Permobil M5 Corpus

Permobil's M5 is a top end mid-wheel drive powerchair for those who are focused on outdoor performance but want to maintain good manoeuvrability. The Corpus seating system provides unrivalled comfort and support, and comes with the option for premium powered seating functions including Active Reach forward tilt to interact with your environment.

Product Description

Power Base

The M5's is the outdoor-focused mid-wheel drive base in Permobil's range. An inch longer, and two wider than the M3, it is not quite as compact - but mid-wheel drive still allows for precision turning, aided by the exceptional low-end torque that lets you pivot like a pro.

Outdoors is where the M5 truly excels, with uprated Flexlink Pro independent drive wheel suspension. This keeps all six wheels on the ground and provides a level of smoothness to your ride above the M3's performance, letting you tackle more adventurous terrain with confidence. The suspension helps ensure you maintain your positioning in the seat, allowing you to feel more secure and reducing fatigue as you drive. Uniquely, Permobil chairs maintain full suspension at any seating position (including with lift and tilt activated), unlike other powerchairs which may lock the suspension out at certain seating positions.

The M5 comes with a 7.5 mph top speed as standard, as well as larger 70 Ah batteries for an impressive 20 mile range. The aggressive tread to the tyres provides additional traction, but if you love off-roading, even chunkier snow/mud tyres are available that are capable of handling Swedish winters - so the relatively mild climate of South East England is a breeze by comparison.

If using special controls, we would recommend the ESP module (gyro), which maintains straight-line driving without the need for constant corrections to your course, making for a more relaxing driving experience.

Seating

As with all Permobil powerchairs, the M5 features the Corpus seating system, which we can completely customise to meet your comfort, support and function requirements. The seat will be tailor made to your exact size, with a wide array of backrests and cushions (including third-party ones) available to provide the ultimate comfort for you. Roho's air cushions and backrests are a popular upgrade for those that require higher levels of pressure relief, and positioning options such as headrests, lateral supports, hip guides and more can be fitted. This results in a seat bespoke made to precisely fit you, and which can be adjusted in the future should your requirements change.

The power seating functions available on the Corpus seat are at a level beyond that found on other manufacturers' powerchairs. They are completely customisable, with three memory positions available as standard for optimal pressure relief and relaxation. The power recline goes back to a full 180°, lying you completely flat - most powerchairs of this level don't recline anywhere close to flat, and even those with "lie-flat" recline tend to go to around 175° at most. Bio-mechanical anti-shear and a close pivot point ensure your positioning accessories (such as the headrest) support you consistently all the way back, and helps to reduce friction. The power tilt is an impressive 50° for optimum pressure relief - when tilt, recline and power elevating leg rests are combined they are an ideal treatment for oedema, raising your legs above the heart.

The Active Height seat riser lets you remain active whilst elevated up to 14 inches - more than the 12 inches on most risers, including the M3. You can drive at a good walking pace of 3.2 mph whilst fully elevated - and with full suspension - ensuring you never sacrifice comfort for function. The riser lets you meet people eye to eye, reducing the need to look up all the time.

Active Reach is a feature unique to Permobil chairs - it's not found on seating systems from other manufacturers such as Invacare or Sunrise Medical. A combination of anterior (forward) tilt and the seat riser, it lets you interact with the environment around you, putting the world within your reach. With this, you can reach beyond obstructions, into high cabinets, or even just be assisted with forward transfers.

Controls

R-Net controls come as standard, and we strongly recommend upgrading to the high-definition LCD joystick for clear control of your powerchair, as well as memorising your favourite seating positions. This highly customisable control system is individually programmed by our specialists to match your requirements, with personalised seating functions and drive profiles.

Like all Permobil powerchairs, the M5 is the ideal base for those with special control requirements, with numerous options available - such as chin or head controls, or switch boxes for quick access to seat functions. Bluetooth and Infrared allow you to interact with your environment, whether that be operating your TV, linking with a tablet or controlling remote doors and lights.

