@PhilipHowells63 No need to reply to each persons posts. Your posts are seen by everyone . Not a big deal but just simpler for you and everyone else.
The Forester limited is listed as having a comfort and higher technology design over the lower trims. The front seats seem to be aimed at comfort with more adjustments. A new 2026 is going to be 40000.00 plus. Of course the higher trims will have leather but that is not what makes the seats more comfortable, it is the seat design that does that. But a person still needs to set in any vehicle for long enough to see if they can be comfortable. Some dealers will have a short return policy and I know Carmax has a 7 day return policy.
This old posting dealt with me fabricating blocks to raise the passenger side seat in my 2019 Toyota.
At the time, there was no dealer supplied or after-market products availableā¦ The original seat bolts were too short for the added height, I ordered replacements bolts (Grade 8) from Fastenal. Afterwards, she did not feel like Lily Tomlinās little girl character āEdith Annā who sits in an oversize chair anymoreā¦
Look at the Honda Crv, my dadās on his 2nd since 2006 and the seat height and design is better for his back problems. Ex-l trim would have leather along with power seats. The sport touring hybrid relaced the Touring trim from 2019 that dad has. New Crv has better seats from what Iāve read. He didnāt like the forester or rav4 but the Crv checked the boxes. Was going to look at Lexis or a Mb lease but couldnāt justify driving a luxury brand..
That is a very good suggestion, but only if the OP winds-up buying a vehicle of the same trim line as the rental car.
Generally speaking, rental vehicles are middle-of-the-road trim line models, and are not either the lowest trim line or the top trim line models. Seat construction/features/quality can vary significantly from one trim line to another, and the relative comfort level can also differ quite a bit as a result of those differences.
We have been looking then had to stop for the weather, -15, then snow, then flu. Forester same feel as we have, Limited is the only trim higher, 4th Forester and 1 Outback. It was good till sciatica came along which is a hip issue, Rav 4 she didnāt like. 3rd row seats are not needed and makes the vehicle too big.
Rental choices are limited in our area and I have looked at what has been available. When on vacation for a week near DC, what I booked to try Rav 4 was never really available from source, looked to trade for a different option we might like CR V, nope the donāt rent them, they put us in a Volvo V60, hit head twice getting in car. Brought back and was given Jeep Compass, it was comfortable but under powered and small cargo area.
If you want a reliable vehicle, you definitely donāt want a Jeep Compass. CR offers the following info:
Jeepāoverallāis ranked #24 out of 26 car brands in terms of reliability. Specifically, the Jeep Compass achieved a reliability score of 43, on a scale of 0-100. By comparison, the top-ranked compact SUV, the Mazda CX-5, has a reliability score of 84.
Some others in the same size category and their reliability scores:
Rav4 76
Rav-4 Hybrid (including plug-in hybrid) 77
Hyundai Tucson 67
Honda CRV 65
Forester Hybrid 63
Forester (non-hybrid) 60
Check turo, you can filter by make/model/year and youāre renting that specific vehicle. You do have ti cluck on a listing to see the trim level. Might have to drive to get it but there are option for pickup. Turo in hawaii we got yhe car from the airport garage for a fair price. More variety than enterprise or budget. I know someone who rented a rav4 from turo.before buying one. Itās not unlimited mileage but 200mi/day is usually included.
May I suggest looking at the Mazda line. Being of āOlder Ageā my spouseās number one priority was drivers seating and she loved the āā ā ā ā Warmersā and āDrivers Supportā
