Cars for Larger persons

[aussie muscle]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/n...ectid=10767729

Ford and Nissan have created fat suits for their engineers to wear while developing control systems, so that buttons can be placed in convenient locations for larger drivers.

[Mr Hardware]

i thought thats what falcons were for?

[Whiskeyonesix]

Y'see, this is where the car manufacturers are going wrong - as in making the cars more comfortable and pleasurable to drive, so we don't actually feel the need to walk anywhere anymore.....

I'm not being Sizest here, but how much of a blob would you have to be not to be able to reach the controls that skinnier people could easily reach? Unless they're doing this to help disabled drivers - in which case, all well and good.

[redxm]

Why can I picture Homer Simpson in a dress...........

[billy302]

My son inlaw is 6'5" and is like a large tree that moves on fat per-say just huge.
I also have nephews and other relatives that are well over the old 6' mark and at 6'3" tall in the old money I'm no shrimp either. making room for large people doesn't mean their fat. My son inlaw folds himself into a Hyundai Gets, funny to watch.

[pottery beige]

give the salad dodgers a pushbike......

[ebxr8240]

Ford don't sell push bikes..

[FAT245]

im 6ft7 181KG... The Fairlane is fine for me? ... but engineering cars for larger people is just wrong...

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

i thought thats what falcons were for?

I actaully thought that's what VE Commodores were for? The seats on the Commode feel like they are designed for someone over 200kg ..

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by billy302

I also have nephews and other relatives that are well over the old 6' mark and at 6'3" tall in the old money I'm no shrimp either. making room for large people doesn't mean their fat. My son inlaw folds himself into a Hyundai Gets, funny to watch.

If you read the article, it's specifically addressing the fat motorist, not the tall one.

[SM1DY]

Lunch time at Ford

[Ford_The_Win]

It's just a by-product of the obesity epidemic, there are tonnes more fat people around these days ( ) and manufacturers need to cater for them. I've noticed this with furniture as well, looking at buying a new lounge in the near future and new lounges are huge, made wider to accommodate overweight Australians. Everything is bigger nowadays, houses are excessive and enormous, dinner plates the size of platters, etc etc.

[Spudz27]

I'm fat. 5"10 at 108kg. I don't find it difficult to find or reach buttons in and car I have owned.

[Lotte]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

It's just a by-product of the obesity epidemic, there are tonnes more fat people around these days ( ) and manufacturers need to cater for them. I've noticed this with furniture as well, looking at buying a new lounge in the near future and new lounges are huge, made wider to accommodate overweight Australians. Everything is bigger nowadays, houses are excessive and enormous, dinner plates the size of platters, etc etc.

They should be doing the opposite. Would help combat the epidemic rather than nurture it. We've always had MASSIVE bowls for pasta at dinner (those mega soup bowls), and when I bought some standard sized ones, Dave freaked out. Till he realised they were big enough (ahhhh gotta love the psychology of the fullplate, no matter what size it is).

As for car manufacturers joining the revolucion, what the hell......

[SM1DY]

Originally Posted by lotski

They should be doing the opposite. Would help combat the epidemic rather than nurture it.

No it wouldn't, they would just buy a different car from a manufacturer that was more accommodating to their size. Ford aren't the Government, it's not their job to initiate social change.

[Bossxr8]

I'm suprised every US manufacturer isn't doing this, they have put in massive cupholders for huge soft drinks and GPS that will guide you to the closest fast food joint where you can supersize your meal, its just a further evolution to start having to engineer the cars for fatter people.

[Franco Cozzo]

I'm a fat bastard and I find my Fiesta and Focus fit me in a hell of a lot better than the recent and current model Falcons, particularily the BA, the seat is too high and steering wheel doesn't adjust high enough to avoid an awkward entrace, my thunder thighs brush on the wheel getting in.

In the Fiesta I can have the seat very far down and the steering wheel up high, and its easy peasy to get in and out.

I thought Falcon was designed for fat bastards like me.

[Lotte]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

No it wouldn't, they would just buy a different car from a manufacturer that was more accommodating to their size. Ford aren't the Government, it's not their job to initiate social change.

It was intended as tongue in cheek...

[duaned]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/n...ectid=10767729

Ford and Nissan have created fat suits for their engineers to wear while developing control systems, so that buttons can be placed in convenient locations for larger drivers.

Ahh, perfect for Taxi drivers then!

[drew`SEVNT5]

Originally Posted by Spudz27

I'm fat. 5"10 at 108kg. I don't find it difficult to find or reach buttons in and car I have owned.

+1 5'11" 129kg.

Never have found it difficult.

Infact, even my current car is easy, and it is far from kevin*

Then again, I can buy my clothes from regular stores, not specialist fat bastard stores, so maybe I am not the size they are talking about?











*spacey

[2011G6E]

Large car seats have, if anything, seem to have gotten smaller over the years.

