Hi everyone, I fell in love with the tC and have taken it for a couple test drives... but the driving position pulled my achilles tendon pretty badly. I'm 5'3 and not getting any taller, and I already played with the seat adjustment.... is there a way to modify the pedals or driving position so I can buy the car?!?!

I currently drive a 91 Buick Regal Coupe so I'm used to sitting low, it's just something about the way my ankle has to bend up to hit the gas and brake. I'm planning to take a pile of shoes on my next test drive to see if that makes a difference. (I have to wear heels to drive anyway).

Any suggestions? The tC is AWESOME, but this is a dealbreaker, and I really don't want to wind up with a Corolla.

Thanks!!!!

 

maybe fab a block on the pedal or something?

 

i would be very careful what you attach to the peddles the tc has a air bag under the wheel. did you adjust the steering wheel to get a better fit?

 

^true, good point about the steering wheel, didn't even think about that

 

i'm 5'1 and i don't have to sit with the seat all the way up and i fit fine and can touch the gas/brake/clutch perfectly.

 

It's not the wheel, it's the short legs + problems w/my achilles tendon anyway. I think what would help out is the angle of the gas pedal being changed. I will mention this to the dealer (if they're desperate to sell me a car I can't imagine why they wouldn't help out somehow).

The driving position of the Matrix felt so much better, but it's not the car I really want. Do you think it would help to measure the position on my Buick to get an idea of what would work?

I can get a good deal on a 2007 tC, but will I have the same driving position problems too?

 

My girlfriend is 5' 3" and has no trouble driving my car. Try moving the seat BACK a bit and using the ***** of your feet to operate the pedals. That should take some of the strain off your heels and tendons.

Or you could always get someone to lower the seat a bit....

 

I have the exact opposite problem. I'm 6,4 and i really don't fit to well because of them height i'm looking at the sun visor ( the seat doesn't lower enough)

 

I think having the seat a bit higher relieves some of the ankle stress since gravity is helping out, I will have to try that. I'm used to power seats so it all feels very different. In every other aspect, the tC beat out the competition, the Mazda3 and Honda Civic just felt so noisy and cheap.

 

Coming from driving big cars with infinitely adjustable power seats to the tC was a huge adjustment for me. That being said, I don't regret buying my tC at all. I don't think you can alter the gas pedal however. I am sorry to hear that this is a dealbreaker for you. Perhaps the car dealer would let you take one for an extended test drive? Like a few hours so you can adjust the seat to multiple positions and see how your achilles holds up? I've found that reclining my seat back one click and dropping the steering wheel helped alot.

 

At first I HATED the seating position of my Regal (coming from a Camry), I thought the gas pedal was really recessed, but I quickly got used to it and now the Camry feels a bit harder to drive. However, the Regal never hurt. It's been chewing up alternators on a regular basis which is why I'm car shopping. Ironically, when I first sat in the Matrix in the showroom I thought the accelerator felt uncomfortable. I have a hard time with my boyfriend's xA since my heel doesn't touch the ground, so I haven't tried the xD.

Test driving is so funny. My first tC test was right around the corner from home so I could really relax and focus on the car. Some places will only let you drive where THEY choose... so I'm not interested in purchasing from them.

The Scion definitely seems like the best bet for "downgrading" from a GM3800 (sob) to something in the compact market. <3 the liftback since I'm a musician. This is the first car I'll be purchasing, so I'll be really sad if this doesn't work out.

 

I bought my tc in may and well it's pretty comfortable for the most. I'm 5'3" as well and sometimes I feel it's difficult for me as well when it comes to the pedals. Either I'm to close to the pedals or to far away.

 

You could try spacers under the seat to raise it up a bit.......I know driving my Yaris the seatign position is higher so my legs are at a differant angle and it is more comfy to drive......the tC is very flat compared and after road trips my ankles hurt as well from the angle.......me 5'4" with short legs too.......hate being short.......

 

I'm looking at pedal extenders online. The combination of raising the seat and pedals could work out, it should be able to get me 10" away from the airbag, I usually have to have the seat all the way up. I haven't driven a car with airbags in years (eeeee)

 

I'm 6'3" & my GF is 5'4" we both have driven my 06 tC & haven't had any issues. I adjust the seat back along with the 2 adjustments on the bottom left so it's tilted like a rocking chair. When my GF drives all she does is move the seat forward & is good with it. Since you can't do anymore adjustment to the seat, how about switching it out?

 

all of you are missing the part where she had problems with her Achilles tendon