[arunk]

I have heard that high seating position offers better long drive comfort. why is it so? Also, if that is true, why most of the cars come with low seats.

[gemithomas]

low seating give you a feel of more space inside the car. The space between your legs and the steering wheel would be more if you have lower seating. Thats why most maruti's small vehicles have lower seating. Thats what i think.

[arunk]

ok...if i have to drive and take my family for very frequent long drives a high seater will be better if i understand it correctly....likes of fusion than say a lancer?

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by gemithomas

low seating give you a feel of more space inside the car. The space between your legs and the steering wheel would be more if you have lower seating. Thats why most maruti's small vehicles have lower seating. Thats what i think.

When i drive my sister's Alto, which has low seating, my knees touch the steering wheel.
But when i drive my tall boy WagonR and brother's Santro, no problems at all. Plenty of space between my knee and steering.

[sbasak]

I believe it is down to personal preference. I prefer high seating but many people like low position.

With low seating, your buttock is lower than your knees. So, during coming out of the car, your body needs to apply more torque

However, faster the car, lower the seating position. In F1, drivers sit with almost legs straight position.

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by DCEite

When i drive my sister's Alto, which has low seating, my knees touch the steering wheel.
But when i drive my tall boy WagonR and brother's Santro, no problems at all. Plenty of space between my knee and steering.

Wagon R and Santro are "tall boy" designs. Thats the difference. But imagine having a higher seat in your alto!!

[theMAG]

Personally I prefer the higher seating. Like in an SUV.

While lower seating improves the dynamics of the car, occupants - esp rear seaters dislike sitting with their knees at their midriff for extended periods. While this is recommended seating position to take the stress off your lower back, it also reduces flexibility in movement. Like in the OHC.

[Rudra Sen]

How many cars today offer higher sitting? And what exactly is higher sitting? Is there any bench mark?

[narayan]

Originally Posted by arunk

I have heard that high seating position offers better long drive comfort. why is it so? Also, if that is true, why most of the cars come with low seats.

i think ur mistaken on this point.,...very few cars sold today offer low seating.....

by low seating - im referring to the ESTEEM/OHC types....

i dont think any car offers this low a seating ...even the alto has a much higher seating than the above2 ( u may add the OLD ZEN to the above list )

low seating obviously results in lower comfort bcos

1) ur closer to the ground and hence feel the road surface better ( or worse!!! ) - this is bcos a low car is also assumed to have a lower suspension play ( assuming all other factors being same )

2) in a lower car - u push ur front seats further back to have a comfortable position which results in lesser rear leg room...

3) low seats also does result in steering not being too comfortable allthough thats not necessarily true in all cases

[narayan]

high seating offers better comfort because assuming all other factors being same - the car is taller and offers a better suspension play

[paras211]

low is more fun . the sence of speed is hightened when your lower

[theEnd]

seating on the civic is pretty low.

[Mayavi]

Originally Posted by paras211

low is more fun . the sence of speed is hightened when your lower

Plus you can turn around a corner at higher speeds, not because lower seating improves performance numbers, but because it makes you more confident.

[dadu]

I prefer high seating because its more comfortable, more closer to the way we sit in our day to day life. The ergonomics is better compared to low seating wherein you feel as someone has asked you to squeeze together to adjust to the seat.

F1 cars need to win and as per the aerodynamics the lower you are, the lesser resistance you have to the wind. You will also notice a negligible ground clearance in F1 cars, again due to aerodynamics and stability factor over high speeds.

Cars that we drive need to more comfortable than faster.

Originally Posted by sbasak

However, faster the car, lower the seating position. In F1, drivers sit with almost legs straight position.

[dadu]

Naaa, thats dependent on the body design, chasis, suspension, wheelbase and ground clearance etc.

You can have a car with a high ground clearance but a lower seating and it will still be unstable to corner at high speeds.

Originally Posted by Mayavi

Plus you can turn around a corner at higher speeds, not because lower seating improves performance numbers, but because it makes you more confident.