Buying a new car - 3 or 5 door?

[Harri87]

Hi,

I'm currently pregnant with my first baby and am thinking of getting a car to make getting around a little easier.

I wanted a fiat 500 but have heard these aren't that safe (which is important with baby), so have decided on a mini copper. I like the look of the 3 door but have been told that it's hard work putting baby in the car seat and there isn't much room for a pushchair in the boot.

Does anyone have a baby and mini cooper? Would you recommend?

Thanks

Definitely a five door. It makes a massive difference

5 door. I bought a 3 door when the girls were 10 and 14 and struggled with it even at those ages. Also, the doors are huge on a 3 door so you need to have quite big parking spaces to get in and out.

5 door. It's not so much an issue with the baby seat if you have a base for it, although still massively more awkward - they're designed on the assumption you'll be getting the seat in and out from the side and all the ergonomics etc are set up that way.

For the next stage especially if you want to stay rear facing (which is safer and pretty mainstream now) a three door is a huge pain. Imagine wrangling a toddler having a tantrum - it's hard enough when you can lean over them to pin them in the seat while you do up the straps. Almost impossible to try and do this at arm's length!

5 door. Never, ever 3

5 door an a boor big enough to get a buggy and your weekly shop in.
No point otherwise,

5 door. We have just traded our Mini Countryman For a Suzuki swift sport; we needed the countryman for its space when dd was young and had a tonne of stuff to cart around like prams, bags, scooters, balance bikes but my husband likes cars on the more powerful side.

we went for 5 door as I always thought if we crashed how could anyone get the child out quickly and safely? It would delay Accessing the back seats and that delay may be the difference. Also the 3 doors are smaller and there’s no chance I’d be able to strap a child into a 3 door car without jumping in the back with them and that gets old fast.

Also the swift sport is an excellent car. Not as powerful as the mini, but that had a turbo engine. I can’t drive a car without 6 speeds now and the car itself is quick with excellent suspension.

5 door.

Many years ago when DD was about 18 months old I had a 3 door. Car burst into flames with no warning. I pulled off a roundabout and noticed all the dials had gone to zero, then I noticed there was nothing happening when I put my foot down. Within 3 seconds of that realisation, there were flames licking up from under the bonnet and up the windscreen. My God... trying to get a wriggly 18 month old out of the back seat!!! I'll never forget that terror.

I wouldn't touch the three door in your situation if you paid me. I had a 2016 Mini Cooper five door when I got pregnant with DD. My DSis had two babies whilst I had that car and these are the main takeaways-

• The doors at the back aren't that big so it car be cumbersome getting the car seat in and out.
• The Mini Cooper is low to the ground which makes it more awkward getting the seat in and out.
• For the same reason it is difficult to get in and out of even the front seats in the mid-late stages of pregnancy. My sister would have to roll herself in and out of my car.
• There isn't much leg room in the back, so you have to push the front seats well forward to accomodate a car seat.
• The boot is certainly more generous in size than older Minis but it's not that big. DSis had a Wayfarer which isn't a massive pram but it was like playing Tetris trying to get it in the boot, and there was zero room for anything else. I was going to have to get a Bugaboo Bee if I'd kept it.

Given all the above DH and I decided to bite the bullet and I upgraded to a Countryman, which is much, much more suitable. Yeah you could definitely "cope" with a Mini Cooper, but there's just a lot of things about it that will annoy you with kids.

5 door.

3 is fine if you hardly ever use the rear seat, but with a baby, you will struggle. You will struggle with a toddler.

5 door 5 door 5 door. We have a 3 door with a toddler, it's such unnecessary hard work!