To Jack's Dad and other Sedan owners...

[bmb]

First of all, I'm new here. To give you a brief history, I have owned a 328i, 330i, an E46 M3, and a 550i. I traded the M3 for the 550i upon the arrival of our second little one. Long story short, I couldn't stand the 550i - too big, too smooth, too lifeless. Traded it for a new S4 and shortly after BMW officially announces they will bring back the M3 sedan, my dream car. Waiting a bit for the kinks of the DKG to get smoothed out before I order (or I may order tomorrow if the mood strikes me!).

I am asking Jack's Dad since he came from a 550i and any others that have experience with the E60. How do you find the backseat room in the new ride? I may be jumping to conclusions, but I assume you have a carseat of somesort back there - If so how's the fit. I've got one in a booster (Radian 80) and one in a forward facing carseat (Britax Roundabout). They fit in the S4, but it's just not comfortable for the ones in the front! Looking at the dimensions, the E60 and the E90 are not that much different, but I am curious to see some real world experience. I appreciate any comments anyone can make. The M3 Sedan idea has consumed me and I am kicking myself for getting the S4!

Thanks so much!!!

[Jack's dad]

Couple of thoughts on this. I am, thankfully, beyond the car seat phase of my life, so I cannot comment on how well a car seat would fit. The back seat of the M3 is certainly smaller than that in the 5 series. If you are looking for a full size car to carry large adults for long periods of time I suspect the M3 might be too small. For kids and short trips for adults, there is plenty of room for two in the back seat. Three adults would be a very tight fit, but three was a tight fit in the 5 as well.

My M3 feels VERY different from the 550 I just turned in. I have owned several 5's and this is not their best generation in my view. The car has gotten very large and I am finding the M3 to be much more nimble and fun to drive.

In summary, relative to the 5, I think the M3 offers a tremendous advance in performance and fun to drive in return for a small sacrifice in capacity. To my eye, the M3 is also the better looking car, by far.

Hope this helps...

Steve

[bmb]

Thanks for the comments. I generally don't need to have adults in the backseat for longer than going to lunch, etc. so that is not much of an issue. Also, my wife has an LR3 so it is the trip car and general family car. There is no question the E60 is not the best 5 series in my opinion. It was comfortable, but that is about the only compliment I can give it. After having an e46 M3 and being able to the M driving school in Spartanburg, I miss the capabilities of the M3. Granted, in daily driving the fun to drive factor is limited to on ramps and backroads, but its still worth it in my opinion. I look at a car as much more than a means to get from A to B.

I don't think there is a question of whether or not the backseat is larger than the S4 as it is suitable for about 1% of the population for more than a 10 minute ride.

Thanks for the feedback and enjoy the new ride. If you get a chance, go do the M School - as Ferris Bueller once said, "If you have the means, I highly recommend it." You will gain a new appreciation for the car and become a better driver at the same time.

Thanks,

Brandon

[AYF82M4]

I have 3 kids (Ages 4/3/0), hence the need for a sedan. I think one booster and one standard front facing can be easily accomodated in this car, as long as you arent like 6'2 (For reference, Im 5'9)

Boosters dont take up as much room as the front facing, so to maximize my space, I set the booster directly behind me (driver's seat) and the front facing behind the passenger seat.

I didnt have a E60 but I did have the E39. The E39 had just a bit more leg room, but not much. Rear facing baby seats, however are a different story as they take up a ton of room. But don't let that stop you. I can't fit all 3 into mine, still didnt stop me!

[m3larson]

Originally Posted by Jack's dad

Couple of thoughts on this. I am, thankfully, beyond the car seat phase of my life, so I cannot comment on how well a car seat would fit. The back seat of the M3 is certainly smaller than that in the 5 series. If you are looking for a full size car to carry large adults for long periods of time I suspect the M3 might be too small. For kids and short trips for adults, there is plenty of room for two in the back seat. Three adults would be a very tight fit, but three was a tight fit in the 5 as well.

My M3 feels VERY different from the 550 I just turned in. I have owned several 5's and this is not their best generation in my view. The car has gotten very large and I am finding the M3 to be much more nimble and fun to drive.

In summary, relative to the 5, I think the M3 offers a tremendous advance in performance and fun to drive in return for a small sacrifice in capacity. To my eye, the M3 is also the better looking car, by far.

Hope this helps...

Steve

i kind of miss my 550.. i went from a Dinan 540I to the 550 and it was like going from a blond to a brunette. Just depends on what makes you tick.. The X5 4.8 was a good replacement for the 550. The M3 is just a fun car to have in the garage...

[st08m3]

bmb, you and i are living parallel lives. I have an M3 sedan on order and am driving a 545i with SMG transmission. I also am a previous M owner. I agree with Jack's Dad's comments in general. However, like you, i have a forward seated baby seat for my 1 yr old. When looking at the M, i brought my seat to the dealership and put it in the new M3 to test and it fits well. Specifically, it actually fits better in that the 5 series seats sink back deep where the backrest meets the seat making it difficult to set up the baby seat flush to the car. Sure the leg room and total width is a little reduced in the M3 but i am 6'3" and i fit in the back seat reasonably well even with my drivers seat in "my position". I have enjoyed the 5 series but its not inspiring like the 335 and M3. I also test drove an M5 and it also is not nearly as agile or fun to drive.

