Driving Position

[Max Archer]

Is anybody else having trouble finding a working driving position in their Mazda2?

I'm going nuts in mine. I normally sit in the traditional track position, knees slightly bent with the clutch depressed and wrists resting comfortably on top of the wheel when stopped. Problem is, I can't get close enough to the wheel without sitting too close to the pedals and lifting the seat way up, and when I do, the whole top of the speedometer is obscured by the wheel. I thought I could try to deal with it, but yesterday I was driving next to a cop and had to keep it to 65, and I actually had to basically bend down to see my speed. I'm only 5'10", too, so it's unusual for me to have this sort of problem.

I'm thinking I might just try to dig up my old A'Pexi i-moni unit when I'm at my parents' house and use that for a speedometer, and forget about the analog one altogether, so I can sit as upright as I want.

 

[fam]

You know the seat raises and lowers right? Between that with the raising\lowering of the wheel + reclining your seat you will find your position.

I do have to admit without a telescoping wheel like my 3's and 5's had, I had similar issues for the first couple days till I found the spot and got used to it. Im 5'10" too...youll figure it out.

 

[Max Archer]

You know the seat raises and lowers right? Between that with the raising\lowering of the wheel + reclining your seat you will find your position.

I do have to admit without a telescoping wheel like my 3's and 5's had, I had similar issues for the first couple days till I found the spot and got used to it. Im 5'10" too...youll figure it out.

My seat is almost all the way down and my wheel is all the way up. The problem with lowering the seat all the way is that it tilts the whole thing back, and then I have to lean the seatback forward, which puts me right back in the same place again.

I've already driven 2000 miles in the car and the closest I've found to a solution has been to lower the seat most of the way, move my legs closer to the pedals than I'd normally sit, and then lean the seat farther back than normal, so I'm sitting in the car like I'm driving an Italian car, and just deal with sore arms and legs after a couple hours of driving.

I really wish we had a telescoping wheel, it'd solve everything. Too bad I can't just put in an extension like you can with an aftermarket wheel.

 

[fam]

Did you get yourself an armrest yet?

 

[PGTBrow]

I'm about 6' and 240lbs, and I can sit comfortably. I do find that my legs might start hurting on longer trips due to the cramped (left to right)leg room.

 

[arcxer]

The same thing (6'1", ~240lbs) -- can sit comfortably, the only problem is the right knee against the hard central console is a bit uncomfortable.

I would assume that taller drivers could have issues with the wheel obscuring the speedometer, but the OP is 5'10" -- kind of surprised by the issue in this case...

 

[fam]

Yup the right knee console area keeps it from being super relaxed since its in the way..but...if you push it in really hard with your knee it will flex and show you there's nothing behind it in the area it needs to be carved out for our knee\shins...its a design flaw. Maybe japanese people dont have thick calves so it never came up in testing ;-)

 

[JoeSakic19]

I'm 5'10 AND A HALF hehe... And I'm confortable. Just 135 lbs tho

 

[genericmoniker]

5'5 and 165 and I thought it was just my short stature that made me feel like I was sitting closer to the wheel than I should.

 

[PGTBrow]

The same thing (6'1", ~240lbs) -- can sit comfortably, the only problem is the right knee against the hard central console is a bit uncomfortable.

Exactly!

 

[Max Archer]

Did you get yourself an armrest yet?

Yeah, I got it the week I got the car. It's not bad, and the storage space is definitely a help. Kind of a pain having to move it to put drinks in the cupholders, though.

The same thing (6'1", ~240lbs) -- can sit comfortably, the only problem is the right knee against the hard central console is a bit uncomfortable.

I would assume that taller drivers could have issues with the wheel obscuring the speedometer, but the OP is 5'10" -- kind of surprised by the issue in this case...

I think it's actually kind of worse for me than a 6'+ driver, because a taller person would be sitting farther from the wheel. I'm just the wrong height for the car, my arms aren't long enough to be perfect if I'm far enough back to have a clear view, but my legs are too long to get them closer and lean back more to be lower in the car.

It's also a problem because I set my seat like a race seat. In cars with telescoping wheels, I always set the wheel as close as possible and sit with my legs almost straight. It's not really possible in this car though.

I did get my position improved somewhat, but I wish I could be one "click" more upright and one "click" farther back on the slider. Unfortunately that blocks the speedo too much. The seat position now is something I think I can get used to, though.

Also, yeah, the center console situation is really weird. It actually doesn't really bother me that much but I've never driven another road car where my leg was against a surface like that. (Kinda reminds me of driving formula cars though, haha.)

 

[DrWebster]

I'm 6' even, and I don't even have the seat down all the way -- but I sit a bit close to the wheel, such that my right knee is about 2" away from the bolster on the dashboard, and I'll rest it against the center console when cruising. Strangely enough, I'm more comfortable in my 2 than in our 3, and haven't noticed any lack of legroom. The 2 seems to cater to a more upright driving position, for better or worse.

 

[CRG Racer24]

I'm 5'8 155, and this is one of the best driving positions I have ever found in all the cars I've had. I like to sit abnormally low, because I'm used to Race seats bolted to the floor (in my Integra and SVT Contour when I had my Sparco's), and just because I like it. I also have a massive shifter now (ladiess... ), so I can rest my wrist/hand right on top of it. I would be able to drive this car for hours and hours and not be tired.. actually I already did when I made the trip up to MTL last Oct and New Years.