High passenger seat (short torso / view through windscreen!)
Discussion
Hi all,
Retired parents looking to buy a brand new car - last purchase was about 30 years ago when there was less choice!
To help with access, likely something like a small SUV - Renault Captur, Skoda Kamiq, run-out Vauxhall Mokka X (they've not seen the Mokka thread!), Ford EcoSport, MG ZS etc.
The current challenge is mum is quite short, sits very low in the passenger seat and therefore struggles to get a view of the road. Apparently they are struggling to find something with an adjustable height passenger seat. Whilst adjustable might the way to go, i'm thinking that anything that is naturally high compared to the dashboard is fine too, whether adjustable or not. Due to a bad back they would also like heated seats, hence ruling out just sitting on a cushion.
Any thoughts welcomed for anything that will let her see out of the windows!
A non-SUV (standard car) could work too if not too low and easy to get in and out of. Nothing too big though. Budget is flexible (not helpful i know) - but no aspirations for anything too fancy.
cheers
Retired parents looking to buy a brand new car - last purchase was about 30 years ago when there was less choice!
To help with access, likely something like a small SUV - Renault Captur, Skoda Kamiq, run-out Vauxhall Mokka X (they've not seen the Mokka thread!), Ford EcoSport, MG ZS etc.
The current challenge is mum is quite short, sits very low in the passenger seat and therefore struggles to get a view of the road. Apparently they are struggling to find something with an adjustable height passenger seat. Whilst adjustable might the way to go, i'm thinking that anything that is naturally high compared to the dashboard is fine too, whether adjustable or not. Due to a bad back they would also like heated seats, hence ruling out just sitting on a cushion.
Any thoughts welcomed for anything that will let her see out of the windows!
A non-SUV (standard car) could work too if not too low and easy to get in and out of. Nothing too big though. Budget is flexible (not helpful i know) - but no aspirations for anything too fancy.
cheers
Edited by C-J on Monday 9th March 09:22
My mother-in-law has exactly the same problem and we went through many manufacturers last year in her search.
My MIL has osteoporosis and is a lot shorter than she used to be. Her current 2005 Mazda 3 is OK (not great, but OK), but she has promised herself a brand-new car and that's that.
She wanted a car that has space between the door and door mirror as she's unable to see above the mirrors with her current car. Many other criteria abounded, as we discovered, but we got there in the end.
After looking at Mazda, Volvo, Vauxhall, Fiat, Mini and Honda, we drew a few conclusions:
1. Mid-size cars seemed to be better than small ones.
2. Vauxhall's Crossland was a strong contender but, at the time of purchase, they were unable to find a model to test-drive due to an engine change at the factory. The Mokka was too tall and she didn't want to 'climb out' of a car.
3. The Mini Countryman was a very strong contender, but that fell by the wayside for visibility reasons after a 2-day test drive.
4. Nothing that Mazda could offer was suitable.
5. The Honda Jazz was ideal, but she couldn't get excited over one and so that was rejected. Perfect otherwise.
6. Fiat won her affection with the 500X in terms of visibility and her requirements for something 'low-tech'. It wasn't too tall and visibility is very good in every regard.
Hope this may help you in some way.
My MIL has osteoporosis and is a lot shorter than she used to be. Her current 2005 Mazda 3 is OK (not great, but OK), but she has promised herself a brand-new car and that's that.
She wanted a car that has space between the door and door mirror as she's unable to see above the mirrors with her current car. Many other criteria abounded, as we discovered, but we got there in the end.
After looking at Mazda, Volvo, Vauxhall, Fiat, Mini and Honda, we drew a few conclusions:
1. Mid-size cars seemed to be better than small ones.
2. Vauxhall's Crossland was a strong contender but, at the time of purchase, they were unable to find a model to test-drive due to an engine change at the factory. The Mokka was too tall and she didn't want to 'climb out' of a car.
3. The Mini Countryman was a very strong contender, but that fell by the wayside for visibility reasons after a 2-day test drive.
4. Nothing that Mazda could offer was suitable.
5. The Honda Jazz was ideal, but she couldn't get excited over one and so that was rejected. Perfect otherwise.
6. Fiat won her affection with the 500X in terms of visibility and her requirements for something 'low-tech'. It wasn't too tall and visibility is very good in every regard.
Hope this may help you in some way.
My in laws had this issue when they bought their last car. Ended up with a Captur and I'm sure it's either got height adjustable passenger seat or its at a good height anyway.
Theirs is a 2015 model and it's okay. I hear the new model is amongst the best in class.
Worth looking at the new Peugeot 2008 as well.
Really they just need to get round some dealerships and see what works for them.
Theirs is a 2015 model and it's okay. I hear the new model is amongst the best in class.
Worth looking at the new Peugeot 2008 as well.
Really they just need to get round some dealerships and see what works for them.
The Suzuki SX4 S-Cross is a great option, I'm sure that has the height adjustment too. The Kia Venga is also worth a look.
My auntie has an Ecosport and LOVES it, she is only 5ft and finds the rear boot door easier to manage than a traditional hatchback - she had to have some rope tied to the boot pull handle on her previous CMAX so she could close it comfortably.
