Tips for helping tall driver fit into E89 Z4

Nigel B said:
Evening everyone,
Firstly thanks very much for all the advice and messages of welcome, very much appreciated :) .

Having read your messages, I searched online and found another Z4 in a showroom near me and went to look at it, well mainly the seats anyway. Not sure on the exact reason (different seat option, or jammed mechanism as suggested), but on this car the seat definitely went lower down and there was more than enough room for me to get comfortable. Yippee! Thanks again for helping me resolve the situation.

All I've got to now is find a car to buy.!

Regards to all.
Nigel.
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Would be interesting to know why some cars have seats that can go lower than others. What was the spec of the one you sat in today? Did it have lumbar and electric adjustment?
 
Legroom! This has been my life long search as a driving enthusiast. I am long legged which is why I am about 6'2, and about 190#. Over the years I have had continuing frustrations wanting certain cars that I just could not accommodate my legroom needs. At 6'3 I am sure that your legs are somewhat long as well.
My E89 has the power memory seats which, by the way memorize the key settings that is being used, which helps if you have a shorter spouse driver. It is, I think a 12 way seat which includes power for the slope of the seat, lumbar support, and the side bolsters. It also has manual thigh support extensions. These are considered the sport seats. Legroom is still not very easy to manage, but can be done.
I memorize 2 sets of settings for myself. One provides better comfort for relaxed highway driving with infrequent need to lift the foot over to the brakes. I use this setting mostly for the better back rest angle for back comfort. I often use the very effective speed control for this mode. With its strong braking and acceleration ability I can relax my legs and even stretch them a bit. I also enjoy driving with driving shoes which are thin. On longer drives I drive with my shoes off. which seems to add considerable room down there.
For city type driving with frequent braking, I use settings that provide more knee clearance under the edge of the dash for braking. This however has the seat further back, with a more upright backrest, which is less relaxing for me on longer drives.
With the memories set I can alternate them and sometime add a fine adjustment afterwards. I have taken numerous all day trips with fairly good back and leg comfort. By the way I am sure to be one of the older if not oldest E89 driver.
Remember the Bolster adjustments and more or less lumbar support as well as the thigh support, all of which are easily overdone.
 
I am 6'2" and of large build and have zero issues with the e89 - I even have a few inches of room behind the seat so 6'4" should be fine IMHO

In fact I never had an issue with a Lotus Elise
 
R.E92 said:
You should be fine at 6'4". I'm the same height and have no problems with space. You might need to tilt the seat back a little as If I have it upright then my head touches the roof.

The only issue I have is that it's quite uncomfortable to drive with the roof down as the airflow over the windscreen just catches the top of my head so I rarely have the roof down.
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This is a first world tragedy and possibly illegal, 'rarely have the roof down'!!!! Have you tried wearing a cap so the wind on your head isn't too annoying? The roof down is half the fun IMO.
 
Haha, I'm 68 years young myself with hair like a burst mattress. I'm resigned to wearing a cap with the roof down. Can't afford for it to get blown away, I might never see it again. If anyone knows of a nice 2.5 car for sale up to an absolute max of £12K worth of pension, please let me know.

Thanks for all the support, makes me feel really welcome. :)
 
At my age the thatch is also very :thumbsup: thin - a cap is a must!

Buy the best car you can possibly afford and maybe a little bit more - because if you get the bug, which a lot of folk on here have, you will be itching to upgrade!
 
Nigel B said:
Haha, I'm 68 years young myself with hair like a burst mattress. I'm resigned to wearing a cap with the roof down. Can't afford for it to get blown away, I might never see it again. If anyone knows of a nice 2.5 car for sale up to an absolute max of £12K worth of pension, please let me know.

Thanks for all the support, makes me feel really welcome. :)
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There is a few about - depends on where you are, spec you want and colour :thumbsup:
 
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