I am looking for ideas on a new car for my husband & I. We are in our mid 50s. Features we would like include: Not to low to the ground (for visibility and 'cause I am getting a new hip), comfortable! (we are both tall), stable (my man get’s car sick and I do most of the driving), good mileage, and space to carry stuff in the back/trunk. Ideas?
I think most modern 4 door sedans – econobox and otherwise – are really quite comfortable and have plenty of trunk space. Avoid 2 door versions. I think most of the SUV’s are too tall of a step to manage to be comfortable entering and leaving. Definitely test drive the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Nissan’s econobox, etc., and see how they feel. If you want more creature comforts and modern conveniences and are willing to put up with more corresponding maintenance costs, test drive some Lexuses and Accuras and the Ford and GM versions of the same.
I think you will find the new mid sized vehicles just about right for you. Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Subaru Forrester, Chevrolet Malibu and its cousin Buick Verano and the Ford Fusion. The Altima claims to have zero gravity seats, sounds comfortable but I haven’t tried them.
I currently have a Volvo S60 and it is way too low, even with the seat adjustment . We also have very high curbs here and trying to get out curb-side means parking at least 18" out. I had 2 Volvo SWs before and had better visibility (and a wipper on the back window for even more visability) but a) they are hard to find up here and the new ones dont’ drive as well as the 20000 and older models. Used to have a Nissan sedan and felt like I was in a tin can. I have thought about a nother Subaru (Tribeca or Outback ;Foresters I have tied had a rough ride). Tried my son’s Ford Escape but it was top-heavy.
I think they have designed the Toyota Venza just for you. Go check one out.
A small SUV might work for you. You can slide in and out without stooping. Consider something like a Honda CR-V, Toyota Rav4, or Chevy Equinox. There are others available, too, if you want something more upscale. Note that anything with high seating is going to seem top heavy if you are used to driving cars.
Ah, young folks!
Comfort is so entirely subjective that I think the best approach is to pick up a Consumer Reports New Car Preview issue at the local bookstore, choose those that look interesting to you, and spend a few weekends taking long test drives.
I think most of the SUV's are too tall of a step to manage to be comfortable entering and leaving.
IMO…anything OTHER then a SUV is too low to the ground to comfortably enter and leave. My 4runner and previous pathfinders are perfect height. My butt is even with the seat. I find it a pain getting in and out my wifes Lexus.
I’m with both “same” and " jt" . We have both a real SUV on frame like high butt MikeInNh and a faux par compact SUV. The car based compact SUVs are, IMO, the most well rounded vehicles you can buy. They handle well (Forester, CRV), they go like snot (Rav v6), tow up to 3500 lbs (Rav) and can be very economical (Escape Hybrid).
You won’t get one that rides as well as a good sedan or large SUV, but you will get competency in a lot of areas. I have no personal experience with anyone who wasn’t satisfied with the compact SUV they bought, regardless of brand.
The market is so competitive in this Catagory it pretty much is as " Same" says. Get a copy of CR, and go for long test drives.
We have an older model RAV and it rides harder then the newer ones. But, it has good power from the Camry motor and handles great. For around town and occasional trips, in Awd, compact SUVs are as close as you can get for the "one size fits all " crowd.
I agree with Mike.
Unless one is talking about some monster-truck type of raised SUV, most SUVs (particularly the smaller crossovers like the Rav-4, CR-V, and Forester) are easier to get into than low-slung sedans.
And, in regard to sedans, unless Honda has recently changed their design philosophy, I would caution against an Accord. For as long as I can remember, Accords have been built lower to the ground than their competitors, with the result that they have less ground clearance (particularly in the front), and passengers must lower themselves to an extreme degree when sitting down AND–even worse–pull themselves up from a lower position when exiting the car.
Then, to compound that situation even more, the seats of Accords have always been set closer to the floor than on competing sedans, with the result that the driver’s legs have to extend straight forward toward the pedals to a greater extent than on most other sedans. When I owned my Accord, I found–to my dismay–that if I had to drive for more than 30 minutes or so, my legs began to ache and to become numb, and my lower back was then very badly affected by the pain in my legs. (Ergo–Sciatica that cleared up once I got rid of the Accord!)
So–unless Honda has changed their way of designing the Accord, I caution the OP against buying one of these cars.
Mazda CX-5 comes to mind. 32mpg on the highway in FWD trim, 31mpg with AWD.
Hate to say it but I think I’d look at the Buicks with soft suspension and cushy seats. If you could get them to take those snorkels off, nobody would know its a Buick.