Are a grandparent with a number of wonderful grandkids you want to safely drive back and forth between fun events? Maybe you pick them up from school on Fridays so they can spend the weekend with you, or maybe you take them with you to church on Sundays. No matter the reason, you’re going to need a good vehicle to safely get yourself and your grandchildren around town. Some of the safest vehicles for seniors with grandchildren are SUVs. Today we’re looking at some of the best (and safest) SUVs for seniors.
Top SUVs for Seniors with Grandchildren
Honda Pilot
Honda’s got a great reputation that they’ve earned through constantly putting out excellent vehicles that are safe and last for a long time. The reliable and safe Honda Pilot makes a great vehicle for seniors as it’s slam-full of features to keep you and your passengers safe! That includes forward collision warnings, emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and other safety features. These are ideal for senior drivers as they operate in the background and aren’t intrusive but will kick in to help you when you need them.
What’s more, this isn’t just about safety. The Honda Pilot also sports excellent performance! The engine is V6 and the ride is fun and lively. If you’re looking for something that’s both safe and fun all at once, it’s a hard balance to strike. Honda, however, manages to strike that balance excellently. With 280 horsepower, this is a vehicle that can really move! The Pilot also sports impressive fuel economy, getting 27 MPG highway and 19 MPG city. For a V6 SUV, that’s not too bad!
The Honda Pilot’s base trim level starts right around $32,000. The base trim includes a 5-inch infotainment display and has access to voice-activated controls, which is a favorite of many seniors.
Subaru Forester
The Forester is a great pick for those on a bit more of a budget. That’s because the base trim of the Forester starts right around $25,000, making it a bit easier to swing for those with a tighter budget. Much like the Pilot, one of the biggest draws to the Forester for seniors is the safety features that you get. The Subaru DriverFocus features are available on the Forester, and these features are excellent. They monitor driver behavior and give warning if the driver is behaving unusually.
Drivers can also opt for front collision warnings, rear cross-traffic alerts and blind-spot monitoring, those these upgrades are not included in the base trim. Some great design features also make this a wonderful pick for seniors. For instance, the door sills are quite low to the ground, and the door openings are rather wide. This makes getting into and out of the vehicle easier than in most SUVs.
The engine isn’t quite as impressive as the likes of the Honda Pilot, though it’s not a slouch. The Forester sports a 4-cylinder, 185 horsepower engine that offers 33 miles per gallon on the highway. This engine also nets you 26 miles per gallon in the city, making up for the relatively lower horsepower compared to other vehicles in the class.
Acura RDX
The Acura RDX is a popular SUV, especially among seniors, due to its luxurious features and great drive. It’s a bit on the pricey side, starting around $40,000, but many find it to be well-worth the price. It’s got a great 4-cylinder engine under the hood, putting out 275 horsepower and netting a solid 28 MPG highway and 22 MPG city. These numbers are made more impressive, however, by the luxurious vehicle that houses the engine.
The full, robust entertainment system in the vehicle is sure to impress the grandkids, and it offers support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Both of which are excellent integration systems for smartphones! Integrated voice commands allow you to control the vehicle’s entertainment options without having your eyes leave the road, too. This keeps you safer while driving, as taking your eyes off the road is a quick way to become distracted and potentially get hurt.
The Acura RDX also supports AcuraWatch, the proprietary safety suite that runs in many Acura vehicles. AcuraWatch implements features such as lane keeping, emergency breaking, road departure warnings and more. This is excellent for drivers who might be worried about potential threats while driving. Keeping yourself and your grandkids safe is certainly a chief concern, and the Acura RDX is a great vehicle for keeping that concern at the top of your priority list!