Which car offers easy access and reliability?

We live in the far north-west of Scotland and have a 2005 Honda Accord Tourer Executive 2.2i CTDi with 115,000 miles. It’s now time to change. We are now finding it too low to get out of due to age and arthritis, but have tried friends' CR-Vs, X-Trails and Picassos and find these too high to climb out of. We had a Mondeo but didn’t like it. We do about 20,000 miles annually. What cars would you suggest we look at with a similar spec and reliability? What engine and wheels? Probably about 1-2 years old and around £15,000-£18,000?

Asked on 6 April 2013 by AR, via email

Answered by Honest John

I suggest the Mazda 5 1.6d TS2 on 205/55 R16 Toyo J48 tyres (you can also get it with a 150PS 2.0-litre petrol engine). It has wonderfully compliant suspension, handles brilliantly, and is easy to get in and out of. And returns about 50mpg.

Tags: wheels and tyres suvs ease of access reliability comfort

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