Help! 3 Series Ski Storage Information

Hello,

I'm looking to the BMW community for some help!

I am currently in the market for a new car and have it narrowed down to either an BMW 335i XDrive or an Audi Q5 (Both around 09-10). I am a competitive ski racer so I am constantly transporting many pairs of skis from point A-B. I am curious as-to the length skis that you can fit in the trunk and through the ski passage. Does anyone have a pair that they do this with? If so what length are your skis and how far up in the car do they reach? Does the capacity change if you put seats down and put skis in sideways? Thanks so much for any and all help!

Answers to comments I'm sure will come up...

Ski Rack- A ski rack will do me no good because on account of me transporting race skis I must keep them covered. The chloride and mud/dirt that gets kicked up onto skis when on the highway is really detrimental to the base of race skis so this isn't a viable option.

Rocket Box (Roof Box)- I do have one of these so using this would be a possibility, however I'm fairly certain it will greatly hinder the appearance of the car so its not a desired option

BMW X3- Some may suggest this vehicle since I am considering the Audi Q5, I'm not fond of the original body style of this vehicle and the new style that came out in 2011 which I do like, is far out of my price range (low 30K)

Thanks for the help everyone!!!

I had a set of 170's in my coupe with the seat folded down they fit at a slight angle with the front seats almost all the way back. For 2 of us to fit our stuff for a ski trip the back seat was folded and the car was fairly full.
David

Originally Posted by CoryKetai

...I am curious as-to the length skis that you can fit in the trunk and through the ski passage. Does anyone have a pair that they do this with? If so what length are your skis and how far up in the car do they reach? Does the capacity change if you put seats down and put skis in sideways? Thanks so much for any and all help!

The ski passage can take about 3 pairs; probably can get 4 - not sure. If you have folding rear seats, you can carry a bunch on the right (small 1/3) side - I've had 4 pairs plus 2 snowboards. 180cm is about as long as you can carry: plenty long for slaloms, enough for GS (my old Volkl P60's are 180cm), but probably not good for SG/DH.

My E93 has a ski bag for carrying long items. I can't speak for skis, but I was able to carry a dozen 5/8" x 5 1/2" x 6' fence boards in the bag with length and width to spare. The ends wind up resting on the center console armrest, but since they're in the bag, they don't dirty up the interior at all.

Based on that, you should be able to carry 190's at least, and I don't see why you couldn't carry four sets of skis, so long as you remove the boots from them and arrange them carefully.

Frederic

I bet you could get one pair of 216s in the ski bag. Agree with Floyd, if you can lower the rear seats you could haul your entire quiver. g/l

Frankly, going from a jeep,cherokee to a sedan and expecting to carry a bunch of skis is stupid. Either go with the crossover, or the rocket box.

I also ski race and drive a 3er.
I can fit 2 pairs of SG's in the ski sack. A 209cm and a 201cm. A GS and SL ski
(186cm and 165cm) also fit together with their respective poles.

To take more than 2 pairs I take our X3 with a box on the roof or put the box on the 335.

Fortunately, most my skiing takes place at my home hill, so I don't have to move the fleet around that much.

jummo

The ski bag mechanism pops out easily also, so you can fit more through there. I did that for a couple seasons so I didn't have to deal with folding the bag back up in it's perfect shape to fit. Also, never listen to anybody that tells you a crossover or SUV is better than your car to haul your skis around. Our 2 cars and our miniivan were purchased specifically to drive all over the West to ski races etc.

The X3 is really a great car, especially with the manual transmission. The body style seemed a little odd at first, but it really grew on me. We sold ours as we wanted something newer and didn't need the size, but we really, really miss it. I'm picking up a newer 335i tomorrow, and I think that will help a lot... All that said, I don't think the X3 will do any better with carrying skis inside. I think the rear space is only an inch or two longer than a sedan.

Maybe I'm a dork, but I think rocket boxes look pretty cool.

After selling the X3, our new skiing vehicle is a Sienna AWD minivan. It sure isn't as much fun to drive, but having the space to move around and get all your gear ready is fantastic. It doesn't sound like getting two young kids changed into gear is part of your needs, however.

Originally Posted by CoryKetai

Hello,

I'm looking to the BMW community for some help!

I am currently in the market for a new car and have it narrowed down to either an BMW 335i XDrive or an Audi Q5 (Both around 09-10). I am a competitive ski racer so I am constantly transporting many pairs of skis from point A-B. I am curious as-to the length skis that you can fit in the trunk and through the ski passage. Does anyone have a pair that they do this with? If so what length are your skis and how far up in the car do they reach? Does the capacity change if you put seats down and put skis in sideways? Thanks so much for any and all help!

Answers to comments I'm sure will come up...

Ski Rack- A ski rack will do me no good because on account of me transporting race skis I must keep them covered. The chloride and mud/dirt that gets kicked up onto skis when on the highway is really detrimental to the base of race skis so this isn't a viable option.

Rocket Box (Roof Box)- I do have one of these so using this would be a possibility, however I'm fairly certain it will greatly hinder the appearance of the car so its not a desired option

BMW X3- Some may suggest this vehicle since I am considering the Audi Q5, I'm not fond of the original body style of this vehicle and the new style that came out in 2011 which I do like, is far out of my price range (low 30K)

Thanks for the help everyone!!!

The ski bag that is attached to the passthrough between the rear seats extends enough for longer skis. Mine are 175 and there is plenty of room left. Also the rear seats split 60-40 so unless there are 4 or 5 people in the car (unlikely) you can drop the backseat fully or partially. I drive a 3 series and go skiing frequently, never had an issue.

I was browsing the manual the other day and it said that the bag/pass-through could accomodate up to 210cm