If automakers designed a car just for seniors

bobcat

bobcat

Well-known Member
Location
Northern Calif
Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the population in America with over 67 million people, and yet most cars are designed like everyone is 25 years old and has a PHD degree in Tech. It got me to thinking: What would seniors really want in a car if it was crafted just for us.

Cost, colors, ease of use, features, comfort, style, propulsion, reminders, safety, night driving, loading and unloading, entry & exit, conversational, ????
What would you want in your car if it could be anything you desire?
 
bobcat said:
Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the population in America with over 67 million people, and yet most cars are designed like everyone is 25 years old and has a PHD degree in Tech. It got me to thinking: What would seniors really want in a car if it was crafted just for us.

Cost, colors, ease of use, features, comfort, style, propulsion, reminders, safety, night driving, loading and unloading, entry & exit, conversational, ????
What would you want in your car if it could be anything you desire?
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Without a shadow of a doubt it's a high driving position... that should be in all cars for seniors whether it's small car or an SUV

Heated lumbar seats... to help ease back pain
 
I definitely would have liked one with a step in somewhere in the middle of what my car is and the taller ones.
I can get in and out ok in mine, but some riders have a hard time with the lower seat.
All of my sons have vehicles I have to grab that bar and hang onto to to get in, I hate that!
Seeing the road is nice from up there though.
Maybe the low-riders were onto something. A car that you can adjust to a higher or lower enter height.
Just not bounce like low-riders did :ROFLMAO:
 
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Many new cars have fully digital dashes, I wish you could better customize the display and font(?) size. They claim to be customisable but they're really not, they just give you a couple of arangement options but it's not the arrangement I want, nor the size I can easily see.
 
C50 said:
Both my cars have heated seats with adjustable lumbar support, I love that feature. My newer car also has vented seats that the AC can be pumped thru in the summer, very nice feature. First time I used it it felt like I was sitting in a puddle of water.lol
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My daughter has always had heated seats in whatever car she's had... mainly VW's and Toyota... my ex has them in his cars... but I never have..

I wouuldn't be concerned about heated seats per se... just heated lumber region, because after I've been driving my lower back hurts, and then that creates sciatica down my right leg which of course is the Gas pedal leg... so it's painful to drive.. ..and I thik that will be the case for many people our age as well
 
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I still fancy the classic look of older cars like this

65 Buick Riviera.jpg

Then maybe a little mood lighting and a deluxe sound system when I drive, like this

Modd Lighting Interior.jpg

But, like others, I would love to have comfortable massaging lounge seats like this:
(And they would swivel to exit the vehicle)


Senior car seats.jpg
 

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I like the fact today's cars go longer distances and time between maintenance, but there are many options that I don't use. My reverse camera is useless to me; I need to turn and look as before. There are a lot of controls on the steering wheel that I do not even know what they're for and don't use.The radio is more complicated than necessary and I would like one as simple as cars had 40 years ago.
 
bobcat said:
I still fancy the classic look of older cars like this

View attachment 491277

Then maybe a little mood lighting and a deluxe sound system when I drive, like this

View attachment 491273

But, like others, I would love to have comfortable massaging lounge seats like this:
(And they would swivel to exit the vehicle)


View attachment 491275
Click to expand...
I find it unusual that the photo of the man and women DOES NOT show them wearing seat belts. And, as far as I can see, there are no seat belt attachment locations on the interior of the vehicle, either. In most countries around the world, such a lack of safety equipment would result in such a vehicle being banned for sale.
 
I find the features on new vehicles to be great! We have a 2026 Hyundai and those heated seats are wonderful! With the remote start and remote climate control feature, I can lock/unlock the car remotely, start the car, turn on the heated seats, and adjust the temperature and airflow so that by the time I get in, everything’s toasty! I can preset the climate control settings for summer or winter so the cabin temp is always comfortable by the time I get in. The lumbar support is wonderful too.

I use the various safety/driver assist features all the time. The backup camera, lane assist, and blind spot monitoring are wonderful, especially since I have some arthritis in my neck so I have limited motion when I look over my shoulder.

There’s also automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning which has been helpful a time or two. Also helpful is the Cross traffic alert, and automatic high/low beam is one less thing to think about. Ron uses the cruise control all the time.

I’m also a techie, so I love the interface between car and driver and the many technical features I get to play with.

As far as I’m concerned, the automakers have don’t a great job designing a vehicle that works perfectly for my needs and limitations!
 
jimintoronto said:
I find it unusual that the photo of the man and women DOES NOT show them wearing seat belts. And, as far as I can see, there are no seat belt attachment locations on the interior of the vehicle, either. In most countries around the world, such a lack of safety equipment would result in such a vehicle being banned for sale.
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Oh, sorry Jim. I think the picture is just an illustration. The front of the car is actually behind them, as you can see from the rearview mirror and side mirrors. Yeah, it does look confusing. I just noticed the comfort of the seats because they looked more like loungers, which might be kinda nice on long drives.
 
Ronni said:
I find the features on new vehicles to be great! We have a 2026 Hyundai and those heated seats are wonderful! With the remote start and remote climate control feature, I can lock/unlock the car remotely, start the car, turn on the heated seats, and adjust the temperature and airflow so that by the time I get in, everything’s toasty! I can preset the climate control settings for summer or winter so the cabin temp is always comfortable by the time I get in. The lumbar support is wonderful too.

I use the various safety/driver assist features all the time. The backup camera, lane assist, and blind spot monitoring are wonderful, especially since I have some arthritis in my neck so I have limited motion when I look over my shoulder.

There’s also automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning which has been helpful a time or two. Also helpful is the Cross traffic alert, and automatic high/low beam is one less thing to think about. Ron uses the cruise control all the time.

I’m also a techie, so I love the interface between car and driver and the many technical features I get to play with.

As far as I’m concerned, the automakers have don’t a great job designing a vehicle that works perfectly for my needs and limitations!
Click to expand...
Yes, Hyundai has done a much better job of integrating the infotainment screen into the dash. Many of the automakers have gone with the look of a pasted on computer tablet. I think they did it to keep a person's eyes in a road-viewing position, but the appearance seems a bit distasteful to me, but others don't seem to mind it I guess.
 
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