Passenger seat height adjustment

[CrazyPete]

My parents are getting older and are looking for a new vehicle that is a better fit than their current Camry. They have some mobility issues so ease of entry is a major issue; also, my dad is tall (6'2") and fit for him is important. We've been looking at some small to mid-sized SUVs. Height adjustment for the passenger seat would be great but is pretty hard to find. We've seen it in a used Lexus RX, but unfortunately, it is hard to find one without a moonroof, which eats headroom. In the RX, my dad's head is up against the ceiling when he puts the seat at a height that gives him thigh support. We also looked at the Toyota Highlander, which is great for headroom, but lacks the passenger side height adjustment. Any other suggestions for things we could look at? Their somewhat soft target is <$30K.

[thebogman]

crazypete, I am also looking for the same feature. So far, the only car I have seen is the Dodge Grand Caravan or the Chrysler Town and Country. Actually the other ADA features on those cars are amazing too, it's definitely worth checking out. Good luck in your search, and please let us know if you find anything else.

[thebogman]

I found a few more to expand the list a little...

1) Chrysler Town and Country
2) Dodge Grand Caravan
3) Volkswagon Routan
4) Ford Fusion
5) Ford Flex

[Shpuker]

Pretty much every car with both electric seats fits your description. Heck you could pick up a used X3 or X5 for around 27k.

Other than that I'd just look into some taller SUV's or some of the less luxury based ones, from what I've seen they tend to have a little more head room :P

[akboss]

What about a Hyundai Tucson? New ones have tons of luxury features on the top-level trim but they're still reasonable to buy. Santa Fe is also a good buy.

[thebogman]

Thanks for the suggestions. I checked out the Hyundai Tuscan today, and while power adjustable passenger seats are an option, those seats do not allow for height adjustment, they only move to the front or back, and tilt the seatback. This is the same issue I have encountered in nearly every other vehicle that I have checked - lack of height adjustment on the passenger seat.

At this point I am thinking about getting the passenger seat on my Honda Civic modified. I'd imagine that type of customization would get very expensive. Do you know of any companies that can do this?

[Shpuker]

Originally Posted by thebogman

Thanks for the suggestions. I checked out the Hyundai Tuscan today, and while power adjustable passenger seats are an option, those seats do not allow for height adjustment, they only move to the front or back, and tilt the seatback. This is the same issue I have encountered in nearly every other vehicle that I have checked - lack of height adjustment on the passenger seat.

At this point I am thinking about getting the passenger seat on my Honda Civic modified. I'd imagine that type of customization would get very expensive. Do you know of any companies that can do this?

Just seems unnecissary to do something like that :P, I know for a fact that the X3 & X5 BMW's have the option, really nice cars that are easily in your range (used) only problem would probably be maintenance costs :P

[Ray paulsen]

Originally Posted by thebogman

I found a few more to expand the list a little...

1) Chrysler Town and Country
2) Dodge Grand Caravan
3) Volkswagon Routan
4) Ford Fusion
5) Ford Flex

I like your #5 choice, ease of entry being tall or having back problems along with adjustable driver seat fit for a Basketball player makes the Flex my choice.

[akboss]

Originally Posted by Ray paulsen

I like your #5 choice, ease of entry being tall or having back problems along with adjustable driver seat fit for a Basketball player makes the Flex my choice.

Plus, the Flex is a little more interesting in appearance than the vans - I agree, good choice.

Another option might be the Chrysler Pacifica, off a lot of people's lists because it's a whale, but most products from Domestic manufacturers offered power seats on both sides in high-level trim.

[thebogman]

Thanks for all of your comments. I have found that it is very easy to find cars that have power adjustments on the passenger side, but very few of those cars actually adjust for height; mostly they are only adjustable for the fore/aft, and tilt. And manually adjustable height controls are even more rare.

I do agree that the Ford Flex is probably the best option from the list above, and ultimately I will choose between that and the Town & Country. But just add to the list above, I have also found that the Buick Lucerne and Buick LaCrosse also have this option. I am surprised that I not found any Japanese cars that allow for height adjustment on the passenger side.

So for anyone keeping track, here is an updated list of models that have this surprisingly rare feature...

1) Chrysler Town and Country
2) Dodge Grand Caravan
3) Volkswagon Routan
4) Ford Flex
5) Ford Fusion
6) Buick LaCrosse
7) Buick Lucerne