The Dacia Jogger’s award-winning practicality is now available to all, thanks to an innovative Wheelchair Accessible Car conversion by Sirus Automotive. The conversion makes it currently the only new Wheelchair Accessible Car for sale on the UK market.
Sirus Automotive has been designing and manufacturing forward-thinking mobility solutions for more than 20 years and is the industry leader of Drive From Wheelchair and Upfront Passenger Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles. In the Dacia Jogger, its engineers found a platform that allowed them to deliver favourable levels of interior space for a car of this size that are usually reserved for van-based conversions. The result is an industry first, a family-friendly car based on the Dacia Jogger designed to accommodate up to six people, including one wheelchair passenger.
Simon Pearson, Sirus Automotive Founder and Managing Director commented: “We selected the Dacia Jogger so we could offer our customers all the benefits of a family car at an affordable price. We were impressed with the quality and reliability of Dacia’s range, so the Jogger was the ideal car for us, giving us a choice of trim levels which includes the latest driver assistance and infotainment technology.”
The conversion enables wheelchair access via a lightweight, counterbalanced ramp. By lowering the floor, Sirus Automotive has been able to achieve a seated head height of 139cm with the Dacia Jogger’s space and generous headroom ensuring a wheelchair user can sit comfortably. The mid-row seats – capable of seating one, two or three people and with integral ISOFIX mountings for two car seats – can be safely folded out of the way to create additional space or left in place so a wheelchair user can sit with other rear-seat passengers. An anti-slip coating on the ramp ensures safe access even in wet weather, while a variety of wheelchair restraint systems – including manual or automated locking and winch-assisted loading – are also available.
“Just because you are in a wheelchair doesn’t mean life stops,” explains Andrew Russell, one of the first customers of the Dacia Jogger Wheelchair Accessible Car. “We still need a car that is nice to drive, offers flexibility, has rear seats for our grandchildren, and ISOFIX for two child seats. To be able to fit myself plus another five people in the car is fantastic. We will use all the rear seats on the occasions we are taking our grandchildren on holiday. The modular roof bars also mean we can easily transport our luggage.
“Travelling in the back is very comfortable and there is plenty of headroom, and I am 5 ft 10,” he continued. “I also need flexibility and plenty of space in the rear as I use different wheelchairs. I had been using accessible taxis and with some of them you just felt like a piece of luggage travelling in the boot! I don’t feel like that in the Dacia Jogger as I am sat further forwards, so I can sit with my grandchildren and just feel like part of the family. My wife loves it too, as its dimensions mean it’s easy to manoeuvre and drive, and with it only taking a couple of minutes for me to get in and out, it means we can now take going out for granted. There’s now no need to weigh up whether the effort is worth it, and that’s the appeal of it – it’s a standard car that happens to have wheelchair access.”
On his first impressions of the Dacia Jogger, the ex-headteacher added: “I’d seen all the awards that it had won and had heard good things about Dacia, but for the price, I was still expecting it to be functional rather than anything else. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the features and quality, and it certainly feels like it’ll last. I also like the fact that I’ve got everything in the back that everybody else does, such as a USB charger and cup holders. It’s really well thought out.”
Luke Broad, Dacia Brand Director for the UK said: “We’re delighted that the Dacia Jogger’s clever packaging has enabled Sirus Automotive to create such an innovative Wheelchair Accessible Car. We’re immensely proud of how the Dacia Jogger will play a vital role in providing greater mobility for many wheelchair users and their families, allowing them the freedom to make their own adventures and explore the great outdoors with the minimum of fuss.”
All Dacia Jogger trim levels are available from Sirus Automotive, with the top trims proving the most popular. That means customers can enjoy all the usual Jogger comforts, from the innovative infotainment systems to the clever modular roof bars, the advanced driver assistance systems to the generous standard specification.
Sirus Automotive has already allocated a significant number of conversions to customers, despite only launching the new Dacia Jogger a few months ago. What’s more, Sirus Automotive has committed to additional, ongoing orders to meet rapidly growing demand. Each is converted at the company’s facility in Wednesbury, West Midlands, where the team pride themselves on maintaining their high quality of engineering and the robust factory finish for which Dacia has become known.
The conversion is fully supported by Dacia, is PAS Approved and has National Small Series Type Approval. In addition to Dacia’s three-year manufacturer warranty, Sirus provides a three-year conversion warranty for extra peace-of-mind. The new Dacia Jogger Wheelchair Accessible Car is available through the Motability Scheme from £4,495 Advance Payment, or for private purchase priced from £26,995 (ex VAT).
