I recommend the 3 door unless someone will be in and out of the back seat everyday. I'm 46, married, 2 preschoolers and chose the 3 door. But I'll admit it's usually just me in the GTI. About the only time the backseat is used is on Saturday when one or both of the kids and I head off to the park or Home Depot. Even with car seats the back seat is super-accessible. I can get the kids in and out almost as easily as in my wife's 4 door sedan. The front seat flips and slides then returns to the exact spot you had it. Fortunately they are not power seats. It would take forever to get them out of the way. I'm 6' and getting into the backseat is no problem. Getting out is a little bit of a chore, but I think that is becuase I am 46, not because I am 6'. Headroom? Better than any sedan or SUV I considered, front seat and rear seat. A minor drawback of the 3 door is that the doors are really long. That actually makes it difficult to get in and out of the car in a tight parking spot. But in my opinion, the looks of the 3 door, including the absence of the extra cracks/seams, out weighs any drawbacks.