330xi rear hip room

[scsnospam]

I am hoping to purchase my first BMW, a 330xi. However, a significant hurdle is convincing my wife about using a car seat in the back. Exactly how much hip room/ shoulder room do you have in practice ?

Googling for rear hip room returns numbers like 56 in (1438mm), almost the same as Accords and Camrys !! In real life however, it looks much smaller.

So my question is, can you fit a child seat in the center, and have an adult sit in the outboard sit comfortably ?? For longer drives ?

We currently use our Honda Civic, and that's barely acceptable.

Thanks for your help, folks.

BK

[cakman2]

I have my kid's car seat in the rear passenger side. I would rather fit one more adult comfortably, maybe 2 small ones, than have the car seat taking up all that space in the back. Technically you could do it the way you propose, but it would only be comfortable to small people. I think shoulder and elbow room is the real concern more than hip room, of which there is probably plenty. Ultimately, if you want a kid hauler, this aint your car. I should note that I got mine specifically so that I could hall my kid around. Used to have a 2 seater, so I think the thing is a Suburban in comparison. Kind of depends on your expectations. Get a an X3.

[Spetsnaz Op]

The 3 series is a tiny car.... i cant even fit in the back of an E36 M3 with any real level of comfort and i am like 5" 8'. If I were you I would consider an S60R or an S60 AWD or an S60 T5. The R and AWD are both AWD.

Plus Volvo seats > BMW seats. If you dont believe me just hop down to the volvo stealer...