[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Hitking4192

Good to know. I should take my youngest to dealer just to see it in action but it looked to me like it would work fine for kids to slip through. The ugly hunk of plastic cup holder on the floor on the other hand is the only weird eyesore I saw and is a really annoying non-dealbreaker for me. Such a luxurious and well designed interior aside from that!

Yeah that's kind of odd. Based on my 540, the Germans don't give a shit about our cupholders haha. I think they threw than floor console into the second row in an effort to beef up the luxury for the 2nd row passengers. I had to find a new travel coffee mug when I got my 5 series. The standard Yeti doesn't fit in the cupholders.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Hitking4192

Don't care for styling or drive of Navigator and various extended versions. I do really like the styling and tech of the new Escalade and may yet end up there but hard for me to justify the marked up prices and delays of those (same for new Range Rover) if I can get the right amount of cargo and comfort in X7 (which to me has by far the most comfortable third row in terms of seat comfort and amenities).

And we do at times need to park in city or resort garages where the cargo box won't work. I'd use a box for most of our travel using the duffel bag advice I saw on here.

Don't let me sway you, but I drove all Yukons and Tahoes for almost 20 years before getting my 540. I got tired of them. And a lot of my friends that have new GM trucks (I'm in the south, so almost all the guys drive trucks/big SUVs) are having problems with them. I just got tired of GM and wanted a fast sedan. I'm in love with this 5 series.

And fwiw, we are trading a 2022 Lexus GX for the 2021 X7 that's coming this weekend. So, I don't blame you for wanting to make the BMW work. I assume you looked into the GLS also.

[Angelo_GraysonMiniBMW]

Originally Posted by NGT2

Don't let me sway you, but I drove all Yukons and Tahoes for almost 20 years before getting my 540. I got tired of them. And a lot of my friends that have new GM trucks (I'm in the south, so almost all the guys drive trucks/big SUVs) are having problems with them. I just got tired of GM and wanted a fast sedan. I'm in love with this 5 series.

And fwiw, we are trading a 2022 Lexus GX for the 2021 X7 that's coming this weekend. So, I don't blame you for wanting to make the BMW work. I assume you looked into the GLS also.

I think the 5 series is my favorite all around sedan since my first one back in 2008.

[Angelo_GraysonMiniBMW]

Originally Posted by Missduvy

I have had captains chairs for 3.5 years. I have two middle schoolers, and I carpool with a couple other middle school kids almost every day. Almost every single time, one or more of them goes to the third row through the center. Not once has a seat been marred or scratched, and I honestly haven’t even heard them complain about it. I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but you guys who have never had one need to listen to those of us who have. If you don’t like the looks of the chairs or have a tiny little person who can sit in that middle seat on the bench, then get the bench. But the reasons I keep seeing thrown around just arent valid.

Do you know if the captain chairs recline more or the same as the bench seats? Also, is the leg room more less vs. the bench? Good to hear they’ve held up well. Curious though, where do your kids put the book bags when both using the captain seats? The bench in this regard is nice because they can just put them on the middle seat of the bench.

[Audio Fan]

Originally Posted by Angelo1

I’m having a problem finding an X7 with the 2nd row bench with trailer hitch. They almost don’t exist or sell so fast I don’t have time to make an offer. If you go on autotrader/Cargurus they are almost all captains chairs and they don’t sell well. I’ve have seen the same fully loaded under 35k mile X7’s for the last 45days go unsold and price dropped but God forbid a fully loaded bench seat option comes up and it’s gone. My search criteria is m50i,most options, trailer hitch and no black exterior or brown leather.

Based on my daily searching, captain chairs x7 aren’t very popular. However, I’m honestly curious on the comfort and leg room of them vs. the bench seat which my kids have found very comfortable. Are the captain chairs better or am I not missing out?

Find one you like and add a stealth hitch, unless you plan on maxing out the towing.

[Angelo_GraysonMiniBMW]

Originally Posted by Audio Fan

Find one you like and add a stealth hitch, unless you plan on maxing out the towing.

