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2nd row room in bmw suvs is pathetic

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Old 02-23-20 | 10:38 PM
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A few years ago I looked at this and decided against it. But it sure was nice and seats 10 people (if optioned) or you can option it to have running water, a sink, and a flushing toilet!!!!

No compromises. Travel in FIRST CLASS!!! All the second row seat room you want!! Third rows too. A bed in the back.

Price is just a bit higher than X7.

https://www.dupontregistry.com/autos...-benz/sprinter





Originally Posted by bitkahuna
while at a bmw dealer yesterday i decided to sit in and explore the utes in the showroom, an x3, and x5, and and x7. they all have (very similar and) nice driving positions.

what stunned me is the REALLY TIGHT 2nd row seating in ALL of them. in looking at specs, a hyundai palisade has WAY more room in all 3 rows than a top of the line bmw X7 which is twice the price!

the x7 was a little frightening too in that when i was trying to see how to get into the third row, i pulled the lever on top of the second row seat and pulled the seat back forward, then the seat, by itself, does a (VERY SLOW) motorized motion forward, AND the first row (driver's seat) moved forward also (to make room for the second row seat i assume!), and eventually, i had a still tight but doable gap to climb into the third row. sitting in the third row initially i thought, hmm, not bad, but i hadn't pulled the 2nd row seat upright. so i grabbed the top of the second row seat back, pulled it back as far as it would go, and then it again began its own motorized dance back into position. once it was down into place it then began its rearward movement towards my knees and feet. i was actually squinting and afraid that it was going to crush me like a trash compactor in the back it stopped with my knees pressed against it. relieved, i then reviewed my predicament and decided i could probably handle 20 miles max in that position. granted, i'm 6'3" but this is BMW's LARGEST SUV! once in there, i had to reverse the whole sequence to get out, which seemed to take 5 minutes.

no thanks!

the x5 and x3 don't have motorized second rows of course, but they were not comfortable to me either.
Old 02-24-20 | 04:44 AM
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^^^ sprinters are awesome.
Old 02-24-20 | 04:53 AM
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
I think you’re just getting used to the huge rear legroom in your G90 lol.
Yeah i mentioned that.

I haven't been in one in some time but i always remember the lexus rx to have great second row space, probably because (forgetting the ridiculous rx-l) it's a 5 seater.

I only have a year before i have to get another vehicle... going to be an interesting quest.

Originally Posted by mmarshall
Once you get to be over 6 feet, there aren't many third-row seating areas that will adequately hold you.
True, the thread though is about second row. I've pretty much given up expecting any 3 row suv to have a third row that's worth much. I expect the new escalade extended will be about the best you can do.
Old 02-24-20 | 07:18 AM
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume, from your earlier posts, that you usually drive alone

Originally Posted by bitkahuna
respectfully, while you may think you know about my life, you don't.
That's why I said correct me if necessary. I left a disclaimer.

Last edited by mmarshall; 02-24-20 at 08:04 AM.
Old 02-24-20 | 09:57 AM
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Originally Posted by lexusrus
A few years ago I looked at this and decided against it. But it sure was nice and seats 10 people (if optioned) or you can option it to have running water, a sink, and a flushing toilet!!!!

No compromises. Travel in FIRST CLASS!!! All the second row seat room you want!! Third rows too. A bed in the back.

Price is just a bit higher than X7.

https://www.dupontregistry.com/autos...-benz/sprinter



That looks like a awesome vacation/travel vehicle, one I recommended on a post about a travel vehicle instead of just getting a SUV, some of the Chevy conversion vans are really nice too.

