Warning: Long rant/vent.

TL;DR version: Tried a bunch of cars, keep coming back to the lexus...

So background on the situation is that I am 6'9" 290lbs, and have a family (2 kids, 8-10, both 5ft +, and wife) and we are looking for a second car. We have our primary family hauler (07 Honda Odyssey, great car for us), but need a second vehicle as my wifes work situation changed and we'll be needing another car for that reason.

I've been lightly looking around and been test driving/sitting/fitting here and there. Mainly Lexus, but also Honda. Since I am 'flying solo' this week while wife and kids are road tripping in the van on a vacation, I decided to head out and go to several different dealerships around town (luckily they are all gathered in one location, so its not too far between dealers). I stopped in at Acura, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo, and Lexus (did Honda earlier last week). Tried many of the vehicles both on the new and used sides.

Search Criteria

I have 3 'criteria' that I am looking at when selecting a car:
1. Do I fit? I need to be able to get in and not be mashing body parts against the cars dash, ceiling etc.
2. If I do fit, is there any space behind my chair for someone to sit there? I can fit in a Civic, but I am almost like Hightower in Police Academy, almost literally sitting in the backseat driving... I want to be able to grow into the car (family I mean, both my kids stand a good change of being tall. I was 6'4" at 14.. thats only 4 years from now for my son... who is on the path to being a big kid too... )
3. Do I have decent gas mileage? I commute 70 miles per day 80% of that is highway.
*Unspoken 4th criteria is reliablility, which eliminates brands like VW/Audi, most american brands, BMW, MB, Kia. Hyundai I do know is more reliable, I just don't fit most of their offerings...
Now these 3 things seem like a simple set of criteria, but they are almost mutually exclusive.

Results

First I don't fit in much, but I do fit in Volvo s80, xc70, the Subaru Outback, Acura MDX, Honda Accord, Pilot, odyssey, crosstour, and the Lexus GS300/430 and LS430 and LS460.
I didn't fit in Volvo S60, v70, xc60, all other subarus, and sedan like acuras, Mini Cooper, any Toyota sedan or small SUV/crossover, or any Nissan. American cars are too unreliable for my needs... Other european models are too expensive to repair, unreliable as well (the german cars especially). The RX, IS, ES and GX Lexus are too small for me. LX570 is just too many $$$.

From Back of drivers seat to front of passenger seat I basically found with a few notable exceptions, that I have less than a foot of space. On a few cars I can get a 6ft+ tall adult in the vehicle behind me. These are the Honda accord (just, wouldn't want to do a long road trip in it), the Honda Pilot and Odyssey, and Crosstour (again, just) and of course the Lexus LS460 SWB (no LWB available at the dealers). The GS430 is just a touch small for 6ft tall drivers side passenger, but not by much. Of all of them test the the LS460 provides the best behind driver space. The Volvo s80/xc70 are also in the just a touch small.

Onto the mileage: Most of the Lexus are in the 20-30mpg range (some just barely), the Hondas range from mid 20's to 50+mpg for their hybrid accord, the Acura is in the mid-20's, and the volvo's are in the high 20's, low 30's.

Conclusions

So you can see my conundrum: I can't get all 3 criteria to work for me at a maximum level.

If I go for driver comfort and space, I sacrifice rear passenger space.
If I go for interior space, I sacrifice MY ability to get into the car.
If I go for mpg I sacrifice vehicle size/weight.

In the end, I keep coming back to the Lexus since it has the best mixture of the 3 variables but no car is perfect. I'd love hybrid mileage, but even a 600hL only nets me a few MPG better than stock. (A Tesla would fit the bill but its just too damn expensive!).

What are other peoples experiences? I am sure I am not the only one to have gone through these considerations...

(by the way if you managed to read all the way to here congrats! )

 

My suggestion...LS460L

I'm 6'6" and the LWB has the most back seat room of any car/SUV out there.

It fits your criteria
1. Yes you will fit
2 yes your rear passengers will fit very comfortably...WITH you in the car.
3 gas mileage, it's not the best, but it's pretty darn good.
4 reliability

Expand your search to find a LWB, you won't regret it.

 

haha, I have the opposite problem... vertically challenged.

Good luck up there!

 

have you ridden in a Tesla?? I'm 6'3" and rode shotgun in up front and was quite cramped, and i'd compare the back seat to a GS model.

As previously mentioned, go for the LWB! i'm in and out all day long with no troubles whatsoever.

 

The only other car from a 460L that had the rear seat legroom when the driver had the seat all the way back is the BMW 750L. However since fuel economy and reliability are two of your considerations, I wouldn't consider it.

 

I agree with the others LS460L will work fine, also if your commute is mostly hwy with no stop and go traffic MPG's will be mid to high 20's.

 

Yes, I have driven a Tesla. I fit (I'm not all torso or legs just an even distribution of the 2). I fit better than most vehicles. Not as much space behind as the LS460L, but close. I'd wait for the Model X SUV to be honest if I were seriously considering the Tesla, but mid-70's to start is just too darn expensive for my blood at this time. Maybe when their consumer grade (due mid-2017) comes in around 30K, I can jump to that.

The 460L's are on the list too, they just tend to run about 10K more than I'm willing to spend at the moment... plus they are like Hen's teeth up here. So unless someone knows of a great deal...

The 70 miles is round trip, from Wisconsin border town into Twin Cities, corporate drone at one of the big companies in town.

 

Expand your search and drive to get your car. I can tell you, there is NO SUV on the market with more rear leg room than a 460L. I had mine delivered from over 1000 miles away.

Again, the LWB is definitely worth it's weight in gold for tall people and those having to cart people around in the back seat.

 

Check the Chicago area which normally has good options with a hugely competitive market for a combination of low miles and lower prices. . .

I live in Columbus OH, and my last two Lexus vehicles came from Chicago and the surrounding cities.

 

Speaking from experience, I can tell you that the MB S550 is another possibility. It has lots of leg room and head room in the front and rear.

 

So it seems that a 'dream' Lexus has dropped in my proverbial lap....

2007 LS 460L Blue with cashmere interior, Nav, rear seat entertainment. with the full air ride system.

Lived most of its life at Bergstrom and Bell Lexus in N. Scottsdale.

It does have 93k miles on it, but its under $24K.

So question... Is 93k miles too high? Will the air suspension 'fail' at 100-150k miles? Not really into a $7000 repair... Any other repairs that should have been done/need to be done at that mileage?

I have entered the VIN into the lexus website and it has 6 pages of repairs/work. The thing that concerns me is that the Lexus webpage lists it only as a 460 not an L, although it has all the look of an L. Also there are a number 'non-warrantable' repairs listed there. Should I be concerned?

 

Highly suggest spending the little extra money for a certified pre owned vehicle. If possible get the warranty extension too. It's saved a lot of us the extra expenses for the control arms and air suspension. It's also a huge peace of mind.

 

Hmm. I wonder if I could add a platinum warranty onto this from the guy everyone references on here?

 

Here's a 460L. Arlington IL Lexus

http://www.arlingtonlexuspalatine.co...-IL/2292221163

 

Another
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...nal&listType=1