Most surpising thing about my 128i - Rear leg room

[ethermal]

Been hearing a lot of reviewers criticizing the 1 series for lack of rear leg room and I just wanted to pipe in and say they are completly wrong. First and foremost the 1 series (well my 128i with manual sport seats) has a rather long travel for both the driver's and passenger seat. this long travel means that when the seat is as far back as it will go it definitely encoaches upon leg room in the back seat. However at its furthest position rearward there is so much leg room in the front that i cannot touch the front of the foot well by a good four to six inches. I'm 6 foot 1 inches tall. I car pool with two people, one 5 foot 11 inches tall and the other 6 foot. They both fit comfortably in either configuration; tall in front, short in back or short in front, tall in back. One other thing that the seats in my car has and I assume this is true with all 1 series seats is that the back of the front seats have concave areas where legs would go making for even more leg room.

Don't get me wrong. Does it have enough leg room to carry 4 seven footers in comfort? no, but it is not the tiny little thing that every reviewer is making it out to be.

Not wanting to rant just wanted to set the record straight a bit.

[subscience]

A 5'10" guy friend of mine rode in the backseat for a ~220 mile drive and he said it was comfortable and he didn't feel too cramped. He sat behind a short girl, though. I doubt he'd have as much room if he sat behind me.

[Perfect128]

I was also surprised at how I can fit comfortably in the rear seats for cross-town trips. I would not want to do a 220 miler though.

[Artmasterx]

I found the knee room to be fine when we test drove, but the worst thing for long trips would be the lack of toe room. Maybe I just have fidgety feet, but it felt a little tight down there.

[1Ronnie]

I'm 6'3", and my 11 year old son can not comfortably sit behind me. However, with my wife in the passenger side, he is absolutely FINE back there.

[jkp1187]

I'm 5'6", and had absolutely no problem sitting in the back seat for a few minutes. The salesman, about 6'1", sat right in front of me and while it became tighter, I didn't see any real problems. My only complaint is the lack of a true center armrest in the back.

I think the complaints about the back seat are mainly focused on the convertible.

[adrean8j]

This is exactly the reason I decided to go ahead and get the 135 over the 335...I am only 5' 8" and drive relatively close to the steering wheel. With my 5' 7" in mother in the back behind my 5' girlfriend and my 9year old behind me, everyone fit comfortably with no issues for 50mile each way....on a longer trip I dont think it would be an issue either with calculated rest stops.

[yourfriend]

Originally Posted by adrean8j

This is exactly the reason I decided to go ahead and get the 135 over the 335...I am only 5' 8" and drive relatively close to the steering wheel. With my 5' 7" in mother in the back behind my 5' girlfriend and my 9year old behind me, everyone fit comfortably with no issues for 50mile each way....on a longer trip I dont think it would be an issue either with calculated rest stops.

AND the 1 has more rear headroom than the 3 series coupe.

[bclinsure]

I am 5'11" and my two kids sit comfortably behind me, one of which is 5'8".

In addition, I came from a 2005 Saab convertible and although the Saab is a bigger car, my 128i vert has more leg room for the kids in the back (while I am in my usual driving position) and more trunk space with the top down. With the Saab, I used to have to move the driver's seat up a ways for my little one to sit but don't have to with the 128i.

I love my 128i vert for so many other reasons but the space is a real plus.

[WaFu]

Those reviewers are overweight!

[larryn]

I don't think it's that bad back there either, but it's sorely lacking grab handles of any sort. Every time I'm about to get on or off the highway, I hear complaints from the peanut gallery in back.

[TagMan]

Nets, or storage pockets in the back of the front seats, as well as a genuine rear armrest would help. The armrest should have built-in cupholders, and should fold-down when needed... Not like that Mickey Mouse foam pad used in the Cold weather package. Also get rid of that low-budget plastic tray in the center rear seat bottom

But, yes... the rear seat legroom was a pleasant surprise, and my two kids manage fine back there! I agree with you that too many reviews gave the wrong impression about the rear seat room.

[ethermal]

Originally Posted by TagMan

as well as a genuine rear armrest would help.

I agree with the rear armrest all of my passengers have commented on that so far.

[1Ronnie]

Just finished day 3 in my 128i, and the thing that has surprised me the most, is with the huge windows on the Coupe, and the sunroof which is significantly larger than my E90, it feels like a Vert with everything open. It's FANTASTIC !! My wife said exactly the same thing. :w00t:

[d3syd]

Originally Posted by larryn

I don't think it's that bad back there either, but it's sorely lacking grab handles of any sort. Every time I'm about to get on or off the highway, I hear complaints from the peanut gallery in back.

Is this a tongue in cheek post which reflects your "enthusiastic" driving style?:biggrin:

[Ayyub]

It's a great way to form relationships, if you know what I mean.