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      09-27-2022, 12:54 AM   #89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toddwalton View Post
"Never spent meaningful time in the X7, but..."

Again, trust someone who's spent 40 months in the car please. I know what's what.

If your family needs require 7 seats or if you need a lie-flat cargo bay, fine, get the bench. But if you only really need 6 seats and you care about a luxurious passenger compartment, get the Captain's.
LOL, I appreciate your fervor and advice but the video is clear. The second row legroom for Captains Chairs looks tight. I’m about six feet tall, can I ask how many inches between my knees and back of the driver / shotgun seats when the Captains Chairs are positioned all the way back and all the way forward?
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      09-27-2022, 12:57 AM   #90
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Originally Posted by Missduvy View Post
I’ve driven mine for 3.5 years. My kids were 7 and 8 when I got the car. That middle cup holder has never one time been an issue for them or their myriad of friends who pass through the middle on their way to the 3rd row. The plastic cup holder section has nary a scratch on it. My kids have plenty of room to put their backpacks in the middle, and not one of my friends has complained about the lack of room for her handbag. Trust those of us who’ve driven these cars for thousands of hours.
OK, that is good to know. My kids are 4 and 6. So I can strike this reason off my list.

Can I ask how much second row legroom there is when the Captains Chair is positioned all the way back and all the way forward? I’m six feet and I want at least six inches between my knee and the back of the seat in front.
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      09-27-2022, 01:19 AM   #91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by toddwalton View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayM40i View Post
For those who have younger children do you prefer the captains chairs or bench. I have 2 kids in car seats and don't think I could access the back unless the bench slides very far forward. Captains seems like you could crawl through the middle but not sure how you would get to the c seats with a bench.
There is another problem with the bench in that the sensors often get tripped by child seats preventing either the left or right 2nd Row seat to allow access to the 3rd Row.

And the child seats must be forward-facing, not rear facing. And entire threads exist about finding ultra-thin car seats that don't get in the way or trip the seat sensors when they need to move out of the way to get to the 3rd Row.

Point being, forget Captain's vs. Bench. You need to watch YouTube videos to confirm if you can even live with an X7 at all.
Can you fit rear facing car seats in the captains chairs? If not I need to know asap lll
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      09-27-2022, 05:02 AM   #92
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Originally Posted by JayM40i View Post
Can you fit rear facing car seats in the captains chairs? If not I need to know asap lll
I think the issue is that the tether /latch is on the ground and not the seat like the bench. The seats will generally fit.

The x5 section might have more threads on this.
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      09-27-2022, 07:30 AM   #93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SUVLustMaster View Post
LOL, I appreciate your fervor and advice but the video is clear. The second row legroom for Captains Chairs looks tight. I’m about six feet tall, can I ask how many inches between my knees and back of the driver / shotgun seats when the Captains Chairs are positioned all the way back and all the way forward?
You seem to have made the decision already based on the video. That's fine. I will add my own views based on 3 years of ownership. Captain chairs are simply awesome. Leg room is never an issue. Kids can easily move between the two seats to get to the third row. The only two reasons to get the bench are 1) second row bench can go flat to add more storage space and 2) you need space for 7 passengers. If these two options are not high on your list, I would highly recommend the captain chairs.
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      09-27-2022, 09:01 AM   #94
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Originally Posted by aas5 View Post
You seem to have made the decision already based on the video. That's fine. I will add my own views based on 3 years of ownership. Captain chairs are simply awesome. Leg room is never an issue. Kids can easily move between the two seats to get to the third row. The only two reasons to get the bench are 1) second row bench can go flat to add more storage space and 2) you need space for 7 passengers. If these two options are not high on your list, I would highly recommend the captain chairs.
Mind providing any second row legroom measurements for the Captains? I’d like to know the difference. Thanks.
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      09-27-2022, 09:03 AM   #95
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SUVLustMaster View Post
OK, that is good to know. My kids are 4 and 6. So I can strike this reason off my list.

