Rear seat space

[tmclssns]

My current lease car (E87 - hatch) is coming to an end. I'm in for a new E87 or E82 (coupe).

My main concern is rear seat space. We currently have two children (3 - 6) so at the end of the lease they will be 7 and 10. Is that still manageable with the coupe or is it a bit cramped?

I'm only 1m75 (which is according to Google 5 foot 10 inches) so my seat is not that far back.

Another "concern" that I have is parking space. Lots of spaces here in Belgium are small and the coupe has bigger doors than the hatch. Any opinions on that?

[sfillion]

I also have two kids. 2 and 6 years olds. There is no problem with rear seat space but this is not my primary car. We also have a SUV for long run but the kids love this car so much !

[JimD]

My kids are 6'4" and 5'9". My wife is in heaven so it is just the three of us to enjoy my 128i. We fit fine. My son is in the passengers front and my daughter behind him. I have also had four adults in my convertible for short trips and everybody was comfortable. 4 people my size (I'm 6'2") or my son's size would be tight but 4 adults under 6 feet fit pretty easily.

Getting into and out of the back of a coupe is not so fun, at least for adults, but kids should be able to manage. Space is not as big a problem as it looks like it would be.

Jim

[cadeucsb]

I am 6'2" and I can sit behind the driver seat while the seat is in my position for driving. Both of my kids (2 and 4) fit in the back fine with their car seat and booster. However the full size car seat needs the passenger seat slid forward since the car seat puts his legs farther forward than if he was to just sit in the seat or a booster.

Do I love getting them in and out of a coupe? no. Does everyone love riding in it (making it worth the effort)? yes

[123D-M]

I'm 187cm and I can just sit in the back but my head touches the roof. Anyone shorter is fine. If anything there is slightly more room in the back of the coupe than the hatch. Also, the trunk is bigger on the coupe than the hatch.

I don't have any problem with getting in and out in narrow Belgian car parks You can press the unlock button twice and then the windows go down automatically when you open the door which makes it much easier to get in. The only problem with narrow carparks is other drivers damaging your car!

[ethermal]

the back seat is about the same size if not larger then the rear seat in a e46 3 series coupe. Which in my mind is ample for adults let alone kids. I car pool with 2 adults and we all fit great in my 1

[ptack]

The coupe is actually larger than the hatches so there is slightly more room in the rear, but it is harder to get to with only 2 doors. The doors are larger than the hatch doors, but it's not like you have to swing the doors all the way open to get into the car.

I would say it all depends on how often you need to use the rear for passengers. If it's daily I would go with a 4 door. If it's occasionally, treat yourself to a 135i.

[tmclssns]

Originally Posted by ptack

The coupe is actually larger than the hatches so there is slightly more room in the rear, but it is harder to get to with only 2 doors. The doors are larger than the hatch doors, but it's not like you have to swing the doors all the way open to get into the car.

I would say it all depends on how often you need to use the rear for passengers. If it's daily I would go with a 4 door. If it's occasionally, treat yourself to a 135i.

LOL. I would if I could. It's a lease car (company car) which only allows for diesels. Next to that, the petrol in Belgium is expensive. You pay 1.5 USD for about a litre of fuel. So a gallon petrol in Belgium will set you back about 5.6 USD.

Not talking about getting it onto the road (taxes, insurance). So it's a "race" between a 116 diesel hatch (5 door) or 118 diesel coupe.

I guess if I can get a coupe with the options I really want (bare minimum: M-pack, radio, xenons, auto. airco, etc) I'll go for the coupe. Otherwise it will be a hatch.

[Absorber]

Honestly, my 5 year old often complains about her legs being cramped in the back seat. When she's sitting in her booster seat her legs don't quite bend naturally at the knees to fit down between the end of her rear seat and the back of the front seats. They kind of stick out straight a bit. She has to almost sit "indian style" with her legs crossed in front of her or put her feet on her seat and pull her knees up into her chest. Luckily she only rides in my car very short distances twice a week when we go to swim lessons.

This probably wouldn't be a problem for taller older children who's knees are far enough out to properly bend their legs down into the foot-well area.

[dragon1761]

if you have kids it is not a good idea to get a 2 door coupe. It gets annoying moving the seat back and forth every time. Better to get a 3 series sedan which is around the same price as the 1er.

[Lexington]

I'm 6'3" and have a coupe but have never riden in the back and have no desire or intent to do so. A friend has a 135i vert and has two kids under 10 and they complain all the time about the back seat. They complain there is not as much room as in their prior car which was a 328.

