Anyone have a 1 series coupe and a baby???

[Munkeyfeet]

Hey,

I need help. The other half doesn't share my absolute love of cars. I am just about to buy a 996tt which being a 2+2 can be used at the weekends but the problem is my wife wants an easy to use car for the week - anticipating being sleep deprived she wants one that can fit all the clobber in, is easy for her to access the back seats to put baby in and out. Now her ideal car is a TT and thats obviously not an option!

She loves the 1 series coupe but it is only a 2 door - has anyone used this as the first car with a new born baby? How did it fair? Was it frustrating or relatively simple when you got used to it?

Her second option is the Q5 which is obviously the better all round choice but she isnt that keen. Believe it or not there is nothing else she loves, well aside from the RS4 but that isnt in our price range especially with the MPG that would return!!

I know many will say just get what you want and make it work - that is my view but apparently we have to be realistic to the zombie state she/we will be in and thus something simple to access is the main thing when it is just her!!

Please help!!

Thanks

[Rotary Madness]

M-M-M-M-M-MULTIPOST!

Had to be done sorry

[Rotary Madness]

As to a sensible reply, my friend bought a 3 door clio, and was forever complaining about his back hurting for bending all the way in to pull out the baby + chair etc from the back. it just gets worse over time as they get fatter, and if your misus is petit then its just going to make things worse.
He got a 4 door car in the end, and it just makes things so much easier he says.

[Vee]

Not quite the same but my wife had an E46 coupe when our son was born and used it for a couple of years until I took it over. She had absolutely no problems.
Isofix base with quick release made it little hassle.
You might have a issue fitting stuff in the boot if you're planning on being parents who cart half of Mothercare round with you.

[LocoBlade]

Much of it will depend on which buggy / car seat you buy. We've got a 3 week old new arrival and have a Maxicosi Cabriofix car seat with the Isofix base, so putting her in and out of the car is so simple and takes seconds. We do have a 5 door 1 series which makes it slightly easier, but the way it works, other than having to hitch the front seat out the way, I dont think it would be much more difficult getting the seat in and out the back of a 3 door car. If you picked a seat that needed strapping in with the seatbelts every time then it would be a nightmare.

One thing to be aware of though, unless your wife has her seat quite forward, there won't be room for the baby seat behind the driver's seat as it will hit the back of the drivers seat just below the headrest. If you put the baby seat in the back on the passenger side it does compromise front passenger legroom somewhat for the same reason, so for us we've found that mum is better off in the back behind me if I'm driving, rather than in the passenger seat. This isn't any different in the Seat Leon we've also got though, so its not that the 1 series is especially small.

Personally though, I think I'd be looking for something a bit bigger than a 1 Series coupe if you plan on carrying lots of clobber for use as the "sensible" car, as the average pushchair base will cover the boot floor taking up half the boot space, and being a coupe it doesnt give you much flexibility to take the parcel shelf out etc like you can with a hatch if you need to carry much more.

Edited by LocoBlade on Saturday 1st August 21:10

[Mr_Sukebe]

My wife found herself sitting with our little one on some journeys. Think how much fun that would be in the back of a fairly small coupe. That's why we have an E46 4 door.