Can I ask how much second row legroom there is when the Captains Chair is positioned all the way back and all the way forward? I’m six feet and I want at least six inches between my knee and the back of the seat in front.
Happy to measure for you. What position do you want the first and second row in? First all the way back and second all the way back too?
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      09-27-2022, 02:13 PM   #96
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Happy to measure for you. What position do you want the first and second row in? First all the way back and second all the way back too?
If you don't mind, can you please set the driver's seat and the captains chair that is right behind it all the way to its back position and then measure the distance between the backside of the driver's seat and front edge of the captains chair seat?
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      09-27-2022, 02:55 PM   #97
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SUVLustMaster View Post
LOL, I appreciate your fervor and advice but the video is clear. The second row legroom for Captains Chairs looks tight. I’m about six feet tall, can I ask how many inches between my knees and back of the driver / shotgun seats when the Captains Chairs are positioned all the way back and all the way forward?
My best friend is taller than you, he's been in my 2nd Row whilst my other friends have been in my 3rd Row and he's got plenty of room. And the Captain's are mighty comfortable. Unlike a Bench that's just, well, a bench, the Captain's have lumbar support, side bolstering, they're essentially the sport seats from prior gen X5 or the front seats from the current X7 without the adjustable thigh slider.

Take a stroll to your local BMW dealer, bring a tape measure. Or, just trust someone who had one of the very first X7's off the line and has been intimately living with the thing for the last 40 months.
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      09-27-2022, 02:57 PM   #98
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayM40i View Post
Can you fit rear facing car seats in the captains chairs? If not I need to know asap lll
It's a problem, the problem being that in order to get into the 3rd Row, the 2nd Row has to lift up and move forward several inches and a rear facing seat doesn't allow that to happen.

If you only have 1 rear facing seat you'd just use the other side to get to the 3rd Row. If you have 2 rear facing seats, that's not good.

Please go to YouTube and search for 'X7 car seats' for many videos on the topic. Even with front facing seats, they need to be very slim to make it all work be it Captain's or Bench.
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      09-28-2022, 07:27 AM   #99
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SUVLustMaster View Post
If you don't mind, can you please set the driver's seat and the captains chair that is right behind it all the way to its back position and then measure the distance between the backside of the driver's seat and front edge of the captains chair seat?
9.5”. Plenty of room for me, but I’m short. Sorry the pic is the wrong orientation — not sure why or how to correct.
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Last edited by Missduvy; 09-28-2022 at 07:36 AM..
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      09-28-2022, 11:08 AM   #100
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This is going to be a highly subjective topic. I have 3 kids, 2 in boosters and 1 in a forward facing. For me it was a no brainer to get the bench so they can all be in the same row. If I didn't have 3 kids (lets say just 2), I would have opted for the captains chairs.
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      09-28-2022, 11:37 AM   #101
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Quote:
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9.5”. Plenty of room for me, but I’m short. Sorry the pic is the wrong orientation — not sure why or how to correct.
Thank you! That's not too bad. I imagine if the driver's seat is positioned midway, the Captain passenger will have 3-4 additional inches?
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      09-28-2022, 12:13 PM   #102
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I wanted to get bench, but ended up with Captains and don't regret it at all. I have two kids - 5yo and a newborn. Older one occupied passenger side seat in the third row in his forward facing car seat. We use the passenger side captain chair for the newborn. This way one of the parents can sit next to both kids and still be very comfortable.

5 yo gets to his seat either from the trunk or through the second row door and just squeezes between the captains. No need to fold the seat to let him in.

The second 3rd row seat is folded to allow for the stroller and other storage.
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      09-28-2022, 12:55 PM   #103
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugr View Post
I wanted to get bench, but ended up with Captains and don't regret it at all. I have two kids - 5yo and a newborn. Older one occupied passenger side seat in the third row in his forward facing car seat. We use the passenger side captain chair for the newborn. This way one of the parents can sit next to both kids and still be very comfortable.

5 yo gets to his seat either from the trunk or through the second row door and just squeezes between the captains. No need to fold the seat to let him in.

