[Russ103]

Thanks to this thread, I’m beginning to see that there is very little pass through space in the CC for an adult to squeeze through.

We have a toddler and an infant (one front facing, one rear facing) and my wife likes the idea of sitting in the 3rd row in order to have an eye (and hand) on the baby if need be.

I personally love the look of the CC, and completely agree that it’s a luxury vehicle thing, but realistically, they are going to be occupied by car seats for years, so what difference does the look make?

I haven’t yet looked at 3 row SUV’s in person, but the X7 does seem very narrow when compared to a Navigator or Grand Wagoneer (the other two we’re looking at) for example.

We currently have a 21 X5, that I find to be way to small. Maybe it’s because I’m used to driving 1/2 ton trucks with giant interiors and rear seat legroom that can accommodate a center from the NBA.

I love how the X5 M50i drives (mainly its HP), and have hopes that the X7 M60i will be a noticeable improvement in rear seat space, but am getting a bit worried. I really prefer the interior space (and frankly overall design) of the Navigator and Grand Wagoneer, but can’t stomach such a big SUV costing over $100k with a 6cyl engine. I’m way too used to the TT V8 in the X5, and my Hellcat S/C V8 TRX to get anything less then 500hp now (first world problem) and the Escalade V does not appeal to my wife, since neither of us have liked the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade much in the past.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but it seems that with kids in a car seat, the bench seat makes more sense in the narrow body of the X7.

[mattsrs]

Originally Posted by Russ103

Thanks to this thread, I’m beginning to see that there is very little pass through space in the CC for an adult to squeeze through.

We have a toddler and an infant (one front facing, one rear facing) and my wife likes the idea of sitting in the 3rd row in order to have an eye (and hand) on the baby if need be.

I personally love the look of the CC, and completely agree that it’s a luxury vehicle thing, but realistically, they are going to be occupied by car seats for years, so what difference does the look make?

I haven’t yet looked at 3 row SUV’s in person, but the X7 does seem very narrow when compared to a Navigator or Grand Wagoneer (the other two we’re looking at) for example.

We currently have a 21 X5, that I find to be way to small. Maybe it’s because I’m used to driving 1/2 ton trucks with giant interiors and rear seat legroom that can accommodate a center from the NBA.

I love how the X5 M50i drives (mainly its HP), and have hopes that the X7 M60i will be a noticeable improvement in rear seat space, but am getting a bit worried. I really prefer the interior space (and frankly overall design) of the Navigator and Grand Wagoneer, but can’t stomach such a big SUV costing over $100k with a 6cyl engine. I’m way too used to the TT V8 in the X5, and my Hellcat S/C V8 TRX to get anything less then 500hp now (first world problem) and the Escalade V does not appeal to my wife, since neither of us have liked the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade much in the past.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but it seems that with kids in a car seat, the bench seat makes more sense in the narrow body of the X7.

Yes great point about kids in the back. One of our friends has a 4yo and a toddler and they are specifically looking for a used X7 with bench seat so the mom can sit between the kids in the back.

[tkelley86]

Originally Posted by Russ103

Thanks to this thread, I’m beginning to see that there is very little pass through space in the CC for an adult to squeeze through.

We have a toddler and an infant (one front facing, one rear facing) and my wife likes the idea of sitting in the 3rd row in order to have an eye (and hand) on the baby if need be.

I personally love the look of the CC, and completely agree that it’s a luxury vehicle thing, but realistically, they are going to be occupied by car seats for years, so what difference does the look make?

I haven’t yet looked at 3 row SUV’s in person, but the X7 does seem very narrow when compared to a Navigator or Grand Wagoneer (the other two we’re looking at) for example.

We currently have a 21 X5, that I find to be way to small. Maybe it’s because I’m used to driving 1/2 ton trucks with giant interiors and rear seat legroom that can accommodate a center from the NBA.

I love how the X5 M50i drives (mainly its HP), and have hopes that the X7 M60i will be a noticeable improvement in rear seat space, but am getting a bit worried. I really prefer the interior space (and frankly overall design) of the Navigator and Grand Wagoneer, but can’t stomach such a big SUV costing over $100k with a 6cyl engine. I’m way too used to the TT V8 in the X5, and my Hellcat S/C V8 TRX to get anything less then 500hp now (first world problem) and the Escalade V does not appeal to my wife, since neither of us have liked the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade much in the past.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but it seems that with kids in a car seat, the bench seat makes more sense in the narrow body of the X7.

