04 WRX Wagon Seat Position...

I'm kind of surprised. 6'3'' is tall but not that tall. Everyone is different on how they like to have their seat. Are you saying you have the seat all the way back and you still don't have enough legroom? Are your knees hitting the bottom of the dash? Generally, with the pedals depressed fully, you still want a very slight bend at the knees. Also, people who tend to sit upright (proper) instead of reclined tend to have more legroom.

I am really loving the 04 wrx wagon... the headroom is unbelievable compared to my maxima. I definitely would not get a sunroof (sedan only) if I were as tall as you. The only complaint about the seats is that they could use a little more side bolstering, particularly at the legs. I am 6' tall and my seat isn't even all the way back... have plenty of leg room. Maybe you have long legs too. It did take me a while to find a comfortable position too--initially had several bouts of back pain after hour drives.

CW

Have you tried adjusting the seat height? I have found that lowering the seat also sends it back. I once ratcheted it all the way down and slid it all the way back and asked my 6'7" friend to get in. It was almost too far back for him. AM

i think i tried every lever available, hehe :) With the seat all the way back, and all the way down, my knees are still bent too much and off the seat cushion by a pretty far way - it wasn't too bad on a few test drives, but bumper-to-bumper for an hour or so will probably wear out my legs and drive me crazy.

the 6'5" salesman *claimed* he was most comfortable in the impreza out of all the subie models, but we all know that means nothing. there is something to be said for different people having different proportions though... i have like a foot of headroom, but my legs just wont fit. dammit.

I have the same problem on most cars even though I'm only 6'0". It's not one's height that is the problem, it's the length of leg, particularly thigh length, that matters.

When I got my 89 GL wagon, I modified the seat to move several inches further back and that totally eleminated discomfort on long trips. Yesterday I did 700 km in 8 1/4 hours partly on compact snow and in flurries over three 5000' mountain passes and emerged comfortable although a tad tired. I've has Subies since 78 and am totally happy with them - never had any let me down on the road and never had any major engine or tranny problems.

Here's how I modified the seat and I hope I can use the same on my new TS or WRX when I upgrade very soon :-)

Remove the seat from the rail. Remove the rail from the chassis. Get a strip of strong steel and drill it to bolt to the chassis in place of the rail but extending further back. Then mount the rail to the strip using suitably strong bolts, then the seat to the rail.

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I agree with the salesman - I am 6'3" and in every Subie I tried (Legacy, Forester, Baja) except the impreza, my knees hit the steering wheel (the weird one was the Forester, since it is based upon the Impreza, and actually has 0.5" more legroom on paper...) - really annoying (esp. in a manual) - however, in my car (WRX wagon) I can fit just fine - however, my legs are bent a bit (don't think my legs are off of the seat, though) - I have the seal all the way down, all the way back, and the steering wheel most of the way up and seem to fit fine. I don't generally ever sit in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour, though (that would get annoying even with all the legroom in the world!) - the funny thing about cars today - I had more legroom in my old 88 Corolla than I do in the Impreza or in a Camry/Accord or even in a friends Suburban... it's bizarre...

thanks for the description. sounds like a good mod to solve the problem. could i ask where you got the steel and how you made the holes? i don't have a drill-press or any metal working tools readily available... i guess i'd have to find a metal shop? i was wondering if any commmon store-bought tools could do the job.

thanks, joe.

You can get a length of strip steel (I forget the trade name for it - strapping?) at almost any welding or metalworking shop. I think I used

But I'm wondering about doing this on the 2004 WRX if I get one, because it has side air bags. I don't know the layout of these and how critical their positioning is in relation to the seat - it might be a problem. Comments, anyone?

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The side airbag is built into the seat, so it will not matter if you move the seat.

The last person I knew to buy a WRX ('02 model) found that pushing the seat all the way back and cranking the little up/down barber-chair handle thingie to the extreme down position gave him enough room to be comfortable for even 8-hour extended trips, provided he get out and stretch every four hours or so.

Are you sure you didn't miss the barber-chair ratchetty thing?

It's true. My WRX-driving friend has driven in a Forester, an Outback, and his WRX. His WRX was the most adjustable, and gave him the most comfortable ride with the most legroom. And he's taller than you. :-)