I looked at the stealth hitch and definitely won’t be towing anything like a car or travel trailer with it. It’s really just for my Bikes and the use of my small trailer. My concern, when you put the vehicle in reverse, will it automatically stop sensing something is behind you since it doesn’t have the trailer feature to turn off the auto stop in reverse.

[Missduvy]

Originally Posted by Angelo1

Do you know if the captain chairs recline more or the same as the bench seats? Also, is the leg room more less vs. the bench? Good to hear they’ve held up well. Curious though, where do your kids put the book bags when both using the captain seats? The bench in this regard is nice because they can just put them on the middle seat of the bench.

They automatically just plop them in between the seats or in their own floorboard. We’re never traveling that far to and from school so it isn’t a big deal to them. If there are lots of kids, I pop the trunk and they drop them in there.

[Audio Fan]

Originally Posted by Angelo1

I looked at the stealth hitch and definitely won’t be towing anything like a car or travel trailer with it. It’s really just for my Bikes and the use of my small trailer. My concern, when you put the vehicle in reverse, will it automatically stop sensing something is behind you since it doesn’t have the trailer feature to turn off the auto stop in reverse.

I have to turn off the rear collision avoidance when I have bikes on my X5M, which has the stealth hitch.

[SUVLustMaster]

Originally Posted by Angelo1

Do you know if the captain chairs recline more or the same as the bench seats? Also, is the leg room more less vs. the bench? Good to hear they’ve held up well. Curious though, where do your kids put the book bags when both using the captain seats? The bench in this regard is nice because they can just put them on the middle seat of the bench.

I’m not sure if Captains recline more than the bench, but can confirm the bench has 2-4 more inches of legroom compared to Captains when positioned all the way back. This is one reason why I went with bench.

I also shared the same thoughts re: the middle seat where you can just throw your kid’s backpacks / jackets / toys / books, etc. I have two young boys and it’s always a pain to get them into the car, it’s nice to just throw their jackets and backpacks onto the middle seat while i wrestle with each of them and secure them into their child seats. I suppose with Captains you can just throw their stuff onto the floor where the cup holders are.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by Hitking4192

This and the threads discussing cargo boxes are really helpful as I am torn between extra cargo of bench vs comfort of captains for family of 5. A couple of questions:

1. I love the idea of easier access to third row between captains chairs…understood it’s a little tight but would be fine for kids to do that. Is there any easy third row access trick with a bench..can kids squeeze behind the bench without having to do the full electric seat routine when they get in?
2. Does anyone fold down half of third row for cargo space and does that space create enough room for one (or stacked two) relatively full sized pieces of luggage? Having that flexibility would be useful for the times we can’t really use a cargo box given garage height restraints.

Thanks!

1. No.

2. Yes, we do that all the time when we are transporting 5 people. And yes, there then becomes plenty of room for two full sized pieces of luggage. The 3rd row seats each take up 50% of the width of the rear compartment so you can get half of the capacity back there.

Also, there is a healthy amount of storage under the floor behind the 3rd row seats. You can get a full sized soft duffel in there or all the bottles/toiletries/groceries you can fit. It's essentially the exact volume of the spare tire if you go with run flats and remove the two privacy shades that BMW lets you store there. Photo above.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

1. No.

2. Yes, we do that all the time when we are transporting 5 people. And yes, there then becomes plenty of room for two full sized pieces of luggage. The 3rd row seats each take up 50% of the width of the rear compartment so you can get half of the capacity back there.

Also, there is a healthy amount of storage under the floor behind the 3rd row seats. You can get a full sized soft duffel in there or all the bottles/toiletries/groceries you can fit. It's essentially the exact volume of the spare tire if you go with run flats and remove the two privacy shades that BMW lets you store there. Photo above.

Mine that's coming Sunday has runflats and also has the spare. I was debating taking the spare out for this reason.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by NGT2

Mine that's coming Sunday has runflats and also has the spare. I was debating taking the spare out for this reason.