The pass through is too narrow... until you remove the armrests, then it's beyond spacious.

[Madsen203]

From prior research, it was identified there was 2-3” of additional leg room on the bench. This is important for considering rear facing car seats that aforementioned squeeze between the back of the front seat and the rear seat.

I wanted bench seats purely for the ability to lay them flat and camp on the back of the car with my toddler during the summer. Also can fit more in the car without that awkward drop/gap between folded 3rd row and shifted forward captain chairs. Seems like less stuff to break too. Not sure if that’s a valid statement though.

Let us know what you decide on!

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by Russ103

Thanks to this thread, I’m beginning to see that there is very little pass through space in the CC for an adult to squeeze through.

My 19 year old can get through there no problem.

Originally Posted by Russ103

We have a toddler and an infant (one front facing, one rear facing) and my wife likes the idea of sitting in the 3rd row in order to have an eye (and hand) on the baby if need be.

Exactly why the Captain's are better than the Bench. Because there is a legitimate gap between the seats she can reach through and access the kids if necessary. The Bench is a giant wall of carpet.

Originally Posted by Russ103

I personally love the look of the CC, and completely agree that it’s a luxury vehicle thing, but realistically, they are going to be occupied by car seats for years, so what difference does the look make?

It's not about the look at all. It's about the comfort of passengers in the 2nd Row when the kids aren't in it. Like a long road trip with the grandparents where the kids move to the 3rd Row. Or couples night when you're picking up two other adults and are using only the 2nd Row.

Originally Posted by Russ103

Sorry to hijack the thread, but it seems that with kids in a car seat, the bench seat makes more sense in the narrow body of the X7.

The X7 is not narrow at all. And you aren't thinking about the most important reasons for the Captain's, namely 1) the comfort of 2nd Row adults when the kids are in the 3rd Row, 2) the comfort of anyone in the 3rd Row getting nauseous due to the lack of a Bench passthru, 3) the fact that kids under the age of 15 and some petite adults can easily use the Captain's passthru to get to the 3rd Row, and 4) the need for a fully flat truckbed will happen maybe 3 times out of the 1,200 days you'll drive it.

The X7 is the closest thing to a luxury minivan replacement currently made and it would be criminal to treat it like a truck. It's not a truck.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by mattsrs

Yes great point about kids in the back. One of our friends has a 4yo and a toddler and they are specifically looking for a used X7 with bench seat so the mom can sit between the kids in the back.

If the mom wants to sit between the kids, then the Captain's are the answer. Because instead of being squeezed uncomfortably between two plastic child seats and having to swivel sharply to reach each child in the 2nd Row bench, she can sit very comfortably in the 3rd Row and reach through the Captain's passthru to get to the kids far more easily with a significantly greater range of motion. Not to mention the legroom she'll pick up under the 2nd Row Captain's vs. sitting with her knees at her chest for the 2nd Row console.

Everything you think you know about the X7 I've experienced. Daily. For the last 5 years. With kids. With teens. With adults. With grandparents. Captain's are the way for families with young children. The Bench is only needed only needed if one needs to 1) treat this like a truck and haul plywood frequently or 2) is a family of 7 instead of 6.

[sharp]

Carrying plywood in an x7 is very risky because it can easily damage the interior. Whenever I need to carry bulky items or building materials I just rent a uhaul. To me it is well worth it so I don't have to deal with expensive interior repairs.

Regarding captain chairs vs a bench. I have CCs and my 8 and 10 year old kids are very happy with them. They also use the space between the seats to store some of their stuff. The floor cup holders have never been a problem to us.

In my opinion, CCs provide more luxurious look and feel to the vehicle, while the bench provides better utility in case one wants to carry bulky items regularly and needs to fold the seats flat.

[skrontz]

I have to add that I don’t at all get the “luxurious” comment in this comparison. Both the bench and captain chairs are luxirious, power adjustable, and appropriate in a $100K vehicle. Otherwise, you have to admit that any 10 year old minivan that has the captain chairs is more luxurious than a 7-series that only has the bench 😂

[abcsoup]

Originally Posted by Russ103

Thanks to this thread, I’m beginning to see that there is very little pass through space in the CC for an adult to squeeze through.

