Need Help Selecting A Car: Prioritizing Space and Ergonomics

Buying/Selling
1

I’ve been searching for a car for over 8 months now and could use some additional perspective and feedback. I previously drove a Prius which resulted in severe lower back and hip pain, taking me out of work for a month. My foot is still numb matter of fact, so ergonomic comfort is priority.

Location: Orange County
Price range: $15,000 or less
Type of vehicle: Compact SUV or Hatchback (preferably hybrid)
Must haves:
Good space
Good gas mileage
Wide, visible windshield
Comfortable seat
Low enough steering wheel to rest knee on
Smooth ride
Desired transmission: Automatic
Intended use: Daily Driver

Vehicles ive considered:
Nissan Rogue
Honda HR-V
Hyundai Tucson
Hyundai Kona
Subaru Crosstrek
Hyundai Ioniq
Kia Niro
Kia Sportage

Additional Notes:

Here are my thoughts on some of the cars I’ve considered:
Nissan Rogue: Comfortable seat and steering wheel with good space, but the windshield is too narrow, and I’ve heard the transmission has issues.

Honda HR-V: Good size, wide windshield, comfortable seat, and decent gas mileage. However, the steering wheel isn’t quite in the right position for my knee to rest on it.

Hyundai Tucson: Pretty good all around, but I feel I could get better gas mileage.
Hyundai Kona: Good fit, but a bit too small for all my gear.

Subaru Crosstrek: Good space, comfortable seat, good steering wheel, wide windshield, and decent gas mileage (28/30 MPG), but not the best.

Hyundai Ioniq: Amazing gas mileage and a good seat, but the steering wheel is awkward for resting my knee, and the space is a bit too small.

Kia Niro and Kia Sportage: Both had very bumpy rides.
I’m looking for input on narrowing down my options or suggestions for additional cars that might fit my criteria.

Given my previous experience with back pain, comfort is a top priority. Thank you in advance for your help!

2

That just does not sound like a good idea . Why is that a requirement ?

1 Like
3

I’d personally stay away from the Hyundai/Kia, with all the publicity of how easy they are to steal most insurance companies are refusing to insure them.

4

Steering with the knee, makes it easier to hold cell phone and text, I see it all the time.

Amazing what you can see driving a semi.

4 Likes
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The main page of this website posts some pretty good car reviews, with both pros and cons. Suggest to take a look there. Click the “Car Talk” icon, upper left this page. Suggest to read what it says about the Lexus RX 350, very popular model seen on the roadways here. Perhaps an older used version could be found and still fit the budget.

6

Add a Mazda 3 to your list. They are fantastic little cars, check most or all of the boxed you’ve listed, and can easily be had within your price range.

7

Subaru Crosstrek is very popular here and owners my wife and I have talked to have all been very pleased with it. It’s on our short list to replace our 1999 Civic. 2025 Civic hybrid, too, if we go new.

Like you, I would like a hybrid (or plug-in hybrid) but Subaru has not been accomplishing much there.

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I’d consider that one myself, but OP should definitely do several test drives first before considering. I believe there’s been a few concerns about driving position & ride comfort for that car expressed here.

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I vote against the Subaru anything used at 15000.00 . It most likely will be 6 to 8 years old with over 100000 miles . Repair costs could be outrages . We have an Outback but it was new and will probably be traded at warranty end.

10

At that price I’d avoid any AWD cars or Kia/Hyundai. HRV, Mazda 3, Corolla, Civic would be on my list. Hybrids at that price will have high miles, especially Toyotas, which are the only ones I’d consider.

11

This is a really odd thing to say. To be honest, if your knee is anywhere near resting on the steering wheel, it seems to me that you’re in a weird contorted position that might be the cause of your problems in the first place.

On another note, if you ever get rear-ended while your knee is resting on the steering wheel, I suspect your pain problems will be jumping to a whole new level.

3 Likes
12

My elderly neighbor went from a Honda Accord to a Honda CRV because of back and leg pain. Driving the CRV helped a lot. My wife’s long time friend had severe leg pain and she also bought a CRV. The Honda helped reduce the pain while driving a lot. If you haven’t driven a CRV you might consider it and see if the pain issues are reduced. I suggest a long test drive for anything you like, at least 30 minutes, to make sure the pain doesn’t crop up. I eliminated a car in 2017 after a long test drive because my back hurt.

13

I think you are imagining things again . We had a 2018 Ford Fiesta and it is closely related to the Mazda 3. It was comfotable , easy on gas and rode just fine on a 1500 mile trip.

And no you would not buy a Mazda 3 because it has to many Gadgets.

1 Like
14

I do not remember the year, but my friend that has severe nerve damage (among other things) from agent orange and has issues sitting up, but he loved(s) his little Mazda 3 with the 6 speed manual transmission and could drive it anywhere for hours at a time… He is also short legged and heavy set… It had enough power that when he test drove it he thought it might of had a turbo, but it was only N/A… He has passed it down to his son and now drives a Mazda 6 (possibly newer 3)…
I am not a big fan of Mazda’s and neither was he until he bought this one, now he loves them, and since he has been working on vehicles longer than I have been alive, I tend to believe him… lol

And I agree, I would not buy an AWD that was out of factory warranty unless they had full service records of the tires bought and new what was the requirement when tires had to be changed…

And I would not buy a Kia/Hyundai of any kind…

15

How about a used Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager/Chrysler Voyager from the 1996-2000 or 2001-2007 generations? This is a very comfortable vehicle with an excellent driving position, a suspension which soaks up bumps in the road, plenty of seating for your family, and a rear hatch. Several different engines were available, including a 2.4L 4-cylinder, 3.0L V-6, and 3.3L V-6, all of which offer excellent performance and reliability.

16

A friend bought a used Mazda CX-30 a year or so ago and really likes it. Similar to the HRV in size.

17

Get your facts straight.

SOME insurance companies are refusing to insure SOME OLDER Hyundia’s or Kia’s in SOME cities.

Some auto insurers are refusing to cover certain Hyundai and Kia models | CNN Business

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Why do you want to do this?

19

It would be nice for Claire to explain the knee rest requirment plus what and how much gear she has to put in a vehicle .

20

Seeing that the OP has a budget of $15,000 I’m guessing it will be an OLDER car,

https://www.thezebra.com/resources/car-insurance/insurers-dropping-kia-and-hyundai/

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