[Trashken]

It's time to say goodbye to my beloved 2dr 428i. Hurts to say goodbye but a newborn incoming has changed plans. Now need a family car. Any recommendations?

[Vegetable]

Originally Posted by Trashken

It's time to say goodbye to my beloved 2dr 428i. Hurts to say goodbye but a newborn incoming has changed plans. Now need a family car. Any recommendations?

easy, 340 or M3.. Perfect for children + the child at heart

[radm]

I kept my 2 door 335 till my twins outgrew the clip in car seats and now I have a 340ix. My wife has a Lexus IS250. We both don't like SUVs.

See the photo of us coming back from a 5 day trip to Monterey. We had two travel cribs two travel high chairs and a bunch of other stuff and there was still room up top. The kids are just over two years old now.

This way I can have my fun on daily basis and yet if we need it, we get a total of 31 cu ft of cargo space - and I still have fun driving it. It takes 5 min to install and take off - including the cross bars - and I have the roof box hanging over the car in the garage. To me it is a priceless solution.

[zamboni]

Either a SUV or wagon to accommodate the kids.

[eluded]

Originally Posted by radm

I kept my 2 door 335 till my twins outgrew the clip in car seats and now I have a 340ix. My wife has a Lexus IS250. We both don't like SUVs.

See the photo of us coming back from a 5 day trip to Monterey. We had two travel cribs two travel high chairs and a bunch of other stuff and there was still room up top. The kids are just over two years old now.

This way I can have my fun on daily basis and yet if we need it, we get a total of 31 cu ft of cargo space - and I still have fun driving it. It takes 5 min to install and take off - including the cross bars - and I have the roof box hanging over the car in the garage. To me it is a priceless solution.

You are hard core

[spuntyb]

When my son was born, we went with the F31 since neither my wife or I like SUVs. Love it every day. Plus, they aren't bringing them here with the next generation, so it's possible that resale will hold somewhat, if that matters to you.

It's been the perfect car for us, and with a Thule clamshell, it holds everything we could throw at it. Plus it drives just like the sedan, and with the piggyback tune, it cooks.

[RoundelM3]

F30 sedan, F31 Wagon, or (if you must), X3.

[BEM-S4]

Wagon + Dinan Stage 1 and you won't miss the 428 much. That or just get a GC???

[Trevster]

Originally Posted by Trashken

It's time to say goodbye to my beloved 2dr 428i. Hurts to say goodbye but a newborn incoming has changed plans. Now need a family car. Any recommendations?

I'm in the same boat as you are, mines due in mid April. I'm hoping just to get a suv for the wife and use that as the family vehicle while I still get to enjoy the 428....but I know that's wishful thinking

[bratwurst1]

Wonder how we all grew up in cars? Biggest car we ever had was a Mercury Sable. Mostly though it was a tiny Datsun and Pinto.

[Bbb34]

Family with one kid, 3 series is perfectly fine, nothing wrong with that, decent space, 4 doors, decent trunk size. If however this is your second, 3 series is still OK, but sooner or later you'll get annoyed and feel you need more. Wife and I are both tall, kids now are too, and 3 just doesn't cut it for us.

X3 offers decent space, but not really that fun to drive, 5 series (I'm biased ) is fantastic family vehicle, but needs to get picked with just the right options to be fun to drive.

If all you want is tons of space and don't care about driving dynamics, I'll throw "something different" at you to think about. New VW Passat or Subaru Outback are impossible to beat, just for "value for the money" factor and space they offer. Both in my opinion not exciting to drive, not that pretty to look at but just very useful incredibly spacious family vehicles.

[Billfitz]

F34. Perhaps not the most handsome of the BMW lineup, but certainly the most practical.

[RedKloud]

I have a family of 3 and plan to get the M240i next .

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by RedKloud

I have a family of 3 and plan to get the M240i next .

Great little cars, fun to drive, really well put together.

Family car though, it is not

[Blubaron79]

F30 or X1

[TK7]

Recently bought a 335 for my family. Have a 14mo old and one in the oven. His rear facing seat fits and gives me more room to sit in front of him, than our explorer !

[nicknaz]

F31 seems like the way to go

I think the X1 might be too small for strollers

[metallicpea]

F31 - yes!

[Official NOCO]

Originally Posted by radm

I kept my 2 door 335 till my twins outgrew the clip in car seats and now I have a 340ix. My wife has a Lexus IS250. We both don't like SUVs.

See the photo of us coming back from a 5 day trip to Monterey. We had two travel cribs two travel high chairs and a bunch of other stuff and there was still room up top. The kids are just over two years old now.

This way I can have my fun on daily basis and yet if we need it, we get a total of 31 cu ft of cargo space - and I still have fun driving it. It takes 5 min to install and take off - including the cross bars - and I have the roof box hanging over the car in the garage. To me it is a priceless solution.

This gives me hope that I will never need to drive a mommy van.

[buckybadger]

I am in the same boat but I decided to keep my 335i. I plan to get the M2 in 2018 after the LCI changes.

We are planning to have kids soon (first one), so we test drove these SUVs:

1. BMW X5 (non-sport)
Had best driving experience and felt solid. But a little bland and felt too much like my 3 series. Other than that, everything was good. Still a great SUV. The X5 is due for a new design and it might be worth re-checking when it is out.

2. Honda Pilot Elite
Did not like the driving ergonomics, especially the seats are too small if you are a tall person. The center arm-rest is horrible. The front passenger seat's height cannot be adjusted (ludicrous). Also the steering was horrible and car felt wobbly/loose and completely disconnected. Had the most space, 3rd seat space was best in my opinion and even adults can fit in comfortably, unlike in the Audi Q7.

3. Audi Q7
It was as good as the Honda Pilot but not spectacular. Leather quality did not feel premium. Driving experience was disconnected, steering was not that good and accurate. 3rd seat was too cramped. We did not like this SUV. However the virtual cockpit/cluster seemed nice.

4. Mercedes Benz-GLC300
This was the best one in my opinion. The drive was smooth, steering was loose but had some road feel and felt accurate. The interior quality was OK, but worst was the controls, knobs etc. They looked good but not easy to use. The seats were good so were the ergonomics. If I had to pick one SUV today, I would go with the GLC300. It rides well. However, I did check the forums and online articles and it seems like Benz is having some quality issues with the GLC300. Not sure how much is this true but it is something to consider. Also, the the *new* GLC43 is coming out soon with V6. That one will be fast, however for a family the car might be too stiff as it has the AMG setup.

After test driving these SUVs, we felt like were not gaining too much, except for some extra space in the back and driving from a height.

One thing that makes me still re-consider an SUV is safety. I don't know how much it matters but I know the SUVs are meant to be more safe in collisions, especially front or side impacts. If that is really true, then might still be worth considering an SUV. However SUVs still have high center of gravity, which may or may not cause a threat if the traction control is good.

[metallicpea]

My main car was a E46 325i sport sedan from the time both of my kids were born until the youngest turned 7 - I never understood the "need" for the room of an SUV. I have many friends that travel with an SUV plus a cargo box with a couple kids for a weekend - so much stuff...

But then again, we were able to travel around Europe - a family of 4 - for 2 weeks in a Citroen C3 - tight, but doable.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

Great little cars, fun to drive, really well put together.

Family car though, it is not

Rumored GC in 2020!