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Zero compromise ingress / egress car for Mom & Dad

However, I find a large variety of suggestions on those that may not necessarily fit the criteria I am looking for.

IshaanIan recently shared this with other BHPians.

I know there are several threads on cars for elderly folks. However, I find a large variety of suggestions on those that may not necessarily fit the criteria I am looking for.

Background

My father had suffered from a brain stroke back in 2018. Doctors were certain he wouldn't make it. However, by god's grace, he is with us. He has battled out of coma, gained speech and memory back and is slowly battling paralysis of his entire right side with loads of physiotherapy. Mom and I are extremely happy that Dad is with us and we try to make sure he is happy to keep his confidence levels up in such testing times. We have owned a WagonR for 17 years now and it has served us well but it has gone through a LOT. Crashed by an old driver, waded through headlight level waters during flooding and several other misadventures. Now there are several electrical issues with the car and a full restoration is due. However, I would like to gift mom and dad something new (could be used as well). Dad has always enjoyed cars along with myself and mom enjoys driving as well.

Criteria

  • Petrol is a must.
  • Car cannot be too large as Mom ought to be able to drive it.
  • Ingress/Egress is of utmost importance due to Dad's partial paralysis; seat as close to waist level as possible and floor as low and easy to step into as possible.
  • Rear seats that fold down or a large boot

Keeping these in mind, I had thought of these options, some new and some used:

  • Petrol S-Cross
  • Ritz
  • B-Class

I am sure I would be missing a few options. Could members please help me out here? The Jazz would be a bit too low right? Is there anything else? Did the Skoda Yeti ever come with a petrol mill? I understand that cars like the Nissan Evalia or an used R-Class Mercedes might be the ultimate choice, but I cannot expect Mom to drive them regularly as they would be a bit too big. I am open to more interesting options than the ones I have listed as maintenance will not be much of a hassle so please feel free to shoot as many suggestions as possible. Thanks.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

Oh man, nothing quite like the WagonR for sheer ease of ingress and egress. If anything, the Ignis and Santro, and the other resident tall boys come close. Alternatively, you can also try the new breed of crossovers depending on your budget: Magnite or Kiger or Venue or Nexon or Sonet. All of them have higher set seats and are easy to get into and out of.

Stay away from used premium cars unless you are absolutely certain. They are extremely expensive to run and maintain, especially the discontinued ones.

Here's what BHPian S15 had to say on the matter:

Quite a while back, we were researching for a second car. We checked out everything from Alto 800 to VW Polo to Hyundai Verna and creta to even the Scorpio. And my mom, who had then recently gotten her knees replaced found it easiest to get in and out of, surprise, surpise, the Datsun Redi-GO. The tall boy design and low floor really helps a lot. (This was sometime in 2016, maybe 2017).

If I were looking today, I would also look at the Nissan Magnite, Renault Kwid, Kiger and Triber, and the Kia Sonet (assuming your dad will always take the front passenger seat). The Sonet's back seat is cramped, and not very easy to get in and out of.

I'd personally also check out the MG Hector (if your mom's okay with the size) and the MG ZS EV, assuming you're okay with an electric car.

Here's what BHPian shancz had to say on the matter:

First, wishing your Dad a faster recovery.

Jazz's seating will be lower than the Wagon R. Except safety/need for change, any reason for not considering the current Wagon R?

Also, check out the WR-V if it works for you.

S-Cross might work out best in your case. But also check out the CSUVs . I haven't sat in most of them but the likes of XUV300/Nexon/Brezza etc. might also work if they aren't too high.

Here's what BHPian VKumar had to say on the matter:

Wishing a quick recovery for your dad, mate.

That said, out of the ones you mentioned, since waist level is the requirement, the S Cross makes most sense. And if your father is around 5'10-6'00, then look for Ertiga or XL6.

S-Cross has a wider door sill, the seats of Ertiga are further closer to the edge.

Recently, I mentioned about these two cars on another thread too. I had very similar requirements in my close circles, that time we found these two to be the best. Initially, we chose S-Cross back then, but since the concerned person is 5'11", we shifted to the XL6. The front seats are virtually placed exactly at the 'hip point' height for a person who is 5'10" or taller. Same thing applies to anyone who is less than 5'10", the S Cross seat is around 1-1.5 inch lower than XL6. If your dad is less then 5'10", S-Cross will have him walk/slide in instead of him bending to get in and out.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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