Hey guys . .. I am currently borrowing my stepfathers RX8 to see how I like living with it.

I picked it up tonight with my wife and 2 kids (ages 3 & 5)

My wife and son fit perfectly on the passengers side though my daughter was stuck sitting behind me. At 5'10" & 195 lbs I am not the biggest guy but I must back back pretty far since my daughter's feet with sneakers on barely fit behind the seat and that was with the seat forward a little more then I like so she could be comfortable.

I didn't have time to play around with different seating positions and maybe if I switch her booster seat to a slight smaller one it might be better but I was wondering what do you guys do ?

Do you put 2 kids in the back of your 8 comfortably ?

Maybe I should change my seating postion to sit up more instead of a sort of slouching type of position ... maybe my real question should be where can I find out what should be the correct seating position :p


thanks in advance for your suggestions !!

 

Now I know I have short legs! I've always wondered because everytime I take a car to be serviced the seat is moved back. With the driver seat set to my preference, I can very comfortably sit in the seat behind the driver. I've never had any problems carrying my 2 youngest kids in the back (5 and 7), nor have I had any problems carrying my oldest's (16) friends in the back. I think there's plenty of room in the back, much more than my 86 camero.

 

Driver seating position is all about the comfort of the person piloting the vehicle, thus try changing other factors rather than settling for a position that is uncomfortable to you the driver.

My two kids, 11 and 5 fit perfectly. Try changing the kids around so that the one with longer legs sits behind you and their feet are closer to the floor than the back of your chair. My five y/o sits behind the passenger seat because she like to push on the seat back with her feet and I cannot stand that when I'm driving. My 11 y/o sits behind me with feet on the floor and no issues.

By the way they love the 8 it's "the coolest car ever". Also, my dad who is 6' 3" was recently with me on a drive and with his seat back all the way my 5 y/o was still fine behind him.

Good luck. Also, changing seats to a booster style seat might also help alleviate some of the problem...

 

Plenty of room. Only issue I've had is with my 8 year old. He's really tall for his age, but the shoulder stap is too high for him to wear properly. We now have a clip to lower it. My daughter (6) fits nicely in her car seat.

 

My sons are 6 and 8, but are both short for their ages. I am 6' tall and sit fully back when driving. Because neither has legs that can touch the floor with their hips fully back in the seat, neither can sit behind me unless he sits "Indian style." This, needless to say, is only okay for a short drive. Because the rear seats are divided, they don't fight so much, but also can't share the extra room behind the passenger seat.

I don't get it. I've read many posts from people who think that there is a lot of room in the front and rear seats. I think the front seats are tight for me (my head touches the roof) - it's just barely enough room. I can't sit in the rear seat behind the driver when the seat is reclined because my legs won't fit under the seat and my head hits the roof. I don't know where you guys are finding all the room, especially behind the driver.

 

For ease of clutching, I keep the seat way farther forward in the '8 than I ever had in other cars. There is a thread about adjusting seat position. Basically it said you should be able to rest your wrist on the top of the wheel without your shoulder blades coming off the seatback. Try this. You will find clutching much easier, but the position will be awkward for awhile. I am so used to it now that I keep seats forward in all cars I now drive. And it will leave much more room behind you for your kids.

 

Mine are both 4, and after a little adjustment they fit great with their boosters. With boys of that size, the main issue is your seatback and their feet. Thus the rake of the seatback is going to mostly dictate how much room they have. It took me a little while to get used to my slightly adjusted driving position, but now it feels completely natural.

 

I have a 2 year old son. Fits fine. He likes to kick the seatback, but it's not that big of a deal. I have another on the way, it's gonna be tight with a rearward facing baby seat.

 

So at least I know I'm not crazy . . . I tried adjusting the seat but I still see no way an adult could sit behind me unless they have no legs . . .

I am going to try again tonight with my daughter but this time I am going to try a Britax Booster seat instead of the Costco one I had tried. The Britax is a much smaller booster.

Thanks to every one who replied, I appreciate the comments, this is a really great board !!

 

I had no problem sitting two adults in the back. My friend's wife sat behind me and she's 5'9'' and I'm 5'10''. My wife sat behind him and she's 5'7'' (he's 6'1''). They said they were comfortable. I moved my chair forward out of courtesy, but I don't think it was really necessary. Power seats on the driver side really take up space, one more reason no to get them.

