Model Year | 2017 | 2014 | |
Model | Volkswagen Golf / GTI | BMW X5 | |
Engine | turbocharged 2.0L I4 DOHC-4v 292 hp@5400 280 lb-ft@1800 |
turbocharged 4.4L V8 DOHC-4v 445 hp@5500 480 lb-ft@2000 |
|
Transmission | 6-speed automated manual | 8-speed shiftable automatic | |
Drivetrain | AWD | AWD | |
Body | 4dr Wagon | 4dr SUV | |
Difference | |||
Wheelbase | 103.5 in | 115.5 in | -12 in |
Length | 179.6 in | 193.2 in | -13.6 in |
Width | 70.8 in | 76.3 in | -5.5 in |
Height | 58.3 in | 69.4 in | -11.1 in |
Curb Weight | 3440 lb. | 5150 lb. | -1710 lb. |
Fuel Capacity | 13.2 gal. | 22.4 gal. | -9.2 gal. |
Headroom, Row 1 | 38.6 in | 40.5 in | -1.9 in |
Shoulder Room, Row 1 | 55.9 in | 60.5 in | -4.6 in |
Legroom, Row 1 | 41.2 in | 40.4 in | 0.8 in |
Headroom, Row 2 | 38.6 in | 38.8 in | -0.2 in |
Shoulder Room, Row 2 | 53.9 in | 58.3 in | -4.4 in |
Legroom, Row 2 | 35.6 in | 36.6 in | -1 in |
Total Legroom | 76.8 in (over 2 rows) | 77 in (over 2 rows) | -0.2 in |
Cargo Volume, Minimum | 30.4 ft3 | 22.9 ft3 | 7.5 ft3 |
Cargo Volume, Maximum | 66.5 ft3 | 66.0 ft3 | 0.5 ft3 |
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Comment | |
2016 | As I've noted before (when reviewing the e-Golf), the seventh-generation Golf's front seats are shaped and padded to provide nearly ideal comfort and support in daily driving. The CX-5's driver seat also fit me well, but not quite as well as the Volkswagen's. Compared to other compact hatchbacks and its ancestors, the current Golf has a roomy rear seat. I can sit behind my 5-9 self with about five inches of air ahead of my knees. Unless unusually tall people populate both rows, the amount of space should be beyond adequate. Compare the Golf SportWagen's rear seat to that in the CX-5, and a funny thing happens. On paper, the Mazda provides about 3.5 more inches of legroom. When sitting behind myself in both vehicles, though, I had about half as much space ahead of my knees in the CX-5. I've noticed in the past that VW measures rear legroom very conservatively, and apparently they continue to do so. The Golf's interior is roomier than the official specs suggest. Plus its rear seat passengers get air vents. The Mazda's do not. This said, I'm not entirely comfortable in the Golf SportWagen's rear seat. To me it feels overly reclined. In neither the GSW nor the CX-5 is the degree of recline adjustable. It is in some compact crossovers. see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review |
2017 Volkswagen Golf / GTI Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Body/Powertrain | Comment |
2016 | 2dr Hatch turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD |
Difficult ingress and egress see full Volkswagen Golf / GTI review |
2014 BMW X5 Seat Room and Comfort: Pros | ||
Year | Comment | |
2014 | BMW's multicontour seats, a $1,300 option on six-cylinder X5s and standard with the V8, deliver a rarely matched combination of support in turns and comfort on long drives. In a reversal of traditional tendencies, the buckets in the Range Rover Sport feel firmer and less comfortable. Though you'll find a commanding view forward in either driver seat, the Range Rover Sport maintains an edge in this area. Unusually large windows are one thing that makes a Land Rover a Land Rover. see full BMW X5 review |
2014 BMW X5 Seat Room and Comfort: Cons | ||
Year | Comment | |
Audi and Mercedes both offer much longer SUVs. At least until BMW fields an X7, the X5 is available with an optional third-row seat. Especially considering the size and price of the X5, said third row is absurdly tight, thinly upholstered, and difficult to access. The door openings are small, and the entire second row seat pivots forward and upward off the floor in an only partially successful attempt to compensate. To provide even minimal legroom for those using it, the second row must slide forward a few inches, to the point that its occupants find their own legroom severely compromised. Both rows are too low to the floor for adult comfort. The third-row seat optional in the Range Rover Sport probably isn't much better, and deletes the spare tire (not available on the BMW regardless). This might explain why it wasn't on the tested vehicle. If you want a usable third row, Land Rover offers the less stylish, but also much less expensive and roomier LR4. Shift focus to the second-row seat, and I found that in the smaller X3 at least as comfortable, and easier to get into and out of thanks to the more compact vehicle's lower ride height. That in the Range Rover Sport, though also not the roomiest or the most comfortable, is better than the X5's. see full BMW X5 review |
None of our members have yet commented on the seat room and comfort of the 2014 BMW X5.