I am thinking of acquiring an MCS. A couple of questions have arisen. I plan on taking a test drive this weekend but wanted some other opinions.

How many out there are a family of 4. Wife, 4 yr old and 21 month old. How is the MCS as far as getting car seats in and out. Room for bags, shopping, groceries, etc. I currently own a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee (dont laugh, I was nieve when I bought it.) I also own a 93 Honda Accord SE. Thinking of selling the Jeep and getting the MCS.

Any suggestions??

Len Q

 

Hi Raven :smile:

I think that you and three other people (particularly you, another normal-sized human being, and 2 short people) would fit comfily in the MCS...

that said, there's plenty of room for a couple of grocery bags in the boot--and that's about it. The "real" cargo space comes in when you're able to put the back seats down which would mean, of course, that you'd need a baby sitter or single child accompaniment for shopping of any consequence. I haven't the foggiest about car seats. But if you're thinking of keeping the accord as the real family-toter, then the MCS would make a great playtime car for all of you--real quality time, tearing up the twisties. Of course I also think that, once you test drive it, you'll FIND a way....

Happy motoring!
~Kelley

 

...tearing up the twisties... huh? we'll it would be difficult to leave my baby at home to drive a 'cage'. I have a '01 Triumph Tiger 955i. had to buy the wifey a house to get it...but a small sacrifice.
I will check out the MCS this weekend.
Thanks for the info.


Len Q

 

well, I'm 5'8" and I could fit in the back seat relatively comfortably; realistically, you may have enough room for the family, but not as "the mother's" daily driver. Keep the Accord for the kids, and the MCS for the commute to work.

 

Len, welcome to MCS! :smile:

Note the link that says "Search" near the top of each thread. You can use this to search past threads to see if anyone else has discussed your topic...this is a great way to tap into the MCO resource and to get info from those users who probably are not online at the moment.

We've had lots of posts on this topic. The most recent (last week, a two-page thread) can be found HERE (How Many of You MINI Drivers...)

All things being equal, my vote would be to keep the jeep and trade the honda. The MINI isn't exactly a family hauler. It's tight for more than the two folks up front. Backseat riders (and their cargo) are fine periodically, but you'll find the MINI much harder on a daily basis to get in and out of the back seat, carry groceries, etc. Again, fine when necessary, but not my first choice for those sorts of duties.

I know that my opinion isn't universally held, but I DO have two small children (both still in boosters) and while they absolutely love the MINI, I think that it's just too small to be their regular transpo. But that's ok...more MINI time for me!

 

I haul my two girls (ages 6 & 9) to school each morning and periodically we all pile in. They love the car but complain about foot/leg room. They both sit in the back and alternate who gets to sit behind the passenger seat so as to have enough leg/foot room. They love the car but I don't think the back seat is suitable for much more than short commutes. I'm 6' tall and there is not enough room for an adult behind my seat. Happy Motoring!

 

Good point about the driver's height. If you're much over 5'9", there's going to be very little, if any, legroom behind the driver's seat. I'm 5'9", and I am capable of sitting behind the driver's seat when it is in my driving position, but if you tend to drive with the seat relatively far back, or if you're over 6', don't count on anyone being able to wedge feet/legs in behind your seat. It actually will slide all the way back against the rear bench if you want it to! It's fine if you're putting a car seat back there, but how long will that 21-month old be in the car seat, and how long do you want to keep the car?

 

Welcome raven955i...Baltimore football fan?
I would have to agree with the previous posters on lack of adequate space. I bought my car as a "drivers" car with one passenger...plenty of room with the seats down to carry groceries, luggage, etc. Go test drive it and come to your own conclusions...it's a great car!

 

If you keep the Accord as a family hauler you shouldn´t have any problem at all.

Both of my nieces ride comfortably in the back (13 year old and 8 year old). I actually rode on my back seat while letting my brother and his girlfriend test drive the car, and for commutes around town is fine.

When you go and test drive the car, take your baby sit with you and test it on the Mini, see how comfortable or difficult it is for you to get your baby in and out. (I think Minis come standard with Isofix latches but haven´t looked around).

In the boot (I actually think of it as a very large glove box) you can fit a baby bag, but that´s it. So it probably won´t work if you have to carry your portable crib and the baby cart.

 

I have 2 daughters, ages 5 and 9. The 9 year old thinks the back seat is fine. she sits behind me (i'm 6 FT).
The 5 year old sometimes complains she doesn't have enough room. (sometimes)
Because the seat is so deep her legs can't dangle down. they stick straight out.
This causes the front passenger to have to ride a little further forward than they would probably like,
but not uncomfortably so.
We recently took a short trip where everyone was in the car for a little over 2 hours at a time and
there weren't any more than the usual complaints from the backseat.
"Are we there yet?!", "She's has her hands on my side of the car!"
You know, The usual.

All in all, the kids love the Mini and I really love it.
But we do have a second car that is large enough for the whole crew if we are feeling especially large.

Lobo

 

We have a Mazda MPV - the new ones, seats seven, tons of room but . . . I have been successful in talking my wife into letting us take the MC on errands with two children in the back (10 & 6) with no problem except they're closer to each other and argue a lot.

Seriously though, the boot holds more than you think. As my daily driver, I routinely have two document boxes plus a large "pilot's" case in there without folding down the seats or removing the rear shelf.