Hello everybody, I’m in the market for an f-type, I am super short at 4 foot 11 5’1 in shoes I was wondering what other short forum members have experienced with this car. My main concerns are visibility and comfort.

 

If it helps any, I'm 6'4 and can't see much out of the F-Type. By far the worst visibility of any car I have ever owned. Huge blindspot over your right shoulder, huge blindspot at the wing mirrors, **** even the speedometer and tach have a blindspot with the steering wheel adjusted downwards.

It's part of the charm.

 

The difficulty of a car like the F-Type for shorter people is the long nose. It may be difficult for you to consistently judge where the things are as you make turns. What other sporty cars have you comfortably driven?

Those are "true" on any sporty car I've owned over the last 30 years.

 

Not really anything other than a audi a6

 

I am 5' 5" and with all the great seat and steering wheel adjustments, I have no problems. The nose is long, so have to be extra carefull pulling into places. The front distance sensor helps allot.

 

Other than adding a (safe) seat cushion to raise your vision range over the hood, I would suggest going and trying out an F, then you know for sure... side vision, rear vision, and forward vision. The electric seat controls offer height adjustment which can be substantial. It does matter if your height limitation is hip to leg or hip to shoulder. Some folks are shorter in one of those. I am 5.5 and have my height in my hip to leg measurement, as opposed to my hip to shoulder measurement. I have both my F and my VW golf seat heights cranked up as far as they go.

 

Not sure if the coupe is better for visibility but the rear quarter view is pretty difficult on the convertible.
It is particularly difficult when bearing left at a Y-shaped intersection.
Almost impossible for the driver to see back around the passenger side for oncoming traffic from the right.

 

Plus one on this. Try one. I think the big thing to look at will be how well you can see the front fenders. I'm 6' and have the seat up some to help me see them. If you can't see the tops of the fenders you'll feel blind. As far as blind spots, I would not think that height would make a big difference, and you will have no blind spots in a coupe if you adjust the mirrors correctly. But, check that as well.

 

oops, duplicate. Is there a way to delete?

 

How can you see the front fenders?
I am 5'11" and can see the front of the hood but that is not where the car stops. It is more about gauging where the front spoiler ends.
I am generally cautious when parking, especially if there a parking obstacle like a kerb stone, but the proximity warning system is definitely helpful.

My wife is 5'2". She does not drive the Jag much, preferring her Audi. She has an extra seat cushion to gain elevation.
Her challenge is not seeing the front of the car so much as seeing what is low down in front of the car. Pot holes tend to be an issue!!

I would certainly support sitting in and driving a test car before making a decsion. My concern when purchasing was the low ground clearance vs the approach angle of my driveway.
I not only got a couple of good test drives, I was able to take the car home and check out the driveway a few times.

 

The biggest safety concern for very short people in any modern vehicle isn't visibility, but rather being able to maintain a safe distance from the driver's side air bag in the steering wheel and still reach the pedals. NHTSA recommends a minimum of 10 inches between the airbag cover and the sternum of an adult driver. I've seen short drivers with the steering wheel just about rubbing their chest and that significantly increases the likelihood of a broken sternum or ribs in a collision. Luckily, the F-Type does have significant seat and steering wheel adjustments so I imagine you could find a suitable driving position for visibility, but depending on whether you're short in the torso or legs (or both), you may need to look into pedal extenders.

From the NHTSA website on airbag safety:

With advanced frontal air bags, do I still need to maintain 10 inches between the air bag cover and my breastbone? Yes. To minimize the potential of any air-bag-related injury, NHTSA still recommends keeping a 10-inch minimum between the air bag cover (in the center of the steering wheel for drivers and on the dashboard for the right front passenger), maintaining a proper seating position, and moving the seat as far back as possible (drivers should be able to comfortably reach the pedals).

 

Electronic adjustable steering wheel forward and back should accommodate you. Don’t worry about the outside visability as it doesn’t depend on your size. It is just poor and that’s the cost of the gorgeous silhouette. The slopping bonnet is impossible to see even if your head is touching the roof so you navigate by using the shoulders of the bonnet if that makes sense. The long bonnet does take some getting used to but once you do it becomes subconscious

 

This topic really got me thinking.
How would an F-Type do in this situation?
https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...-cars-feature/

 

All good advice.
In my case, being 6 feet has little bearing. My wife, at barely 5 feet, and despite having never driven my F-Type, seems to have a complete and thorough knowledge of outward vision, rear visibility, speed, following distance, steering angle, throttle and braking input, etc. with only brief glimpses away from her phone and all from the comfort of the passenger seat.
My little portable vision pack option!

