Jonesey Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 Does anyone use a 5 series with three kids in the back regularly ? Just found out we're expecting a third sprog, and much to my distress I know it's too tight a squeeze in the back of my beloved A4 . So i'm looking to get something bigger but still sporty, trying to avoid the mpv route. Any advice on options would be welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 Getting three seats in the back is a pain in any car. If you are not using ISOFIX (which you will be I guess with a baby) then there is more space. The trick is to get the narrowest booster cushion from Halfords etc and go round garages seeing if it will fit in the middle seat as the seat belt buckle dictates things. FWIW I wouldn't expect an A6/5 series to be big enough. My Disco3 is fine but its not a drivers car unless you are coming from an Trabant. Oh, and welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonesey Posted June 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 Thanks Merlot, As i suspected, think I'm probably still in the 'denial phase' at the moment, will probably succumb to the inevitable and get an S-Max or something in the end, may be able to palm it off on the wife and upgrade her Golf to a GTI / R32 though! (just means the long family journeys to France etc wouldn't be quite the same) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 Thanks Merlot,As i suspected, think I'm probably still in the 'denial phase' at the moment, will probably succumb to the inevitable and get an S-Max or something in the end, may be able to palm it off on the wife and upgrade her Golf to a GTI / R32 though! (just means the long family journeys to France etc wouldn't be quite the same) Not sure about the space in teh S-Max is any more than a 5 Series/A6 Avant. An E-Class Merc estate should have a lot of room in the back. Along with a Volvo estate. Now, for extra room, an A8 or BM 7 has acres in the back. Have a look in the Gallery section for photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 It really depends what type of car seat your kids are using. If two of them are only using boosters, then adding a forward facing car seat would be possible in the 5er. If I have both forward facing seats in the back of my car (5) then there is feck all space left in the middle for another child. The 5 is pretty roomy in the back, same as my mates E320. Only drivers car(s) I can think of that will have more width are like cruiser said a 7er or A8..... MMMmmmmm a nice Honda FR-V.... that would do it or maybe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 It really depends what type of car seat your kids are using. If two of them are only using boosters, then adding a forward facing car seat would be possible in the 5er. We have two with booster seats and carry a friend from time to time. It's ok adding a third booster seat or forward facing seat, but it can be a fiddle to reach the buckles. I can't say I'd want to do it routinely. A third rear-facing seat should be ok as you will still have access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 A possibility could be to put 2 ISOFIX seats on either side and then use a smaller booster seat in the middle if one of your children is old enough?? If that's an option then the back of a 5 series is massive. You'll save more room if you buy BMW ISOFIX seats (even if they are £250). But they fit perfectly without compromising to much of the rear passenger space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 Well I have a Britax ISOFIX Duo and a BMW booster seat in the back of my 5 series and I can't get a booster cushion in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 A possibility could be to put 2 ISOFIX seats on either side and then use a smaller booster seat in the middle if one of your children is old enough?? If that's an option then the back of a 5 series is massive. You'll save more room if you buy BMW ISOFIX seats (even if they are £250). But they fit perfectly without compromising to much of the rear passenger space. I used the same ISOFIX seat in the Porsche (same seat, different badge), but our son wasn't keen on the fixing technique (big pad instead of traditional 5 point harness). I thought it was a great idea, was really easy to use and took up much less space compared to normal seats... so you'd probably get two pluss a narrow booster in the middle. But worth checking if you can "convince" your kids to use if for more than 20 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonesey Posted June 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 It really depends what type of car seat your kids are using. If two of them are only using boosters, then adding a forward facing car seat would be possible in the 5er.If I have both forward facing seats in the back of my car (5) then there is feck all space left in the middle for another child. The 5 is pretty roomy in the back, same as my mates E320. Only drivers car(s) I can think of that will have more width are like cruiser said a 7er or A8..... MMMmmmmm a nice Honda FR-V.... that would do it or maybe Thanks Biscuits, nice wheels! just what I was looking for Just been checking out the BMW / Porsche seats and I have to say the junior isofix does look more like some sort of torture device - not sure that'll cut the mustard with the little man or wife. As our combination will be 5, 2 + 0 yrs we'll need 1 forward facing, 1 rear facing and a high back booster. I'm not convinced it's going to work by the sounds of it allthough it would only be for occasional long journeys and the odd nursery pick up. Off to try the seats out at our dealership, i'll see if the salesman can convince me that the branded bmw seats are worth the extra £250 - 500! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biscuits Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 You can pick the BMW/Mini ones up on eBay for about £150 each. The seat also becomes a booster for older kids (without the bolster cushion), so I do like the concept, but our son did get quite hot with the cushion on him... so not 100% sure I'd go for one again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 Just been checking out the BMW / Porsche seats and I have to say the junior isofix does look more like some sort of torture device We used the non-ISOFIX predecessor to this for our two kids and would recommend it. Excess heat wasn't really a problem for us although we do leave the aircon on all the time. We found that the "table" thingy held them in the right place, especially if they fell asleep. In some cheaper ones they flop around all over the place. We found that was more reassuring for us, and we think it was comfy for them, too. Didn't crash-test one, though! (I'm pleased to say!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 Oh - and forgot to mention that the ability to remove the table and get a stage 2 seat, then remove the backrest and have a booster seat is very handy. Little Miss patently is still in the seat we bought in 2002 or 2003. Her older brother used the same seat for even longer, before I replaced it with a new booster seat as he said the seat pad was getting a bit hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 I tried that Porsche seat when I had my 987S - kids hated it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father of 4 Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 look up Child Car Seats - Child Car Seat Safety - Multimac .Many 5-series. Audi A4 etc have this to carry 4 children from 0 - 12 years old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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