[DaenaD]

So we are looking at a larger 3rd row SUV for our family (right now we have a small cross-over and a sedan). We have twin toddlers (turning 3 in a matter of weeks) who are still rear-facing and then 2 dogs (one is a very large greyhound).

My husband is going to take my crossover so that if he ever needs to drive with 1-2 of the kids he can and then my plan is to get the X7 for myself. The X7 will be mostly for day-to-day things for the kids and I like close grocery runs and nearby activities. We do plan to use it for maybe 1-2 roadtrips a year with the third row down for suitcases. I'd imagine in general I will keep the third row down most of the time for groceries/strollers/gear/etc.

Usually it will just be the four of us but I love the idea of having 2+ extra seats for either of our parents to be able to join us on shorter car rides. Originally, captain's seats were very important to me. I liked the idea of being able to crawl into the third row and sit with my rear-facing kids and entertain them on longer drives and I thought it would be most comfortable for me with this layout (and that captain's would be more comfortable for my kids when they are older....although that is a long way away). We were going to purchase the GLS 450 and I test drove the X7 "just to be sure" and now we are both obsessed and are now set on it but this poses a lot of issues captain's seat wise with not being able to fold flat. Yes, I'm sure we won't need to do that often because the second row would have the car seats but we wouldn't ever have the option to if someone ran to the store and needed the whole back flat.

My husband is convinced we should order the 2025 with the bench between 1) folding flat for maximum storage and 2) the tether anchor's on the floor 3) having an extra seat in general for potential future carpooling.

I'm struggling with the idea of whether or not I will regret the space/feeling of openness long-term that the captain's chairs provides.

So, if you were in my shoes (or have been), what would you do if this was going to be your family car for the next 10+ years? Also, if anyone was torn between this car and the GLS, are you happy with your choice of the X7? To me the GLS has maybe better overall interior space and a better captain's chair set up but then in all other categories the X7 wins.

Thank you for bearing with me and for any and all advice!

[mattsrs]

I went through this when I placed my orders and ended up getting the bench seat. Many threads on this already on this forum.

[skrontz]

Went through a similar thought process for the wife’s car, and we both came to the same conclusion:

1. The amount of time when we need the 3rd row up is negligible. Mostly when the family visits a few times a year.

2. Reducing a 7-seater down to 6-seater makes little sense, as long as you are investing into a bigger SUV anyway. You can always lower the armrest in between the two second row seats to create separation.

3. Our typical grocery/shopping runs take way more space than what is available with the 3rd row up.

4. Whenever we do need to carry something really big, folding both of the rear rows flat is a huge bonus.

5. An adult cannot really squeeze in between the second row captain chairs without hurting themselves or dislodging the armrests.

6. The “manual” lever to move the captain chairs forward looks cheap and out of place.

The bench won hands down.

[omnid00d]

X7 is smaller than the GLS and the X7's captains chair (CC) implementation is just wonky at best and poorly done at worst. I have CC and sure it's comfy but my goodness I regret not getting a bench. There is no crawling in-between those 2 seats like in a minivan or the GLS and in their infinite wisdom decided to put the rear latch anchors on the FLOOR of the car. Maybe it's for safety reasons but you basically can't move the chair back/forth once you have the rear latch anchor in place. On top of that, it's electronic and takes FOREVER to move to get into the 3rd row.

IMO - Family car means the do-everything car and bench makes the X7 that do-everything car. There are slight compromises but it's just a better overall package compared to the CC setup. CC setup looks great and my wife loves it because it affords more space to put stuff when we're out with our 22m old. But a bench setup would accomplish the same task but just with slightly less comfort and you don't lose the ability the haul stuff. Just the other day, I need to haul a crib and I had to use my other car (XC90) to do it because the CCs don't fold. Even when I only use something 1x/2x a year, during that time, it's super clutch to me and makes me happy I have it. I don't think you'll lose the spacious feeling with a bench but perhaps go on another test drive to see which vector you want to optimize on.

[E46G07fanatic]

Father with 2 toddlers here. The captain chairs make a lot of sense for up to 3 kids in car-seats for easy access to the 3rd row with myself or wife sitting in the back. Also nice for when the kids are older for separation. If you have more than 3 kids, I would go with the bench. I'm very happy I went with the captains chair being a family of 4.

[tinfoiltuna]

I’ve owned both, and am happier with the bench because of the utility: I was able to take home a giant garage storage cabinet because the bench folds down fully. There is also more leg room if you aren’t using the third row and have the second row fully back.

With that being said, captains look more luxury and make the car feel a lot more spacious IMO. In terms of comfort, I’m not sure because I had sensafin in the captains and merino in the bench (preferred sensafin surprisingly).

[chicagox7]

As noted- many themreads on this. Do a search and you’ll find plenty of thoughts.

As for us- we have 2 little ones in boosters, one was in front facing car seat when we first got it.

We went captains chairs. They are working out well. Primary thought this would be great for long road trips- which we do a number of. It has been. We figured the kids would be out of their car seats soon enough and wanted to make sure we had that separation and space on the long trips. We plan to have the car for 7-10 years; we didn’t want to let short term issues dictate longer term needs. It works great for that. We don’t use third row often and knew we wouldn’t. It is easy to get to when we do (especially for my older ones friends; agree an adult isn’t squeezing through the gap).

Some say the bench may offer more leg room and the rails are different. We didn’t look into that as I learned that after reading various threads on the topic. Others talk about the gap and seeing into the back. That doesn’t bother us much- we use it to our advantage on trips as it allows easier access to the cargo area.

Again, search the threads. This is a hot topic that seems to come up every 4-6 weeks on here.