I have noticed that the rear seats in many CUVs/SUV's feel, look, are cramped compared to many sedans, they tend to not be as comfortable either. When I got a RX loaner and looked in the back, looked at the trunk I was shocked how little room it seemed to have and could not believe so many people gobble them up often thinking they are getting a roomier vehicle then a sedan. The rear seats felt smaller and more cramped then the ES I sat in, more on par with my GS, the rear trunk area was a good deal smaller then my GS unless maybe you stack a bunch of stuff up blocking your rearward viability or fold the seats down but you can't do that if you have rear passengers. I just don't get the popularity of CUV's these days, I didn't like driving the RX at all and was definitely not something I would want as a daily driver over a nice sedan.
Old 02-24-20 | 10:12 AM
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A Spinter has a lot of interior room, so it can be nicely appointed as a custom coach, but it has a truck chassis and does not have a particularly luxurious ride. I own a cargo version of the Sprinter, and its pretty rough.
Old 02-24-20 | 10:18 AM
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I agree the room in the back is not great.
I was actually very surprised that X3 and X5 have almost identical legroom.
The X5 rear seat is a tad wider.

The other positive of the X3 compared to X5 is the lower floor position which helps to improve rear seat positioning; and also to me the X3 seemed to have larger trunk capacity compared to X5.

Reasons above plus lower price and getting M40i model steered me getting X3 over X5.
Old 02-24-20 | 10:30 AM
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i also noticed the x7 is REALLY high to get into. as mentioned, i'm 6'3" but really had to climb into the x7 and use the side step bar.
Old 02-24-20 | 11:38 AM
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I'm not talking about the Traverse, I'm talking about the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade
Old 02-24-20 | 06:18 PM
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Exactly one of the reasons I decided not to go for this.

Plus I'm not sure about the Sprinter's long term reliability. I've seen a lot of ambulances use the diesel engine Sprints and they ALL required way too much TLC and break downs a lot. Also every time someone slams the doors too hard one of the exterior lights/headlights or something else MALFUNCTIONS!! LOL.



Originally Posted by Och
A Spinter has a lot of interior room, so it can be nicely appointed as a custom coach, but it has a truck chassis and does not have a particularly luxurious ride. I own a cargo version of the Sprinter, and its pretty rough.
Old 02-24-20 | 06:46 PM
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Originally Posted by bitkahuna
Yeah i mentioned that.

I haven't been in one in some time but i always remember the lexus rx to have great second row space, probably because (forgetting the ridiculous rx-l) it's a 5 seater.

I only have a year before i have to get another vehicle... going to be an interesting quest.



True, the thread though is about second row. I've pretty much given up expecting any 3 row suv to have a third row that's worth much. I expect the new escalade extended will be about the best you can do.
The 2 row RX does have a pretty good second row.

I drove a Palisade again today, second row in that isn’t incredible either, nor is it in my Pacifica.

You need good slide in the second row to be able to use the third row space when it’s not being used.
Old 02-24-20 | 06:56 PM
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Originally Posted by bitkahuna
i also noticed the x7 is REALLY high to get into. as mentioned, i'm 6'3" but really had to climb into the x7 and use the side step bar.

Does the X7 have one of those trick-suspensions, like on the Lexus LX, that lets you adjust ground-clearance up and down just by pressing a button?
Old 02-24-20 | 07:38 PM
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The X7 has an air suspension that lowers into a park mode, yeah. The ones I drove with air sit quite low when parked.
Old 02-24-20 | 07:39 PM
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
The 2 row RX does have a pretty good second row.
I haven't been in the new RX yet, but the last gen RX had a pretty crappy 2nd row, and everything else for that matter.
Old 02-24-20 | 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by lexusrus
Exactly one of the reasons I decided not to go for this.

Plus I'm not sure about the Sprinter's long term reliability. I've seen a lot of ambulances use the diesel engine Sprints and they ALL required way too much TLC and break downs a lot. Also every time someone slams the doors too hard one of the exterior lights/headlights or something else MALFUNCTIONS!! LOL.
Mine is a 2015 v6 diesel, and it has been absolutely stellar, I haven't done anything to it besides oil changes once a year, new brakes and tires and a few burnt out headlight bulbs. I will replace it with a new model in the summer, because long term reliability for modern diesel engines is just not a thing.



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