I first noticed it stepping out of our 2004 Landcruiser...admittedly a big vehicle, into the new G6E, but what really drove it home was something that happened the other day with the 1982 WB V8 Ute we're doing up. The original bucket seats were a bit tatty, and we were going to recover them when we got given a set of cloth fully adjustable buckets out of a VT Berlin a. I had already removed the old'buckets and sat the news ones in to see how the mounts would go...and the extra room in the cabin is amazing...they're way narrower and not as deep as the old seats. Its good because of the extra legroom now, but it's surprising the difference from what are essentially 1970's seats to just about year 2000 seats...

[Kable72]

I wonder if they are going to accommodate for the far people that they are going to forgot about smaller people.

[Fled74]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I'm a fat bastard and I find my Fiesta and Focus fit me in a hell of a lot better than the recent and current model Falcons, particularily the BA, the seat is too high and steering wheel doesn't adjust high enough to avoid an awkward entrace, my thunder thighs brush on the wheel getting in.

In the Fiesta I can have the seat very far down and the steering wheel up high, and its easy peasy to get in and out.

I thought Falcon was designed for fat bastards like me.

Same. 5'10" and 107kg, no problems with my WP Fiesta, or even my old Laser.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Large car seats have, if anything, seem to have gotten smaller over the years.

I first noticed it stepping out of our 2004 Landcruiser...admittedly a big vehicle, into the new G6E, but what really drove it home was something that happened the other day with the 1982 WB V8 Ute we're doing up. The original bucket seats were a bit tatty, and we were going to recover them when we got given a set of cloth fully adjustable buckets out of a VT Berlin a. I had already removed the old'buckets and sat the news ones in to see how the mounts would go...and the extra room in the cabin is amazing...they're way narrower and not as deep as the old seats. Its good because of the extra legroom now, but it's surprising the difference from what are essentially 1970's seats to just about year 2000 seats...

I remember back in 2003 when the first FPVs came out there were a lot of complaints on the old forum that the GT-P seats were too small and the GT ones fitted better. I found the opposite and I am 6'2" & 98kg

[csv8]

Always the F Series....

[StarDeala]

Originally Posted by Whiskeyonesix

Y'see, this is where the car manufacturers are going wrong - as in making the cars more comfortable and pleasurable to drive, so we don't actually feel the need to walk anywhere anymore....

So true, I live less than a Km from Coles, and my housemates still take the car just to get milk and bread. Also, we (as in society) will drive 10k or more to the gym to get on a treadmill / spin bike, but don't get out into the beauty of mother nature for a walk around a park. I'm 30 and went bushwalking on Monday, and apart from the people I was with, the only other people we saw the entire day were either OS tourists, or in the 55+ age bracket.

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I'm a fat bastard and I find my Fiesta and Focus fit me in a hell of a lot better than the recent and current model Falcons, particularily the BA, the seat is too high and steering wheel doesn't adjust high enough to avoid an awkward entrace, my thunder thighs brush on the wheel getting in.

In the Fiesta I can have the seat very far down and the steering wheel up high, and its easy peasy to get in and out.

I thought Falcon was designed for fat bastards like me.

I am on the huskier side and I had the same problem, with legs brushing up against the steering wheel, the trick is to bring the steering wheel a little bit closer towards you so that you get a bit of extra clearance. Or, just lose weight, because I didn't have that problem when I was thinner

[RAPID_BA]

........this is a topic that makes my blood boil.

Car manufacturers should put recaro seats with small snug fitting seats for normal/small size bums.

Big bum, then dont drive my car.

Answer....fat people to lose weight if they wanna drive good cars. give them an incentive to get to the gym.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by StarDeala

So true, I live less than a Km from Coles, and my housemates still take the car just to get milk and bread. Also, we (as in society) will drive 10k or more to the gym to get on a treadmill / spin bike, but don't get out into the beauty of mother nature for a walk around a park. I'm 30 and went bushwalking on Monday, and apart from the people I was with, the only other people we saw the entire day were either OS tourists, or in the 55+ age bracket.

A kilometer? Phht...our little town is tiny...it's only about 300 meters from my front door to the front door of the station, yet people who live about the same distance from there as I do drive thier cars to work every single day.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by StarDeala

So true, I live less than a Km from Coles, and my housemates still take the car just to get milk and bread.

My mate was the same when we were sharing a house about 200m from the supermarket. He would still drive his car. I'd walk and we were both fat bastards (he still is, I'm not quite so fat now)

I agree with 2011G6E, my BA seats were the most uncomfortable seats in any car I had ever owned due to the heavy bolstering. I'm just too wide in the hips and thighs.

And HULK come on mate, we are all different sizes. I am 6'3" and 120kg (and a very frequent gym goer and healthy eater), and while yes I could stand to lose 10kg there is no way I would squeeze into some of the sports seats in cars nowadays even after I skinny'ed down. And i'm not just talking the seat bolstering but the back bolstering too. In fact it has put me off a couple of choices for a new car.