Child Seats in M3 Sedan

[Rxpert]

Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35

I'm not a car seat expert, so I can't say if it's the "best" or not, but I can confirm it will fit both a 5 month old and into the M3 just fine. One disclaimer is that your front seat passenger won't have a lot of leg room as most rear facing car seats take up a ton of space.

I'm not sure what you mean by "stroller combo". Most strollers also have car seat adapters. I have 2 different strollers for 2 very different scenarios. Would highly recommend dual strollers if you can swing it.

1) Uppa Baby Vista for long walks or when needing to haul a lot in the stroller. It's huge, a hassle to load, and will take up the ENTIRE trunk, but amazing once you get it where you need it to be. It also accepts almost all car seats as long as you buy the proper adapter.

2) Maclaren travel stroller for quick trips out and about. Easily folds and stows in the trunk but on a bit of an angle. Absolutely love it, but it's small, compact & doesn't support a car seat so your little one needs decent head stability to use. Took my 5 month old around Europe with the Maclaren just fine, would have been impossible to do with the Uppa Baby Vista because it's too huge.

[sandwi54]

Originally Posted by speedmaster20d

Sorry if this has been covered before, looking for the best infant seat and ideally stroller combo that would easily fit in the rear seat of my M3. My baby is 5 months old

thanks

Virtually all infant seats will fit into a medium-sized sedan like the M3. It's when you switch to a convertible car seat that things get more difficult due to the front-to-back space required to achieve the correct recline angle.

For strollers, I would stay away from the "full-sized" ones such as Chicco Bravo. Instead, go with the "mini" version of the full-sized one, such as Mini Bravo. That's what I have and it fits nicely into the trunk.

[boi222]

I used the cyber cloud q for the infant months and the clek foonf as the convertible ... both fit the f82/f80 fine

[Emergency]

our stokke xplory two piece pram (stroller) fits in my M3s boot/trunk with no issues.

we have a recaro zero 1 car seat now the little one is over 12 months and that fits really well and gets good safety reviews unlike some of the other recaro models

[Rxpert]

Originally Posted by Emergency

our stokke xplory two piece pram (stroller) fits in my M3s boot/trunk with no issues.

we have a recaro zero 1 car seat now the little one is over 12 months and that fits really well and gets good safety reviews unlike some of the other recaro models

I could be wrong, but thought I read in another thread that all Recaro car seats have been pulled out of the US market due to numerous recalls?

Can someone else confirm?

[allinon72]

Am I correct in saying that you pretty much need a wedge to get the proper angle for a rear facing seat?

[instarand]

Originally Posted by allinon72

Am I correct in saying that you pretty much need a wedge to get the proper angle for a rear facing seat?

The base of my car seat has a built in adjuster thingy on the bottom. No need for anything additional other than the base and the seat. Fits perfectly.

[Emergency]

Originally Posted by Rxpert

I could be wrong, but thought I read in another thread that all Recaro car seats have been pulled out of the US market due to numerous recalls?

Can someone else confirm?

they have closed their infant seat and stroller business globally not just US.

there seems to be a lot of speculation in the thread.

we have independent testers in the UK as i am sure you do in the US and some of the Recaro seats didn't fair well in the safety tests, i think these were subject to recall in the US.

some of their seats like the Zero 1 get excellent safety reviews which is why we bought it. i couldn't care less if its recaro or any other brand i was looking for safety and function. in the X4 we have a Besafe car seat but in the F980 i wanted it to swivel as its harder to load her in and the recaro did well in testing.

[Emergency]

Originally Posted by allinon72

Am I correct in saying that you pretty much need a wedge to get the proper angle for a rear facing seat?

we havent needed a wedge in either BMW with any of the seats

the most frustrating part in the F80 is getting the mirror to attach and not damage the leather and give a decent view of the baby

[dw1986]

I have been lurking here for a while, and have a weird question,

I have a 2017 GTI and C5 Z06 (weekend/track day car) and have one kid and another not all that far off. I also realize that I can't drive the GTI if I have 2 rear facing car seats in it. I am curious as to how well a rear-facing car seat fits behind the driver in an F80? I'm 5'9" for what it's worth.

It wouldn't be the primary kid-hauler (I also have a '14 R/T Durango for that), but if my wife drops the kids off at day care and I need to pick them up I am not sure how that happens. I am considering selling both the GTI and Corvette and getting a 4 door M3. Any insight would be appreciated.

[Tommy L Garage]

Originally Posted by dw1986

I have been lurking here for a while, and have a weird question,

I have a 2017 GTI and C5 Z06 (weekend/track day car) and have one kid and another not all that far off. I also realize that I can't drive the GTI if I have 2 rear facing car seats in it. I am curious as to how well a rear-facing car seat fits behind the driver in an F80? I'm 5'9" for what it's worth.

It wouldn't be the primary kid-hauler (I also have a '14 R/T Durango for that), but if my wife drops the kids off at day care and I need to pick them up I am not sure how that happens. I am considering selling both the GTI and Corvette and getting a 4 door M3. Any insight would be appreciated.

Confirmed - two rear facing seats will be fine if you and your spouse are 5'9".

I'm 5'9" and I ran a rear facing seat two years ago in my M. I once did a child seat review on my channel and I placed two baby seats in the rear We've got another baby on the way and I've already test fitted one rear facing and one front facing seats - all good!

