Hi, I didn't notice this during the test drive but shortly after owning the vehicle I realized how much the center console digs into my leg. Also that my legs are bent in an awkward driving position causing knee pain. The seat just doesn't go back far enough. I'm 6'4" so I don't fit well anywhere but I traded in the "smaller" Outlander Sport for the Outlander and my Outlander Sport definitely had more leg room.


Anyone else have this issue? I'm almost at the point of returning the car and cutting my loses. I found a site that makes great seat rail extensions for specific models, unfortunately not Outlanders: Home

 

wow,if you don't fit sell the car and the next time you go for a test drive you probably need to check all aspects of the car you're driving.

 

I'm 6' 6" and most of that is legs. My wife and I own a '10 XLS, so I don't know exactly how much leg room the latest years have, so I'm going to suggest something I try in every vehicle I sit it, and it works great in our '10.

1. Move seat all the way back.
2. Raise the seat all the way up.
3. Tilt the bottom of the seat's back end all the way down. (This refers to the part of the seat that supports your buttocks and the top part of your legs.)
4. Raise the seat's bottom front end all the way up.
5. Tilt back toward the rear seat the seat-back quite a bit. ("Seat-back" refers to the part of the seat that your back rests against)
6. Get in, then tilt the seat-back upward until you're comfortable.

I'd be interested to know how the above suggestions work out for you, so please post your impressions.

 

I just wanted to applaud your technical use of the word "buttocks".

 

Thank you for the suggestions, very appreciated. Unfortunately I have manual seats, so they only go up or down as a whole. When I raise the seat it actually moves forward.


I went to the dealer and they offered me $19K for a car I paid $31K for 6 months ago so I walked away.


I think my 3 options are:


1. See if a RVR seat will fit in the Outlander and whether it slides back further or sits lower.
2. Go to a fabrication shop and see if they can fit some adapters between the seat and seat slider/rail to move the seat back 3 inches.
3. Have fabrication shop alter seat rails/sliders so that they slide back further.


I'll need the seat to still be fully functional as I pick up the kids from daycare on the way home from work and will need it to move forward for that short drive each day.

 

This must be a Fake Thread because I really just cannot believe anyone would purchase a 31K car that they cannot fit into. You've got to be pulling my leg, no pun intended.

 

I've done this before. You can go to a fab shop and pay a bit of dough, but if you have some basic shop tools, you can DIY.

By moving the seat all the way forward and back, examine/determine just exactly HOW the seat bolts to the floor of the vehicle.

The first thing you want to determine is the "shape" (profile) of the floor in the area where the seat bolts to the floor. Specifically, is the floor flat, or does the floor jump upward behind where rear of the seat bolts to the floor?

If the floor is flat, you are lucky. In that case you can acquire two narrow pieces of say1-1/2"-wide by 1/2" thick pieces of steel bar and drill into each piece 4 holes -- two threaded and two un-threaded.

The two unthreaded holes are drilled to exactly go over the present threaed holes in the floor of the vehicle. Bolts that you purchase will go through the unthreaded holes and safely secure the new steel adapter to the OEM threaded hole floor.

Depending on how far you want to position the seat rearward, drill the two holes that will be threaded to accept the OEM bolts that will secure the seat to the thick adapter.

If the floor of the vehicle is not flat, bend or machine the two pieces of the adapter to the contour of the floor, then drill, etc.

This is not a difficult or expensive little project, but it will provide you with a great deal of comfort and satisfaction.

Engineering-wise, your new, rear-most seating position will be perhaps 2 or three inches back from the steering-wheel air-bag. If you crash and the air-bag deploys, you will hit the bag very slightly later than you would in the previous OEM seat configuration (as a shorter person would if he/she had the seat slid all the way forward).

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, appreciated. I had wanted to use 1 and 1/2" piece of steel and drill 4 holes and remount the chair about 3 inches further back, however the floor is definitely not flat, and the mounting pts are different heights on all 4 sides.


But, as a final update and reference for anyone else with this issue if they search the forum. My issue has been resolved and it's like driving a new car.


I picked up a spare driver seat from a recycle yard ($120) and took it to local welding/fabrication shop. They moved the rear legs 3" forward on the seat rail, then took some 1/4" thick square tubing and added to the front rails then re-welded the front legs back on. What a difference. 3" doesn't sound like much but my legs went from being bent at a really uncomfortable position to being barely able to touch the pedals with the seat all the way back now, so I even have it up a little. Pics attached. Total cost $300CAD.


Pics are of rear legs, front legs, and one showing the driver seat in full rearward position next the passenger seat in the factory most furthest position.

 

Wow. Nice problem solving on the cheap!

 

You da man!! Now you have a comfortable ride, although the person sitting behind you may not, which, if it's an irritating in-law, may not be such a bad thing. Just tell them the seat has to be back that far or "I don't feel that I can drive the vehicle safely". Let 'em suffer just the way you were suffering prior to the fix.

Again, congrats for a job well done, reporting the results to this forum AND posting pictures that may help out someone else in the same boat.