Rear seat legroom, so many different numbers...

[OUGrad05]

As I start getting more serious about picking up my next car I'm beginning to look at specs and interior info. After driving the A6 platform it definitely seemed more roomy in the back than the 5 series (F10), the E-Class and the Lexus GS (big margin on this one). In fact the GS seems quite small in comparison with the BMW and Audi. I've not yet driven a new 5 series and evaluated backseat room.

Back seat room is important because I'm 6'6 and have two kids so have adequate space behind the driver's seat is a must and that can be tough in many vehicles.

There are some aspects of vehicle ownership that aren't likely to be uncovered on a test drive even an extensive drive. The information on front/rear legroom for vehicles in this class is varying and doesn't seem particularly reliable. Motor Trend, True Delta, Consumer Reports, Car and Driver, Edmunds, all report different numbers. I like the consumer reports methodology, set all cars with the same front seat setting for legroom (40 inches) and then measure the rear seat legroom. Yet when doing this the A6 shows to be not much bigger than my current (335i) and this is particularly odd having sat in both of them extensively and checked out the backseat room.

My daughter isn't capable of effectively judging her long distance comfort over the course of a test drive (she's 6 and all she wants is for me to buy something blue). If my recollection is correct, the A6 had more back seat room than any of its competitors with the driver's seat set in my driving position. It was actually by a fairly wide margin too.

I plan to do a lot more test driving in the coming months but was hoping some folks here with experience across this class of car and experience evaluating the rear seat space could chime in regarding the space.

The new 5 series by one measure (consumer reports) offers 1 inch more room than the A6 but by another, it's an inch short. Makes it hard to know what's accurate.

[DaveG ASP3]

I'm 6' even with two kids. My son is 4 and sits behind me. He has tons of leg room to spare with in his combo booster/harness seat. There's plenty of rearward seat travel left when I am in my driving position. My buddy has an F10 M5 and it did seem slightly tighter when I drove his car with my son in the back, but not by a huge margin. Can't comment on the other models you are considering. I do know that there is a lot more room in the C7 than the B9 (not very relevant to this conversation).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk

[FourRings115]

I agree that the numbers never quite add up correctly when trying to evaluate this.
I will say that as the kids get bigger, the rear seat issue actually improves. My 6 year has less room than my 9 year old. The 9 year old has longer legs, so with longer upper legs it means her lower legs can hang down, whereas the 6 year olds legs stick out more still.
Of course, I got past this issue (and rear facing car seat issues) by having two different A8Ls prior to getting my S6 last fall!

[wordsworth03]

I've researched this subject for a long time and the only way to really know is to go in person and sit in the car. Back seat leg room will change based on how much you adjust the front seat. So when you sit in each car, adjust the front seat to your liking, then sit in the back to see how much knee clearanc have and make notes. I think each manufacturer also has different methods of measuring so it's impossible to compare from brand to brand.

[mdloops]

The A6 is an order of magnitude bigger than your 335! I should know because I went from a 335 to a S6. Take a trip to a dealer, install your car seat and test for yourself. This is what I did because the numbers posted online are unusable

As I start getting more serious about picking up my next car I'm beginning to look at specs and interior info. After driving the A6 platform it definitely seemed more roomy in the back than the 5 series (F10), the E-Class and the Lexus GS (big margin on this one). In fact the GS seems quite small in comparison with the BMW and Audi. I've not yet driven a new 5 series and evaluated backseat room.

Back seat room is important because I'm 6'6 and have two kids so have adequate space behind the driver's seat is a must and that can be tough in many vehicles.

There are some aspects of vehicle ownership that aren't likely to be uncovered on a test drive even an extensive drive. The information on front/rear legroom for vehicles in this class is varying and doesn't seem particularly reliable. Motor Trend, True Delta, Consumer Reports, Car and Driver, Edmunds, all report different numbers. I like the consumer reports methodology, set all cars with the same front seat setting for legroom (40 inches) and then measure the rear seat legroom. Yet when doing this the A6 shows to be not much bigger than my current (335i) and this is particularly odd having sat in both of them extensively and checked out the backseat room.

My daughter isn't capable of effectively judging her long distance comfort over the course of a test drive (she's 6 and all she wants is for me to buy something blue). If my recollection is correct, the A6 had more back seat room than any of its competitors with the driver's seat set in my driving position. It was actually by a fairly wide margin too.

I plan to do a lot more test driving in the coming months but was hoping some folks here with experience across this class of car and experience evaluating the rear seat space could chime in regarding the space.

The new 5 series by one measure (consumer reports) offers 1 inch more room than the A6 but by another, it's an inch short. Makes it hard to know what's accurate.

[OUGrad05]

The A6 is an order of magnitude bigger than your 335! I should know because I went from a 335 to a S6. Take a trip to a dealer, install your car seat and test for yourself. This is what I did because the numbers posted online are unusable

Certainly seems that way. The GSF is also a compelling option.