Which cars are best for comfort?

Hi,

Can you tell me which SUVs offer a driver's/seating position most like a standard car's? My wife and I currently both use her Opel Zafira and I find the seating position very upright and uncomfortable as the seats will not move back far enough. Effectively it means I have to lift my feet completely to operate the pedals instead of just pivoting on my heels as with a more reclined position. I have recently had a hip replaced and the other one is painful if I drive any reasonable distance.

We test drove a secondhand C-Class Estate and I wanted to buy it but she finds the seating position very cramped (in particular did not like the large console between the seats). We sat in a Honda CR-V after and she much preferred the space and lack of clutter between the seats but I found the seating position uncomfortable. Essentially we are looking for something that has the high ceiling, big windscreen and lack of clutter of most SUVs/MPVs,  but with a seating position that gives good enough leg room for somebody over six-foot like me to pivot my feet on my heels rather than having to lift them to operate the pedals. Maybe we need two cars, which is a waste given we are city dwellers and do very small annual mileage between us.

Thanks

Kevin

Apr 2016 Filed under: choosing used car

Expert answer

Hi Kevin,

That’s almost an impossible question for me to answer I’m afraid as, as you’ve pointed out, a car that many might consider comfortable and pleasant (the Honda CR-V) is uncomfortable for you. Mind you, you’re right about the C-Class Estate being small inside – it was never the biggest car around.