Appearance

Permobil have long set the standard for sleek and stylish powerchairs, and the M5 is a stunning example. With its clean matt black appearance, your choice of several accent colours (including metallics and hydrographics) and two upholstery finishes, you can personalise your chair to ensure it turns heads. It's no surprise that other manufacturers have started to style their chairs in a similar way to Permobil - imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

Both the M5 and the Corpus seating system have a clean design, with adjustments, actuators and cabling hidden discreetly away. Tellingly, Permobil provide photos of the rear view of their powerchairs - some other manufacturers don't as they're so cluttered with cables and bolts!

Our Verdict

Permobil powerchairs have a reputation for being expensive, yet this is somewhat undeserved. The closest competitor to the M5 are Quickie's Q700 M and Dietz's Sango Advanced. Otherwise, the Magic 360 is a more off-road capable model that remains versatile enough for indoor use, although the seating is not as sophisticated.

We cannot recommend Corpus seating highly enough - its versatility allows us to provide you with the comfort and fit you require both now, and in the future. Beyond that, it has powered seating options that are only found on competitors' top-level (and significantly more expensive) products. Even then, the Corpus seat offers features like Active Reach anterior tilt that aren't available elsewhere.

If you're looking for a mid-wheel drive powerchair with a focus on outdoor performance, and the best seating available, the M5 is our pick.

Key Features

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    Flexlink Pro suspension
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    Mid-wheel drive manoeuvrability
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    Corpus seating
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    Active Reach forward tilt

Our Service

We offer a range of solutions for getting the powered wheelchair of your choice, including purchase, long-term hire agreements of one or three years, and the option to lease through the Motability scheme.

We passionately believe we provide a level of service above and beyond other retailers that gives you real value for money. Our in-house experts can provide you with impartial advice on the right wheelchair for you, and none of our staff are on commission.

All aftercare is carried out by our experienced specialists, with a fleet of mobile engineers, and a fully stocked workshop at our HQ - we don't get a third-party company to carry out our work. In the event your powerchair needs to come back to us for repair, we will provide you with a loan powered wheelchair from our extensive fleet to keep you mobile. We maintain a fleet of high-end prescriptive powered wheelchairs so that your loan product will be as similar as possible to your wheelchair.

Try This Powered Wheelchair

Our Chessington Showroom is stocked with a wide range of wheelchairs for you to try out and compare, and our product specialists are on hand to answer all your questions, and carry out a full assessment. Visiting our Showroom allows you to see the widest possible range of powerchairs before making your decision on which powered wheelchair to buy.

We are also able to carry out home assessments and demonstrations - please call us to book one in. A home consultation comes with the benefit of trying out an electric wheelchair around the environment in which you will be using it.

Product Specification

DriveMid-Wheel
Speed8mph / 12.87km/h
Battery Size73 Ah
Crash TestedYes
FunctionalityElevating Leg Rests, Seat Lifter, Tilt In Space, Forward Tilt, Recline
Indoor OutdoorIndoor & Outdoors
Made To MeasureMade to Measure
Max Range18miles / 28.97km
Powerchair TypePrescriptive Powerchair
Max Seat Depth57cm / 22.44in
Max Seat Width57cm / 22.44in
Min Seat Depth37cm / 14.57in
Min Seat Width42cm / 16.54in
Min Seat Height45cm / 17.72in
Weight Capacity150kg / 23st 9lb
Min Overall Width63cm / 24.80in
Min Overall Length117cm / 46.06in

Pricing

£9,752 exc VAT / £11,702.40 inc VAT

Prescriptive powerchairs such as this are built to order following an assessment with one of our Prescriptive Assessors. They are available with a wide range of customisation options, including powered seating functions, cushions and backrests, and drive performance upgrades, and these can affect the price - our Prescriptive Assessors will run through all the options at your assessment. As a general guideline, opting for multiple powered seating functions can add significantly to the cost of the wheelchair; however it is possible to get a fully functioning and desirable chair at the base price!

People purchasing powered wheelchairs will often qualify for zero-rated VAT. If the person using the wheelchair has a permanent disability, terminal illness or chronic sickness then they will be eligible for 0% VAT. Our Prescriptive Assessors will be able to answer any questions you may have about VAT.

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