[JayPichardo]

I drive an F80 and I am considering a 440 GC Xdrive since the weather in NH sucks for 6 months out of the year.

I have a new born that is in a rear facing seat and will be for a while. How does the F36 do with a rear facing seat? How about getting the seat in and out the car?


TIA

[Niart906]

FWIW I have no trouble getting our 10 month old into and out of the center of the rear seat in my F30. Can't imagine you having any difficulties in an F36. Our rear doors open a little wider than some of the older BMWs. It was much easier going from my E60 M5 to the F30.

[syenisch]

No problems with our Britax B Safe 35 in our F36. Have to move the passenger seat forward a bit, but it's actually slightly more spacious than our Ford Escape which I didnt expect. Easy to get it in and out, but we don't use the middle seat since the car isn't designed for that.

[bmwgoat]

I have a forward facing clek car seat behind the driver and a rear facing peg perego infant seat behind the passenger seats in my F36.
The coupe-style of the four door does make it a little awkward with the infant seat but gets in no problem.
We have a 4Runner which we use mainly for kid transporting tho

[3Series]

Originally Posted by NH_M3

I drive an F80 and I am considering a 440 GC Xdrive since the weather in NH sucks for 6 months out of the year.

I have a new born that is in a rear facing seat and will be for a while. How does the F36 do with a rear facing seat? How about getting the seat in and out the car?


TIA

It's a BMW 3 series, not a Porsche. It's really no different than any other car. Each will have it's quirks but you'll be fine. One of the reasons SUV's are popular are that you won't have to bend over so low to get the kid in and other stuff with a SUV they are closer to standing height. Also, kids need a lot of crap so yo need a lot of trunk space.

[2000Z3M]

f32 and i got a kiddo in the back seat.

[eluded]

Originally Posted by 2000Z3M

f32 and i got a kiddo in the back seat.

Yeah lots of room. Nothing like having a kid seat smashed against the two front seats.

[2000Z3M]

Originally Posted by eluded

Yeah lots of room. Nothing like having a kid seat smashed against the two front seats.

thats a huge car seat, I have a much smaller car seat now. ill take a pic later. but you know what they say, if it fits, it ships

[blau808]

Originally Posted by bmwgoat

I have a forward facing clek car seat behind the driver and a rear facing peg perego infant seat behind the passenger seats in my F36.
The coupe-style of the four door does make it a little awkward with the infant seat but gets in no problem.
We have a 4Runner which we use mainly for kid transporting tho

How does it make it awkward, is the opening small? Does having no window frame help or hurt?

[Rick Hunter]

Chiming in:

I've got a Diono Radian in my F36 in a rear-facing position currently. Diono's are narrow but quite tall for a car seat. That being said, I was able to make it work without too much hassle. Yes, the lower roofline can make loading/unloading your child a bit more difficult compared to any of the other F3Xs but you get used to it quite quickly. Moving the seat itself in and out of the car can be a chore.

Here's a couple of tips for those interested in having an F36 do family car duty (and are using Dionos):
- if rear facing, make sure you get the angle adjuster pad (essentially a piece of thick foam) to make the seat more upright. I'm not tall (under 6') and without the adjuster pad the rear facing installation can push up against the front seat too much.
- if rear facing, I suggest you install behind the driver's seat. The sloped roofine (and small rear 1/4 panel window) makes it impossible to shoulder-check the right side if you're installing behind the front passenger.
- no issues with front facing... install the seat wherever you like.

Originally Posted by blau808

How does it make it awkward, is the opening small? Does having no window frame help or hurt?

IIRC (when we had the infant carrier), the rear door opening angle is narrow so you will need to be more aware during loading/unloading and not bang it all over the car. Again, after a couple of times you get used to it and it's not an issue. Frameless windows don't make a difference to the situation.

Do I regret having the F36 for family duty? Hell no. I'd do it again if given the chance.

[sevalley]

"upgraded" from a 428i coupe to a 430i GC recently since I had a kid. The rear facing car seat fits great in the back. I don't have to move the front seats up THAT much to make it fit. Alot of other cars like the X1 need you to move the front seats almost all the way up to fit the infant car seat in the back. The hatchback is probably the best feature for kids though, as you can easily fit everything you need back there.

[starbai]

Bump.

Can anyone post a pic of that rear facing seat in the back ? I'd love to see how much space is really there.

[syenisch]

Originally Posted by starbai

Bump.

Can anyone post a pic of that rear facing seat in the back ? I'd love to see how much space is really there.

Originally Posted by starbai

Bump.

Can anyone post a pic of that rear facing seat in the back ? I'd love to see how much space is really there.

I will tonight. Keep in mind that you don't want to incline the seat too much just to make it fit since it is not as safe for the baby. They won't have the neck strength the hold their head up, especially over longer trips. Babies have suffocated from this. Our Britax has a built in level to help set it properly. Not ideal for fitment, but our baby's safety is obviously more important. Also the car is not designed to have the seat in the center!!

[starbai]

Originally Posted by syenisch

I will tonight. Keep in mind that you don't want to incline the seat too much just to make it fit since it is not as safe for the baby. They won't have the neck strength the hold their head up, especially over longer trips. Babies have suffocated from this. Our Britax has a built in level to help set it properly. Not ideal for fitment, but our baby's safety is obviously more important. Also the car is not designed to have the seat in the center!!

Absolutely with you here. I'm glad you've got the incline worked out so that I can see how it 'should' be done in your pictures.

Thanks in advance.

[spwickson]

I have a F36 and 2 car seats in the back is fine, if you want reasonable room in the front then you need have the right one.

Front facing, I had no issues, I use a Graco SlimFit 3-in-1 Car Seat, had been using a Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 and it was okay but the slim gave my 4 year old a bit more space

Rear facing was the problem, I tried using Pria 70 behind the passenger seat and it would fit with less room in the front.

I switched it to a Chicco NextFit Zip Convertible and being 5"10 I can sit in the front easily on the passenger side. It's also really easy to tighten up and the car seat in the pic is rear facing in its most horizontal mode #1 and the bubble is in the correct zone for rear facing

I use my car for business and I can also fit both seats in the trunk in the event I need to take customer out.