When you are just transporting 4 people, the rear compartment is plenty for all your stuff- bags, strollers, whatever, no need for anything else, it's your standard SUV with a few more inches added, it all fits comfortably and luxuriously.

When you are 5 people, you lose half the rear compartment, so you need to pick up a little space and you can make it work with that secret spare tire compartment and the removal of the bulky shades which store down there. Bags stack in the empty 6th seat space, stroller on its edge behind the 5th seat, and use the secret spare tire compartment for overflow. Tight, but it works.

When you are 6 people, all bets are off, you can get a stroller in the few inches behind the 3rd row and that's it, and then you need an XL sized rooftop cargo box and really good duffle bag game and you'll be good to go. In that instance you want to keep the weight down, so use the secret spare tire compartment for the small/heavy stuff like cans of soup, wine, ski boots, etc.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

When you are just transporting 4 people, the rear compartment is plenty for all your stuff- bags, strollers, whatever, no need for anything else, it's your standard SUV with a few more inches added, it all fits comfortably and luxuriously.

When you are 5 people, you lose half the rear compartment, so you need to pick up a little space and you can make it work with that secret spare tire compartment and the removal of the bulky shades which store down there. Bags stack in the empty 6th seat space, stroller on its edge behind the 5th seat, and use the secret spare tire compartment for overflow. Tight, but it works.

When you are 6 people, all bets are off, you can get a stroller in the few inches behind the 3rd row and that's it, and then you need an XL sized rooftop cargo box and really good duffle bag game and you'll be good to go. In that instance you want to keep the weight down, so use the secret spare tire compartment for the small/heavy stuff like cans of soup, wine, ski boots, etc.

I think we will be good to go. We will be a family of 4 in a couple weeks and then we are done. We're both too close to 40 to do this again! Haha

I could've gone either way on the bench vs captains. My wife likes the captains because she thinks it's fancier. This has all been listed but I'm good with captains for the following:

We are a family of 4.
We will have two in booster/child seats for a couple years, and this way someone can actually access the third row.

In reality, the only time we will us the third row is short trips for football games (Go Rebs) if I'm driving us and my parents. No luggage involved and that's maybe 1-2 times a year, max. And then if we have other kids riding with us in town. They can all fit back there fine and get to the third row between the captain seats.

I'm really excited to get this car and it's not even for me to drive. I can't wait.

[viperssd]

Originally Posted by NGT2

Mine that's coming Sunday has runflats and also has the spare. I was debating taking the spare out for this reason.

I really wanted to order the spare with mine but the one I was able to find was missing it. LMK if you'd be interested in selling the full kit. There is also a tray it goes into, a retention strap and another tray that goes on top

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by viperssd

I really wanted to order the spare with mine but the one I was able to find was missing it. LMK if you'd be interested in selling the full kit. There is also a tray it goes into, a retention strap and another tray that goes on top

I'll check it out when we get it and think about it. I don't see us ever changing a tire on this thing.

[jmciver]

I wouldn't get rid of the spare if you have one, because, well, you never know when you might need one. There are some situations where even driving on run flats is not optimal when compared to driving on an actual spare (even though it is a "doughnut"). Even if you call AAA (or equivalent) to have them change it for you, it is still a nice thing to have IMO. My X7 did not come with one so I made a "hybrid" space saver spare kit using some OEM parts and some "extras". You can see what I did here:

https://g07.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1734983

I also added the small shelf that goes over the spare (and comes with the factory space saver spare option) for some extra storage even before I made my space saver spare kit - I would definitely recommend getting it whether you get a spare or not. And there is another small storage compartment back there, on the right (passenger side, you see it in the thread above as well). It is where a BMW first aid kit would go (the panel to remove to get to the space has a first aid symbol on it), and it is deep enough to hold all types of small "knick-knacks."

