2mo ago

What cars have knee room? no center console?

I see this gets some attention on reddit every year or so, I have been doing my own survey and here is what I've found for modern cars

Big Vehicles - No console

Hyundai Staria - Small gear shifter clear of knee box.
Mercedes Sprinter
Nissan Serena - Small gear shifter clear of knee box
Suzuki Carry - Manual only, 2 seater cargo
Honda Stepwgn shifter gets into knee box
Toyota HIACE Some models no console, gear shifter does dig into knee box a little.
Ford F150 Some configurations

Small Vehicles - No console

Big Vehicles - Knee room

Toyota Landcruiser 70 Has a very small console far away from knee box. Roomy.
Subaru Forrester Has a annoying console, but gives more room then other console suvs, so 70% knee room
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Console can be moved back credit
Volvo xc30 console is retractable 75%, clear of the knee box. There is a floor console, it does poke into the ankles a little. Very wide seat

Small Vehicles - Knee Room

Suzuki Swift Very small console, doesn't block knees, but kinda pokes at ankles.
Wuling AIR/Binguo EV - Very low console legs can go over, but slight risk of shifting gears
Aion UT Floating half console for cup holding, leaving knee box clear.

What car without a console or lots of knee room do you know about?

21 comments

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 does have a center console, but on the higher trims it can be shifted back and forth, and there's a completely flat floor both in front of it and behind it
The Hyundai Inster has a pair of cup holders integrated in the seats, but no proper center console
- Driver knee room in the Ioniq 5 isn't great though. I regularly bump my knees against the steering wheel and against the corner near the start button. If you're willing to sit on a specific position then it works fine. Space is good for passengers.
  
  Oh, that's not a problem I have experienced, I have fairly long legs but I'm average height. I think I just shifted my seat back a bit, and the steering wheel is fully extended, because I prefer my legs to lie flat on the seat, so I have no trouble with knee room.
  Of course your mileage may vary, so definitely give it a test drive before committing to test whether the knee room is sufficient.
- Ah yeah, that looks nice!
  
  Yep
Pickups with a [split] bench seat? Usually a regular cab solution to get a 3rd passenger
- That would be ideal, I can't find them anymore in the current year production lineup.
  
  Not sure where you are or what the actual intent of the post is (meaning, probably average commuter cars), but there are still bench seats in US Ford F150s, at the least. All 3 cab configurations in XL or XLT trim (base, base+) offer a cloth 40/20/40 front seat under interior options. 40% of a bench each for driver and passenger, 20% in the middle for a flip-up armrest or very close friend. This is opposed by the other option listed for some, 40/console/40. But it looks like the bench locks you into the V8 and low-spec options. And a pickup.
  Edit: if the Carry is on the list, then there's probably vehicles like the Ford Transit as well. I haven't looked in a while, but work vans often have a configuration that allows the drive to walk into the cargo area. The center console becomes the storage cubby though, so I'm not sure how it eats into knee space
My 2008 Toyota Sienna minivan has lots of legroom and a full floor between the front seats, including a removable center console. It's a pretty sweet roadtrip vehicle. Super comfortable.
Stock photo:
- I’ll counter that point. I found my 2008 sienna to have little comfortable leg room. While technically you can fit, it’s an upright seating style popular on commercial vehicles so your knees are bent more, leaving no thigh support, and very much not comfortable.
  I switched to a 2016 Subaru Forester and found much more comfortable leg room. The console may impede my knees to the side but at least my legs don’t have to be bent under me as much
  
  I get that. We've got a 2015 Highlander and its seating position is definitely not upright like the Sienna's seats are. I like them both, but IMO, the Sienna wins out for having so much more usable space.
That’s crazy calling the Subaru forester a big car. I used to think so as well until I got one, but now I’m dwarfed by half the vehicles on the road.
- Daihatsu Move Canbus: 3,395 mm × 1,475 mm
  Subaru Forester: 4,625 mm × 1,815 mm
  2025 Honda CR-V: 4,691 mm × 1,866 mm
  Toyota Land Cruiser 70: 4,890 mm × 1,870 mm
  Yeah, the height of the driver is a big factor in how the car feels! The subaru sits low! But the footprint is a 1.3m longer then the keicar, and only 20cm shorter then the land cruiser.
Old Honda CRVs
- That looks simply brilliant! So much space.
The VW ID Buzz has a removable center console and a ton of leg room
A couple of EVs have that space. Also, some Asian utility vehicles back in the 90’s to mid 2000’s had that, like the Toyota Kijang and Mitsubishi Freeca.
I’m tall but only a 34” inseam, though I do sit closer to the wheel. Honestly my BRZ has way more room than it has any right to have.
I did a test drive of the forester, very comfy.
I also did a test drive of the hiace, also very comfy

21 comments