As another poster have said, the Crossland would be ideal if a bit gawky to look at - my grandad has one and he finds it much easier to access than his previous Insignia.
Out of curiosity, what have they got at the moment? If it's quite low down then anything of the SUV ilk will be much easier.
My auntie has an Ecosport and LOVES it, she is only 5ft and finds the rear boot door easier to manage than a traditional hatchback - she had to have some rope tied to the boot pull handle on her previous CMAX so she could close it comfortably.
As another poster have said, the Crossland would be ideal if a bit gawky to look at - my grandad has one and he finds it much easier to access than his previous Insignia.
Out of curiosity, what have they got at the moment? If it's quite low down then anything of the SUV ilk will be much easier.
Edited by kieranblenk on Monday 9th March 16:08
cheers all - really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences.
Some great suggestions that were not on my radar: Jazz, 2008, SX4, Arona - really helpful.
Feel free to keep 'em coming folks - they have been to view some of the ones on my first list, however I think it is only now that they are starting to form views of what they do/don't like, so i imagine that they will be on the car showroom/free coffee trail on some forthcoming sunny days.
re current vehicle, the main one is a 2002 mini - great car, but other than the heated seats that they are used to, anything else will be a tad more refined!
Some great suggestions that were not on my radar: Jazz, 2008, SX4, Arona - really helpful.
Feel free to keep 'em coming folks - they have been to view some of the ones on my first list, however I think it is only now that they are starting to form views of what they do/don't like, so i imagine that they will be on the car showroom/free coffee trail on some forthcoming sunny days.
re current vehicle, the main one is a 2002 mini - great car, but other than the heated seats that they are used to, anything else will be a tad more refined!
Looking at your post again, one issue that my MIL faces is reaching the boot handle when open to close it. You have alluded to a similar experience.
The ONLY manufacturer that we found who offered a car with decent visibility and a powered tailgate was Mini with the Countryman. It's worth noting that the Countryman sits higher than a standard Mini and, for my MIL at least, offered a seat that she practically slid across rather than either climbed up or down to access.
Like your experience, she's determined not to use a cushion as she also wanted heated seats.
The Jazz offered a handy strap as an option to pull the boot closed. Again, important to note the strength of gas struts as some cars were immediately ruled out because the struts were too strong for her. The Jazz was fine and also had a low boot lip and very little drop into the boot from the lip, which was a very important consideration for my MIL.
The Fiat 500X offers an additional shelf to make the boot floor perfectly flat from the lip and it's a nice height, so no bending needed. Although Fiat do not offer a powered tailgate, the struts were easy to overcome and there are nice chunky handles on both sides of the boot to close it.
However, for simplicity alone, the Mini Countryman offered both a flat floor, good height and a powered tailgate. Plus heated seats.
Another strong criteria was a lack of tech. For a 74 year-old, she wanted familiarity and simplicity. Climate control on a digital dash was out, as was anything remotely complicated for the radio. In effect, all she wanted was a button to push and that was Radio 4 on and off. Knobs for the climate control were acceptable, but a touch-screen was out. The 500X again made that possible, whereas only lower spec versions of the Jazz qualified and the Mini became rather too bewildering. In my MIL's eyes. at least.
It was interesting to note that ALL small cars; Fiat 500, Vauxhall Corsa, Mazda 2, etc all failed in the visibility stakes. The Mini scored because of the central binnacle, though.
The low-tech approach also stemmed to the key. No keyless go. Anything needing a Faraday cage was out as that was deemed too much of a security risk, despite the car being sat in her locked and alarmed garage every night. Again, Fiat and Honda did well here.
Honest John is a god, in my MIL's eyes, I soon discovered.
It's funny when you go through all of this as you soon realise that older folk can be THE most demanding and pedantic customers out there.
The above are factors that you may encounter.
The ONLY manufacturer that we found who offered a car with decent visibility and a powered tailgate was Mini with the Countryman. It's worth noting that the Countryman sits higher than a standard Mini and, for my MIL at least, offered a seat that she practically slid across rather than either climbed up or down to access.
Like your experience, she's determined not to use a cushion as she also wanted heated seats.
The Jazz offered a handy strap as an option to pull the boot closed. Again, important to note the strength of gas struts as some cars were immediately ruled out because the struts were too strong for her. The Jazz was fine and also had a low boot lip and very little drop into the boot from the lip, which was a very important consideration for my MIL.
The Fiat 500X offers an additional shelf to make the boot floor perfectly flat from the lip and it's a nice height, so no bending needed. Although Fiat do not offer a powered tailgate, the struts were easy to overcome and there are nice chunky handles on both sides of the boot to close it.
However, for simplicity alone, the Mini Countryman offered both a flat floor, good height and a powered tailgate. Plus heated seats.
Another strong criteria was a lack of tech. For a 74 year-old, she wanted familiarity and simplicity. Climate control on a digital dash was out, as was anything remotely complicated for the radio. In effect, all she wanted was a button to push and that was Radio 4 on and off. Knobs for the climate control were acceptable, but a touch-screen was out. The 500X again made that possible, whereas only lower spec versions of the Jazz qualified and the Mini became rather too bewildering. In my MIL's eyes. at least.