[lloyd99]

I have enjoyed reading through all the pros and cones in this thread, as I too have been trying to decide between second row captain's chairs vs bench seat for a 2023 BMW X7. For the past 20 years, I have always had three rows with captain's chairs - minivan for a while, then three Buick Enclave's, then two GMC Acadia's, and most recently a 2021 Hyundai Palisade. I have always bought the highest trim package available for these vehicles "middle class" vehicles.

Now I am looking to make my first luxury SUV purchase - a 2023 BMW X7. I am trying to decide between captain's chairs vs bench. My daughters are older now - ages 22 and 27. One of them or one of the boyfriends sometime join us - yielding a 3rd or 4th passenger. Nowadays, I rarely have a 5th or 6th passenger - only a handful of times a year. It is nice to be able to transport 6 on those rare occasions, but I have questioned as to whether or not I really need a 3rd row nowadays - and perhaps an X5 would be fine? I truly don't need it for extra seating (at least not often), but I do like having the extra cargo space. I almost always have the 3rd row seats flipped down - as I often have my golf clubs (plus golf shoes, hats, etc.) in the back, as well as I often have some (professional) work materials for stuff I carry around when meeting with my clients (storage container, flip chart easels, roller cart, etc).

One thing I don't like about my past vehicle's captains chairs is, with the 3rd row seats down, you can easily see through (inbetween) and around the captains chairs and see all my "stuff" in the cargo area. If I want the extra cargo space and go with the X7 instead of the X5 - although captains chairs may have a more "elegant" look and feel than the bench seat, I am curious... If I regularly have stuff in my cargo area, do you think the bench would better block seeing that stuff - and ultimately have a higher-end "look" since I and my passengers won't (nearly as easily) see the stuff in the cargo area? Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by lloyd99

I have enjoyed reading through all the pros and cones in this thread, as I too have been trying to decide between second row captain's chairs vs bench seat for a 2023 BMW X7. For the past 20 years, I have always had three rows with captain's chairs - minivan for a while, then three Buick Enclave's, then two GMC Acadia's, and most recently a 2021 Hyundai Palisade. I have always bought the highest trim package available for these vehicles "middle class" vehicles.

Now I am looking to make my first luxury SUV purchase - a 2023 BMW X7. I am trying to decide between captain's chairs vs bench. My daughters are older now - ages 22 and 27. One of them or one of the boyfriends sometime join us - yielding a 3rd or 4th passenger. Nowadays, I rarely have a 5th or 6th passenger - only a handful of times a year. It is nice to be able to transport 6 on those rare occasions, but I have questioned as to whether or not I really need a 3rd row nowadays - and perhaps an X5 would be fine? I truly don't need it for extra seating (at least not often), but I do like having the extra cargo space. I almost always have the 3rd row seats flipped down - as I often have my golf clubs (plus golf shoes, hats, etc.) in the back, as well as I often have some (professional) work materials for stuff I carry around when meeting with my clients (storage container, flip chart easels, roller cart, etc).

One thing I don't like about my past vehicle's captains chairs is, with the 3rd row seats down, you can easily see through (inbetween) and around the captains chairs and see all my "stuff" in the cargo area. If I want the extra cargo space and go with the X7 instead of the X5 - although captains chairs may have a more "elegant" look and feel than the bench seat, I am curious... If I regularly have stuff in my cargo area, do you think the bench would better block seeing that stuff - and ultimately have a higher-end "look" since I and my passengers won't (nearly as easily) see the stuff in the cargo area? Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.

I just got a 2021 X7. It's great. I didn't make the captains chairs a decision maker. I don't have regrets really. It's my wife's car, primarily, and she wanted them. So all good.

That said, if I was buying another one for myself, I'd get the bench. Yes, it makes the third row harder to access for me because we have two car seats (not your situation, I'm 20+ years behind you). But I decided I prefer the solid barrier between row 2 and the cargo area.

Again, it's not enough to make me regret anything. It's a badass car. Rides great. Drives great. Especially for its size. But if I did it again, and I might in a few years, I'd probably go bench seat in the back. For the exact reason you stated. Solid barrier for stuff and for dogs.