The second 3rd row seat is folded to allow for the stroller and other storage.
Care to comment on the legroom for Captain's Chairs? I have an X5 and 2022 Acura MDX. The MDX has wonderful second row legroom, I want to upgrade to the X7, but not if the legroom is worse than the MDX.
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      09-28-2022, 01:23 PM   #104
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SUVLustMaster View Post


Watch the video at 35:03. Legroom looks very limited. IIRC, the bench offers 3-4 more inches of legroom. Plus, I have young children, they will destroy that center console.
41:35 in the video they go over the legroom with the bench option (more legroom).
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      09-28-2022, 02:13 PM   #105
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Originally Posted by Taktix1 View Post
41:35 in the video they go over the legroom with the bench option (more legroom).
But if this guy is what you’re basing your opinion on, he also makes it clear that the bench is not as comfortable as the captains chairs. He says it multiple times. He doesn’t say, however, how much more legroom the bench provides. It sure can’t be much. It seems you’ve made up your mind, so enjoy. It’s definitely a personal preference. I have friends who have the bench, and they have both said they wish they’d gotten captains chairs. For me personally, I’d never spend $120k and get a bench seat.
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      09-28-2022, 02:27 PM   #106
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SUVLustMaster View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugr View Post
I wanted to get bench, but ended up with Captains and don't regret it at all. I have two kids - 5yo and a newborn. Older one occupied passenger side seat in the third row in his forward facing car seat. We use the passenger side captain chair for the newborn. This way one of the parents can sit next to both kids and still be very comfortable.

5 yo gets to his seat either from the trunk or through the second row door and just squeezes between the captains. No need to fold the seat to let him in.

The second 3rd row seat is folded to allow for the stroller and other storage.
Care to comment on the legroom for Captain's Chairs? I have an X5 and 2022 Acura MDX. The MDX has wonderful second row legroom, I want to upgrade to the X7, but not if the legroom is worse than the MDX.
There's going to be about 100 people chiming in that I'm wrong, but I assure you that the X7 has like 0.2" more legroom than the X5.

Attached is a real time photo of the rear legroom in my XB7.
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      09-28-2022, 02:33 PM   #107
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Missduvy View Post
But if this guy is what you’re basing your opinion on, he also makes it clear that the bench is not as comfortable as the captains chairs. He says it multiple times. He doesn’t say, however, how much more legroom the bench provides. It sure can’t be much. It seems you’ve made up your mind, so enjoy. It’s definitely a personal preference. I have friends who have the bench, and they have both said they wish they’d gotten captains chairs. For me personally, I’d never spend $120k and get a bench seat.
I wasn't the one that started the thread but your comment largely mirrors what I said before. This is really a personal preference. If you need the utility of a bench (I do with 3 kids) then get the bench. If not, I would have opted for the captains chairs. That being said, I wish there was more room in between the captains chairs in order to help with access to the 3rd row.
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      09-28-2022, 02:35 PM   #108
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SUVLustMaster View Post
Care to comment on the legroom for Captain's Chairs? I have an X5 and 2022 Acura MDX. The MDX has wonderful second row legroom, I want to upgrade to the X7, but not if the legroom is worse than the MDX.
I don't have either car but it appears from online sources, the MDX has about 1 inch more 2nd row leg room than the X7. Not sure if anyone can chime in with a real world measurement.
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      09-28-2022, 02:37 PM   #109
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I thought about getting the bench so I could also put the entire seats down flat in case I buy a tv or a mattress.


But now that I think about it . Realistically, there will only be 4 us the Majority of the town.

I get feee delivery from Best Buy with my total tech membership. ABT delivers appliances .


Worst case, get a uhual if you purchase something f without delivery 🚚.
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      09-29-2022, 07:49 AM   #110
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arciga18 View Post
I thought about getting the bench so I could also put the entire seats down flat in case I buy a tv or a mattress.


But now that I think about it . Realistically, there will only be 4 us the Majority of the town.

I get feee delivery from Best Buy with my total tech membership. ABT delivers appliances .


Worst case, get a uhual if you purchase something f without delivery 🚚.
Wouldn't mind using the bench version it as a secondary tent when camping with the kids. Roomy enough for a couple of adults, definitely a couple of kids. https://lunolife.com/
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