[abhijeetaj]

Hello All,

I am a Cervical Spondylitis patient. I am suffering with severe Neck and Back spasm and pain. There was another thread a little related to this. I did not find my answers there so I am posting my problem and query here. Please pardon me for any repetitions.

• I currently drive Palio and Baleno.
• Doctors have advised me to shift to a car which will have an upright sitting position.
• They have advised WagonR or Santro.
• However, after driving the Palio these cars feel like boring and unsafe.
• I find myself most comfortable in an Innova.
• I mostly drive 20km daily in town and occasional 500-1000 kms trip once every 2 months. I do these in my Palio or Baleno or a hired Innova.

Would you suggest any car for me considering my condition? Please help me on this one. I would be grateful.

Regards

Abhijeet

[GTO]

Abhijeet, first & foremost, I recommend combing these threads:

Back Pain - Most comfortable car

Severe back pain and driving

Your condition clearly dictates:

a) A high-set car with easy ingress / egress

b) Good ride quality (V IMP, especially on Indian roads)

You haven't specified your budget, but in the ballpark of 4 lakh rupees, the Beat makes a strong case for itself. Tall boy (thus, easy ingress & egress) and the best ride quality amongst hatchbacks. It doesn't have any of the bumpiness of the Santro or the WagonR. For sheer easy of driving, I'd also recommend an automatic i10 to you (tall boy, super light controls, less hand movement due to AT, ride bumpy at the rear).

I'm not too sure of the applicability of an MUV (Innova for e.g.). They require a good effort when manouvering within a tight city.

[aargee]

IMO, you've clearly stated your needs. Use WagonR/Santro depending on your (forced) choice & as usual hire Innova for once in 2 months for the long drive. How about extending your budget to Ritz Vxi with ABS?

[AbhiJ]

A friend of mine had the seat of this City modified to be more upright for his father..

All it took was some stiff foam, seat covers and a good "mistry".

[jigbarai]

If you are looking to drive yourself, I second GTO's opinion. Get yourself an automatic.

And select a car with easy ingress/egress, but one that can also absorb bumps and road unevenness. This is very important IMO.

A santro or a wagon R will not do that.

Else, do seriously think of a 'driver' option .

[abhijeetaj]

Originally Posted by GTO

Abhijeet, first & foremost, I recommend combing these threads:

Back Pain - Most comfortable car

Severe back pain and driving

Your condition clearly dictates:

a) A high-set car with easy ingress / egress

b) Good ride quality (V IMP, especially on Indian roads)

You haven't specified your budget, but in the ballpark of 4 lakh rupees, the Beat makes a strong case for itself. Tall boy (thus, easy ingress & egress) and the best ride quality amongst hatchbacks. It doesn't have any of the bumpiness of the Santro or the WagonR. For sheer easy of driving, I'd also recommend an automatic i10 to you (tall boy, super light controls, less hand movement due to AT, ride bumpy at the rear).

I'm not too sure of the applicability of an MUV (Innova for e.g.). They require a good effort when manouvering within a tight city.

Thanks GTO.

I combed through the other two threads. Like you say, tallboy is what I need, but I feel uncomfortable in these cars at speeds. I replaced my palio's 165 tyres with 185s and that has helped the stability even more. So, I am getting a bit reluctant in opting any of the tallboys as they are unstable and dont feel glued to the road.

However, left with no choice, I would try modifying Palio's seats before opting for any of the tallboys.

I personally like Innova, but it is out-of-budget. So, I will keep hiring it for long distances.

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

A friend of mine had the seat of this City modified to be more upright for his father..

All it took was some stiff foam, seat covers and a good "mistry".

Thanks,

I will definitely try this one. Because I love my palio.

[abhijeetaj]

How about Ford Fusion. Will get a test drive soon.

[ameya]

Skoda Yeti??

Priced (hopefully) lower than the Innova.

German build quality, upright seating position and the Germans are known to offer a high degree of seat adjustment options especially for the driver...

Hyundai, Maruti and the lot are (in my opinion) too light for high speed stability but great in the city.

[sachinj12]

@ ameya

Skoda? He will probably start running from pillar to post after he visits the service centre. As someone said, he could get a tall boy and modify the seat.

[vnabhi]

I too have cervical spondylitis for the past 9 years (owing to sedentary desk and IT job), but not that severe. Somehow I feel more disomfort while driving my WagonR for a long period of time, when compared to my Fiesta.
My brother in law, on the contrary, has lower back pain, and finds driving my WagonR more comfortable than his Alto.
This being the case, I almost concluded that tall boys are good for people with lower back pain and lower slung cars are good for people with neck pain. But after reading your post I am a bit perplexed.
I suggest you drive a tall boy for an hour and then conclude if it is better than your Palio. I had a pal's Palio with me for 6 months and found the drive and ride quality to be better than my WagonR.
Sorry if I confused you, but please do test and then decide.