Back Seat Room
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Members
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,167
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From: Southern California
My Ride: 2006 550i SMG
I bought my first BMW last year when my family grew to 4, and went with an 04 330i 6spd performance package which I really love. This is the first 4 door sedan that I thought was really fun to drive. Now we are expecting another newbie in September and looking at upgrading to a 550i. I'm hoping it will hold 5 without too much discomfort.
Does anyone have experience with stuffing 2 car seats and a skinny pre-teen in the back seat? Your input is greatly appreciated!
Does anyone have experience with stuffing 2 car seats and a skinny pre-teen in the back seat? Your input is greatly appreciated!
#2
Contributors
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 968
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From: LONG BEACH , CALIFORNIA
My Ride: 2005 530i JETBLACK/BLACK DAKOTA, COLD WEATHER PKG, PREMIUM PKG, ADAPTIVE XENON HEADLIGHTS, AUTO TRANSMISSION WITH 6 SPEED STEPTRONIC, BLUETOOTH SETUP,SAT SETUP AND WIFE AS CO-PILOT
Originally Posted by Heloha' date='Jul 17 2005, 12:23 AM
I bought my first BMW last year when my family grew to 4, and went with an 04 330i 6spd performance package which I really love.? This is the first 4 door sedan that I thought was really fun to drive.? Now we are expecting another newbie in September and looking at upgrading to a 550i.? I'm hoping it will hold 5 without too much discomfort.
Does anyone have experience with stuffing 2 car seats and a skinny pre-teen in the back seat?? Your input is greatly appreciated!
Does anyone have experience with stuffing 2 car seats and a skinny pre-teen in the back seat?? Your input is greatly appreciated!
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#3
Contributors
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 406
Likes: 0
From: Colorado Springs, CO
My Ride: 2002 330CIC with Sports and Premium (Sold 4/2005)
2005 545I Black Saphire Metalic, with Black Dakota Leather, Poplar trim. Sport Package, MTech Body kit and Spoiler, HUD, Comfort Seats, Navigation, Premium sound, CWP, Heated Rear Seats, Window shades. Valentine 1 hardwired, Aux input.
No problem. I replaced a 330 convertible for the exact same reason. It was an excellent decision.
#5
Originally Posted by Heloha' date='Jul 17 2005, 03:23 AM
I bought my first BMW last year when my family grew to 4, and went with an 04 330i 6spd performance package which I really love.? This is the first 4 door sedan that I thought was really fun to drive.? Now we are expecting another newbie in September and looking at upgrading to a 550i.? I'm hoping it will hold 5 without too much discomfort.
Does anyone have experience with stuffing 2 car seats and a skinny pre-teen in the back seat?? Your input is greatly appreciated!
Does anyone have experience with stuffing 2 car seats and a skinny pre-teen in the back seat?? Your input is greatly appreciated!
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Now if you plan to fill the back seat every day with carseats and family then you will have to get the 550i and live with the tight rear quarters. (Who here wants drive a minivan everyday? )
If however you can limit rear seat use to occasional then you can keep your 330i which you love and get the minivan for the occasion. The Japanese ones are fully equipped nowadays and have just about everything, inluding my personal favourite Run Flat Tires. Nobody wants to have a flat with two Car Seat toddlers and a Pre teen in the minivan with two feet of snow (not a problem I guess where you live) on the road shoulders.
Look through this forum the 545i (and soon 550i) are phenomenal but do you really want to expose your familly to the possiblity of "Warnnig! Stop Car and Call for Dealer to be Towed" or any other "Windows Malfuntion?"
Go ahead spoil yourself but not the kids.
#6
Originally Posted by Alex.br' date='Jul 17 2005, 05:34 AM
It will fit with excelent confort. I have tree kids (12, 8 and 6) and I came from a E46 330.
The E60 was a great choice.
The E60 was a great choice.
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I can't even imagine having someone sit in between. Maybe I should ask the wife to demonstrate
We have taken a few long trips together and it wasn't uncomfortable, but I personnally wouldn't say with excellent comfort.
#7
Super Moderator
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 17,310
Likes: 2
From: Pittsburgh, PA USA
My Ride: G30 M550i
Model Year: 2018
Two car seats doesn't leave a great deal of room in the center. Sure, it'll probably work for a small person sitting in the middle but then again, some car seats are larger than others.
Count me as another one who has a minivan for the kids and the E60 for the times when I'm not going far with them or when I'm going with one of them...
Count me as another one who has a minivan for the kids and the E60 for the times when I'm not going far with them or when I'm going with one of them...
#8
Originally Posted by JBOO' date='Jul 17 2005, 12:36 PM
[quote name='Alex.br' date='Jul 17 2005, 05:34 AM']It will fit with excelent confort. I have tree kids (12, 8 and 6) and I came from a E46 330.
The E60 was a great choice.
The E60 was a great choice.
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I can't even imagine having someone sit in between. Maybe I should ask the wife to demonstrate
We have taken a few long trips together and it wasn't uncomfortable, but I personnally wouldn't say with excellent comfort.
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[/quote]I am 1,86m height. My kids have the average tall for they age. I think that the problem isn't height but weight. We are all thin. The E60 works fine and confortable to me and them. IT IS JUST MY OPNION. But I don't use the car for long trips.
I ordered the X3 for these ocasions.
#9
Contributors
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 651
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From: Sunny California
My Ride: 2005 545i with everything
I agree with the guy above about a minivan. I have 3 kids age 9,6, and 3. They can easily fit in the back seat of my 545i, although only one of them is in a car seat.
But who wants an E60 as a family car? It's not well suited. My wife has a loaded Chrysler Town & Country Limited AWD that cost about $30,000 less than my 545i, and the kids love it-- watching movies, spilling sippy cups on the leather seats, pulling the cupholders apart, wedging happy meal toys into every crevace.. But it is MUCH more comfortable than the E60 for anything more than a trip to the corner store when it comes to transporting kids. If you are just talking about the occasional need to put them in YOUR car, you will have plenty of space.
I just have it professionally detailed a couple times a year and hand washed every week and it holds up well. The E60 would not fare as well I'm afraid.
Here it is in Yosemite...(notice the matching color to my Titanium Silver 545i )
But who wants an E60 as a family car? It's not well suited. My wife has a loaded Chrysler Town & Country Limited AWD that cost about $30,000 less than my 545i, and the kids love it-- watching movies, spilling sippy cups on the leather seats, pulling the cupholders apart, wedging happy meal toys into every crevace.. But it is MUCH more comfortable than the E60 for anything more than a trip to the corner store when it comes to transporting kids. If you are just talking about the occasional need to put them in YOUR car, you will have plenty of space.
I just have it professionally detailed a couple times a year and hand washed every week and it holds up well. The E60 would not fare as well I'm afraid.
Here it is in Yosemite...(notice the matching color to my Titanium Silver 545i )
#10
I have a 2.5 year old & a 3 month old. On the odd occasion when my son (the 3 month old) was not well, my wife squeezed into the back, between the car seats.
My wife is small 5ft 2 & 50kg's I think.
The point is that it is tough for her to get in & out with the car seats already in place. Once in, she has quite sufficient seat & shoulder room but her feet have to be uncomfortable on either side of the wide rear centre consol.
My wife is small 5ft 2 & 50kg's I think.
The point is that it is tough for her to get in & out with the car seats already in place. Once in, she has quite sufficient seat & shoulder room but her feet have to be uncomfortable on either side of the wide rear centre consol.