child rear car seat access?

[tweedie]

Really fancy a bmw i3, but my other half thinks its not practical to put a toddler into a child car seat at the back due to restricted access. Is she right?

Normally, she will step into the car with the child and clip her in then climb out and access the front drivers seat to drive off.
Or if on the same side as the seat, open back door, child climb in, and she will pull the seat belt and reach over the child to clip the belt in.


So... is that something easy and hassle free to do (ie, not having to fold the front seat down) - and bear in mind of potentially being in a crowded carpark, or perhaps its not the right car for me (and/or wait for i5?!)

Also, when it comes to the time the child can clip her self in at the back of the car, would she be able to open the backdoor herself and let herself out?

thanks.

 

[amateurish]

It's actually easier in the i3 to get access to the child seat because of the way the back door hinges from the rear.

But it can be tricky in supermarket car parks if there is not enough space for both doors to open fully.

 

[tweedie]

It's actually easier in the i3 to get access to the child seat because of the way the back door hinges from the rear.

But it can be tricky in supermarket car parks if there is not enough space for both doors to open fully.

Ah, kinda makes sense as the hinges are on the other side rather then on the b-pillar. thanks for that.

what about, when the child is old enough, would she be able to open the back seat herself and get out?

 

[amateurish]

It's actually easier in the i3 to get access to the child seat because of the way the back door hinges from the rear.

But it can be tricky in supermarket car parks if there is not enough space for both doors to open fully.

Ah, kinda makes sense as the hinges are on the other side rather then on the b-pillar. thanks for that.

what about, when the child is old enough, would she be able to open the back seat herself and get out?

Not possible since the rear door can only be opened after the front door has been opened.

 

[Matto0]

I had the same concern so we actually took our toddler with us on a test drive. The dealer was very accomidating. We found that as long as you fold the seats forward we had more space then our current vehicles, although it was a bit more awkward of a time strapping her in. It was manageable and once she is front facing it would be pretty simple.

As for your child opening the rear door, the front door has to be open for that to occur.

Anyway if you guys do have doubts, take the car seat and try it. On a side note, on my first test drive, I don't think our customer adviser knew the front seats fold forward, I didn't figure it out until watching the owner videos on the bmw website, we did the toddler test drive after, luckily.

~ Matt

 

[amateurish]

Good point - my comments above were assuming you were using a forward facing seat.

 

[tweedie]

I had the same concern so we actually took our toddler with us on a test drive. The dealer was very accommodating. We found that as long as you fold the seats forward we had more space then our current vehicles, although it was a bit more awkward of a time strapping her in. It was manageable and once she is front facing it would be pretty simple.

As for your child opening the rear door, the front door has to be open for that to occur.

Anyway if you guys do have doubts, take the car seat and try it. On a side note, on my first test drive, I don't think our customer adviser knew the front seats fold forward, I didn't figure it out until watching the owner videos on the bmw website, we did the toddler test drive after, luckily.

~ Matt

Thanks for that. The child is forward facing, so glad to hear that it would be pretty simple - is it with or without front seat being forward?. I think at the end of the day, a visit to bmw to check it out like you said would be a good idea. trouble is my local *MASSIVE* bmw store (blackpool) doesn't even stock them so not just a quick visit.
Just had a thought - since its a school run, the child could sit in the front seat with mom and she could open the front door herself - so doable but faff having to move child seat back and forth.

 

[Matto0]

Thanks for that. The child is forward facing, so glad to hear that it would be pretty simple - is it with or without front seat being forward?. I think at the end of the day, a visit to bmw to check it out like you said would be a good idea. trouble is my local *MASSIVE* bmw store (blackpool) doesn't even stock them so not just a quick visit.
Just had a thought - since its a school run, the child could sit in the front seat with mom and she could open the front door herself - so doable but faff having to move child seat back and forth.

I felt there was enough room without folding the seat forward. That said, the handle is near the headrest, is easily accessible if needed, and the seat will go back to the normal position when set back. For me it wouldn't be a deal breaker.

Good luck!

Matt

 

[jadnashuanh]

The amount of room you have without folding the seat depends a lot on where the front seat is...someone who is shorter, there'll be a lot more room than if they had the seat all the way back. But, after folding, you should be able to do what you need to regardless. the lack of a B-pillar makes a big difference in the overall access.

 

[stillageek]

We are a family of 3. We brought our Britax car seat for the initial test drive with our 3 year old. All fit fine. She is now 4 and in a Diono Radian RXT Car Seat. Initially she was on the drivers side as I thought it would be easiest to buckle her in. I'm thinking of moving her to the passenger rear as there is plenty of room to turn around and buckle her in while in the drivers seat. Either way its easier than an average car. Our last vehicles were Prius. That car was much lower to the ground.

 

[brosher]

It works well for me with the rear facing infant seat. The passenger seat must be moved slightly forward, but it is about the same as my jeep grand cherokee! I can slide the bassinet in without tilting the seat, but i need to tilt the passenger seat to remove because the seat blocks the release for the bassinet.

One nice feature for kids is how low the rear windows dip down! It makes it very easy for them to enjoy the view!