The one thing I did underestimate - the difference between hifi and HK stereos. Only thing this was missing is premium package. Has almost everything else except the DHP (it's a 40i) and premium/luxury package. I don't miss the window shades, the HUD, or whatever else. But the hifi stereo is a pretty noticeable step down from the HK in my 2018 540i. If it bugs me in a year, I'll upgrade it. Like I said, it's primarily my wife's and she said she didn't care.

But I digress… based on your comment and question, I'd strongly consider the bench seat. Or put the money toward performance and get an X5 M50

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by lloyd99

I have enjoyed reading through all the pros and cones in this thread, as I too have been trying to decide between second row captain's chairs vs bench seat for a 2023 BMW X7. For the past 20 years, I have always had three rows with captain's chairs - minivan for a while, then three Buick Enclave's, then two GMC Acadia's, and most recently a 2021 Hyundai Palisade. I have always bought the highest trim package available for these vehicles "middle class" vehicles.

Now I am looking to make my first luxury SUV purchase - a 2023 BMW X7. I am trying to decide between captain's chairs vs bench. My daughters are older now - ages 22 and 27. One of them or one of the boyfriends sometime join us - yielding a 3rd or 4th passenger. Nowadays, I rarely have a 5th or 6th passenger - only a handful of times a year. It is nice to be able to transport 6 on those rare occasions, but I have questioned as to whether or not I really need a 3rd row nowadays - and perhaps an X5 would be fine? I truly don't need it for extra seating (at least not often), but I do like having the extra cargo space. I almost always have the 3rd row seats flipped down - as I often have my golf clubs (plus golf shoes, hats, etc.) in the back, as well as I often have some (professional) work materials for stuff I carry around when meeting with my clients (storage container, flip chart easels, roller cart, etc).

One thing I don't like about my past vehicle's captains chairs is, with the 3rd row seats down, you can easily see through (inbetween) and around the captains chairs and see all my "stuff" in the cargo area. If I want the extra cargo space and go with the X7 instead of the X5 - although captains chairs may have a more "elegant" look and feel than the bench seat, I am curious... If I regularly have stuff in my cargo area, do you think the bench would better block seeing that stuff - and ultimately have a higher-end "look" since I and my passengers won't (nearly as easily) see the stuff in the cargo area? Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.

Honestly, it sounds like you have already made your decision - Captain's chairs seem like an obvious good fit for you based on your past and future usage. As far as being able to see your "stuff" between the Captain's chairs, I would think that really is not an issue for you given your history with Captain's chairs - even though it may be theoretically possible.

While you clearly want to be smart about protecting your stuff in your car as theft can happen anywhere, anytime, do you predominately live/work/drive in areas where your "stuff" left in your X7 is really at significant risk? Has this ever been an issue in the past with your previous vehicles? Unless you are leaving open duffle bags full of cash in your car, I would think you should be fine as long as you are smart about how you leave stuff in your car .

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by jmciver

Honestly, it sounds like you have already made your decision - Captain's chairs seem like an obvious good fit for you based on your past and future usage. As far as being able to see your "stuff" between the Captain's chairs, I would think that really is not an issue for you given your history with Captain's chairs - even though it may be theoretically possible.

While you clearly want to be smart about protecting your stuff in your car as theft can happen anywhere, anytime, do you predominately live/work/drive in areas where your "stuff" left in your X7 is really at significant risk? Has this ever been an issue in the past with your previous vehicles? Unless you are leaving open duffle bags full of cash in your car, I would think you should be fine as long as you are smart about how you leave stuff in your car .

I read it as he is more worried about the aesthetics of seeing all his cargo more so than the security of it. But maybe I misunderstood.

