Does anyone have a recommendation for good-fitting child safety seats (for 3-6 years olds) for the Clubman? Along that line, does anyone know about BMW-made seats that fit the MINI and whether they are available in the US or Canada?

 

The Britax is the best on the market. We had (2) two for each of our boys and they were excellent. All new cars have the added low latches; you won't go wrong with Britax.

 

we have a clubman with two children (we are in the uk) had a right problem with cars seats,Brittax,Mamas and Papa's,Chicco all did not fit the clubbie,in the end i had to approach BMW direct and complain about it,after a big argument with BMW and a lot of hassle,in the end I had to buy a BMW car seat from them,(my 3 year old was ok as he is in a small child seat) but had to buy a booster seat from my 9 year old.
In the UK it was £40.00,i am sure BMW would mail you one if you ordered it.

 

We have tried two Britaxs. The first http://www.britaxusa.com/products/pr...tail.aspx?ID=1 was too wide to fold down the other seat but buckled in great using the LATCH tethers. The other forward facing only model http://www.britaxusa.com/products/pr...tail.aspx?ID=9, which we use currently, required me to use the long routing of the shoulder strap and not the latch system. This one fits great and allows the seat to be folded down for more stuff. For some reason the angle of the latch anchors on the seat did not work.

 

We've two kids as well in Britax seats. A Britax Parkway for the 5 year old (it's a booster type seat that uses the regular shoulder/lap belt of the car) and a Britax Marathon for the 2 11/12th year old (forward facing plastic behemoth that is rock solid with the latch system). They work great and fit fine, though I can't wait to ditch the Marathon for a booster seat in a year or so.

Since I've two installed at all times I don't fold the seats down so don't know if the latched seat interferes with folding as one poster seemed to suggest above. Also, I've plenty of MINI friends with kids in Britax, Chicco, etc and none have had any problem fitting the various models in the cars. Can't fathom what an earier poster said about not fitting these models in the car.

Kids love the MINI, if you don't know already.

 

I have a Britax Marathon (which is the same size physically as the Boulevard) that fits well via LATCH, and I am able to fold down the other side of the back seat just fine. I have the seat installed on the passenger side, and find it easier to get my 15 month old into her seat than I do in our Lexus SUV!

 

I also have a Britax Boulevard in the Clubman and a Roundabout in my 2005 MCS. Excellent seats. Problem is my son (now a little over 2) is growing very quickly and he is the size/height of nearly a 4 year old child. He is almost ready to make the transition to a booster seat. On that regard, I will be getting the Britax Frontier Booster seat.

The MINI/BMW car seat is not sold in the United States as it has no DOT approval. Some folks have managed to import them from Europe but be aware that in case something goes wrong, your local MINI dealer and MINIUSA will not stand behind it as it is a grey market product, not legal for use here.

 

The Boulevard is the current updated version of the Marathon as it has "True-side impact" protection that the Marathon lacks. The Diplomat is the updated version of the Roundabout.

The Clubman has a huge opening on the passenger side, so getting the child in and out is a breeze.

 

For those of you that have not heard about "Papas and Mamas" brand is the same as the Italian Peg-Perego for the US market.

 

Brittax is the BMW of seats, in that they are good quality, but expensive. My wife was pushing for us to get one, but I couldn't bring myself to spend twice the price for a seat that was rated equal by CR to other models. We decided on an Evenflo, which is a fantastic seat and has served us well for some time now.

I don't pick up my Clubbie until this Friday (hell yeah!), so I can't comment on how well it will fit in there. The point I'd like to make is that you shouldn't fall into the trap of getting a "designer" seat. If you can afford it and really want a Brittax, go ahead. However, the Evenflo we got was rated higher in many areas than the Brittax and half the price. You shouldn't skimp on your kids' safety, but more expensive doesn't always mean safer.

 

"You shouldn't skimp on your kids' safety, but more expensive doesn't always mean safer." What are you saying man!?

Don't let the Baby Industrial Complex get wind of your heresy or you'll be required to buy NASA-designed elbow-knee-helmet protection for whenever the children venture off any surface harder than wall-to-wall carpeting.

For me personally, the cost of a Britax seat wasn't enough and I cashed in my 401K and stuffed the extra dollars under the Britax cover for an added measure of safety.

