My wife is expecting our 1st baby. Her BMW 335 lease will be up just before delivery. What has been your favorite one baby family vehicle? I have entertained mini-vans, suv's and 4 door sedans.

Please share your experiences especially from your wife's point of view.

 

Doc it really depends on the price range you want be within and what type of drive our wife likes...either way I would think you'd want a larger vehicle for extra safety/protection reasons

Sedan - S550 Benz or Beemer 750, a sedan like that would be a super safe sedan option

SUV - range rover, Mercedes GL, G wagon

Coupe - CL550 or any other large size coupe


(single and not married but thought id offer some input)

 

IMO, the only vehicular requirements for a newborn are a backseat that supports a rear facing car seat, easy ingress (4 doors) and the ability for someone in the front seat to easily reach back and take care of something. pretty much every 4-door vehicle fits those requirements.

so get what you want and sell it to her as the perfect family car

 

We have the new Mercedes ML and I highly recommend it. Since you have a newborn, you might consider a vehicle with the ability to put the rear facing seat in the middle of the backseat for additional safety.

 

Rear facing baby seats take up more room than a 6'4" 250 pound adult.
Seriously, they take up a lot of room back there.

My recommendation would be to find your rear facing child system (Britax, etc) and take it shopping with you. You'll be shocked. Find the car that gives you the most room. BMW 3 series are tight.

Putting it in the center saves a little bit of room (and can be safer in an accident), but not all vehicles have latch in the center AND it makes it way more difficult to get the car seat in securely...especially if you have any lower back issues.

 

We have a 3 year old son and a 1 year old daughter. I have a Jeep Unlimited Wrangler as my daily driver. The wife had a Toyota Highlander. When we take both kids somewhere we usually took her Highlander.

It was okay for awhile, but we decided to go the route of a minivan. We ended up with a new Town and Country. We like it alot for it's purpose. It is very kid friendly, way more than our old suv and my Jeep.

Dvd players for long trips, plenty of space to get back there when they need something and it holds all their gear very easily.

We usually keep the kids bags between them on the floor. Easy to reach back and take something out for them and hand it to them.

I really didn't want a minivan. I was just not looking forward to having it in my life, but I have to admit, my wife was correct. In my opinion they are great kid cars.

Now, if I didn't have the Jeep or the GTS I wouldn't be so forgiving.

 

Car seats fit just fine in 997's. The only thing that fits back there are adults without legs and 0-12 year olds.

 

LOL.... aint that the truth....my 10 year loves sitting in the back but my 13 year old is not longer willing.

As far as what has worked for us....we had a 1999 MB wagon (210 body)that was really an amazing car....a workhorse that could sit 7 people...the jumper seats in the back are favorite with the kids for school carpooling. The car hauled a lot of stuff. When I went to replace it a few years ago with new 211 version, my wife refused because it was no longer as utiltarian, so I found a 2001 4matic wagon with 17k miles and paid a big time premium on the low miles but made my wife happy. I have to say, we regularly talk about the fact that it was the best family car we have ever owned. Its bullet proof and hauls almost anything we need....we have hitch on it as well and use it for skiing. Its just all round a good car and will likely keep it a long time....my wife doesn't want anything else. That good for me....I get to keep buying my toys :-)

Also, commenting on an earlier note on Minivans...I will say I am not a fan but I just rented a Toyota Sienna for a trip two day trip from Austin to Houston so that my Parents would be comfortable with my kids this spring break. It was an amazingly comfortable vehicle with tons of space. I was pleasantly surprised and the family just loved it. Its not a bad option for starting families. However, everytime I saw a 911 on the road, it broke my heart. Can't wait to get back home and go fo a drive.

 

E63, TT V8 AMG Wagon.

 

Mini-Van, let me make it 1 word...Minivan!
My kids are teenagers, have had a Minivan since the first was 6 months old.
On my 2nd Grand Caravan.
My wife Loves it!
Great road trip car, Plenty of storage.
I Love it, seats stow away, looks like the bed of a pickup back there.
Never thought I would become a Minivan person.

Mini Van, Forget SUV, trust me, my brothers have had, fourrunner, explorer, highlander, tahoe and the Biggest Pig of all, the Suburban.

Minivan, plenty of Manufacturers.

 

We've got a 2011 X5 diesel. The infant seat takes up a huge amount of room, but is double and we average 25 MPG.

 

My suggestion is to go with a Porsche Cayenne (this is a P-car dominated forum afterall ) or any mid to large sized SUV.

My son is 6 months old and I can't imagine what it would be like to haul him around in anything smaller. Sedans and coupes require you to bend down or position the car seat at awkward angles in order to get in and out (which can sometimes wake a sleeping baby). With an SUV it is MUCH easier due to high ride-height and larger doors.

When your newborn is screaming, your wife is stressed out, and you're sleep deprived, those extra few seconds of convenience will be worth it.

 

Check out the Mercedes 2013 GLK350 when it comes out later this year. I prefer the smaller SUVs, but this one has a sporty 300 hp engine. Relatively good price tag, if it winds up costing like the outgoing model, ~$45k fully loaded.

 

All good suggestions, I am frankly torn between a sedan and an SUV, my wife says a minivan is overkill for a single child...

 

Don't get a sedan! Initially, you may be able to bend down to put the baby and car seat in the car, or take them out, but as your baby grows, you'll break your back. Stick with an SUV so you don't have to bend. Pick a large or small SUV, depending on your wife's preference, but you'll appreciate the height.