What car with comfortable seats should we get for less than $50,000

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I’m hoping you can help us identify a replacement vehicle (either a sedan or an SUV) that costs less than $50,000.

We’re a couple in our early 60s and looking to replace our 11-year-old Nissan Altima (which has 175,000 kilometres on it). We don’t care if the new vehicle is gas-powered or a hybrid, but we’re not looking for a pure electric vehicle. We want to buy new, not used.

For us, the most important criteria in a vehicle are, in this order: safety, reliability and comfortable seats. Regarding the seat – I want to feel cosseted (or at minimum, comfortable). Also, I want a front passenger seat that moves up and down. We’ve ruled out a number of vehicles because the seats were too hard (for example, Mazdas, Hondas and Toyotas).

Lastly, lane changes are becoming more of an issue because of neck issues so anything that helps with lane changes would be great. – Laura

Mark Richardson: It makes a lot of sense to be concerned about the seats on your vehicle. If they’re not comfortable, everything else is irrelevant.

Petrina Gentile: That’s true. There’s nothing worse than uncomfortable seats, especially on long drives or in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Laura has already done some homework, identifying the vehicle seats she doesn’t find comfortable.

Richardson: You and I often differ, Petrina, on which seats are most comfortable, because they tend to be a personal thing. I like Nissan seats, for example, but you’re not so keen on them.

Gentile: Nissan seats are okay, but I prefer Mercedes-Benz or Volvo seats. There are more adjustments and they offer more support, but they come at a higher price.

Richardson: Both Mercedes and Volvo are about as safe as vehicles can be, which is Laura’s first requirement – but reliability is more of an issue for them. When they need fixing – and she would have to buy used for her $50,000 budget – those repairs can be expensive.

Gentile: Laura says she wants a new vehicle and not used, so let’s give her some mainstream options. Where do you want to start?

Richardson: The most reliable vehicles tend to be Toyotas and Hondas, though most makers are getting better these days. Safety is easily assessed by crash ratings, which are usually exemplary.

Gentile: But she has already ruled out Toyota and Honda because of the seats.

Richardson: Though I wonder if she’s tried a true selection of those brands. Seats can differ even between trim levels of a specific vehicle. In any case, a passenger seat that goes up and down will probably rule out the base edition of any car, so we’re looking at mid-grades, at least, for more adjustability. This is going to limit Laura’s choices if she’s not prepared to consider used cars.

Gentile: It will make the decision easier with fewer choices, but it’s too bad because one of the best brands for comfortable seats is Lincoln. They’re so plush, it feels like you’re sitting on your living room couch. But all their vehicles start north of $50,000.

Richardson: There’s always the used option. I would absolutely recommend Lincoln for its cosseting and greatly adjustable seats. Laura should take a look at a low-mileage Corsair or Nautilus. If she’s concerned about reliability, she could probably include an extended warranty and still be well within her budget.

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Gentile: Since we’re talking Lincoln, Laura could check out some Ford vehicles. I like the seats in the Ford Escape, though not in the base model – it only has a six-way manual driver’s seat and four-way manual passenger seat. It starts around $34,000. But if Laura adds the Active Premium Technology package for $4,500, she’ll get a 10-way powered driver’s seat and a six-way powered passenger seat that moves fore/aft, up/down and reclines. Plus, it adds several safety features such as adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist.

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Richardson: I’ve never been uncomfortable in a Ford Escape, so it would be worth Laura’s time to visit a dealership and sit in a floor model. Every Escape also includes Ford’s blind-spot warning as a standard feature, which watches for vehicles in the blind spot of the car’s mirrors and actively resists steering into the adjacent lane if there is a vehicle there. This used to be an expensive feature for luxury cars. That will certainly help compensate for Laura’s aging neck muscles.

Gentile: Even if you’re not aging, it’s nice to have an extra set of eyes on the road to keep you safer. And with that added technology package, she’ll be within her budget, paying less than $40,000 before freight, pre-delivery inspection and taxes add about $8,000 to the total.

Richardson: Of course, it also helps to set up your rear-view mirror so there is no blind spot. Just make sure the inner edges of the door mirrors show the reflections that are at the outer edges of the windshield mirror and you can see everything. Most people, including me, prefer to see their doors at the edge of their door-mirror reflections, which overlaps greatly and limits the view between the three mirrors, and which creates the blind spot.

Gentile: That drives me crazy. There’s no need to see the side of your door. Let’s move on and give Laura some other options. Maybe a South Korean nameplate?

Richardson: I would definitely recommend a Hyundai or Kia for their comfortable seats, but also for their clever camera images of behind the car that are shown in the speedometer and tachometer. They come on when you signal a turn. I think Laura will really like those.

Gentile: I agree. And both brands are value-packed with plenty of standard safety technology.

Richardson: There are many choices for SUVs and sedans among those two sibling brands, though the blind-spot image in the dials will need an upgrade from the base models. Laura will still have lots of choice for less than $50,000 out the door.

Gentile: I think Laura’s best bet is a used Lincoln Corsair or a new gas-powered Hyundai Tucson.

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Richardson: A Ford or Lincoln will probably be most comfortable, but only a Hyundai or Kia will give her that rear-view camera image in her dials that she’ll love.

What car should you buy? Write to Mark and Petrina at globedrive@globeandmail.com and use ‘What car’ as part of your subject line. Emails with different subject lines may not be answered.

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