Tall Folks in 3rd Gens?

IWannaBeA4rnr

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Hey all,

I've decided a 2001-02 4runner is my next vehicle, but being tall (6'5") I am wondering if I will even fit. I haven't even started shopping yet, and don't want to waste anyone's time looking to sell one if I don't physically fit. I plan on having it for long time, so long term comfort is a must. Would I be better off with a 4th gen, or will the 3rd work for me?

Thanks!
 
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3rd will be tight, a 4th would probably fit you better if it doesn't have a sunroof.

Go sit in one at a dealer somewhere, you aren't wasting their time.
 
I'm 6'5", and I fit okay. I tend to let my right leg rest against the console, and the left against the door. Overall, I find it fairly comfortable.
 
First, thanks for the super prompt replies.

Second, I was actually looking for one with a sunroof...would this lower roofline make this untenable?

Thanks again!
 
Well, I'm 6'2", and I feel I just fit in my 3rd gen, which has a moonroof.

When the 4th gen came out, I went down and looked at the first one my Dealership received. It also had a moonroof. I found the 4th gen had less headroom than my 3rd gen.

The 5th gen has good headroom for me, and is probably the model you're most likely to be comfortable in.

Of course personal comfort is subjective. The only way to know what will work for you, is to try out the different generation 4Runners.
 
I'm 5'11" and every once in a while I whack the crud out of my head on the sunroof in my 3rd gen from hefty bumps. It's all in the fun, reminds me I'm alive.

I'd say avoid a sunroof if possible. There would be quite a bit of head space without it....and you wouldn't have to deal with a notorious leak when the trim cracks. My .02
 
I'm 6'2" but I have a long torso. With the sunroof closed my hair touches the roof, but in my brothers 3rd gen without a sunroof I don't have any contact. I think its 2 or 3 inches taller without the sunroof.
 
I'm 6' 3" with a 3rd gen and a sunroof. I fit just fine. Sure I've hit my head on the ceiling a few times, but that was while doing stupid shit. When I put new seats in I'll mount them lower
 
I'm 6'1" and have never hit my head on the roof... Wtf am I doing wrong?

That said, I drive like a grandma with the seat not even close to all the way back, and my back fairly straight. Because of this I find that my legs get pretty restless, and on LONG trips the right side of my knee bothers me where it hits the center console.
 
I put in xb seats and lowered them, and they work fine, im only 6' though. overall id say the room is good, and im a bigger guy. I know a few big guys that have and had 3rd gens, and they all liked the ammount of room. I know that the sport seated 3rd gens have an adjustable tilt on the bottom cushion as well, where as the standard cloth seats dont. I think but am not sure that the leather seats are probably taller than thd cloth seats
 
i'm 6'5'' and about 225 and the fit is snug but it is nothing to get worried about. just sitting naturally, your head is inside the sunroof glass but is close to the lowered track. I have my seat leaning back a little farther then normal, which is still very comfortable. I have taken mine on 4 and 5 hour drives with no discomfort.
 
I have nothing to add to this conversation other than the fact I'm 5'-8 and wish I could have this problem. :cheers:
 
I'm 5'11" and every once in a while I whack the crud out of my head on the sunroof in my 3rd gen from hefty bumps. It's all in the fun, reminds me I'm alive.

I'd say avoid a sunroof if possible. There would be quite a bit of head space without it....and you wouldn't have to deal with a notorious leak when the trim cracks. My .02

You sit in a booster seat or somethin? lol.

5'10" here and my head is nowhere near the headliner (w/moonroof). Granted, I do have more headroom in my Matrix than I do in the Runner, so I can see how anyone around the 6' mark and up can start to feel cramped.
 
I'm 6' 185lbs and my hair scrapes the ceiling every now and again and big bumps I find myself ducking. I've got a sunroof in mine and the seat is adjusted as far down as it can go and I sit far back from the steering wheel. With all that said, I'm still very comfortable driving it.
 
6'-4 and big... no issues whatsoever with space.. although I do drive a first gen sometimes.. that's a little tighter :)
 
6'-1/2" here and I have a sunroof. I bang my head every so often, usually on a local highway overpass that is beat to death. But usually I have good clearance.
 
<--6'5"

My '96 SR5 had no moonroof and manual cloth seats: never had an issue with head room. The seat was pretty low and not "thick" padding. Sometimes back would get tight after 4+ hr drives because the seat was kinda thin.

My current '99 Limited has a moonroof and auto leather seats. The roof line is maybe 1-1.5" lower. The seat seems to sit up higher (maybe to make room for the motor) and the base seems thicker, but not by much.

I will say that the moonroof does inhibit me from a true upright, perfect posture pose (although I also suspect my torso is a tad long). If I exaggerate sitting up straight, my hair will touch the roof glass and my eyesight line is near the top of the windshield. But with the seat lowered all the way, and pushed all the way back with a slight decline, I can drive comfortably enough, and have yet to smack my head on anything unless I am deliberate.

While 3rd Gens will never have the headroom of say, a 1st gen xB (driving one of those feels great), I think you can drive one in comfort. For what it's worth, having sat in 4th and 5th Gens a lot, I felt like the 4th Gens were about the same but the 5th seemed even shorter, like it only got bigger on the outside.

Still thinking about one day replacing my front seats and getting lower brackets (a seat with a longer back mostly) and figuring out how to do a moonroof delete. I never use it and would prefer the headroom gain. I'd go through all of the trouble to do these things rather than buy another car with more factory headroom because 4Runners (esp 3rd Gen) are just worth it!:nod:
 

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