 

^^^ WTF. I (desmo996) posted above but IJM gets the credit ? ^^^

 

There seems to be a board glitch where posts are being put under other people's name . . .


BTW how much room do you have behind your seat back for rear seat passengers legroom, I must REALLY sit back far considering we are the same height . . .

 

Happened to me once... they're working on it. Clear your cookies, and log on again, you'll be set. Hopefully...

 

And thank you for posting whoever you are. I'm getting a lot out of reading this thread, because I'm about to buy and I have 2 wee'uns, and I'm looking for good news about the back seat issue. Sounds like no issue.

 

I'd agree, no issue.

I'm 5'10", 180 lbs (32" inseam). My 15 yr old son is 6'0", 170 lbs, and fits easily behind my drivers seat - and I don't adjust it forward at all. On the passenger side, my wife is 5'7", and our 5 yr old daughter sits behind her with her booster seat.

My driving position is fairly upright, as I follow the 'wrist on top of the wheel without moving your shoulders off the seat' guideline for driving position. If I sit in the rear seat behind my drivers seat, my knees are not quite touching the seat back. We've carried other adults back there, and they're all amazed at the amount of actual room they find.

Regards,
Gordon

 

I have 2 kids, ages 6 and 10, they fit comfortably in the back seats, although I am 6'1 and 215lbs I sometimes have to adjust the seat forward which isn't to bothersome, but it's not a car I would take on long trips, with backseat passangers.

 

I found this photo of an anonymous RX-8 driver. I think it shows well the fit at the roof and how small a distance there is between the front seat back and the rear seat... my son's legs will not bend into that area. Also, as to head room, the photo is of an 8 without a moonroof, so there is an extra 1.5 inches there.

I agree though... very few people seem to feel the interior room is an issue. My youngest drove in the back about an hour this past weekend with his legs crossed and said he was very comfortable, so even I can't complain.

 

I fit comfortably in the back and I'm 6' 230 lbs, so I would think kids wouldn't be an issue. Granted, it looks tight when you get in, but once you calm down and realize just because the front seat appears to be in your lap, it doen't actually constrain you. I had enough leg room.

 

Then again, look more closely at that photo - that guy is sitting WAY too far back from the steering wheel. Either he needs to move his seat forward, or his seatback much more upright - there's no way he can properly (effectively) reach the steering wheel. Properly seated, there would be more room behind his seat!

Regards,
Gordon

 

Gordon... his leg is very bent already. I suspect his left foot is on the foot rest in an AT, but I'm just guessing - as I said, he looks very much like I look when I'm sitting in the driver's seat. I think if he bends it much more it is likely to touch the wheel (do our wheels adjust? - I don't recall). That's one of my problems as well. Also, the further I move forward, the more my head hits the ceiling. The next time I go out I'll try to move the seat forward and see if I can't figure out a way to get comfortable. I really am stunned at how many people rave about interior comfort; I'm just barely comfortable, and am 6', 185 lbs. So far, I've not found an inch to spare anywhere and have had to take what should be my sons' room.

 

For what it's worth, I've had three teen-age males (17 or 18 year-olds - 5'10" to 6'2" - 150 to 160#) along for the ride (about 100km/60 miles). No complaints from them, and no real change in the ride/handling of the 8.

Cheers

 

How did you get leather seats and NO moonroof?

greese

 

Buy an RX-8 GT in Canada. There are only two packages here - GS (Base) and GT (Leather and everything except the moonroof). Moonroof is one of two factory options for the GT - the other is the Nav system, which requires the moonroof as well. My RX-8 is a GT with leather, but no moonroof. (Other differences - every Canadian RX-8 has headlight washers and is equipped with the 6-CD changer unit as standard equipment.)

Regards,
Gordon

 

Now I've had the opposite experience, when I have 400 to 500 lbs in total driver/passenger weight, I've found it does effect the handling. Please note these esperiences have always been with more weight on the right side of the vehicle while most times the majority of the weight is on the left side. So maybe it's not the total weight but the left/right distribution.

 

I like having the seat farther forward in a stick because it seems its easier for me to get my rev matching right.