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I had the opportunity to sit in the back seat of a Model 3 this weekend. The backseat is very low / or the floor board is very high. I’m only 5’ 8”, but I felt like my knees were too high as well.
Honestly I loved virtually everything about the car except the back seat. I can’t imagine having to sit in the back seat for more than a 30-45 min ride would be comfortable. Having to sit back there for a road trip might be on the brink of almost torture. Is this an EV thing because of the battery in the floor board? I haven’t been in any other EV yet but will be test driving others this summer before I get called to order my Model 3. Just wondering what if other EVs also have this issue.
Daniel in SD
(supervised)
Tesla is the only manufacturer that puts the batteries in the footwell so I doubt other EVs are nearly as bad. The Model S is even worse because not only are my knees in my face but my head is hitting the ceiling (6'3"). I found a two hour trip in the Model S rear seat to be torture. My least favorite part of Tesla's design though it works much better in the Model X. Luckily I'm getting the Model 3 for the front seat which seems great
I bet the Model Y will have much better rear seat comfort.
Snow Drift
[Off-Road Assist] Activated
I'm 6'1 with long legs and I agree, my knees seemed rather high when I sat in the back. I also noticed that there wasn't much room for my toes to fit under the driver's seat.
anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
For comparison, the floor to bench height of the rear seats in my Honda Civic is about 12" (30.5cm). The bench does slope downwards from front to back. A person of median proportions up to 5' 8" (1.73m) tall can sit comfortably for several hours when the front seats are at their middle distance positions. People who are taller than that or have unusually long legs will be constrained by the limited legroom and lack of thigh support.
In my experience, the rear seats of compact sedans are fine for kids and some adults in the short to medium height range, but they generally won't work for taller adults on long trips. Compact crossovers tend to work much better. A current generation Honda CR-V for example, has more than 40" of rear legroom, or about half a foot more than my Civic or a Model 3. This allows the rear passengers to stretch out their legs, put more weight on their thighs, and relieve pressure on lower back and tailbone.
As a family car, I think Model 3 will work well for people with children who aren't tall or are unlikely to be tall. Otherwise, moving up to a Model Y crossover in a few years might be a necessity for comfort.
Reciprocity
Active Member
I am 6'4" and I sat in the back seat the other day. I purposely focused on the feel because I had read that the seats where low. I did not feel uncomfortable at all. The headroom is great and the back seat is at least as spacious as the model S with more head room. For a mid sized sedan, its very roomy. Again, I sat in the back initially with the intent of seeing how it felt with the rumors of the lower seats. I dont sit in the back often because of my height, it usually gets me into shot gun without to much of a fight. But I didnt notice it as being anything out of the ordinary in terms of comfort. It was a non issue. The head room its very nice though. I have sat in the back of many smaller cars and had to cock my head, there is a good 5" of head room to spare in the back of the model 3.
Lem89
Member
Here's another take at 18:00, and 6'5" guy at 20:00
Would raising the seats have compromised headroom or even fold-flat seats?
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I had the same thought. A more contoured seat with thigh support would have made it less-flat with the seats down. Personally, I'd take the thigh support over the ability to sleep with the seats down.
Tesla is the only manufacturer that puts the batteries in the footwell so I doubt other EVs are nearly as bad. The Model S is even worse because not only are my knees in my face but my head is hitting the ceiling (6'3"). I found a two hour trip in the Model S rear seat to be torture. My least favorite part of Tesla's design though it works much better in the Model X. Luckily I'm getting the Model 3 for the front seat which seems great
BMW, Nissan, and GM use skateboard battery designs too (i3/Leaf/Bolt). Probably ioniq as well.
The Bolt's rear seats sit much higher than the Model 3's....and offers more headroom too. CUV form factor has its advantages.
Agree 100%. Have had two rides in the rear seat of Model 3s and would not want to spend much time there. On my first ride, there were three of us, all men, and that was definitely very, very snug -- unpleasant for anything but shortest rides. Lots of headroom, though! But that was apparently achieved by angling the seat so that one's butt rides very low.
Then again, my Model S's rear seats also seem to present the same issue of having your knees point skyward if you are reasonably tall, as I am (exactly 6 feet). (I am always surprised that people use them as taxis -- I should think many passengers would complain.) I would say Model 3 is worse, but I have not measured anything.
I had two friends (less than 6' tall) mention that the seats are low at the back. Although the leg space is adequate however even I felt that the rear seats are low. I think the rear seats were lowered to give better head room and also allowed to push the rear seat a bit back giving leg room making the rear roomy. Since I wouldn't be sitting anytime on the back seat and will be using my S for long drives, I don't mind the setup. Hoping the nice view of the top would make the passenger forget about the raised leg ;-)).
I stopped by the San Diego store to see the Model 3 over the weekend. I agree that the rear seats are abnormally low and I'm only 5' 7". I wish Tesla had allocated an additional inch or two of headroom to seat height. The rear legroom, however, is generous for a car of this size. By the way, there was no wait to see the car at 10:15 in the morning.
anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
I believe the answer to both is yes.
I've owned several Honda sedans, and as far as I can remember, all of them had rear seats that folded to an upwards angle rather than flat. The low seat bench height in the rear of some older Accords also gave me a backache after 3 hours. Oddly enough, I never had this issue with the smaller Civic, and the Civic on paper has a lot less rear leg room. Fortunately, I am rarely a rear seat passenger in a Honda Accord. Most people I know moved on to CR-Vs years ago.
anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
Interesting point of comparison: Jaguar I-Pace compact crossover
Curiously, the I-Pace also appears to have a fairly low rear bench, just like Model 3. Around 23 mins, 25 seconds into the video, we see Jonny Smith, one of the Hosts from Fully Charged, sit in the backseat of an I-Pace, and it is clear from the angle of his thighs that the seating surface provides no thigh support at all. His knees are bent fairly high.
Curiously, the I-Pace also appears to have a fairly low rear bench, just like Model 3. Around 23 mins, 25 seconds into the video, we see Jonny Smith, one of the Hosts from Fully Charged, sit in the backseat of an I-Pace, and it is clear from the angle of his thighs that the seating surface provides no thigh support at all. His knees are bent fairly high.
Snow Drift
[Off-Road Assist] Activated
I sat in VIN 22092 and the backseats are very comfortable now. My knees (I’m 6’1 198lbs) did not seem too high. The added cushion has helped.
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