Increasing front row legroom

[ojannen]

I am looking at buying a Mazda5 and have run into a big problem with legroom. I am 6'6" and I don't fit into the front row. I have enough head room and foot room but not enough room for my knees. I did not fit into either seat in a third generation car, and I just barely fit into the driver's seat on the second generation car. I adjusted the seats all the way back and all the way down so I think they were as far back as they go.

Do I have any options here? Is there a way to modify the seat rails that will also make my insurance company happy? How does the Kia Rondo compare for front row leg room?

 

[Rally Man]

I think you'll need to find another vehicle for you, have you looked at any of the mid-size vans? Sienna, Odyssey, T&C, etc....

 

[Clicky]

Or you can just do what Rally Man does. Drive from the second row.


Seriously though, it is an issue for taller folks. There us a lot more room in the larger mini vans like the sienna etc.
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3

 

[Rally Man]

or you can just do what rally man does. Drive from the second row.

:-d

 

[bubuski]

Mazda has optional seat rails to gain an extra ~3 inches.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...Installing-the-drivers-seat-3-inches-backward

 

[ojannen]

I found the part number, 2200950100, in another thread but I can't find it anywhere online. Does anyone have a source for it?

I am cross shopping the Mazda5 against the Kia Rondo, Ford C-max, Toyota Prius V, and Fiat 500L. I am looking for a tallish wagon that can hold four adults over 6' tall. It is the only one where I don't fit in the first row.

 

[bubuski]

On second thought, the part is not made by Mazda. After reading the thread I linked, the part number belongs to Beaver car products in Netherlands and they do not have a North American distributor.

http://www.bevercarproducts.nl/
http://www.bevercarproducts.nl/downloads/algemeen/Availability articlegroup 605.pdf

 

[sac02]

OK, that makes more sense that those extensions come from the aftermarket.

I have a very hard time believing that an OEM would produce something like that - the seating position (and it's range of positions) are carefully designed so that all seating positions will meet safety requirements, among many other design criteria. If Mazda really wanted the seat to have 3" more rearward travel, they would have designed it that way, not come up with an OEM "seat track extension" dealer accessory. We engineers aren't THAT dumb.

It COULD be something as simple as the design criteria for the vehicle only called for it to fit the 95th percentile male, instead of the 99th, but it could also be that the crash test simulation showed very dangerous results with the seat that far back. Either way, I'd be very wary of just moving the hip point of any modern vehicle back 3" past the OEM location.

 

[snorlax]

Do I have any options here? Is there a way to modify the seat rails that will also make my insurance company happy?

Go to a dealer for Braun or VMI wheelchair-accessible vans. (Luckily for you they're all over Florida.) They belong to a trade organization called NMEDA, who oversees modifications to vehicles, and they will generate a form you sign off on describing the modifications done, and they're recorded to your VIN. Mainly it's for things like removing a knee airbag when hand controls are installed or removing seats with airbags to install a wheelchair docking device and non-OE seatbelts. I worked in the industry and did a lot things like raising seats (2" or under doesn't require the form), moving them back, extending pedals for drivers who were not disabled but didn't quite fit in their car. Find a shop that has a tech who has been there a long time (they can do a great job in their sleep) and shop around for price. With regard to that, steer clear of Ride-Away, and Mobility Freedom.