A Lounger's Guide To Vehicle Buying... Hatroom!

[theinterchange]

I'm in the earliest stages of shopping for a new vehicle and got to thinking about headroom, or rather hatroom. I hate having to remove my hat in a vehicle due to a low ceiling height.

That made me instantly think of all the members here and their fight with the same issue. I got to wondering what vehicles have adequate headroom and about the ones which don't.

I reckon it's a good idea for a thread topic, seeing what other members' hatroom experiences are.

For myself, I currently drive a 2001 Nissan X-Terra which has plenty of headroom to spare, even for my nearly 6'1" height and tall crowned hats. But, on the other hand, I drive my grandmother's 2004 Hyundai Sonata which has deplorable ceiling height. I ether don't wear hats when driving her around, or have to remove it. [Usually the former.]

So, what's your experience? And Yes, I know it's all subjective to the poster's height... but it gives some idea of how well modern vehicles support our tendencies.

Randy

P.S Bartenders, If this isn't an interesting enough thread or doesn't fit, axe it!

 

[SteveAS]

Factory sunroofs seem to use up about two inches of headroom. Based on that, I think just about any sedan offered with an optional sunroof should provide enough clearance for a hat-wearing man of normal height if he buys one without the sunroof option.

 

[hasselhoff]

Any Buick is good... the problem will be the headrest!

 

[hatophile]

Honda Element--It's great for dogs too!

 

[BanjoMerlin]

I'm 5'10"

Just enough hatroom in my 1997 Olds Aurora with the headrest down but I often knock my hat off getting in and out.

PLENTY of hatroom in the Dodge Caravan but the headrest isn't adjustable so I have to recline the seat one extra notch and sit forward a bit. Not comfortable on a long trip but I take my hat off for long trips anyway.

Not nearly enough hatroom in my brother's 1932 Ford coupe hotrod. It has a chopped top and there almost isn't enough room for my head.

 

[frussell]

Element for sure

I second the Element, as I'm on my second one. Other than a super-huge gasmonster of a pickup that I don't need, it's the only car I've ever had adequate headroom in. I'm six foot five, and I can comfortably wear my biggest cowboy hat in it, or my tallest crowned fedora. On the non-hat reason side, it's the only car I've ever had that can accomodate two guys my size, two medium back seat passengers, three jumbo size bellyboards (the kind giant Hawaiian men ride, all others sink before me!), all our ice chests and gear, and still be comfortable from the desert to the beach. And yes, with the old-school rubber floormats, they are definitely great for dogs. But I keep driving the ugly damned thing because it's just nice to finally be able to look out the window without craning my neck, or to get in with a hat on and not crush it against the ceiling because I forgot again. Frank

 

[handlebar bart]

Get a Jeep Wrangler. Unlimited head room with the top off

 

[Mr E Train]

Third the Element. That's what I drive and I've never had a problem with hatroom. My wife has a CR-V and it has enough hatroom in the car, but I usually have to take my hat off when getting in and out. With the Element, no problem.

 

[The Good]

Get a Jeep Wrangler. Unlimited head room with the top off

Hmm, coincidentally I've been considering one.

 

[Neophyte]

My VW Jetta has enough headroom for my Akubra FedIV, Squatter, and Fedora. The only time I take my hats off in the car is when I want to roll down the windows on the highway/interstate and turn on the music. I do have to lean forward just a tiny bit to allow room for the headrest, but not uncomfortably so.

For most room in all directions, I would go with the Honda Element or a Scion xB.

 

[frussell]

Jeep Option

Bart, as much as I'd love to have a "topless" auto, it's just not practical for me. It gets up to 125+ here in the summer, and even if you're driving fast, it's scorching hot with your top down. Plus, as tall as I sit, all my hats would blow off. I don't want to punch holes in the brims of all my good hats to put stampede strings on them! My sister has a metal rod in her leg from a motorcycle accident, and she used to have a Jeep Wrangler with no top. After a couple of incidents where her gearshift lever and knob heated up and began transmitting that heat into the rod in her leg, she traded for one with a hard top. I'm going to have to stick with my toaster-shaped but practical Honda. Frank

 

[Navin323i]

Factory sunroofs seem to use up about two inches of headroom. Based on that, I think just about any sedan offered with an optional sunroof should provide enough clearance for a hat-wearing man of normal height if he buys one without the sunroof option.

I agree 100% with Steve... my BMW sedan was ordered by me without a sunroof back in 2000... makes it a whole lot easier in terms of headroom especially when on the track and you have to wear a helmet.

My wife and I have to get a new car this week since her previous car (Hyundai Tucson SUV) was totalled in an accident she had a few weeks back when the brakes failed on her after being recently serviced... fortunately she survived and didn't have my daughters (5 year old and 9 month old) in the car.

We're looking either at going the minivan route or a larger SUV like the Hyundai Santa Fe.

 

[57plymouth]

I'm 6' even. I've had no issues with wearing a hat in:

PT Loser
Chevy Cavalier / Pontiac Sunfire
2008 Ford 500 (but the car was a pile of manure)
1980 Dodge truck
1957 Plymouth
1992 Jeep Wrangler with soft or hard tops
1990 Camaro, but only with the T-tops which are thinner than a hardtop. No such luck in the same third gen F body style with a hardtop. That roof is too thick to clear.

I have not lowered my standards enough to own an imported car.

 

[Mr Vim]

I find Volkswagen's to have a decent amount of head room. While my hats have only moderately high crowns, they fit with plenty of space inside my car on top of my head and I own and drive a Rabbit.

 

[Brad Bowers]

My Ford F-150 has plenty of headroom.

Brad

 

[DougC]

F250 has plenty of room. I don't wear a hat in the little car from Stuttgart (okay, Finland).

 

[Chainsaw]

I second the pick up. I'm European, and love rally racing, but I need a mans car. German won't do, but maybe Russian if we could get some Uaz's across the pond.

 

[Delthayre]

THE BLASTED ROOF~!

I'm 5' 9 1/2" tall (on a good day). I've never had trouble wearing any hat in my mother's 2004 Subaru Forrester, I routinely have had trouble wearing hats in my father's 2005 Honda Accord. The ceiling of the passenger compartment is rather low at the front. This problem is likely exacerbated by my preferring tall crowns.

Of course, I generally avoid the problem by walking or plying routes of public transportation, although both of those are badly limited by the suburban nightmare land that circumstances have stranded me in.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

It's funny, I was thinking about this very thing today.

My Crown Victoria has plenty of hat room, as did my previous one.

I've also had great luck with:
1960 Chevy Bel-Air
1958 Chevy Delray
1979 Buick Electra
1987 Chevy Caprice Estate Wagon
1963 Chevy Impala.

I did have trouble in the 31 Model A, as well as the 80 Corvette Stingray.

 

[Fatman]

I have a 1970 Holden ute, it's perfect for wearing hats. The seats are low and comfy, and the back only comes up to my shoulderblades. Directly behind the seat is a parcel shelf about 20 cm long, giving plenty of room for the brim between my head and the window.