Coupes tend to have longer doors than sedans and with the 135i I tend to need to open the door most of the way open to get out easily also to avoid hitting the inside of the door with my foot and leaving scuff marks on the door.

[samuribass]

I have two kids 14 and 8. They fit just fine. IMO, there is more room behind the driver than the passenger. I am 6' btw.

[DCC]

with all this talk about rear seat space...how about confirming that the front seats have a 'memory' function that remembers the original position after folding and sliding forward to allow a rear seat passenger access?
Is this true on both front seats?
(with no power option of course)

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by DCC

with all this talk about rear seat space...how about confirming that the front seats have a 'memory' function that remembers the original position after folding and sliding forward to allow a rear seat passenger access?
Is this true on both front seats?
(with no power option of course)

Yes, the memory position works on both seats if you push the seat base backwards before the backrest is returned to the upright position.

[MOCKBA]

Back seats are not comfortable even for kids. Fisrt at all you can't even carry baby in 1 neither on front nor back seat. So only when baby is reaching 18 months you can use booster. My 10 years old son enjoys front seat but hates to be on back seat because no leg space and small windows. So 1 isn't family car for sure whatever other people tell.

Regarding door size. It was already discussed here. I have very narrow garage, so space between wall and door just about 10", so to get out of the car I just roll down window and in this case I can get out of car. Space from other side even smaller, so I let a passanger out before entering garage.

[tmclssns]

You must all have really big kids over there...

I went to the dealer yesterday with my wife (we're about the same height) and both of us were comfortable in the back seat while the other one positioned the driver seat for ideal driving positions.

The only issue I had in the back is that with my legs together I had to sit all the way back in the seat and because of that my head was against the roof. However if I just get in the seat I can sit there comfortably with my legs a bit open (as you normally would).

The only thing we need to check is if the kids can sit there as well because they're not that old yet, their knees are on top of the seat so their legs don't make the same bent as ours. So it's possible that in their position the available space is a bit on the low.

I guess I'll just wait for the prices from the leasing companies and then see which car is best, the hatch or coupe. I must admit though that after seeing and sitting in a coupe I'm sold. It does feel different although the interior is almost exactly the same. So if my budget allows to get the "basic" options I'm after (M-pack, xenon, light & rain sensor, hifi pro / radio, ...) I'll get the coupe and otherwise the hatch.

The kids problem will be solved then when my wife gets her company car (probably an Audi A3 5 door).

[123D-M]

Go with the coupe. You know you want to

Whereabouts in Belgium do you live?

[tmclssns]

Originally Posted by 123D-M

Go with the coupe. You know you want to

Whereabouts in Belgium do you live?

Boom, Antwerp.
Used to live in Deurne, Antwerp

Oh and we both want the coupe - it all comes down now about the monthly lease price...

[123D-M]

Originally Posted by tmclssns

Boom, Antwerp.
Used to live in Deurne, Antwerp

Very close. I live in Antwerp Centraal and I work in Bornem. So I drive past Boom every day.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Neither my wife nor I have any problem getting our 13-month old son in and out of his car seat in the back. It is actually easier than I expected it would be - tha back seat isn't that deep, so I can fasten him in without having even having to step in the back. A rear-facing car seat would be a totally different story, but I didn't get the 1er until shortly after his first birthday so I never had to worry about that. Also, we have a four-door car as well, so it's not like we're strictly relying on the 1 for family transport (although to be honest, since I've gotten the 1 that's been all we've used when it's the 3 of us).

I've sat in the back behind the driver's seat in my normal driving position (I'm 5'11") and had adequate leg room. It should be plenty for a kid. I think the bigger issue for rear-seat occupants is entry/egress, not so much legroom.

[heffergm]

Some of my best memories of driving with my dad were being snug in the back of a 944, or lying prone in the back of a C4 vette (good luck not getting arrested for that these days).

Kids adapt, they'll be fine, and they'll probably have some good memories to boot. Every time I plant my right foot in the vert with my daughter in the car I get a "Whoa!!!!" or a "Weeee!!!". Note to the politically correct nanny state-ists: nowhere did I say anything about exceeding the speed limit or driving unsafely, so don't infer such. God I hate where the world is headed.

[JimD]

Some kids will always find something to complain about. The fact is that there is sufficient space as long as the front seat passengers do not shove their seats all the way back. The front seats can be positioned back so far they nearly touch the rear seats leaving nearly no room for even small legs. But most of us, including people well over 6 feet tall, do not need that much room in front.

I have also had a rear facing child seat in the rear with an adult in front of it. It can be done.

Jim