K-A

I recently have come to the harsh conclusion that most modern cars are not fit for my 6'4 with seemingly long torso build. I was looking at a CL and realized that that HUGE behemoth has a full 1" less head room than the W212 (36.9" VS 37.9"). The CLS has the same head room as the CL, and I can't even begin to describe how cramped my head is in a CLS, I wouldn't even want to ride in the thing really as an accident would pretty much guarantee my head would hit a hard point at a high speed.

My W211 I remember feeling really cramped in when I sat up straight. I found it odd as the car is a large 4-Door Sedan with an upright roofline. That car only has 37.4" frontal headroom. My W220 S-Class also felt cramped, and its headroom is about the same.

Which brings me to the E. The headroom is by the best of that bunch, but I recently started getting that "cramped" feeling. I realized that I've gotten so used to keeping my head inside the moonroof indentation that in the case of a side collision, my head would go pretty much right into the hard outer points of said indentation, thus making me feel as if even the W212 is a "safety hazard". With the moonroof open, and me sitting straight up (seat ALL the way down), my head it extremely close to being level with the OUTSIDE roofline.

All in all, it's got me really disappointed in M-B for not really catering to tall drivers, especially with their being known for such huge cars. BMW's frontal headroom, for example, is a full 1+" better on about all their competing models. It's not like I'm Shaq tall!

So, any others here at or over 6'4-ish that have these cars?

Wig

K-A - is this your way to justify dumping your MB and getting into an F10?

MCF

I am 6'4" and find that I sit up a lot more in the E in order to be comfortable and get proper lower back support and have plenty of head room. I have also been in a CLS and A6 and had no issue with head room in either. Sounds like u have a disproportionally long torso. My legs r long (pants inseam is 34 to 36).

K-A

Yeah, my torso must be that of a 6'6 person or something. I'm completely in awe that you can fit in a CLS at 6'4, since me in a CLS is so bad that I practically have to tilt my neck and even then I'm still jammed against the hard points around the moonroof. In a CLS, sitting up, seat all the way down, my head skims against the glass moonroof even. In the E, I have about an inch till the moonroof in that same seating position, but if I try and fit my head under the hard/metal/fabric frame around said moonroof indentation, my head is too jammed to even attempt it.

What's got me kind of spooked is if I get hit, especially from the side, I realized that my head can seriously slam against the edge of the roof indentation. No reason to have such a safe car if that's the case.

MCF

Trade for a GL.

K-A

If you want to see how bad M-B's front headroom specifications are, check this out:

E: 37.9" (W211 was 37.4")
S: 37.8"
CLS: 36.9"
CL: 36.9"
New SL: 39" (ironically).

BMW:
7: 40.6"
5: 39.1"
6 Gran Coupe: 40"
6 Series Coupe: 40" [Though it felt way more cramped than 40" suggests for me] (also can you believe the 6 family which is lower AND sleeker than the E and CLS's give vastly more frontal headroom than either.... we're talking VS a upright Family Sedan E-Class)

Even the new Porsche 911 has 38.4" frontal headroom.

Basically, the only cars M-B makes that I can even somewhat comfortably fit in (remember, I'm not 7", simply an NBA Point Guard's average height) are the E and SL. I was absolutely pissed when I found out even the massive CL has too little headroom.

I'm really trying to talk myself into BMW's lately. It's to the point where I don't even want to support M-B anymore after these "revelations".

K-A

Lol. Not even I know anymore. If I get into something else I really wanted a Coupe, since I'm getting tired of unnecessary 4-Doors, and that got shot down after the CL travesty. The kicker was when I saw a reflection of myself in my E (building window) checking out my cars side profile, and noticed how cramped and up to the roof I looked. Since then I've been really focused on this headroom situation.

MCF

So r u physically uncomfortable or more concerned about what complete strangers think?

MCF

And forget about the published dimensions. Those measurements mean nothing. U think all mfr take the dimension from the exact two pioints. I test drove a 535i and felt much more cramped than in the E.

K-A

The reflection-in-the-window bit doesn't have anything to do with how other people see me (it didn't look weird or out of place, but I noticed how high to the roof I am).

Fortunately, the moonroof indentation makes it comfortable for me, and I guess I'm so used to leaning slightly to the right (where my head can fit in it) that it doesn't bother me anymore. But if I try and sit up straight, then my head jams up against the left side (actual roof). That's why I'm concerned about it in the case of a (hopefully never) accident or something.

You found the F10 cramped, headroom wise? Did you have the seat all the way down? I agree that publicized numbers don't mean much (as I've found out). I've yet to really analyze my headroom in the F10. I do know that I sat in the 6 Series and although headroom was somewhat okay, it felt a little more cramped than my E, or at best, comparable. Only difference there is with the 6, I could roll the seatback more and it works since the whole car is about a sportier positioning.

What I do know is that the new Porsche 991 has great headroom for me. Too bad that baby with some decent options costs a soul and brain.

