Model 3 comfort.

[Johhey]

Although I've only had my model 3 lr since early March and I have only done 1000 miles, my impression of the car is that it is somewhat uncomfortable. I am 6' tall and find on journeys of over 45 mins, I am beginning get butt ache and an aching in my achilles tendon in my right leg.
As the footwell is so shallow there is no comfy place to put your foot on autopilot.
With my previous car a Discovery Sport I had no such problems even when travelling 450 miles per day touring around Spain.
I have the steering wheel at its' upper limit and the seat at its' upper limit but still not comfy on longer drives.

 

[Vecii]

I'm also 6ft tall and wouldn't call the footwell shallow at all. I have tons of space.
I commute two hours a day and the Model 3 is the most comfortable car I've driven.

 

[The_Observer]

I am 5' 11" (close enough to 6'), and I don't find the footwell shallow at all. It is a bit more shallow compared to alot of ICE cars out there, but I find it very comfortable, even with my 30-45 minutes of work commute one way.

Perhaps try different seating positions such as leaning forward and backwards, not just the height.

 

[Johhey]

I am 5' 11" (close enough to 6'), and I don't find the footwell shallow at all. It is a bit more shallow compared to alot of ICE cars out there, but I find it very comfortable, even with my 30-45 minutes of work commute one way.

Perhaps try different seating positions such as leaning forward and backwards, not just the height.

My wife also complains that her knees are too high when she sits in the car i.e. footwell shallow

 

[Johhey]

I'm also 6ft tall and wouldn't call the footwell shallow at all. I have tons of space.
I commute two hours a day and the Model 3 is the most comfortable car I've driven.

Perhaps they have shrunk it for the UK market!

 

[Johhey]

I am 5' 11" (close enough to 6'), and I don't find the footwell shallow at all. It is a bit more shallow compared to alot of ICE cars out there, but I find it very comfortable, even with my 30-45 minutes of work commute one way.

Perhaps try different seating positions such as leaning forward and backwards, not just the height.

I have tried always but still not the most comfy car a I have driven. I wouldn't want to drive more than an hour in it.

 

[CharleyBC]

I've learned that comfort is a very individual thing. I'm 6-2 and 63 years old. I find our 3 very comfy. When I had a back injury a couple years ago, I found just sitting in the car to feel therapeutic--supporting me at all the right points.

At first I did spend quite a while fooling with all the various seat adjustments: height, angle, lumbar, etc. I found a combination that works well for me, and fortunately the profile remembers it for me.

I've cruised thousands of miles on TACC or AutoSteer. They allow me to shift the position of my legs and feet from time to time, which increases my sense of comfort (but that's true of any car with cruise control). But I don't recall ever feeling particularly constrained where my feet could go.

As I said, one person's comfort is another's . . .

 

[Johhey]

Yes perhaps it's just me and my wife

 

[Vecii]

Dumb question, and I don't mean to sound condescending, but you mentioned that you had the seat adjusted "at it's upper limit".
Did you slide it back as well?

 

[Johhey]

My wife also complains that her knees are too high when she sits in the car i.e. footwell shallow

Just by way of comparison, the height from the floor to the top of the seat in the M3 is 9.75" and in my Discovery Sport 15.5" that's a big difference.

 

[Johhey]

Dumb question, and I don't mean to sound condescending, but you mentioned that you had the seat adjusted "at it's upper limit".
Did you slide it back as well?

No.

 

[Johhey]

No

 

[jjrandorin]

Just by way of comparison, the height from the floor to the top of the seat in the M3 is 9.75" and in my Discovery Sport 15.5" that's a big difference.

but now you are comparing SUV ride style to a sedan (unless I am seriously mis remembering what a LR discovery sport is).

I am 6'3 and 218 Pounds, and am very comfortable in this car (more than I was in my previous 2016 BMW 435 M sport). Its not as comfortable as my wifes X3, but thats not even a valid comparison because the X3 is a SUV (like the discovery sport).

proverbial apples and oranges as it were....

 

[Johhey]

I accept it's not the same but there are many posts out there extolling the comfort of the model 3, that was a big factor in buying the car and why I went for the LR variant instead of the performance version. A 20minute test drive didn't show me it was uncomfortable or that it might be(for me) on longer drives.

 

[The_Observer]

I accept it's not the same but there are many posts out there extolling the comfort of the model 3, that was a big factor in buying the car and why I went for the LR variant instead of the performance version. A 20minute test drive didn't show me it was uncomfortable or that it might be(for me) on longer drives.

Maybe you can consider the Model Y when it comes to the UK, I am not sure if there's more footwell space however.

 

[jjrandorin]

I accept it's not the same but there are many posts out there extolling the comfort of the model 3, that was a big factor in buying the car and why I went for the LR variant instead of the performance version. A 20minute test drive didn't show me it was uncomfortable or that it might be(for me) on longer drives.

If you are not comfortable, and cant find a way to adjust the seat to be comfortable, then you likely need to get rid of the car and go back to a SUV ride style as @The_Observer mentioned. Maybe the model Y or maybe something else... but "ride comfort" is such a personal thing, there isnt much anyone here can do to help you with it other than to say "it works for me" (which doesnt help you) and "keep adjusting the seat" (which I am sure you are trying).

 

[RayK]

I am beginning get butt ache and an aching in my achilles tendon in my right leg.
As the footwell is so shallow there is no comfy place to put your foot on autopilot.

If you keep your wallet in your right rear pocket, take it out on drives. When on autopilot keep your right foot hovering over the accelerator pedal or just slightly touching it. Your foot will be in the proper position when, not if, phantom braking occurs and you need to goose the go pedal before the jerk behind your rear-ends you.

 

[Johhey]

I think what you say is right. It's such a disappointment having been looking forward to the car for many months.
I like the car otherwise.

 

[Johhey]

If you keep your wallet in your right rear pocket, take it out on drives. When on autopilot keep your right foot hovering over the accelerator pedal or just slightly touching it. Your foot will be in the proper position when, not if, phantom braking occurs and you need to goose the go pedal before the jerk behind your rear-ends you.

phantom breaking is a worry is it not? When I keep my right foot over the accelerator for long periods, that us when my achilles aches. It's just the position I know.

 

[RayK]

An aching Achilles tendon seems to tell me that you're keeping your toes bent up towards your knee when driving. If you maintain a neutral position of your foot, that should take some strain off of it. I tore my left tendon about 40 years ago and it still is tight.

And yes, phantom braking still is one of my concerns when using TACC on highways with lots of overpasses.