10 of the Best Luxury Cars for Tall Drivers

2018 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid front three quarter ・ Photo by Acura

As part of our research for 10 of the best luxury cars for tall drivers, we looked at what pro basketball players choose. Most of those guys are pretty tall, after all. It turns out that Lamborghini supercars are really popular among the dribbling and dunking fraternity. A couple of guys also went for the Chevy Camaro, which shows that if you really want something, you’ll make it work.

Let’s assume, however, that most luxury car buyers don’t have quite as much to spend as a professional sportsperson. But taller types still want to drive to work and back without their knees hitting their chins. It seems like 35 inches of headroom and 40 inches of legroom should be sufficient. Let’s see what’s out there.

2019 Acura RLX

Before we get into the really big stuff (and more expensive), let’s shine a light on Acura’s largest car. Although it’s considered a midsize rather than a full-size sedan, the RLX is on the more spacious side. It has 37.6 inches of front headroom and 42.3 inches of front legroom, which is great for the class.

For a tall driver who wants to keep a low profile, yet live in the luxury world, the RLX could be ideal. If they want to keep outlay in check as well, then consider that for around $56,000 there’s a whole arsenal of electronic driver aids, 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and GPS-linked climate control. That all sounds pretty luxurious, regardless of stature.

Photo by Acura

2019 Audi A8

Admittedly, Pau Gasol (of the San Antonio Spurs, formerly with the Los Angeles Lakers when they used to win things) had a previous-generation A8, but the new generation making its debut for the 2019 model year should be able to accommodate his 7-foot frame. Audi hadn’t provided any interior dimensions at the time of compiling this list, but it would be crazy for the new A8 large flagship sedan to be markedly smaller than the outgoing model.

At around $85,000, the A8 has a lot of tech, including some partial-to-mostly autonomous features, plus the world’s first laser scanner in a production car. Previous generations of A8 haven’t sold as well as its main rivals, but this model could shake things up.

Photo by Audi

2019 BMW 740i

Up front, headroom is 39.9 inches, and legroom measures 41.4 inches - that’s spacious. But the 7 Series is so much more than a roomy large luxury sedan. Although anyone with a passing knowledge of physics would assume that something this big shouldn’t feel this nimble, BMW has managed to construct this generation of 7 Series with measures that gave the engineers better control of weight distribution, so the car starts out with a fine balance. It’s something an athlete would appreciate, but also any driving enthusiast.

With pricing from roughly $85,000, the 740i is a well-equipped entry-level model, including an adaptive air suspension and many driver aids as standard. The optional multi-contour front seats are recommended.

Photo by BMW

2019 Cadillac CT6

Cadillac swagger arrives in the region of $52,000 for the CT6. That’s quite keenly priced in the bigger picture of flagship sedans. Speaking of big pictures, if anyone needs a wide-angle lens turned around to portrait mode to fit into a photograph, the CT6’s front headroom of 40.1 inches and legroom of 42.3 inches will provide plenty of space to get comfortable for the serious business of driving.

It’s worth stretching out to the higher trims, though, to get things like the Super Cruise semi-autonomous freeway driving feature, magnetic/adaptive suspension, enhanced night vision, rearview camera mirror (better than a regular mirror, it provides unobstructed views), and a turbocharged V6 engine.

Photo by General Motors

2019 Genesis G90

We’re looking at 10 of the best luxury cars for tall drivers because SUV/crossovers are usually spacious enough, but choosing a car can be trickier for persons of height. The G90 is a full-size luxury sedan. To the best of our knowledge, there are no big-time NBA players driving one. Perhaps the starting price of $69,345 is too low for them - their loss.

As well as a generous 41.1/46.3 inches of front headroom/legroom, the G90 comes with abundant standard equipment, including many electronic driver aids and a superb Lexicon sound system (for perspective, Rolls-Royce also has used Lexicon). A 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and a complimentary service valet both are part of the deal.

Photo by Genesis

2019 Jaguar XJ

Yes, the current XJ generation is coming up for replacement soon (maybe 2020), but it’s managed to stay competitive with equipment updates that now include advanced driver aids and smartphone integration. Its design also has weathered the years well, still looking pretty fresh and interesting.

Another crucial part of its perennial appeal is the drive — comfortable (and spacious) enough for royalty to sit in the back, yet still entertaining and engaging when behind the wheel. These pleasures are accessible to the loftier among us, thanks to 39.5 inches of headroom and 41.5 inches of legroom at the front. The 2019 XJ range spans from $76,395 to $123,395.

Photo by Jaguar Land Rover

2019 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Andre Drummond plays for the Detroit Pistons and he’s 6’ 11” tall - yep, an inch away from seven feet. He drives an S-Class. Admittedly, it’s a high-power AMG version that costs in excess of $150,000, but the amount of occupant space is the same no matter how fast the car can go.

So the entry-level S 450, from around $92,000, with its 39.7 inches of headroom and 41.4 inches of legroom would be roomy enough for anyone. It still has a respectable 362 hp from a turbocharged V6. Standard equipment now includes dual 12.3-inch high-resolution displays for infotainment and driver information, plus an array of cool safety features.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

2019 Porsche Panamera

Spare a thought one moment for the plight of tall people who can’t fit properly into a Porsche 911 sports car. Never will they be able to carve canyon roads while hearing that glorious flat-six engine wailing. If only there was something that handled like it but was bigger.

Two guys think they’ve found the answer. Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry is so famous that even people who passionately don’t care about basketball have heard of him. However, he’s relatively dwarf-like at 6’ 3”. New Orleans Pelicans player (maybe heading for Boston Celtics?) Anthony Davis is 6’ 10”. Both have a Porsche Panamera (from $87,395). Porsche hasn’t given any interior dimensions, but we can safely assume that they’re more than adequate.

Photo by Porsche

2019 Tesla Model S

Not only is the all-electric Model S roomy in the “up and down” dimensions — 38.8 inches of headroom and 42.7 inches of legroom up front — it’s also quite wide. Because tall people aren’t always shaped like street lights, shoulder and hip room in the first row is 57.7 and 55 inches, respectively.

We know for sure that a person measuring 6’ 10” would fit, because that’s the height of Blake Griffin (now with the Detroit Pistons) who had a Model S while he was still based in Los Angeles. It takes around $80,000 to get into a 2019 Model S, but even the smallest battery (in the 75D) has a 259-mile range.

Photo by Tesla

2019 Volvo V90

Since this is 10 of the best luxury cars for tall drivers, we ought to take the occasional unusual situation into account as well. If a fairly tall person needed to sleep in the car (it happens sometimes), they might well be able to stretch out in a V90. The maximum length of this luxury wagon’s cargo area is 78.3 inches, or 6.5 feet. That’s in addition to the 40.4 inches of front headroom (39.6 with the panoramic sunroof) and 42.2 inches of legroom.

The V90 also is packed with excellent safety features, high-class materials, and sumptuously comfortable front seats. The 2019 V90 starts at $52,445. That seems pretty reasonable for what is a well-equipped and arguably great-looking car.

Photo by Volvo