ngcarshopper

Hi all,

I am looking to hear from Q7 owners who have two kids in carseats. I have a 2 year old in a FF Britax Marathon and a 1 month old RF in a Graco Snugride. My parents will be visiting us and I am thinking of buying a Q7, trading in my 5 seater BMW x5.

I have two questions:

1. Can a Front facing carseat like the Britax Marathon easily fit in the third row and still leave enough legroom for my daughter?

2. If I decide to put both carseats in the 2nd row side by side, would a grandparent still be able to access the third row by using the movable remaining 2nd row seat? Have any of you done this?

cmarshack

There are a few ways to do it ( I have the exact same two seats).

1. Put the Snugride base in the single seat behind the right front passenger seat (second row). That seat will still tilt and slide forward with the snugride base in place (before you click the baby seat into it). This allows access to third row. The put the Marathon behind the driver's seat.

2. Put them in the same position as above and fold down the center of the second row, this creates easy access for kids to climb into the third row right up the middle.

3. Put the Marathon in the Third row (assuming front facing?) passenger side. Put the Snugride in front of that, second row, and slide that part of the seat all the way forward for leg room. Then the whole left side of the second row will be open for grandparents and the third row can still be accessed by either of the two methods above (through middle of second row or tilt and slide the whole left side of the second row and access that way).

Bottom line, totally doable and MUCH roomier than the X5.

Good luck!

Edd W

I don't think you can safely fit a child seat in the middle of the second row. There are no isofix points there, they are just on the two outer seats so it would have to be a belt-only fitting and the slight raise in the seat base for the arm rest will prevent the child seat fitting securely.

On the Bitax UK site there is a fitting guide for their seat but it may not cover US models of seat which could differ in design, but it may be worth a look. I would say it would be OK to fit the Britax seat in the third row providing it is OK secured by belt alone as there are no Isofix fittings on the 3rd row seats either.

Fit Finder? - Britax

Have you looked at the space available in the 3rd row yet?

We find them OK for occasional use but they do seem a little claustrophobic for some people with the restricted access. I wouldn't feel happy with a two year old back there - they may feel a little frightened and you may well put them off travelling if you are not careful - it depends on the child really. Really, I consider the 3rd row as very definitely occasional use only - they are just too inaccessible for day to day use.

As for a grad parent getting in the rear - it depends on how agile they are and their size - Audi recommend a max height of about 1.4m and it would be difficult for any, shall we say, 'larger' person to get in and out. My family are all slim and it still seems quite tricky getting in and out and I certainly would not like to deal with the situation in an emergency!

Be very careful about your decision, if you really need more then 5 seats on a regular basis, I would recommend a Q7 at all, in spite of how good a car they are in many other respects.

iconoclast

I recently sold my X5M because the rear legroom was pretty bad for a vehicle of it's size. If you search the E70 forums under my username you will see several posts about this topic because I needed additional space and did not want to part with the vehicle.

You can easily fit two child seats in the second row however access to the third row is then not possible. The larger child seat should go in the third row and will leave room for one individual (small?) and then have the newborn seat in the second row and will allow room for two additional adults.

If you place a forward facing seat on the passenger side of the rear seat you will not be able to access the third row easily. Passengers would have to enter from the driver's side. If you place the front facing in second row in the center both seats are still access points to the third row and allow for two passengers to sit comfortably with being crammed.

The only other vehicles that offers a 3rd row that is functional is the LR4 & QX56. The LR4's modular design allows for various configurations of child seats and musical chairs with the passengers.

Photos for comparison and for anyone browsing the archives (X5 & X5M Fitment w/ Recaro ProSport):





X5 48i M-Sport:



Q7:



LR4:

markray

same situation i was in a few years ago, Q7 has ample space for two car seats anywhere you decide to put them

ND40oz

A lot of it has to do with the carseats as well. Once I had a second, I switched from the Recaro ProRide to the Diono Rainier. Still has the side impact support, but I can fit it behind the passenger seat or drivers seat with a Chicco Keyfit 30 in the middle seat leaving the third seat in the row open to fold down or use for another passenger. And that's in my Tiguan, you'd have no issues in a Q7.