In the end- not sure you can truly have a bad answer (unless you need to haul things with the second row down).

[toddwalton]

We too struggled over this decision and now that we've had the Captain's for 5 years we are so glad we went in this direction. Here's what the people here won't tell you:

1. The 2nd Row Captain's Chairs are best-in-class comfortable. Tons of legroom, fully reclinable, completely luxurious. There is no better seating for second row passengers in any other SUV. It's like minivan-level comfortable.

2. If you go with the Bench, the 3rd Row is positively claustrophobic. You can't see over the Bench, you are staring at a giant wall of carpet and that makes your kids nauseous. Really nauseous. No one will want to sit back there. The Captain's have a nice gap between them so the 3rd Row passengers can see through the windshield and boom, no nausea.

3. The "doesn't fold flat" argument is a non-issue unless you or your husband haul large sheets of lumber frequently. The 2nd Row lies flat enough to get a TV back there, tables, chairs, we've done it all. Don't let this flat seat nonsense stand in your way for the 2x a year you need to even consider this configuration.

4. With the grandparents in the Captain's, they can reach back through the gap and give the kids bottles, toys, hold their hands, etc. With the Bench seat the kids are stuck back there and can't be accessed.

5. And if you want to keep the kids in the 2nd Row and put the grandparents in the 3rd Row, see #2 above, they will hate it back there with the wall of carpet and the nausea.

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

2. If you go with the Bench, the 3rd Row is positively claustrophobic. You can't see over the Bench, you are staring at a giant wall of carpet and that makes your kids nauseous. Really nauseous. No one will want to sit back there. The Captain's have a nice gap between them so the 3rd Row passengers can see through the windshield and boom, no nausea.

Except that you have two decently sized windows on the sides and your own sunroof above. Both my wife and I have sat back there and experienced zero such issues, but to each their own.

[mattsrs]

Originally Posted by skrontz

Except that you have two decently sized windows on the sides and your own sunroof above. Both my wife and I have sat back there and experienced zero such issues, but to each their own.

Also one can lower the center seat back (the 20% middle seat) to open up the 3rd row more

[PablitoX7m]

Bench

[tkelley86]

I'm a representative of the Captain's chairs political organization and based on your description above, I believe CC's are the way to go.

For your use case, remove the middle arm rests! Then you can easily move between the 2nd and 3rd row with ease, no folding required.

My 2nd row is permanent car seats (one front and one rear facing) and my 3rd row is either grandparents or groceries. Early to late 60's peeps, some are fit, some are not.

Tethers are a non-issue once you figure out how to move the seats to create tension.

Everyone loves the X7, especially my toddler who finds the ambient lighting to be exquisite.

[mattsrs]

Besides many limitations of the captain seats listed above, these protruding rails are the biggest turn off for me. BMW could have done a much better job with the captain chairs but unfortunately it is not as good of an implementation compared to rivals like GLS.

[jdloyd01]

We went with the bench for a couple reasons. First we have three kids and wanted the option to have all three in the same row. Second, we wanted the armrest/drink holder that folds down. In the second row.

[mattsrs]

Originally Posted by mattsrs

Also one can lower the center seat back (the 20% middle seat) to open up the 3rd row more

This would make bench 90% of what captain seats give you with all the benefits you get from having the bench seats

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by mattsrs

This would make bench 90% of what captain seats give you with all the benefits you get from having the bench seats

More like 30%.

You cannot compare the comfort, support, and adjustability of the Captain's second row to a Bench. The Captain's are like having 4 First Row seats. The Bench is like having 4 Third Row seats.

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

You cannot compare the comfort, support, and adjustability of the Captain's second row to a Bench. The Captain's are like having 4 First Row seats. The Bench is like having 4 Third Row seats.

Bench seats literally have the same power adjustments as the captain chairs. Comfort is subjective, but I actually enjoy way more legroom when the row is moved back all the way.

[tatoweb]

2 kids in car seats here (5 and 7). We went with bench.

1)I can’t remember where, but read a very convincing post proving captains have a little less leg room compared to bench.

2)Kids can’t pass thru captains, so why sacrifice one seat?.

3)No full flat fold. Someone wrote above that there’s no need for a full flat. I want to see a 65” TV in there without folding the second row. Cargo in the X7 with the third row down is small.

4)This was the most important for us. Captains come with very annoying cup holders on the floor right in the kids pathway when they walk from one side to the other.

We also tested GLS. It felt roomier, but liked more X7 exterior, interior, phone key, among other features. Also, GLS price was higher with less features.

[tkelley86]

The passion surrounding this topic every time it pops up is hilarious, we are a zealous bunch!

[jphcbpa]

Bench seat and I keep my 3rd row down all the time. Have used the 3rd row twice in 18 months of ownership

[X7 Recruit]

I have a ‘22 with Captain’s Chairs and only rarely wish I had the bench. For me, it comes down to luxury vs. utility. With the CCs the X7 is a luxury vehicle with a reasonable amount of storage space. With a bench, I’m going to use it like a truck - and it’s going to be great, but it will be a totally different experience. So I’d ask myself do I want/need luxury with some utility, or utility with some luxury?

[khai37]

Have the capts chair with 2 car seats. I did a lot of research before ending up with the XB7. Was looking at the MB GL AMG, but at that price I was getting close to a Maybach but needed a 3rd row. Also looked at the Escalade ESV V but the dealers were marking it up by 30-40k over MSRP.

Most of time there only 4 of us but on occasion I would drive my parents and use the third row, at that point I would just move one of the car seats to the back so one of the capts chair can move back and forth for third row access. The middle row doesn’t move very fast, but if you can’t live with that then you prob want to look elsewhere.