can also enjoy using less fuel. Some fits are better than others, though, and the show's most diminutive small car - Daimler AG's (DAI) Smart Fortwo - was definitely the trickiest fit. The Fortwo's biggest tall-driver drawback - lack of an adjustable steering column - was the saving grace for some other small car models. Among those more traditional-looking models, the Chevrolet Aveo from General Motors Corp. (GM) and the Yaris from Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) - an Aveo 5 LT and a Yaris S were sit-tested - both offered a similar fit and feel. They require tall drivers to sit with their legs outside the car to crank the seat all the way back before complete entry is possible - such maneuvers are common if tall drivers share their cars with a shorter spouse. It also helps to raise the steering wheel to its maximum height so that the right knee can fit underneath. But once the driver is inside, the Chevy and Toyota models seemed well-engineered for space, with decent elbow room and easy access to austere instrument panels. This Yaris had a five-speed, manual transmission. The notably tall shifter felt very accessible with the seat pushed as far back as possible. Keeping the steering wheel up high kept the clutch accessible to the left leg. A four-door model of Nissan Motor Co.'s (NSANY) Versa seemed a slightly tighter squeeze - remember the unscientific nature of this survey, in case the cubic inches don't agree - and a front seat that can slide back a touch farther would help tall drivers. Limiting the seat's sliding room might maintain some space for back-seat drivers, but let's not kid ourselves.

When tall drivers are behind the wheel of small cars, no one wants to sit behind them. The best small-car fits were the Mini Cooper from BMW AG (BMW.XE), which benefited greatly from a tilting and telescoping steering wheel and a driver's seat that can sink pretty low via a hard-to-reach mechanical control (at least on this model), and Honda Motor Co.'s (HMC) aptly named Fit. It is a bit tricky to get under the Fit's steering wheel before it's cranked up, and the wheel tilts high enough to visually block the instrument panel a bit, which means you might need to adjust with each entry and exit. But once inside, the Fit has one of the most spacious feels, even for reporters who top out around a half-foot taller than average American men. Now onto the Smart Fortwo, which is really in a class of its own. It makes subcompacts from other auto makers look like larger sedans. The Smart two-seater, already popular in Europe, is set to hit U.S. roads this month, and Daimler says there is considerable advance interest. We sit-tested a "Passion Coupe" model that starts at $13,590 and has a few extra bells and whistles to distinguish it from the cheaper base model, including a clear roof that helps create a feeling of spaciousness. Just looking at the Fortwo, however, raises doubts as to whether a tall person has any hope of folding in, and indeed the entry is a bit cramped due to the immovable steering column. The car also slights drivers in a curious way - the passenger seat can scoot back six inches farther to keep shoulders from bumping in the narrow confines. It would have been nicer to have the extra six inches for the driver's seat, which will generally be filled more often. Those detractions aside, the Fortwo is surprisingly comfortable for its size once you're seated, even for a tall driver. Hosts at the Smart stand suggested that six-four or six-five are about the maximum for Fortwo drivers, and indeed, though getting in requires more lower-limb origami than other small cars, the Fortwo does accommodate a tall driver willing to make the effort. And there's one clear plus: It has no back seat, and so drivers need not feel bad about ruining the legroom to their rear.