My wife had a 328i back in the day, I fit just fine in it. I test drove a BMW 240i convertible a few years back, thought about buying it, it was a lot of fun.
I drove a Chevy Sonic for years, I didn't even have the seat all the way back. Granted there was zero room behind me if I did. The GTI was the same, my seat was not all the way back. I must be shrinking.
I do put the seats all the way DOWN obviously. The Tucson has plenty of room for us, and two adults can sit in the back and do OK on a long trip. The rear seats are heated. I've riden in the back before and it's fine. The main thing that surprised me about the Tucson is how quiet it is at speed.
For us the Tucson is fine. Boring, but fine. I'm not sure what else for the money would make more sense given our priorities. For a sedan, I'd be fine with an Accord, they are very good cars. I'd LIKE a CT4V Blackwing with a stick shift. That ain't happenin'. I'd also like a Mustang GT convertible, which ain't happening neither.