Clearing up your New-Car Features Questions

By Bill McLauchlan

Most of us have been there at one time or another. You stretch out or bend down, reaching for something, and a muscle spasm locks up your lower back in a searing stab of pain.
It feels almost impossible to straighten up, you can barely walk and lowering yourself to sit down is a slow, excruciatingly painful process. Trying the latter makes getting in or out of your car a bit of an ordeal, at any age. Fortunately, with a little time and/or treatment, things loosen up and you’re back to normal.

Even so, it’s something that hints at what may be waiting down the road as our body begins its inevitable downhill run into old age. In terms of our driving life, Philipp Meyer expressed it well in his 2009 novel American Rust by noting what it means to get old when he wrote: You don’t look forward to pleasure so much as easing pain.”

Looking back on a couple of those muscle spasm episodes myself I know from experience it’s one thing to lower your bum into the driver’s seat cushion. But it gets no easier from there. Next you have to lift your feet and twist your body to get fully seated then shift your weight around to settle into a more or less comfortable position. And let me tell you folks, it ain’t any better getting out once you’re reached your destination.

That started me thinking about how we all age differently and how as we go through the assessment process in our next new-car purchase there are several “smart choices” we can make that can accommodate current needs or pay off down the road if physical conditions change for the worse.

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Obviously, regardless of our age and health, any vehicle under consideration these days should have scored well in federal crash tests, have front, side and curtain airbags, and be equipped with anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control – the latter to help maintain control in slippery turns and compensate for the slower reaction times of an older driver.
But there are other more subtle things to think about. Is the car you’re considering a 2-door or 4-door model. Style preferences aside, bear in mind that a 2-door body has longer doors – needed to allow access to the rear passenger seats. But that makes them heavier, calling for more muscle to open and close than is the case on a 4-door body. If the car is parked on a hill or slope that extra weight won’t make light work for anyone with upper body muscle stiffness, or is affected by arthritis in the hands or finger pain and stiffness.

John F. Martin for Chevrolet

Next comes the door opening itself. Does it allow easy entry and exit? Is there sufficient headroom and is the door sill low enough to accommodate a limited range of leg motion?
Then take a look at the seats. There should be good support from mid-thigh to the buttocks area to ease access and egress. Leather upholstery can also help smooth entry and exit, though fabric-covered seat material can help keep hold the body more securely in position during hard cornering situations or in emergency maneouvering. Power seats, six- or eight-way adjustable, not only help with entry/exit but also allow easy adjustment to alleviate hip or leg pain, arthritis or numbness and tingling in the legs. Another benefit with power seat adjustment is in helping deliver a good line of sight above the steering wheel, especially for shorter stature drivers. Heated power seats (often with lumbar support) can also help to sooth back pain too.

Adjustable foot pedals are also good to look for. With them, a comfortable position is possible without the needing to slouch down and compromise driver visibility. They also help keep you a safe distance from the steering wheel in the event of an airbag deployment. And, again, they can help smaller drivers sit and see better as well as aiding those dealing with leg or hip pain, diminished leg strength or limited knee flexibility.

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With proper seating taken care of, it’s time to turn your attention to the steering wheel. A tilt/telescoping version also helps with entry/exit, especially for bigger-bodies drivers. It can also help maintain a safe separation between chest and front airbag for smaller-stature motorists and help others find a comfortable position to ease possible neck and shoulder pain. A thicker wheel rim also means you don’t need as much hand and wrist strength to grip and handle typical driving conditions.

Keyless entry is another good feature to have as, apart from its convenience, it does away with any finger pain or joint stiffness needed to turn a key. Same goes for power side mirrors, more so if they’re treated to reduce night time glare. If they’re heated so much the better, as there’s no need to scrape off ice. Likewise, the larger they are the better to help with body turning issues associated with merging, blind-spot checking or backing up. Speaking of reversing, a large rear window and rear-view camera can also be a big help in aiding visibility for anyone having trouble looking over their shoulder.

Buick News Photo

Keep your eyes open, too, for big, easy to manipulate secondary control buttons, high-contrast instrument displays with big, clear letters and numbers, all of which make it easy to take in quick information and allow more confident, less distracted driving. A cautious word to the wise, though, regarding the growing trend to touch screen displays. Their positioning usually on the centre console, and multiple flat-pad layout tends to make function choices hard to do without taking one’s eyes off the road, not good at night or if eyes have a problem with quick focus changes. Still on the subject of buttons, an ignition-start push button is good to have, if twisting a key is difficult or painful for stiff fingers or arthritic hands.

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One recent development, found on some Ford and BMW models is an automatic tailgate that opens with the swipe of a foot beneath the rear bumper. Convenient if you’re holding an armful of grocery bags and needs no strength to operate. Also in the recent development category are parallel parking assistance, front and rear radar-based collision and braking systems, adaptive cruise control, night vision capability, lane deviation systems and more. They can be expensive or maybe not even available on vehicles within your budget range. But worth consideration if they are.