 

For about ten years, side-impact standards have dictated higher sided doors. I've noticed this on many brands, I always try the cars out, at the New York Auto Show. If you don't like the F, you will HATE a new Camaro!

That said, the Vision Pack (with BSM and front & rear proximity sensors) seems to do a good job compensating.

My 5'1" wife has no issues driving (seat at the highest setting).

 

I am 5'8" so neither tall or short. I have the seat lowered all the way. Not because I need the head room, but I just like it that way. There is plenty of adjustment range in the fore and aft seat position, seat back angle and lumbar support. Add plenty of adjustment in the fore and aft plus up & down steering wheel/column adjustment and I think you'll be fine. There are plenty of blind spots but I have just gotten used to them and take them into account. I don't see any way to adjust the seating position to get around them without making for an uncomfortable seating position.

As others have suggested, go to a dealer and sit in the car. I think you'll be able to adjust the seat & steering wheel to your liking without much of a problem.

 

Hi OP, Im only 5.2" and bought my f-type last friday. Been looking for something different for a while and came across the f-type coupe. Because of the adjustment for the driving position it has, i had a good test drive the week before and with seat and steering wheel adjustment i am very comfortable driving.
Probably longest nose ive driven for a long time was my Z4. The f-type is only 12cm longer and although it looks much longer and wider than the zed, its fine.
We back in to our driveway everytime and i have had no problem with using wing mirrors. First time i have had a camera and will need to get used to trusting how accurate it is for parking.
The cabin is great, and had a lovely 90 mile drive home. Really pleased with it.
As other members have advised, have a good test drive and have a practice parking.

 

As others have mentioned, I would check Turo or similar apps that support your area to see if you can rent one for a day or two. Some people have no issues with the nose of the car. Others, it's not for them. Just because one person says it works for them doesn't mean it works for you. Try one out and then go from there.

 

Perhaps you can meet up with a forum member in the Toronto area to check out their car? Once you’ve made 5 or 10 posts here, you can send PMs.

 

Wow... SUPER thread. Credit to you, Rome, for opening such a down to earth and entertaining topic. Every post here was CHAMPION to read!

Valerie's post I think gets the top award. DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER BUYING the F-Type, until you have had four or five chances to SIT in it, get obsessive with the power seats, steering wheel, and door mirrors, and see if there's a driving position for your body and feet and arms to match. Go to a dealership first thing in the morning, so you can dally in that seat for half an hour if needed. Bring your spouse with you, and use your spouse to decoy any pesky salesmen away from you---you need some time alone to get this done and this is important.


What's the maximum height the seat will take you up?
How far forward will the steering wheel go to allow you to reach the pedals and still be able to turn the wheel without swapping your hands around so much?
Does the hard-top F-Type feel easier to see over, and out of, than the F-Type convertible?
(If the sales staff don't let your linger in the car and finger the switches for a while---then THAT'S the dealership you DON'T buy from, and they just lost a damn good customer.)

If the SHOWROOM car feels it will fit you (not CAN fit you, but WILL fit you), then it's time to try a DRIVE with a salesman sometime later. If you can't find a body-fit in the showroom car, going on a drive will only seduce you into buying a car you were never really comfortable operating.

I don't completely want to agree with the posters who suggest that living with some level of discomfort in a sportscar has to be expected by an owner. By the passenger, OK I'll agree with that, but if you're the driver, 15% discomfort on the pedals or less visibility in your mirror equals 15% less ability to dance that car out of trouble when something challenges you on the road. And in an slick looking F-Type, you WILL be challenged from time to time---sometimes just by envious passing drivers, truckers, or careless folk.

It's not just about my overall height. I'm 5'-8", should be easy fit for an F-Type, right??? No. I admire the car, I know for me that the convertible would be my only option due to my desire for cabin freedom, but I've done that test I described above. Visibility was fine for me, I was already accustomed to a long-snout car, but I need lots of arm distance from the steering wheel, and every combination I tried with the windscreen+seat height+pedals just left me feeling I had no commanding awareness of the pavement anymore---not like in lesser cars like a Mustang or or Fiat. Not a visibility thing, but a "I'm at the helm of tall the situations in front of me" kind of thing. So I didn't bother with a test drive.

Don't let any of us decide this for you, Rome. Only Rome can determine if this car has an available configuration that fits your driving position.
ROME'S F-TYPE.