We have a toddler and an infant (one front facing, one rear facing) and my wife likes the idea of sitting in the 3rd row in order to have an eye (and hand) on the baby if need be.

The bench is likely the safest bet if you're concerned about this. You can have the toddler in the window seat, rear facing infant in the middle, and wife on the other window seat (you can do this already in your X5); or, you can have her in the back, and use the fold down middle to reach the kids on either side.

We also debated the captain's chairs, but the additional legroom/space provided by the bench, ability to fold flat, and flexibility of having 5 passengers without needing the 3rd row sealed the deal. If I do need to have my kids with 6+ passengers, then I put the car seats in the 3rd row and the adults in the second row. They can attend to them that way, and be very comfortable. The kids don't mind the tighter quarters, and they have the 3rd row sunroof for extra light.

Ultimately, I'd recommend checking the cars out at a dealer and sitting in both configurations. You can bring your car seat as well to see how a rear install will affect the seat positions, and then check how your wife fits in the various seats. While the 3rd row is generally more comfortable than some other SUVs, it's still going to feel tight unless she is smaller. I'd rather be in the 2nd row with the two carseats (if they're narrow enough) than the 3rd row by myself on a longer journey.

[Crimsonboz]

I’ve had the bench and captains. Prefer the bench for quick and go scenario. Has slightly more room than captains. Just had a trip with my little one in the 3rd row he didn’t complain of any sickness or the like. Had the sunroof back there open and there are small side windows.

[das2050]

I also had this debate - 2 kids under 3. We went with the captains chairs. Most of the time, we have the car seats (one forward, one rear facing) in the 2nd row. For trips, we move the 3yr old to the third row (which he loves), and my wife sits in the second row captain's chair. Waaay more comfortable for her. The pass-through has been fine for us skinny adults when needed. And the third row feels way better with the captains in front. Would 100% do this again. My biggest complaint - and it is a real one, is that the anchor is in the floor - offcenter from the chair. It makes no sense vs the back of the chair. Hopefully they fix this in the future, although I am guessing it isnt structurally strong enough for the tether - no idea though. For road trips - the trunk is also useless with the third row up - so we use a Thule XXL.

[Russ103]

Originally Posted by abcsoup

The bench is likely the safest bet if you're concerned about this. You can have the toddler in the window seat, rear facing infant in the middle, and wife on the other window seat (you can do this already in your X5); or, you can have her in the back, and use the fold down middle to reach the kids on either side.

We also debated the captain's chairs, but the additional legroom/space provided by the bench, ability to fold flat, and flexibility of having 5 passengers without needing the 3rd row sealed the deal. If I do need to have my kids with 6+ passengers, then I put the car seats in the 3rd row and the adults in the second row. They can attend to them that way, and be very comfortable. The kids don't mind the tighter quarters, and they have the 3rd row sunroof for extra light.

Ultimately, I'd recommend checking the cars out at a dealer and sitting in both configurations. You can bring your car seat as well to see how a rear install will affect the seat positions, and then check how your wife fits in the various seats. While the 3rd row is generally more comfortable than some other SUVs, it's still going to feel tight unless she is smaller. I'd rather be in the 2nd row with the two carseats (if they're narrow enough) than the 3rd row by myself on a longer journey.

Thank you very much for the well written response! I didn’t think of trying a car seat in a dealers car before. That makes sense.
I have to think differently then I did just a few short years ago with cars. It used to simply be all about HP and fun.

[Russ103]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

The X7 is not narrow at all. And you aren't thinking about the most important reasons for the Captain's, namely 1) the comfort of 2nd Row adults when the kids are in the 3rd Row, 2) the comfort of anyone in the 3rd Row getting nauseous due to the lack of a Bench passthru, 3) the fact that kids under the age of 15 and some petite adults can easily use the Captain's passthru to get to the 3rd Row, and 4) the need for a fully flat truckbed will happen maybe 3 times out of the 1,200 days you'll drive it.

The X7 is the closest thing to a luxury minivan replacement currently made and it would be criminal to treat it like a truck. It's not a truck.

The X7 (most likely but not entirely sure) will replace the X5 if we see that the second row has significantly more leg room then the X5, which sucks royally on rear leg room IMO. Overall I still find the X7 to be on the smaller side of 3 row SUV’s. My wife loves the way her X5 drives, I love the 523hp it has, we just need something bigger soon.