[thenew3]

Originally Posted by NGT2

I think we will be good to go. We will be a family of 4 in a couple weeks and then we are done. We're both too close to 40 to do this again! Haha

I could've gone either way on the bench vs captains. My wife likes the captains because she thinks it's fancier. This has all been listed but I'm good with captains for the following:

We are a family of 4.
We will have two in booster/child seats for a couple years, and this way someone can actually access the third row.

In reality, the only time we will us the third row is short trips for football games (Go Rebs) if I'm driving us and my parents. No luggage involved and that's maybe 1-2 times a year, max. And then if we have other kids riding with us in town. They can all fit back there fine and get to the third row between the captain seats.

I'm really excited to get this car and it's not even for me to drive. I can't wait.

Not sure how long you plan to keep the car or what your thoughts on carpooling is.

On my previous car, we went with a 5 seater because we're a family of 4 and didn't think we'll ever need more.

Then as the kids got a little older and started to get involved in school activities and sports, the carpooling with other families showed us we needed more seats. That's one of the primary reasons we started shopping for a 7 seater and decided to get an X7.

We've had our X7 a little over 2 years and lost count of the # of times we've had to use all 7 seats to move kids around for various activities. Wouldn't look good on us if we took advantage of the other families and use them to carpool and we never pitch in to drive sometimes.

Every family of 4 that I know (many dozens) have at some point had to get into a 7 or 8 seater (SUV or Minivan) as their kids get a little older and start to participate in all these activities.

So while you may not need more than 5 seats now, there's a good chance you'll need it as your kids get older.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by lloyd99

I have enjoyed reading through all the pros and cones in this thread, as I too have been trying to decide between second row captain's chairs vs bench seat for a 2023 BMW X7. For the past 20 years, I have always had three rows with captain's chairs - minivan for a while, then three Buick Enclave's, then two GMC Acadia's, and most recently a 2021 Hyundai Palisade. I have always bought the highest trim package available for these vehicles "middle class" vehicles.

Now I am looking to make my first luxury SUV purchase - a 2023 BMW X7. I am trying to decide between captain's chairs vs bench. My daughters are older now - ages 22 and 27. One of them or one of the boyfriends sometime join us - yielding a 3rd or 4th passenger. Nowadays, I rarely have a 5th or 6th passenger - only a handful of times a year. It is nice to be able to transport 6 on those rare occasions, but I have questioned as to whether or not I really need a 3rd row nowadays - and perhaps an X5 would be fine? I truly don't need it for extra seating (at least not often), but I do like having the extra cargo space. I almost always have the 3rd row seats flipped down - as I often have my golf clubs (plus golf shoes, hats, etc.) in the back, as well as I often have some (professional) work materials for stuff I carry around when meeting with my clients (storage container, flip chart easels, roller cart, etc).

One thing I don't like about my past vehicle's captains chairs is, with the 3rd row seats down, you can easily see through (inbetween) and around the captains chairs and see all my "stuff" in the cargo area. If I want the extra cargo space and go with the X7 instead of the X5 - although captains chairs may have a more "elegant" look and feel than the bench seat, I am curious... If I regularly have stuff in my cargo area, do you think the bench would better block seeing that stuff - and ultimately have a higher-end "look" since I and my passengers won't (nearly as easily) see the stuff in the cargo area? Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.

You've gotten some good advice already. I'll add:

1. With the X7's Captain's Chairs there is significantly smaller space between the two of them, it's not like a minivan at all where an adult can use it as a passthrough. Therefore the visibility between them is very low and you and your passengers wouldn't see your stuff in the rear.

2. Regarding the decision of the X7 vs. X5, the most important and versatile option you can put on an SUV is an on-demand bump in seating from 4 to 6 passengers. I mean, is there anything more important on an SUV's options list than the ability to hit a button and 10 seconds later be able to transport 2 additional adults in a true and comfortable 3rd Row? Nope. Even if it's just 3x a year, total of 8 days, it can transform a vacation or enable a quick ride to a restaurant in the city, quickly give a neighbor a ride home, go with two other couple's to dinner, it's invaluable.

So get the X7 and get the Captain's and you'll be extremely pleased.