Tall people :-)

[RichwiththeS2000]

One for all the 6"2 folk (and taller if you like!). I've had a bit of a Lotus itch for a while now that I'm thinking about scratching next year. The car wouldn't be a daily but I would want to do some big trips in it and use it a lot.

I've sat in an Exige S2 and test drove it, felt OK good space wise but it was only a short drive.

Basically my question is, am I too tall and is the car going to be prohibitively uncomfortable for someone my size? I'm coming from an S2000 so I'm used to being fairly cramped. That said I can drive the S for hours and come out the other end feeling fine :-)


Experienced voices appreciated!

[langy]

I'm 6' 2" and a bit and I don't have any issues with space in my S2 Exige. Must admit I wouldn't want it to be my daily drive though.

[Viperzs]

It depends where your height comes from. Head room is fine, however it depends how you like your legs when you drive.

There is a small amount of adjustment in the Exige, I'm sure you'll be fine though!

[kambites]

It really depends on what shape you are. There's plenty over overall space but the driving position isn't very adjustable so if you have particularly long/short arms/legs/torso you might have problems. I'm only 6'0 but whilst I have a good four inches of headroom I can't get enough legroom in a standard car not because the seat wont go back far enough but because I can't reach the controls if I put the seat in the right position for my legs.

A few simple modifications solved my problems but they wont solve everything.

[ad260S]

Im 6'2 and drove 1000 miles in 3 days in my exige without any issues

[koma]

I'm 6'3" and have just bought an '05 111R.
As others have said, it'll all depend on if you're leg tall, torso tall or both. The only minor struggle for me is leg room under the steering wheel but you'll soon find a way.
I'll definitely need to go roof-less on the track as i've pnly got about half an inch worth of headroom.

[ant leigh]

I'm 6'3" in an S3
No problem with headroom and seating position once I am in
Getting in and out is not an issue once you have a little bit of familiarity

If you are tall distance vision can be an issue if you don't remove the visors.
Also if you are tall a car positioning strategy is quite useful, especially if you are first up at traffic lights to make sure you can see the lights every time

Comfort is fine even for tall drivers, the seats are great (Probax)
Nine hours driving yesterday and no muscle fatigue or back issues.

However a touch of sunstroke I think from 9 hours with the roof off

[drac]

6'3 and have had the my 111R 10 years.

The car can be modded to maximise space. Seat against firewall, steering wheel up and towards you slightly, remove sun visors if fitted and pedals into the footwell. (DBW cars have more footwell room anyway but not sure about modding.) Elise with soft top has slightly better forward visibility for tall owners than Exige or Elise with hard top.

I've done 515miles in a day on A and B roads, but that really was my limit. Sore bum, tired and fed up but I was on a mission.

[piper]

6'3" and I have no troubles, you learn to get into the car elegantly just watch drivers getting into those Group C cars from the 1980's and it’s the same technique. Once in I find there is plenty of leg room and there are no issues at all.

[turbotoaster]

you will be fine, 6ft3 115kg here with an s1

the good thing about lotus is you can tailor the inside to suit your shape.

I run lightweight seats which basically touch the floor and the harness bar and then a smaller steering wheel which is raised and extended towards me.

allows me loads of room and wasn't expensive to do

[RichwiththeS2000]

Nice. Sounds doable :-) cheers all

[Beachbum]

I'm 6'4" and have an early 111R, overall it works, however I would point out that the top of the windscreen surround can get in the way.
I have also fitted a micro rear mirror, as the standard is huge and does get in the way of my line of sight.
Only other thing to mention is that going down hill and as the hill bottoms out, you might need to duck slightly to see further ahead.

If you can put up with all that, you'll love the rest of the experience

[Zyp]

I'm 6' 3.75" and fit ok.
Long in the leg, and my only real issue is my knee against the gear stick when in 5th (so I rarely use that gear)

For those that have modded the seat - what have you done?
A few inches further back would be great.

[shirt]

i'm 6'1 with long legs. no issues at all although mine is lhd so more room to play with for my clutch leg.

[Rick101]

6'2" with 111R. No problems, plenty of space.

[Shnozz]

6' 3" and had S1 Elise, S2 Elise and S2 Exige over the years. Felt rather cramped but perfectly do-able. I did a 7 hour journey back from Le Mans when pressing on for a ferry and that wasn't ideal, but more on back and ar5e than due to height issues.

[Piddy]

6'3" here with no problem fitting and perfectly comfortable. Only issue i have noticed is that if I lean back my head can occasionally touch the 'roll bar' bit. Not an issue at all in daily driving but freaks me out a bit thinking about someone hitting the back of me!

[ant leigh]

Piddy said:

6'3" here with no problem fitting and perfectly comfortable. Only issue i have noticed is that if I lean back my head can occasionally touch the 'roll bar' bit. Not an issue at all in daily driving but freaks me out a bit thinking about someone hitting the back of me!

I have to say that has bothered me a little as well. I am always VERY careful to check behind at all times.

[kambites]

There's a fair bit of plastic and air between your head and the actual metal roll bar.

[Piddy]

kambites said:

There's a fair bit of plastic and air between your head and the actual metal roll bar.

That's good to know at least