Fitting 2 carseats + a stroller in a 335i sedan?

[somedude78]

Hi guys,

My wife and I are contemplating purchasing a 2007 335i sedan but are having twin babies later this year. Does anyone here have twins (children, not turboes :D) who can comment on whether it's feasible to fit two carseats in the back seat of a 335i sedan, plus a double stroller (i.e., one made for two kids) in the trunk? I've seen people fit one carseat without problems but worry about two of them being too wide...

If it matters at all, we're relatively small people, my wife is about 5'1" and I'm only about 5'8" myself.

Any pics of this configuration in practice or names of specific carseats/strollers that will work would be extra appreciated :)

Btw this is my first time posting to this forum, so please be gentle if I've posted in the wrong place or if the topic has been posted to death in the past. Thanks for your feedback!

[mryakan]

2 car seats are fine, but not sure about the stroller. You may not be able to put your seat all the way back though if you have rear facing seats.

[ISHIFT5]

I agree - 2 cars seats OK. The stroller will prob be an issue. I can barely fit a single snap n' go in my trunk (06 330i). Congrats on the twins!

[tomegun]

Good luck.

If either of you are planning on sitting in the back with the babies while they are facing the rear, it may not work. We have a Graco rear-facing seat and while we do have it in the middle, it is still a tight fit. I'm trying to think how we would do it if we had to do it with two and I don't know if it would work out well at all. The baby bag would have to be in the front seat so access to it would be difficult.

When your babies are infants, you will probably want to use a stroller that allows you to snap the car seat in it. If so, you can forget about a double stroller. If you are going to use one of the smaller strollers, sometimes called umbrella strollers, you will be fine.

I love the BMW, but I love my daughter more. If we were closer to lease end, we would be trading the 335 in. I hope the front-facing seat will take up less space, but I've been told they are about the same.

[somedude78]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback. I've talked this over with my wife and we're probably indeed going to end up getting something bigger than a 335i. It seems like it would be big enough to fit the bare essentials, but probably not much more, so we figure we'll play it safe so there are no nasty surprises space-wise once the kids arrive.

Options right now look like a 5-series, X3, or Toyota RAV4. Last one's obviously not a BMW but the wife likes them and they're priced reasonably so it's in the running. I'm not too fond of SUVs but it does look like the most practical approach. Maybe in a few years we'll circle back around and look at picking up a M3 or M5, I was hoping to pick up something more performance-oriented this time around but do agree that the kids take priority.

Thanks again!

[Beer Goggles]

Why not look at a 3-series wagon?

We got a VW Tiguan (the Q5 is the Audi) and we love it. Plenty of room, good space, good price. Ours is the rear AWD version, but they start at 24ish.

[mryakan]

The X3 does not really have much more space than a 3 series except the trunk can fit taller objects so that may help with the strollers. I doubt a rav4 will be more spacious either. The 5 is definitely better. The e91 may be a good option too.

[bluskye]

The X3 does not really have much more space than a 3 series except the trunk can fit taller objects so that may help with the strollers. I doubt a rav4 will be more spacious either. The 5 is definitely better. The e91 may be a good option too.

The X3 has considerably more square footage in the cargo bay then the E90 sedan trunk. I have both.

On the used market, a 2007 X3 is actually cheaper then a used 328xi wagon. The 2007+ X3 have the 260hp N52 Motor as well. No slouch, and considerably more comfortable on rough roads. The 2007+ X3 also has Nevada leather, a step above the Dakota on the E90.

[mryakan]

The X3 has considerably more square footage in the cargo bay then the E90 sedan trunk. I have both.

Sorry, I was referring to the back seat room in regards to the child seats, I should have clarified that.

[ClintonM3]

Father of one, with one on the way here. And I did extensive research on strollers and car seats.

The first year, you will probably be using an infant carrier travel system, like the Peg Perego Primo Viggio or Graco Snug Ride. Both will fit with no issues. http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/8284115156546P.JPG
http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/10456416257796P.JPG

Your best bet, regardless of what car you get, is to get the BabyTrend, double snap and go troller. It is just a frame where you snap the infant carrier onto it. You will probably use this exclusively for the entire first year.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/11012616547069P.JPG
The issue with this stroller is that once your babies reaches 1 year old and outgrows the infant carrier, this frame will be useless.

The other option is to get a stroller that goes from infant-hood to toddlerhood.
But they are much bulkier.
For strollers, I recommend:

Baby Jogger's City Mini Double, for a rugged side by side dobble stroller. It is the smallest footprint of this type. http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/108039118313C.JPG

If you prefer umbrella strollers, McLaren's Techno twin will also fit into a 3 series trunk. http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/10418116302228P.JPG

For tandem strollers, you only have one choice, Graco Quattro Tour Milan. All others are too long for the 3 series.http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/7700014986936P.JPG

These 3 will accomodate well into toddlerhood.
All 3 fits into the 3 series trunk.

[TeamSlowdotOrg]

If you were looking at new 335's I'd say take a look at CPO M5's and 545/550's, but that's probably beyond the price range you're looking at.

[somedude78]

If you were looking at new 335's I'd say take a look at CPO M5's and 545/550's, but that's probably beyond the price range you're looking at.

Yeah, unfortunately :( I'd love to get a M5 but even the used ones are a little too much coin for me. An used 550i would probably be doable but I'm honestly personally not yet sold on the price difference between it and a 530i as it seems that the gap is considerable. We have 3 cars in the family right now (Subaru STI, Corvette, and a Miata) and are still deciding which ones are going or staying, if we ditch the Vette plus the Miata then the 550i might be an option, but if only get rid of one then we'll probably pick up something a little cheaper.


Father of one, with one on the way here. And I did extensive research on strollers and car seats.

The first year, you will probably be using an infant carrier travel system, like the Peg Perego Primo Viggio or Graco Snug Ride. Both will fit with no issues. http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/8284115156546P.JPG
http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/10456416257796P.JPG

Your best bet, regardless of what car you get, is to get the BabyTrend, double snap and go troller. It is just a frame where you snap the infant carrier onto it. You will probably use this exclusively for the entire first year.
http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/11012616547069P.JPG
The issue with this stroller is that once your babies reaches 1 year old and outgrows the infant carrier, this frame will be useless.

The other option is to get a stroller that goes from infant-hood to toddlerhood.
But they are much bulkier.
For strollers, I recommend:

Baby Jogger's City Mini Double, for a rugged side by side dobble stroller. It is the smallest footprint of this type. http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/108039118313C.JPG

If you prefer umbrella strollers, McLaren's Techno twin will also fit into a 3 series trunk. http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/10418116302228P.JPG

For tandem strollers, you only have one choice, Graco Quattro Tour Milan. All others are too long for the 3 series.http://www.buybuybaby.com/assets/product_images/130/7700014986936P.JPG

These 3 will accomodate well into toddlerhood.
All 3 fits into the 3 series trunk.

Whoa thanks A LOT for this! This info is more than I could have asked for and is seriously appreciated. The 335i is looking like an unlikely option at this point but this will come in very handy no matter what we end up getting. I can't believe you were generous enough to post all this detailed info, thanks so much for letting us benefit from your research :)