If only an FF would work, I think the baby will fit in the middle! I could sell my E91s and put my kid hauler budget towards it and be in the ballpark.
I've put about 100 miles on my mom's X3 in the past week or so and there's nothing I like about driving it. The only features I like are the power lift gate, digital cluster, and interior color (saddle). It feels big, heavy, and numb. From a cargo standpoint it doesn't haul much more than an E91 can when both vehicles have their rear seats down. I'm spoiled by working at a BMW dealership during the height of the golden age of the early 2000's.
At this point the E-Class Wagon seems to check the most boxes for us. I'm not pulling the trigger on any big ticket items until the virus situation subsides so next Spring/Summer is the target most likely, if not longer. At that point my kids will 6, almost 4, and 1 so two of the slim seats plus a detachable rear facing baby seat all are narrow and will fit. The cargo space is significantly larger than an E91 so we'll be good there. A Macan seems like a better choice in terms of driving dynamics but on paper it looks too tight.
What the vehicle will be used for seems to be a big question by many folks that have posted in this thread. It'll mostly be used for around town and road trips to Southern California to visit my parents and friends. We day trip to visit Lake Mead, Mount Charleston, and Southern Utah quite a bit and we're light packers. For what it's worth, I traveled to Japan and Guam with just a backpack a couple years ago. The E91 has been more than adequate for various stages of baby and toddler for our 2 oldest kids for all these activities. We've been using grocery and big box store delivery services and won't be returning to regularly visit stores except Costco which is under 10 minutes away. Those trips I usually go alone anyways or we can *gasp* take two cars. We live in Seven Hills which has tons of walking trails and parks within a very reasonable walking distance. We're fortunate enough to not have to travel to get the kids outdoors regularly!
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Originally Posted by jstein55
You're gonna get a Macan then, the W/S212 E-Class while it isn't a dog, will not be engaging. The E350's are tried and true Mercedes, meaning comfortable and quiet cruisers, but not engaging or relatively "fun," and coming from an E-chassis BMW won't help your case. While it does benefit from sedan handling and a lower center of gravity than an SUV, Mercedes didn't really design that car to be fun unless you go full on AMG. Macan is like a hot hatch on stilts and feels very much engaging, however I do think you should bring three carseats to the dealer before purchasing and try it out. I still think maybe a CPO Cayenne would be much better in your situation.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wdb
2009-2016 Mercedes E350 wagon (S212). Preferably 2013 or newer to get the updated engine.
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I think the play is an S212. I like the (unpopular looks) of the 2014-2016, hopefully I can still pick one up as a CPO next year.
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Originally Posted by 86Zed
Although you can go 3-wide with the narrower seats do you really think the trunk space (and roof box) are enough for a picnic or road trip? I suppose there are ways around that
To those disparaging the lower profile seats, know that they meet safety standards and are often laden with a cost, weight and portability trade-off. Cars are now massive, bottom line is we all lose in a crash situation with an F150. My kiddo is in a modern car seat in either a 3-series wagon or GTI and accident avoidance is always the primary safety precaution.
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THIS x 100!
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Originally Posted by syd34
If the SUVs are a hard pass, then perhaps a few years old Audi A7 Sportback will be a good option. The A7 has about 25 cu ft. of trunk space which is comparable to an X3. It is also wide enough I believe to hold 3 car seats.
I don't even understand how a Macan would work with 3 kids. The trunk is about the same size as a 4er GC in terms of cargo volume.
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Agreed, I don't think a Macan is realistic, but I'll Turo/test drive one to find out. My mom had a 435 CG before her X3 and there's no way that would work.
A7 is an option I haven't considered, appreciate that idea! I've always viewed VAG products as a distant second to BMW/Merc/Porsche but that's based on my experience working at those stores 15-20 years ago. We got the Jetta a few years back simply because my wife didn't want all the iDrive/tech nonsense.