ONE NOTE: Make sure to get the fold down rear seat option for all the junk you may carry for kids. I can't believe this isn't standard in BMW cars. In fact, i would be driving an M today if someone didn't forget to order this minor option. If you live in the South its easy for dealers to forget as they typically order it with the cold weather package (not needed on the gulf coast) so i ordered it as an individual option.

[st08m3]

One more thing. I thought i was going to be tempted by the 2 door and having to fight with putting my 1 yr old in a back seat. After seeing the 2 and 4 door next to on another, i liked the 4 door as much as the 2.

[Keto]

Originally Posted by st08m3

One more thing. I thought i was going to be tempted by the 2 door and having to fight with putting my 1 yr old in a back seat. After seeing the 2 and 4 door next to on another, i liked the 4 door as much as the 2.

I went the other way, but yeah, it's a close comparison.

[bmb]

Thanks to all who have posted - I really appreciate the comments. At some point, I will go down to the dealership and put the car seats in to test them. I'm a little taller than most folks who have responded (6'5") but actually sit fairly close and don't push the seat back that much. Based on what I am hearing the backseat is workable (as I expected) and the fact it's an M3 will more than make up for any minor inconvenience. On the plus side, the wife will be able to drive the DKG as she can't drive the 6 speed in the S4. Based on that I have to get one, right?

Thanks again!

[Keto]

Originally Posted by bmb

Based on that I have to get one, right?

It's a moral imperative.

[mtsound]

I have an E90 waiting for a ship to come over. I have had an E39 M5 and currently drive a 335xi as the DD. I have two kids a 3 and 0.5 year old. the 335 and M5 are close in size and no significant improvement in the back seat area, the foward facing car seat fits no problem. the rear facing doesnt fit, thank god my wife has a 08 sequoia as the family car. My M3 replaces my mini cooper s as my fun car. I really love the practicallity of the sedan

[Jdebitjr]

Originally Posted by dooma350

I have 3 kids (Ages 4/3/0), hence the need for a sedan. I think one booster and one standard front facing can be easily accomodated in this car, as long as you arent like 6'2 (For reference, Im 5'9)

Boosters dont take up as much room as the front facing, so to maximize my space, I set the booster directly behind me (driver's seat) and the front facing behind the passenger seat.

I didnt have a E60 but I did have the E39. The E39 had just a bit more leg room, but not much. Rear facing baby seats, however are a different story as they take up a ton of room. But don't let that stop you. I can't fit all 3 into mine, still didnt stop me!

Good to know. I'll be adding a "sporty" (HA!) baby seat to the sedan.

[335destroyer]

get an E39 M5

[ersin]

bmb,

FWIW, I had an E46 M3 coupe. At the time I had four kids (I have 5 now). I easily transported all four in the coupe. Three in the back and the two oldest would alternate in the front seat. I had a child seat in the middle part of the backseat. I had no problem at all. The front seats would tilt up from the front part of the seat giving even me enough room to reach the baby seat to strap in the youngest one. Although it would have been a bit easier if there were an extra two doors.

So, if the E46 coupe had enough room, I would see no problem with the E90 sedan. Just my $0.02.

[M3Kevin]

Car seats do fit, and my 6 year old son can buckle himself in.
Though - it is a little bit of a tight fit. You'll need to put the seat in yourself, and then kind set/wedge the seat belt clip/buckle to the side so that it can be accessed easily.

This is for a standard 5-6 year old car seat that sets into the seat, and is not clipped to the restraint mounts that a 1 year old or 2 year old would use.

Hope this helps.

Kevin

Originally Posted by Jack's dad

Couple of thoughts on this. I am, thankfully, beyond the car seat phase of my life, so I cannot comment on how well a car seat would fit. The back seat of the M3 is certainly smaller than that in the 5 series. If you are looking for a full size car to carry large adults for long periods of time I suspect the M3 might be too small. For kids and short trips for adults, there is plenty of room for two in the back seat. Three adults would be a very tight fit, but three was a tight fit in the 5 as well.

My M3 feels VERY different from the 550 I just turned in. I have owned several 5's and this is not their best generation in my view. The car has gotten very large and I am finding the M3 to be much more nimble and fun to drive.

In summary, relative to the 5, I think the M3 offers a tremendous advance in performance and fun to drive in return for a small sacrifice in capacity. To my eye, the M3 is also the better looking car, by far.

Hope this helps...

Steve

[Buschy]

I think the main roominess difference is the bottom seat cushion length.
The 5 is longer then the 3 other then that foot room etc is not that much difference.
That is why the 5 feels better for an adult.
I have 3 little ones and they fit in my 3 just fine, I started out with a booster for 7 yr a front facing seat for 4 yr and my 13 year old in there and it was cramped but they got over it.
now one booster no sesats and they all fit fine.
of course we always take the x if we all go somewhere.

[bmb]

I wanted to say thank you to all who responded. I recently found this forum and have found it to be one of the best and friendliest. It's also nice to see similar dads who enjoy M's!