W210

The 997 has more headroom than the W212. The GLK without sunroof has most headroom obviously, but unfortunately the E550 sedan cannot be ordered without sunroof.

I don't find the BMW 5 or 7 having more headroom than the W212. The problem with those two is that the door opening is quite limiting for one's head to get in, if you know what I mean.

K-A

Thanks. So it looks like I can rest assured that I have no reason to convince myself into a 5-Series. I'll have to check for myself and see how my own seemingly "unique" build fits in it anyway though. It seems like BMW really aren't truthful with their interior dimension headroom specifications.

I guess a 911 is my only bet here. I have till March of 2014 to let depreciation on the 991 set in.

W210

The 5 has a feature the E doesn't have, one can kick right below the rear trunk to have it opened automatically, and I think they have self closing doors as well?

In any case, we were in the position to get the 5 but find the rear too tight compared to the E, and the front seats hard to get into.

Also prefer the MB brake auto hold feature (by foot), over the BMW one, by pressing a button. The multi contour seat on the MB beats the BMW one as well in my opinion.

K-A

Did the 5 seem to have any more frontal headroom than the E though, or were you initially referring to the rear headroom being the same as the E's?

I didn't pay attention to entry/exit on the E compared to the 5, but that's interesting to note. BMW's generally have lower seats which leads me to believe that perhaps more generous frontal headroom should essentially be more realistic VS M-B's who typically have higher up seating positions. The 5er also has a pretty tall roofline it seems.

RobbieRob

KA, get a Bmw 6 coupe,,, since you dont like 4 doors anymore and your always at the BMW dealer taking pictures... Thats what I would get.

W210

No, the 5 didn't seem to have more front headroom than the E, while rear is definitely tighter on the legroom part.

Regarding the entry/exit for the front, it's the top part of the door opening at the B pillar, the E definitely wins in this area.

K-A

Lol. That's exactly what I'm always prowling the BMW Dealers to look at. LOVE the 6 Coupe. Way too overpriced for a 6-Series though, and the MASSIVE depreciation already proves the open market agrees. Once I drive it and confirm it hopefully has enough headroom for me, it'll probably be a or the front runner if or when I decide to move on from the E (or don't buy it after the Lease)

Ah, now I know what you mean. Credit it to the 5ers MASSIVE B-Pillar. That thing is the size of a house. It's due to BMW's cost cutting on materials for the 5ers chassis. Less lightweight aluminum than the E60, and less high strength/low weight steels than the E-Class. BMW made a damn strong chassis for the F10 5-Series, but they did it the old fashioned way: Heavy Steels, and lots of it.

The W212 E in comparison has MUCH thinner B-PIllars, yet stronger B-Pillars. I.e, the E uses more advanced/expensive, Mega High Strength/Low Weight steels to generate even slightly more strength than the 5-Series' B-Pillars which are about twice as massive.

brauhaus313

Is that you? Haha.

Seriously though, you're one very neurotic individual. March 2014?

hyperion667

K-A

A little neurosis, a little paranoid, a little batsh*t crazy.

That pretty much is me inside a CLS. If I sit high enough in the E, I might be able to even get the very top of my head to get a taste of the outside air.

MCF

The 5 just felt more cramped overall. Havebu tried a new A6? Def less headroom in backseat but front felt ok.

aeggroup

I have the same advice. I feel so small when I drive GL compared to E. Try it - you may like it.

eaweg1

I'm only 6' and there are times I feel like my head will hit the top of the windshield. I do have a long torso but we also have the pano roof. Then again, my daily driver is an mkvi GTI so I have plenty of headroom and when I get into the S212 I have to adjust.

We used to have an X5 and while there was plenty of headroom the overall functional space of the S212 is much better.

To date our longest trip as been 8 hrs roundtrip and it really hasn't been an issue. We're taking a vacation up to Denmark this week so we'll see how it feels over a really long haul.

I have to say that I tend to forget the seating height as soon as I get on the autobahn...the car just cruises effortlessly and is a joy to drive.

BenzV12

I am surprised to see a complain about insufficient headroom for W212 .I am 181 cm tall , and headroom is fine for me . However, my seat adjustment is almost at the lowest position .
I don't like it raising the seat because I feel like I could hit my head as well lol
My biggest complaint was about finding a proper driving view because I had hard time trying to figure out my driving position , thankfully I am used to it now and no more feeling discomfortable about it
My dad's Fleetwood has a higher headroom just a for note . When I sat in A207 , I didn't hit my head above the roof lol .

QuadBenz

I agree with MCF. You must have odd proportions. I'm about 6'4 and a 1/2 and I've had no issues fitting in any cars listed. I've never once found myself uncomfortable in any of the cars due to a lack of headroom, including the CLS. In fact, my daily driver is a 2012 Mustang and even then I don't hit the roof, with the seat raised a small amount.