General Comments:
This car has been a Godsend for my father. He is a World War II veteran and has never owned anything but American made cars his entire life. I know he really would have preferred to buy American this time too. But he has had a terrible time finding a vehicle he can get into. He is 6 foot 2 inches, 350 pounds, 86 years old. He gets around with a walker and has arthritis and bad knees. He can only climb up into his 1998 Ford F150 with a lot of help. So for about two years, we have been trying to find a vehicle that would work for him and give him back some independence.
No car company is advertising they make car for this clientile. No web sites or car magazines offer any help either. Searches on the web with words like old or obese turn up very little that is helpful.
The key factors are these. You don't want to climb up into it. You don't want to climb down into it either, because then you have to climb out. You want to slide your bottom straight across onto the seat. The steering wheel can't block your access getting in. Preferably, you have power seats so you can slide them back for getting in. Once you are in, you need to be able to position the steering wheel so it does not hit your belly, but you can freely steer. The seat can not be one of these narrow cockpit designs like is so popular now, as those do not leave room for a wide bottom person. It is okay if the seat is narrow, as long as your posterior can spill over the edges without some stupid center console getting in the way. (The bench seat like in the F150 is preferable, but those are becoming very rare.)
It turns out the Odyssey fits my father's needs perfectly. The second row seats are removable, and the power sliding door lets him get his walker into the car so he can take it where he needs to go.
We have been told this car is built on a frame that is adaptable to adding a lift for a wheel chair if that becomes necessary later.
My wife is a doctor at the VA, and works with elderly people. She says she is amazed at how well this car is set up for the elderly. Very large clear numbers on all the displays. Large easy to grip lever for the transmission. All the buttons and knobs are large.
I appreciate that people reading this website normally like to read reviews from the people that actually own and drive the car. But I know how hard it has been for us to find a car that meets our father's needs, and would like to share our experience to whoever may be in a similar situation. We had almost given up looking for a car that would give him back his mobility. This car has worked out just perfect.
