Question that's been bugging me

"El Rivinado" (joeman856) 12/14/2014 at 18:10 • Filed to: None

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I've got a question on my mind, had it on my mind for a while, and I want your guy's opponions on it.

Why do people like to sit up high?

It's always seem weird to me that some people will not in any way, shape, or form buy anything that sits low to the ground, they have to buy something that sits up high. A lot of those opinions I've heard of both from personal and word of mouth, always come from women. I see so many women driving big SUVs, CUVs, and whatnot, and the answer is always the same. "I feel safer when I sit up high." But I feel this answer is kind of a placebo effect and hell, for some people its the opposite.

For example, I'm actually kind of a big guy, I'm 6'3 and I've got a very long torso and skinny ass chicken legs, so buying a car will always be a struggle. But when I was car shopping I did not want to buy an SUV or something where I sat up high, for some reason, I cannot drive or even sit in anything that's seated up high. Every time I get into something that sits high up, I get really nervous for some reason, maybe its because whenever I think of cars that sit up high, they're always the size of a Black Hawk helicopter and don't turn very well and could possibly roll over at the slightest provocation. I don't mind big cars or cars with a lot of length/mass to them, but the minute I get up high, I get stressed, cause I always feel like I'll either hurt myself or someone else if I'm in a car that's seated up higher than normal.

That's not to say I couldn't overcome those fears, but the question still remains, is there any advantage to sitting up higher other than a false sense of security? And are my fears completely irrational or are they justified?

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:15

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Safety. Or the perception of it.

You can sit at or above everyone else on the road and it makes you feel safer, or more powerful. I personally hate sitting up high, I'd rather be as close to the road as I can.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:25

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I don't know other people's reasoning, but mine is that all I've ever driven is a tall, high-riding vehicles, so I'm used to it. Plus it makes it a little easier to see over and ahead of other, lower cars.

It all comes down to personal preference really and not much else.

Steve in Manhattan > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:26

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Buddy of mine is 6'8" and I recommended a Ford Freestyle. He loves it, and he fits. Not too high a seating position.

I remember a long time ago being in a friend's E-Type. It's not lower than, say, a Gallardo or a Lotus, but it's pretty low. I recall feeling pretty intimidated by Grand Cherokees and Ford Explorers in traffic (a suburban road with six lanes, high volume), but the Jag was especially low, smaller than you think, the top was open, and a few people were slowing down to look at it. I think it was a combination of what it was (didn't want to stuff it) and how low it was.

THOMAS5 > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:29

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Ha, thats my exact car

El Rivinado > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 12/14/2014 at 18:30

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I can see that, if you're used to something for so long you just are like "Meh, didn't even notice."

El Rivinado > Steve in Manhattan 12/14/2014 at 18:32

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I can understand, personally I don't like sitting so close to the ground I can feel my ass scrapping against the road either. Seating is a weird thing though, you got to have it just right.

El Rivinado > Steve in Manhattan 12/14/2014 at 18:33

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I can understand that, personally I don't like sitting so close to the ground I can feel my ass scraping against the road either. Seating's weird though, it's one of those things you got to have just right.

El Rivinado > THOMAS5 12/14/2014 at 18:34

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When I thought of vehicles that sat up high and were popular because of it, Jeep Grand Cherokee just sprung in my mind. Odd coincidence though.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:36

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My biggest reason is it is SO much easier to climb into, than contort into. On top of that, I am very observant, I want to know what is going on, so being up high I can see what is going on.

THOMAS5 > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:37

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Yeah, I bought mine because it was from a family member and very cheap. I prefer sitting low but sitting high doesn't bother me that much.

Steve in Manhattan > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:44

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I have sat in, but not driven, a Lotus Elise. Getting in and out is difficult, and the driving position is impossibly low (although the pedals and shifter are near-perfect). It's simply not usable every day. On the other hand, I rented a Grand Cherokee back in 2000 and, having driven the full-sized Blazer of the period as well as an F250 tow vehicle, found its driving position pretty good.

