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I need a car with good disabled access to replace my Saab 9-5 - what do you recommend?

My Saab 9-5 is getting old and I want to replace it to meet some specific needs, including driving elderly and often disabled people to hospital and other appointments. I'm looking for a petrol car with slightly higher seating than in my Saab, with wide doors, easy to get in and out of, and with sufficient boot space to accommodate wheelchairs.

I have looked at the Ford Grand C-Max and the Mazda 5. The C-Max, although very likeable, does not have a petrol automatic option. As I prefer an automatic and like the comfortable ride of my Saab, am I looking for the impossible? My financial limit is around £16,000 and, in the past, I have often gone for a good secondhand car rather than a new one.

Asked on 20 October 2012 by IC, Redbourn

Answered by Honest John
The Mazda 5 would be ideal if there was an automatic, but there isn't. That leaves you with the Toyota Verso 1.8i Valvematic Multidrive S or the new Ford B-Max that is available as a 1.6-litre petrol Powershift automatic. I think the C-Max will soon get this powertrain option, too.
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