03-21-2019, 07:15 AM | #23 | ||
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Cross-continent road trip journal from BMW PCD to Alaska in new X7 M50i in this thread HERE!
New EVEN BIGGER road trip in X5 from BMW PCD to Alaska NOW ONGOING LIVE IN THIS THREAD! Wilderness road trip journal to Eastern Alaska in this thread And road trip journal to Denali and the Arctic Circle here in this thread! |
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03-21-2019, 10:44 AM | #24 |
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I've now sat in both the 2nd row captain's chairs as well as the bench seat. While I'll give the overall edge in comfort/luxury to the captain's chairs, the bench seat is surprisingly comfortable. Combined with their ability to fold flat and the on-seat tethering for car seats, if we get an X7 I'll be going with the 2nd row bench. You get an extra seat out of it too which could come in handy on occasion. I also don't like the cupholder thing on the floor when you get the captain's chairs - too easy to trip over it. Plus if is pretty hard (if not impossible, especially for an adult) to squeeze between the captain's chairs to get into the third row. That is probably the biggest reason to put captain's chairs in the second row - so that you can easily get into the 3rd row without having to fold/move the 2nd row seats.
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03-24-2019, 10:29 AM | #25 | |
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We have a lived with the third row seat in our X5 for three years now and while we only use it situationally and it definitely comes in handy, the bench seat in front makes it a very isolated experience in cramped quarters and has made my kids carsick. Combination of the proximity of the bench to their faces and because they cannot see out of the windshield in the front of the car. The gap between the Captain’s is going to give them better situational awareness and make them feel a lot better back there. We are giving up the 7th seat specifically for this reason. |
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03-24-2019, 02:37 PM | #26 | |
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03-24-2019, 05:42 PM | #27 | |
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If this is your first experience with BMW X third row, know that the center spot on the bench seat will always be preferred to one of the rear seats as it’s a pain to get the seats up (dad) and get back there (kids). But going Captain’s changes that because of the pass thru for ease of entry back there (kids) without a seat drop (dad) and offering forward visibility (kids). That’s my real-world experience the last 3 years with the X5. And that’s why Captain’s are a godsend if you can live without the 7th seat. It’s a bigger deal and decision than you think. |
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03-24-2019, 05:47 PM | #28 | |
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Plus, the seat backs of the captain are sculpted, vs the flat carpeted seat backs of the bench. Not a huge deal but I personally prefer the former. Total consistency in fit, finish and materials from front to back of the vehicle |
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03-24-2019, 05:52 PM | #29 | |
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The nice the sculpted backs are, the ugly they get once scratched.. |
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03-24-2019, 05:54 PM | #30 |
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03-24-2019, 06:31 PM | #32 | |
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BMW USA told me they “are not meant to be removed.” Whatever that means. Hopefully a resourceful third party figured this out. I’ve yet to check out a parts diagram of that assembly but plan to |
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03-25-2019, 03:07 PM | #34 | |
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03-25-2019, 03:13 PM | #35 |
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Are the seats taller in the Captain chair config vs Bench? looks like they are on pedestal.
Bench folds flat into big trunk so it is lower even though it still has to move and has electronics under it. |
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03-26-2019, 10:33 AM | #36 |
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I demoed a fully loaded X7 50i with 2nd row captain. It was beautiful except one inexcusable sin. The black plastic 2nd row cup holders on the floor looked and felt ridiculously cheap. It was so out of character with everything else in the entire vehicle it made no senses. It took up a unusual amount of floor space for just two cup holders that it looked like it was hiding something in the floor.
If I was getting a X7, it would have to be with the 2nd row bench to eliminate it. |
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03-26-2019, 10:53 AM | #37 |
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I didn’t actually measure with a ruler but based on my recent experience comparing two show room floor X7s, one with captains chairs, one with bench, to me the captain’s chairs definitely felt more perched up higher. Also in the most rearward setting, the bench seemed to offer just a bit more 2nd row legroom. Captains chairs were definitely more comfortable, but not by much; bench seats hold their own in the comfort department. I’m still torn. If the captains chairs offered more amenities like seat ventilation and massage, it would more of a no-brainer. But since it doesn’t, I think I’ll go with the bench seats.
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03-28-2019, 02:03 AM | #38 |
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From what I have seen, the chairs look very similar in all the reviews... thankfully has settled some of the disappointment of having no captains chairs options (yet). Additional comfort may be due to the fact that captains chairs are more roomy although bench with the middle armrest or seatback down doesn’t seem so bad.
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04-01-2019, 01:49 PM | #39 |
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I'm happy to report that the Captain's Chair armrests are removable. Even better, putting the flat cover back on the seats covers up 95% of the opening except for a small hole for which the bolt customarily goes through. No knees will be scraped. No one will notice. This is extra-important because today I also found out that when the 2nd row seat moves forward to allow a passenger into the 3rd row, the 2nd row seat doesn't remember its prior position. So imagine the chaos when the 15 year old brother sitting in the 2nd row has to keep moving his seat forward to provide decent legroom for the 12 year old sister behind him. Over and over again. 10x a day. He's getting bored of the repetition. She's getting angry for having to ask him. By removing the armrests and letting her glide between the seats, problem solved. Many Bothans died to bring us this information. |
04-01-2019, 02:05 PM | #40 | |
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process for removing arm rest doesnt look too bad. i'm not going to be the first to try this, though. not that brave need someone to make some rubber stopper to cover that opening up. |
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04-01-2019, 06:43 PM | #41 | |
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04-01-2019, 09:39 PM | #42 | |
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Upon explaining my dilemma and scenarios to the salesperson, he said he'd talk to service and get back to me. Two hours later he said he and his service department did a lot of research and looked at all the schematics and found the answer to the two questions I had posed: 1. Can the armrests be removed? 2. If so, would any bolts be sticking out defeating the purpose? That screencap is from a service computer which shows shop techs how to repair vehicles for which they have limited experience. |
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04-01-2019, 09:49 PM | #43 | |||
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The shame of it all is that BMW was this close to finally giving the public the perfect luxury minivan replacement. All they had to do was give up the armrests and this bad ballet of 2nd row and 1st row seats inconveniencing passengers could have been completely avoided. Next project? Getting that plastic floor tray out of there so my kids don't trip over it getting through the Captain's to the 3rd row. |
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04-01-2019, 10:18 PM | #44 | |
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