The X7 M60i will still take a backseat (no pun intended) to my RAM TRX when it comes to road trips, and a couples’ night out. Sorry, it’s not even close in the comfort, or cool factor there.

My wife (shocking no husband anywhere ever) likes to pack like she’s damn near moving when all we’re doing is a 3 day weekend somewhere, so my TRX bed gets filled up in no time. Something no SUV could match. So I’m not expecting much in terms of cargo space with the family in one vehicle.

The X7’s main selling point for me (and my wife now that she’s used to her M50i) is the 523hp on tap. It’s hard to go back in hp when you’re used to something.

My ideal dream SUV would honestly be a Grand Wagoneer with a Hellcat motor in it. But they chose to stick a I6 TT in there instead, so there goes that option.

[Android604]

Until the toddlers are out of car seats that use anchors (4 years old +), the captain chairs make the third row virtue useless. You are basically uninstalling a seat every time you want to get into the third row.

We have a 5, 3 and 3 year olds, with our oldest now in a booster in the third row and twins on the bench… everyone has room and everyone is happy.

Andrew

[Madsen203]

Bench seat has 2-3” of additional leg room which is a benefit if you have a rear facing car seat. The lack of flat storage space with a folded bench seat was the deal breaker for me. The trunk with 3rd row down already feels small. Bench seat will also keep your junk in the trunk when you hit the brakes so your gallon of milk doesn’t go in the middle row through the center pass through. Also helpful if you’re trying to hide something while parked as the bench will block some view where parked. Anyway, my main deciding factor is that I plan to camp in the back with my toddler and you can’t do that with CC’s.

[keg97]

Slightly OT, but anytime anyone mentions a Grand Wagoneer.....am I the only one who finds them hideously ugly and completely overdone? The interiors are nice, but the exterior....oh my fugly.

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by keg97

Slightly OT, but anytime anyone mentions a Grand Wagoneer.....am I the only one who finds them hideously ugly and completely overdone? The interiors are nice, but the exterior....oh my fugly.

That door/window trim gives me nightmares 😂

[mattsrs]

Originally Posted by keg97

Slightly OT, but anytime anyone mentions a Grand Wagoneer.....am I the only one who finds them hideously ugly and completely overdone? The interiors are nice, but the exterior....oh my fugly.

I also cannot fathom spending $100k on a freaking Jeep

[Russ103]

Originally Posted by keg97

Slightly OT, but anytime anyone mentions a Grand Wagoneer.....am I the only one who finds them hideously ugly and completely overdone? The interiors are nice, but the exterior....oh my fugly.

To be fair, I only find the interior to be really nice. The outside design isn’t going to win any beauty contests, that’s for sure.

As I mentioned, if they came with a Hellcat, I would definitely overlook the exterior styling.

[TahoeDust]

Team bench for the extra 2nd row leg room and being able to lay flat.

[keg97]

Originally Posted by Russ103

To be fair, I only find the interior to be really nice. The outside design isn’t going to win any beauty contests, that’s for sure.

As I mentioned, if they came with a Hellcat, I would definitely overlook the exterior styling.

But you have to look at it as you walk up to it! Plus you'd know you paid 100K to get something that ugly

The Hellcat version would be sweet for sure...but what- 130K or so?

To your original point though, I know where you're coming from.

[themama]

I have had bench on my previous vehicles and since we got used to captains chairs, we can't go back.
The argument of loosing a seat because of captains chairs and all is purely situational for the need.
We are family of 4, and my kids have just stopped using car seats. Even when the younger one had to be on rear facing mode, we were able to manage by sending the older one to third row.
In your situation if both kids are rear facing, yes you might have some challenge initially
But remember kids grow out fast and you needing to be in 3rd row will eventually come down.

The comfort that captains chairs gives is not comparable to bench seats regardless of what ever others feel.
From my experience folks that have motion sickness do better in captain chairs than bench and I know it is another can of worms to even mention that. Meaning it may not be true for everyone.

Your thought of "kids having their own seat eventually" is how we processed our decision and during long drives it has been a great choice for us.

For my family of 4, and occasional need to haul more people, captains chair is best option. Max cargo space and loosing on one extra seat is non issue in my case.