Rear Seat Legroom?

[CHGolferJim]

How much space between the back of the front seat and the edge of the back seat when front seat is all the way back? Any general comments on how comfortable the back seat is compared to other cars, how tall a person can sit in the back, etc.? Thanks.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

There is a TON of leg room. I'm 6'6" and there's still plenty of legroom behind my driver's seat. The problem for tall rear seat passengers isn't legroom but instead headroom. The low sloping roofline cuts rear passenger headroom short. The pano roof does add an inch or two of extra headroom for rear passengers, so if that's a concern then that option is a must.

One minor complaint rear passengers of mine have noted on long drives (3 - 4 hours) is the rear seat floor is higher up that they are used to, so they found themselves sitting with their knees up closer to their chins than in other cars. Not uncomfortably so, just a little different. As they have all been less than 6' tall, headroom has not been a complaint.

 

[J1mbo]

On a recent test drive, I asked my 6'4" buddy to sit in the back for half the test. He mentioned the high floor, low roof, and lack of space under the driver's seat (which meant that he couldn't fit his huge size 12 feet under the seat) as being the reasons why he wouldn't want to spend a long trip in the back. Front was no issue at all.

 

[techmaven]

J1mbo, the height of the driver's seat has a lot to do with it. There is a lot of driver's headroom so if the seat can usually be raised somewhat.

I spent quite a while in the backseat during a recent trip to Orlando and back. I am short, but apparently all my height is torso because I didn't have much headroom. Mr. Musk talked about de-springing the front seat somewhat - I'm hoping for an adjustment for the backseat. Even 1/2" would help. Road noise is also far more significant in the rear than in the front. Part of it is if you try to sleep, your head often comes much closer to the window with 3 in the back. The rear back most quarter window area has a lot of noise coming through.

 

[redi]

My 6'4" 18yo son cannot ride comfortably in the back seat or get his size 13 feet in any normal position with front seats back. Smaller family members fit without issue but it is not all that roomy. This is one of the design trade-offs in the Model S, I suspect. The front is quite roomy so he is happy to sit there.

I would have gladly traded a foot of aft cargo room if it could have gone to the rear seat passengers - I need it more for the rear seat passengers than in the back, but alas. No need for kiddie seats.

 

[Gizmotoy]

One minor complaint rear passengers of mine have noted on long drives (3 - 4 hours) is the rear seat floor is higher up that they are used to, so they found themselves sitting with their knees up closer to their chins than in other cars. Not uncomfortably so, just a little different. As they have all been less than 6' tall, headroom has not been a complaint.

Which makes sense. Tesla thinks, "wow, not much headroom back here." The solution? Make the seats lower!

I would have gladly traded a foot of aft cargo room if it could have gone to the rear seat passengers - I need it more for the rear seat passengers than in the back, but alas. No need for kiddie seats.

The problem is that this isn't really possible. The roofline slopes aggresively. If you push the rear seats further back, you get even less headroom for the rear passengers.

 

[redi]

The problem is that this isn't really possible. The roofline slopes aggresively. If you push the rear seats further back, you get even less headroom for the rear passengers.

Yes I am indeed aware of this. A compromise might have been back seats that had a choice of recline angles which would mitigate the otherwise cramped back seat when the fronts are fully back.

Regardless of the roofline, I think this might have done something to improve the rear seat comfort for (my) typical mission of hauling 4 tall adults.

Design problems with the back seats in general (lack of center arm-rest) and other amenities (eek cup holders!) along with minimalist/lightweight design coupled with a challenging rear door openings for less flexible adults look to be practically addressed in the X, and an afterthought in the S. The goal with the S rear seats seems to have been marketing maximized capacity (3-across and and two in the rear) and keeping the complexity and weight to a minimum. I can't imagine being in a packed 2nd or 3rd row would be a very comfortable place to be for very long with the front seats in their rearmost position. Every time I see the Tesla launch videos with a bunch of people packed into the car reminds me a bit of the clown car at the circus - nice trick but I would not want to ride in there any longer than they did - I love my car so please hold the flaming.

But either front seat is a very nice and spatious place to be. I am sure others will disagree strongly and send the flames my way but in the olden days we would be close to calling the space bordering on that of a 2+2 even with 4 doors - at least with the teen monsters I have to haul around and the front seats back. If all your passengers are in the under 6' range the space should be ok. If they are all over 6' then someone might not be all that comfortable.

 

[RDoc]

I considered getting an S rather than waiting for the X, but after a test drive found the rear seat not really comfortable enough for any kind of road trip with 4 adults. We'll have to see what the X is like.

 

[Sotto Voce]

While I, too, hope the X provides a better rear seat experience, I am disappointed that the S rear seat geometry is so compromised. Sitting in the back, I find that I cannot get my feet under the front seats, regardless of their adjustment, meaning my knees are bent more than in other, lesser cars. In addition, in this position, the distance between the back of my thighs and the seat is unacceptable (many inches), meaning my weight is all on the bum and none on the thighs. I am 5'11", so I would not expect to have this problem in an otherwise comfortable cabin.

 

[Kandiru]

I think the in the Audi lineup the A8 is the only one that can compete. My 7-12yo kids can sit on the floor and play on their laptop in the rear footwell.

 

[hybridbear]

J1mbo, the height of the driver's seat has a lot to do with it. There is a lot of driver's headroom so if the seat can usually be raised somewhat.

My 6'4" 18yo son cannot ride comfortably in the back seat or get his size 13 feet in any normal position with front seats back.

Our #1 concern when finding a new BEV to replace our Focus Electric when its lease ends is having more passenger space. We routinely have 4 adults in our cars. Our Focus Electric is too small. I'm 6'3 so the front seat is moved all the way back for me, whether I'm the driver or a passenger. Often we'll have other passengers who are in the same height range. It's been mentioned that raising the front seats will allow more space for the feet of the rear passengers in the Model S. How much space is there to raise the front seats if the passengers in them are 6'3 to 6'4 in a car with the pano roof? Can the front passengers raise their seats enough to allow additional rear foot space without hitting their heads on the roof? I'll try to check this out when test driving a Model S, but I'd like to hear what others have found. Thanks!

 

[green1]

Our #1 concern when finding a new BEV to replace our Focus Electric when its lease ends is having more passenger space. We routinely have 4 adults in our cars. Our Focus Electric is too small. I'm 6'3 so the front seat is moved all the way back for me, whether I'm the driver or a passenger. Often we'll have other passengers who are in the same height range. It's been mentioned that raising the front seats will allow more space for the feet of the rear passengers in the Model S. How much space is there to raise the front seats if the passengers in them are 6'3 to 6'4 in a car with the pano roof? Can the front passengers raise their seats enough to allow additional rear foot space without hitting their heads on the roof? I'll try to check this out when test driving a Model S, but I'd like to hear what others have found. Thanks!

I'm 6'2" to be comfortable driving the car I need the back of the seat all the way lowered, (though I have the front as high as it will go to help with leg angle to the pedals)