It was interesting to note that ALL small cars; Fiat 500, Vauxhall Corsa, Mazda 2, etc all failed in the visibility stakes. The Mini scored because of the central binnacle, though.
The low-tech approach also stemmed to the key. No keyless go. Anything needing a Faraday cage was out as that was deemed too much of a security risk, despite the car being sat in her locked and alarmed garage every night. Again, Fiat and Honda did well here.
Honest John is a god, in my MIL's eyes, I soon discovered.
It's funny when you go through all of this as you soon realise that older folk can be THE most demanding and pedantic customers out there.
The above are factors that you may encounter.
Bellini said:
Looking at your post again...
...The above are factors that you may encounter.
cheers, appreciate the extra info. Mini Countryman was one I had suggested but didn't know much about so thanks. ...The above are factors that you may encounter.
500X is an interesting shout - certainly sounds worth a look (from memory that is less pretty than the 500, but not as ugly as the 500L?!)
bx14 said:
Ford bmax, heated seats, easy to get in/out of, higher up, slidey rear doors for older passengers
Thanks. Co-incidentally I did stop to look at one of these yesterday as it crawled by. The driver seem to be sat quite low (compared to the dashboard) therefore I assumed that it was the opposite of what we need and therefore hastily ruled it out. Do you think the passenger seats has good visibility for a short person/torso?
Olas said:
the quick fix would be to measure, cut, and weld. 5 or 6 quid for metal and gas..
or you could buy a whole new car
I like your thinking - and were it for me i'd find a work-around which would not involve buying a new anything!or you could buy a whole new car
Unfortunately my mother's welding skills are not what they used to be - and I think we'd struggle to braze a new strut onto her.
In hindsight, the quicker fix would to have had the surgeon insert a much longer replacement hip.
InitialDave said:
Not necessarily what you want to do with a new car, but the driver's seat from a LHD car would logically have the height adjustment, and should just bolt in and be plug-and-play with the heating/airbag side of things
Agreed, I mentioned this to them at the weekend that in the unlikely event they went down the used route that is exactly what I'd do. I don't fancy doing that to a new motor. And they had even tried to suggest this to a dealer as to whether they could get a special build using a LHD seat - but of course this is not feasible unless it is already on the options list.
Following a similar logic to the above I've suggested they at least explore whether a mobility firm could adapt a seat (years ago i had some interactions with companies that did this type of thing). Probably overkill for their current needs, but likely to be the last car they buy (they usually keep them for decades) so keen that they explore all options and get something that meets all their needs. Although potential overkill, it might give options if the alternative is a less than ideal car that happens to have the perfect seat.
It’s not difficult to raise the seat height....it’s difficult to make the height easily adjustable.
I have lifted the seat height on several cars by cutting some tube into lengths of 35 to 45 mm and inserting them as spacers between the car floor and the seat runners...using longer bolts of course.
In addition you can change the fixed tilt on the seat by making the spacers different lengths front and back.
I have lifted the seat height on several cars by cutting some tube into lengths of 35 to 45 mm and inserting them as spacers between the car floor and the seat runners...using longer bolts of course.
In addition you can change the fixed tilt on the seat by making the spacers different lengths front and back.
C-J said:
cheers, appreciate the extra info. Mini Countryman was one I had suggested but didn't know much about so thanks.
500X is an interesting shout - certainly sounds worth a look (from memory that is less pretty than the 500, but not as ugly as the 500L?!)
Yes. We looked at the 500L and that was better, but it was instantly ruled out because it's diesel only. Not great for lots of short journeys and my MIL is very anti-diesel. 500X is an interesting shout - certainly sounds worth a look (from memory that is less pretty than the 500, but not as ugly as the 500L?!)
The 500X is a nice looking car, though by no means anywhere near as lovely as the 500. The 500L is a rather ugly duckling by comparison.
I love the previous suggestions of raising the seat height through spacers, etc. I did that once, in reverse, by lowering the seat on one of my first cars by cutting out the rear legs.
Bellini said:
Yes. We looked at the 500L and that was better, but it was instantly ruled out because it's diesel only. Not great for lots of short journeys and my MIL is very anti-diesel.
The 500X is a nice looking car, though by no means anywhere near as lovely as the 500. The 500L is a rather ugly duckling by comparison.
I love the previous suggestions of raising the seat height through spacers, etc. I did that once, in reverse, by lowering the seat on one of my first cars by cutting out the rear legs.
Thanks - I've just looked up a 500X online to remind myself and it seems quite a good shape. Added to their homework list.The 500X is a nice looking car, though by no means anywhere near as lovely as the 500. The 500L is a rather ugly duckling by comparison.
I love the previous suggestions of raising the seat height through spacers, etc. I did that once, in reverse, by lowering the seat on one of my first cars by cutting out the rear legs.
Re the spacers, yes i know a few folks that have done this, mainly in older sports cars to lower the seat.
I can't see us adapting a new motor that way though - they are still a bit miffed about the radio/cassette (with mod cons like FM and a 2nd speaker) that I installed 20 odd years ago.
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