We just took the 5 from Colorado to Cali and back over spring break. We could not have been happier. I have two kids, 10 and 8 and they were both very comfortable. It's the first trip we've taken that the didn't try to kill each other. Having the reclinable bucket seat for them is fabulous.
We were very comfortable in the front too, and were pleased with the passing power even when already driving 90 mph. It had good pickup on the mountain passes too, I can count on one hand the number of times we had to drop it down into 4th gear to keep it moving.
It also handled LA freeway driving nicely - plenty of power when needed and plenty of brake when the idiot in front of us wasn't paying attention.
We had more than enough room for luggage with the back seats down. We packed 3 fullsized suitcases (one for grownups, one for kids, and one for hiking stuff), an overnight bag, pillows for all of us, a zoo full of stuffed animals, and still had room for the safety stuff (coats, sleeping bags, a flat of water, etc.) My only complaint is that the interior gets dirty and shows dirt so easily. The mileage was also a little low (around 21mpg) but I'm guessing that's a function of driving 90-100 mph most of the way. I also wish the tank was a little bigger;we had to stop too often. Of course I was spoiled with the Accord we used to take on trips that was getting close to 30mpg and a 17 gallon tank. But the comfort was worth the trade off.
