When you pass a racy sports car, sleek and low to the ground, you probably fantasise yourself into the driver's seat. But sometimes it's a case of wondering how the driver manages to get in - and get out.
Most cars, apart from sports cars, are designed to accommodate the tallest reasonable male and the shortest female, according to David Browne, head of transport design at Coventry University. The range is from about 4'10" to 6'6".
But people come in all shapes and sizes, and even those approaching either end of the limits can be uncomfortable in ordinary saloon cars.
Osteopath Bryan McIlwraith has an interest in car ergonomics. He believes that, apart from luxury models, very few cars really cater well for those over six foot who need more headroom or legroom.
So, while tall people earn more, win more elections and fare better at dating, or so the research goes, fitting into the average car can be like trying to get a pint into a wine glass. Many tall drivers have to put up with poor road visibility and back pain when they really need cars which allow for maximum adjustment.
In most cars seats and steering wheels that can be raised and lowered but very few economy cars have steering wheels that can be moved out and in, seat belts that can be adjusted for height, electric seats with memory settings or lumbar support, even as options.
"Steering wheels that can be adjusted for reach have helped counter the Italian drive," says Browne. "Italian cars up to 10 years ago were designed for those with short legs and long arms. Before that taller drivers had to recline the seat fully and then sit forward to reach the steering wheel and the gear stick."
The average Irish female is 5'5" and the male is 5'10", but each generation is growing by half an inch. Those pushing up the average meet their first difficulty when learning to drive.
Ireland Rugby player Malcolm O'Kelly started out in his mother's Fiesta. "I drove in my socks for the extra inch even with the seat fully back," he says. At 6'8" with an inside leg measurement of 38 inches, he couldn't fit into an old Mini or close the door of a Ferrari.
The second-row rugby player currently drives a Mondeo and says his height has made him hugely conscious of driving safely. "In general automatics also help - you don't have to worry about the clutch or the gears lever."
David and Lorna Conroy from Swords, Co Dublin, are members of the Tall Club of Great Britain and Ireland which has about 1,000 members, including about 50 Irish members all over six foot. David weighs in at 20 stone and is just shy of seven foot with an inside leg measurement of 40 inches. The Conroys drive a new automatic Suzuki Wagon R+ which they chose for its height.
Recently they bought a second-car for occasional use - they opted for a 1995 automatic Nissan Micra at a bargain price. "I'm going to take off the door panel and the door and window handles," says David. "I'm also going to try to lift the seat and move the rails back an inch or two." Unfortunately his height prevented him from becoming a taxi-driver. "I was offered a PSV licence but decided not to take it. With the driver's seat back all the way in my old car, I couldn't take that many passengers."
A Continental lorry driver, he finds the truck cab better than any car: "The seats tilt forward and back and have lumbar support from the top to the base. All the controls are within easy reach without being obstructive." Conroy says that in many ways older cars are better for larger people, as the dashboards are tiny and there are no claustrophobic consoles.
Still, car makers are building taller cars and this is evident even with superminis such as the Yaris and the C3. Some very tall people consider vans and MPVs for headroom, according to Enda Gormley, who is 6'8". Sun-roofs can be a problem, he says, when the frame reduces the headroom while a multifunction steering wheel is indispensable when a seat is tilted way back.
Six-footer Deirdre Walsh drives a Colt with the seat on tilt but, even in larger cars, has to use her left arm to support her back on longer drives.
Conor McGrath, a Monkstown stockbroker is 6'5". He drives a Ferrari 355 and rarely in comfort. Former rugby player Wicklow-based Garret Downey, 6'5", loved the Celica but the only way out was to roll onto the kerb. "Unfortunately height militates against driving some of the sleeker cars," he says. "With my height and rugby-player's back, seating and space are vital considerations."
Osteopath McIlwraith argues that taller drivers compromise either knowingly or unknowingly. "They sit with their knees touching the steering wheel," he says. "When the knees are higher than the thighs, pressure is put on the lumbar spine. Long journeys in this position are known to create intervertebral disc problems.
"Tall drivers should look for good supportive seats but lumbar support adjustable for height is very rare. Recaro seats are good but need to be retro-fitted. They work if you are average to skinny otherwise the extra lateral supports dig into the thighs."
Electric seats are infinitely more variable, he says. "If they are high from the ground, it helps when getting out. Anyone with a spine problem should go for an automatic car as pumping the clutch creates pressure on the lumbar spine."
As the Spanish song goes, tall people may never make love in something like a Fiat 500, but short drivers also have difficulties with cars. Many sit too close to the steering wheel when airbag guidelines suggest a distance of 10 inches. Intelligent airbags which sense the closeness of the driver and the severity of the impact before "deciding" to either fully or partially deploy, are an attempt to address this.
"We are a commuter nation so a comfortable driving position is vital to reduce stress, fatigue and the risks of accident or long-term injury," says Navan GP Sean McGrath. "Each generation is getting taller and, though height extremes are still in the minority, features that facilitate visibility and safer driving benefit everyone."