BMW 3 Series and Carseats

stephenabelson

I am driving a 95 5 Series now, but considering getting a newer 3. Right now we have one baby, so one carseat. Does anyone have a baby with the 3 Series? How is the room for a carseat? You know these carseats take up quite a bit of space and room. Anyone fit two carseats back there?

How's the trunk size for strollers also?

(only curious if you have the previous 3 Series or the one that is in production now)

carnaught

Does anyone have a Present or Previous 3 Series with Carseats in the back?

No, my kids are grown.

paule

I have an '05 (last year of the previous series) 325xi and it fits a Britax Wizard (fairly large car seat) without any major problems. I do however have to flip one of the LATCH anchors 180 degrees from the way it is designed to latch due to the seat back not allowing it to latch correctly. This is not ideal to have a twist in the belt but it's necessary with the design of this particular carseat latch and the BMW LATCH anchorage. I also removed the rear head rest to attach the upper anchorage. You can leave it in but it's more difficult to get the upper tether tight.
I put carseats in very TIGHTLY. You cannot budge it at all.
You could definitely fit 2 car seats in this car.
I moved the car seat over to a current model that I had for a loaner and again it was no problem installing it. I can't remember exactly but I believe the new model is a little easier to install.
The cars aren't huge when carseats are installed but they are definitely adequate. The trunk is adequate to fit in a stroller without any problem.

roadburner

A friend of mine was able to obtain a BMW "Carli" seat in Germany and sneak it past US Customs. My son used it from age one until he was almost eight. It worked great in both my E36 318ti and my E39 528i.

J_Scott

Have a 2009 335i and it "works" with car seats. My son is 2 and I have a fairly large car seat back there for him. He can sit back there comfortably. There are a couple of things to note though. It can be a bit difficult to get them into the seat. Because of the way the window slopes down towards the trunk getting them in without bumping their head is tricky (of course this is true of many sedans). To give them room the passenger seat needs to be at least half way forward. This is only really a problem if you have a tall passenger in the front seat as they would be fairly cramped with a child in the back and the seat so far forward. The final caveat is they can kick your passenger seat. It's not that bad though since the back of the seat is a hard plastic. Just lots of little foot prints to wipe off. Not much danger of them scuffing the leather.

In my experience it works fine with young children. I just wouldn't recommend it if you plan on having your child in the car with a tall passenger in the front seat.

momoftwins2

I have a 2007 335xi and it works well with small children. I have twins and they were originally in Graco Snugrides and with both carseats in the back you could still squeeze a reasonably sized adult in between them. I just upgraded them to Britax Marathons and both carseats still fit fine though I doubt an adult could fit between them now.

The trunk size is good too. We fit our Graco DuoGlide double stroller in the trunk just fine and still have room for other stuff. The only problem we have had is going to the airport with all of our luggage when travelling. In the past, we have put one full size suitcase in between the carseats but I don't think that will work anymore.

Overall, I am very pleased with the car.

pinenut77

I have an 07 335xi. I can fit two car seats in the backseat. However, when using an infant carrier type of seat the front passenger is very cramped. I would not ride there for even an hour. There is no way that I could put the infant seat behind the drivers seat and drive comfortably and I am only 5'6". I will be moving up to the 535xi for my next baby.

astrand

I brought a Britax Marathon to the dealership to check out the 328 coupe and was pleasantly surprised how I was able to get the car seat in. The latch connectors were much easier to get to than my wife's Volvo XC90. You would think a Volvo SUV would not have tucked away latch connectors.

buffymi

I am a little late responding. but I hope you choose to not buy the car. While BMW are the best there is not real trunk space for stroller; that being said you wont fit anything else back there. Yes a car seat works in the middle, however like me once the child gets bigger and you need a larger car seat you will be looking for another car. I am looking at the x5 or a 750 bc I cant take it anymore. I am also looking at the Mercedes truck and the canyenne..Hope this helps..