Brickman > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:49

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Easier to get in and out of vehicle, better view of surroundings, and it's more comfortable IMO.

mazda616 > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:51

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I don't get it, either. My wife loves her Mazda CX-5 because it allows her to sit up high. I love my lowered Mazda3 because I feel like my butt is on the road, lol. I feel more connected and in control that way.

desertdog5051 > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:54

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I called a guy who deals with this type of phobia. He is coming over to help. Watch for him.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 18:56

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I grew up driving vans from the eighties, and when I eventually starting driving smaller things, I did notice the difference in forward visibility in traffic. My dad likes sitting a bit higher because he's an old fart who doesn't like having to climb up out of a car... but he doesn't want anything so tall he needs to climb up into it, either. He also prefers a bolt-upright seat back.
Having said that, while I like being able to see further in traffic, I also like the car-like "reclined" seating position, not the sitting-tall one of a van or big SUV. In my Comanche (and also my Niva) the balance is pretty good. The rooflines are at fairly typical small-suv height, but the floorboards are pushed upwards for ground clearance, forcing a car-like seating position.

El Rivinado > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 12/14/2014 at 18:58

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That actually sounds reasonable, and from your description it's a perfect balance that can work for a guy like me.

El Rivinado > desertdog5051 12/14/2014 at 18:59

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LOL

E92M3 > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 19:11

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It's mostly for forward vision. I know when I'm driving my car vs my SUV it's impossible to see past an SUV in front of me. It's nice to be able to see what's happening further ahead. For example is the guy in front of me hitting his brakes for no reason, or is there a bus unloading ahead? I see lots of people in small coupes and sedans pick the wrong lane all the time because they can't see an obstacle a 1/4 mile ahead that's about to slow that lane down to a stop.

Viggen > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 19:34

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I can go off roading in a Miata, but I can in my Cherokee.

I have a Mazda6 and my Cherokee so I can see both sides of the spectrum. I'm comfortable driving higher up and low.

My phobia comes from driving cars that don't belong to me or family members.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 19:49

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For a lot of people, it's a combo of visibility, and tall=feels big, big=safe if you hit a smaller car.

M54B30 > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 19:52

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1) my eyes are at the exact same height as truck/SUV headlights, worse so with brodozers. Small trucks (S-10s, etc) shine right into my rear view mirror

2) I can see farther ahead when I'm in my Montero - important when you don't have ABS!

3) while taller cars aren't necessarily safer, imagine the difference getting hit in a 94 Corolla (like mine) and a Montero. The height allows a lot of the impact to be absorbed by the engine, hood, etc

Gyroswag > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 21:23

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I drive big things. About anything I've driven more than twice has had the spare tire mounted under the car. Tahoe, Traverse, Expedition...

Then there's an 09 Accord I end up in more than I'd like. All I fucking see out of that car is hood. That's why I hate low cars. Yes, there is a part of me that likes ride height reminding me I'm in a large vehicle. And yeah, part of me just hates looking in the rear view mirror and seeing nothing above the bumper of a Wrangler behind me. But there's definitely something to say for visibility.

My running theory is that the low-slung Accord has a ground-scrapingly low floor that puts you further below the hood compared to something like a Traverse, which has a pretty high floor (as part of SUV styling) and more upright seating that puts you at a higher spot, compared to the hood of the car. So instead of getting to look out and up, you get to look out, up and down . Like, at the road. That you drive on, where all the lines are.

Like most things, it's a lot of preference. As I've come to understand it, it's interior vs. curb. Sedans and coupes let you see more dash, at least the ones I've been in - you feel isolated, you can see traffic and ahead fine but not so much the ground, you're in the car. Whereas SUVs and Vans (especially the latter) put you above the dash and looking down at the ground, a sort of industrial or utilitarian angle where you feel more focused and the road markings than the speedo.

wantafuncar > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 21:24

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Vision on the highway.

I drove nothing but trucks / 4x4 suvs until a few years ago.... I was amazed at how much I couldn't see on the highway in a car (Acura TL). In a tall vehicle, you can see the patterns coming and anticipate very easily. I was constantly unable to see what was ahead in one lane or the other, around vehicles, etc.

That said — I still drive a car & plan to keep driving a car. I'll sacrifice some visibility for driving dynamics.

yamahog > El Rivinado 12/14/2014 at 21:33

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Meh, whatever floats yer boat. I'm all of 5'3 and go between a lifted Cherokee and a FZ6, comfortable with my possibility of death in either, and looking to buy a small fast car this spring.

HOWEVER

When I was last home, my mother fed me some garbage about me "being safer" in her Lincoln MKX rather than her Mercedes SLK350, so if you've been exposed to that "smaller = DANGER" your whole life, that might have some effect on you.

XJDano > El Rivinado 12/15/2014 at 18:09

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I actually feel more safe in a larger vehicle. It may have to do with the fact I'm a small guy at 5'6" & 135lbs, and switch from driving the metro which is pretty low to my wife's Equinox, and 15-24' box trucks at work.

For one the metro probably isn't safe to begin with.