Very picky friends need a car suitable for both a short and tall driver

No my friends are not 2 of the 3 Bears. They are looking for a new car or SUV; he’s 6’3" and she’s 4’11".

They live in New Hampshire, so I have been suggesting all-wheel-drive cars- specifically the Subaru Forester. He fit in that but she had trouble seeing the road. He didn’t fit comfortably in any other Subarus. They don’t mind a car without all-wheel-drive, though.

She would strongly prefer a car with at least a power driver seat, so I don’t know about the Honda Fit, which is another car I’ve suggested.

Also, they are cheap. The Subaru at 24k was at the absolute upper limit of what they would spend. No VWs (she’s had bad experiences); they prefer Japanese cars but would consider some American cars. I dunno about Hyundais.

What the hell else is left? The Vibe/Matrix? Help!

My hubby is 6’3" and I am a short legged 5’2" .

We both fit comfortably in my 2006 Ford Escape. He moves the (power) seat not quite all the way back, and I move it not all the way forward.

We have this problem in my house too. We bought a used Audi A4 Avant and it was terrific. The hood of the A6 was too long for me to see over if I was climbing a hill with a curve in the road but the A4 was perfect.

The only drawback was that there was no, repeat no legroom in the driver’s side passenger seat if Dearly Beloved drove. But the only people riding back there were kids and they didn’t need the leg room so it wasn’t a problem for us.

Thanks. I’ll tell them.

Looking at some current cars, it looks like some or all of the following cars have raised rooflines without raised floors:

Mazda5
Kia Rondo
Honda Element
Scion xB (the newer model with the Camry engine)

Does anyone have experience with any of these? I have a Mazda3, which is closely related to the Mazda5, but don’t have much experience with the others.

We’ve got a Honda Element.
My SO is 5’ 10", but most of it is from the waist up.
I’m 5’ 4"

My SO is as long, waist up, as his 6’ 4" brother, so the headroom was a huge issue. The Element leaves him plenty of headroom. As a bonus, there is actually enough leg room in the back, to make a full sized adult comfortable.