 

Is that who is parked in the black vans outside my house now that I've posted the truth about car seats?

 

Have four kiddos...only britax and clek in our household...!

britax parkway fit fine in clubman and clek's fit awesomely well!...... didn't try to fit our britax roundabouts, but since they are not as big as the marathon, I expect the roundabouts to fit much better than a marathon...esepcially if the child is still rear facing...

all this also depends on the lenght of room required upfront....I'm 5'6" and my spouse is just under my height and the occasional errands w/ one or so kiddo is no big deal w/ seats...

 

Well, I picked up my Clubbie this Thursday (pics and review to follow soon). I wanted to try out the car seat fit and see how do-able getting my 3-year-old daughter in and out would be, so I took her for a spin on Friday.

The Evenflo fit in very well with the latch system and the club door makes getting her in and out a breeze. Here is a pic to see the fit:



As a side note, my daughter told me, "you have a very cool car dad" when she saw it for the first time. During our ride she kept telling me, "go fast daddy, go fast!" and "let's do another turn!". She never said anything like that in my VW or the minivan...

So the Clubbie is double kid approved in my book!

 

I am surprised nobody here has mentioned Recaro. We have gone through 4 different models of Britax, and they have all been good. The Recaro seats are at a higher level. The best part of the Recaro seats are how they seem to have a smaller footprint in the seat and actually create more room for the kids. Also they have great headrests. This has allowed my kids to sleep in the car without having their heads flop all the way over. I highly suggest researching these seats. There is a $100 option and a $350 option. Britax is my number two... But after getting the Recaro seat that we recently received I was quickly sure that they were of a higher level.

Also, I like that Recaro makes real racing seats... This is completely commercial and silly of me, but I just like the idea of a racing brand in my Clubman. Either way, I'm sure you will be happy.

 

I'm considering trading in my Cooper for a Clubman but I'm concerned with how much room there is between row one and row two seats. We have an infant seat from Chicco and it fits fine in my Cooper, but the front passenger seat must be moved really far forward before someone can sit in it. My petite wife is unfortunately too close to the glove box for comfort.

Is the Clubman roomier between the front and back seats? Or is the extra room only in the cargo area, behind row two?

-Spike
'06 Cooper

 

there is MUCH more room in the Clubman, and it is much easier for kids to get in and out due to the third door. I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old, and they both fit great in back. In fact, you will be surprised at how well adults fit in back. In my mind the cooper R56 is really a 2 seat car that can fit 4 people on very short trips.

 

Oh great! That really sounds encouraging for our likelihood of trading to Clubman. Thanks!

Spike
'06 Cooper

 

I concur. There may only be an inch or two, but makes it big difference for kids and loading and unloading people and items.

 

I feel like I heard 4 inches from somewhere. Either way, it is considerably more room.

 

My Husband is 6'2" and rode in the back seat comfortably of my Clubman when we test drove it and said how shocked he was that there was so much room. (I previously owned a Cooper S for a few years.) Last weekend my brother (also the same height as my hubby), his girlfriend, my husband and I all decided to drive in my Clubman to Downtown Seattle (about 40 min drive) and we all fit extremely well!

 

I have been using the SageGuard Go seat in my Clubman and I am really happy with it. I have a three year old and tried a dozen or so other seats before I got this. http://www.safeguardseat.com/go/index.htm

It sells for about $149 at albeebaby.com.

 

That looks very cool, and not too expensive considering what you are getting. Does it really fold up as small and easily as it looks on their website?

If so, I might have to actually get one for my daughter. She already loves riding in the Clubbie - having her own "race car seat" will seal the deal! Then I can leave the Cheerio-ridden evenflo in the wife's van.

 

Yes, it has no back so it is thin and easy to fold up... it even comes with a carrier. What I really like is that he is all the way back against the seat and has plenty of leg room. He is now old enough to use just the booster seat in Pennsylvania, but I like that he has a 5 point harness and can stay in the harness till he is 60 lbs and 52 inches high.

 

The Clubman gives you about 3 more inches rear legroom, 1 or so more inches rear shoulder room (Because the wheel wheels are pushed farther back) and the trunk is almost double the size of that in the hardtop.