This was the reason I went with an M3 over a Porsche. I wanted a manual transmission performance car.
I still won in the end - the M is still faster than the Porsche I wanted s

[halfempty]

Originally Posted by dw1986

I have been lurking here for a while, and have a weird question,

I have a 2017 GTI and C5 Z06 (weekend/track day car) and have one kid and another not all that far off. I also realize that I can't drive the GTI if I have 2 rear facing car seats in it. I am curious as to how well a rear-facing car seat fits behind the driver in an F80? I'm 5'9" for what it's worth.

It wouldn't be the primary kid-hauler (I also have a '14 R/T Durango for that), but if my wife drops the kids off at day care and I need to pick them up I am not sure how that happens. I am considering selling both the GTI and Corvette and getting a 4 door M3. Any insight would be appreciated.

You will have more room than you know what to do with. I'm just under 6ft. I have 2 kids ages 5 and 7 that fit just fine in the back. The rear-facing seats were never a problem. (Evenflo brand I think.) We take my M3 on driving vacations depending on where we're going. No one complains. Trunk fits every suitcase and previously a stroller as well. It's a perfect vehicle for daycare duty.

[Shawn_M3 2023]

What type of seat covers have you guys used successfully to avoid having indentations and messing up the leather seats?

[halfempty]

Brica Seat Guardian
It's on Amazon. (I have no idea how to copy/paste from the Amazon app.)

The headrest strap doesn't fit because our headrests are all one piece. That said, it's quite unnecessary as the cover stays in place underneath the car seat. The base has a rolled up edge to catch crumbs, fries, etc. (I try to keep snacking in the car to a minimum but it's tough on longer trips.) That same edge continues around the rear of the base and can get in the way of the latch opening depending on the type of hook your car seat uses. I have two types or car seat. On one of them I just have to curl that edge up in the back and fit the hooks underneath. It's not a PITA at all and only serves to catch more crap that my kids drop. After three years on my last lease there was a slight imprint but it was nothing compared to my old 328 that retained a large groove from not using any seat cover. Keep in mind, anything left in the seat for years will leave some kind of mark. This one seems to work pretty well for me.

[nbennettksu]

Uppababy fits, little dude doesnt stand a chance driving with me. He's out in under 5 mins.

[eonflux]

Gave up a 911 (991) for our kid!
Initially went too far the other way with a X6M (F86).

Switched to M3 ZCP which I think is still the best option for something fun with a manual that allows for a parent to sit comfortably in the back with a baby.

Uppababy Mesa and Cruz system worked well.
Trunk just long enough for the stroller while leaving room to the side for other things.

When our kid outgrew the Mesa, a Britax Advocate ARB fits fine rear-facing.
Will probably also work well when he's front-facing.

Many seat cover options, most probably pretty similar. Can't recall what we purchased for our vehicles, but read online reviews, and would recommend getting one with backing that matches color of your interior, in case there is any color transfer.

[CachacoF80]

Originally Posted by Shawn_M3 2018

What type of seat covers have you guys used successfully to avoid having indentations and messing up the leather seats?

Kick Mat Car Seat Back Protectors with Odor Free, Premium Waterproof Fabric, Reinforced Corners to Prevent Sag, and 4 Mesh Pockets for Large Storage https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBC8GZB..._SWl9Bb2Z4TG1N

These ones are wider than Brica (more protection) and headrest strap works. I returned the Brica ones.

[Shawn_M3 2023]

Originally Posted by CachacoF80

Kick Mat Car Seat Back Protectors with Odor Free, Premium Waterproof Fabric, Reinforced Corners to Prevent Sag, and 4 Mesh Pockets for Large Storage https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBC8GZB..._SWl9Bb2Z4TG1N

These ones are wider than Brica (more protection) and headrest strap works. I returned the Brica ones.

So do these go under the car seat base or do they just go in the back of the front seat?

I was looking to protect the leather seat under the car seat base.

Hope that makes sense.

[danniexi]

Originally Posted by Shawn_M3 2018

So do these go under the car seat base or do they just go in the back of the front seat?

I was looking to protect the leather seat under the car seat base.

Hope that makes sense.

prince lionhearted seat protectors.

two pieces so they cover both the bottom and back of the seat. I've taken out my car seat one time (kid threw up in it) and it protected the leather with no issues. the indents were still there but went back to its original shape within an hour or less.

fyi, indents are a good thing. it means that the child seat is installed/anchored properly. with the car seat protector, the indents will pop back out and look as if nothing was there so you wont have to worry about damages.

[CachacoF80]

Originally Posted by Shawn_M3 2018

So do these go under the car seat base or do they just go in the back of the front seat?

I was looking to protect the leather seat under the car seat base.

Hope that makes sense.

Oh sorry. I bought this:

Diono Car Seat Super Mat,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFQ5BMU?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Does the job. May want to put a cloth or something underneath as over time I wonder if the bottom part sticks to leather with heat, etc.

[lonestar22]

i just got the keyfit30. fits perfect i love it

[MomoM3]

My wife mostly carts the kids around in the 'ol X5 but we've been taking road trips in the M3 since I got it a few months back. Picked up a spare set of seats and went with the Diono radian 3r + mats since they fold away nicely and are uninstalled/put away when not in-use. At ~25 lbs each, they're pretty sturdy too. Wish it came with a v-tether like my Britax instead of the single strap and also would be great if the top of the carseat didn't press against the headrest as much as it does.