Over the next week I’ll be giving a series of small reviews regarding different aspects of the JCW MCS. My test car (courtesy of MINI USA) is equipped with the classic combo of Chili Red with a white roof. Add to that the black 18″ JCW wheels and that classic look starts to become a bit more sinister. But with only two factory options I suppose that suits its personality. It’s just about the ultimate factory track car without being a GP.
The problem is that, with only the sport pack and the JCW option, I’m having to put up with no cruise on the highway. I thought I could properly modulate my speed. I can’t.
I also have apparently have no patience these days for the manual heating and cooling controls that on are this car. In the past I refused to buy any car that didn’t have manual controls. Now I’m just put off by them. I don’t know if the systems have gotten better or I’ve just gotten less tolerant of twiddling knobs.
I’ll have more on the performance aspects of the JCW MCS in part two and three.
That car looks very strange in the white above / black below color combo – I guess it’s owner would love it though 😉
Is Part 1 a review of the car or a review of being in your 30s? 🙂
Ian – I agree. But its like every baby, the mother loves it.
i don’t get it…. what did you review? your age, lack of cruise, and your rimes…. i hope there is more to come
HEY I KNOW THAT GAS STATION! That’s where I put the first official tank of gas in my MINI 20 minutes after I first got it, ahhhh the memories…
Mikey
Seeing the picture, I like the black wheels more than I’d have thought I would. They look “tracky.” 😀
John
No need for cruise or auto-AC on the “ultimate factory track car without being a GP.”
Someone is getting grumpy in their old age. 😉
Hey Goodrich, you didn’t get a full tank of gas with your Mini? FIrst time I”ve heard that.
Do you perhaps have a bigger picture? Looks nice, but everything is so small…
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bridger/179566357/" rel="nofollow">From Gabe’s Flickr</a>
You can also keep an eye on the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/motoringfile/" rel="nofollow">Motoringfile Flickr Pool</a>
A “JCW MCS Long-term Review”, and the most significant comments are about lack of cruise control and auto climate? Neither is related to JCW or MCS.
Yessssssssss! JCW rocks. But I added a few more packages to ease the difficult lead foot disease I have for those long distance cruises. Yum.
Gabe’s never failed us on a review . . . I wouldnt blast him too bad for the lack of details here . . pretty sure this was just meant as a teaser guys.
otherwise I definitly like the look of the car .. and also think it does look “tracky”
I don’t see what is the big deal about twisting 3 very self explanatory rotary knobs to adjust fan speed, temp and airflow. Those knobs get the job done with minimal fuss.
Probably I am in the inmense minority here, but I personally find the optional auto A/C controls in the MINI extremely annoying in their operation.
TWIDDLING… TWIDDLING??? Now you’ve gone and done it!
;¬)
I agree with Frank, the auto a/c in my first MINI was extremely annoying. I have the manual controls now which, although easy to use, are ultimately pointless. The a/c system in the MINI is pathetic, now that temps here are 110+ every day I might as well not bother as its doesn’t cool the inside of the car worth a bean. Its a sad day (or rather season!) when I’d rather drive my wife’s Camry than be in the MINI.
I hate the auto a/c. I had it in my previous BMW and it never worked the way I wanted. I would GLADLY live wit hout it. Also, who cares about cruise control? It’s for folks in minivans who like to set up camp in the left lane at 65mph. Bleh.
Man, with all the issues I’ve had in my ’05 MCS, the manual climate controls in my car are one of the few things simple enough to not go wrong.
I’ve had to settle for (yes) the auto climate controls in a loaner on more occasions than I’d like to admit and they look and are too distracting/complex to fiddle with when going down the road. It doesn’t help that the loaner I’ve borrowed (more than once) has auto ac buttons that require the strength of ten men to push. Is this the same for all auto climate MINIs?
I had the Auto AC and Cruise on my MCS and would not order another car without.
I find the cruise essential and the auto ac no bother and effective.
I had an ’02 Cooper with auto climate control that never worked properly. The control module was replaced, but it still had issues. The manual controls in my ’05 MCS work fine. I also like cruise control, and in Canada, the heated seats are one thing I would not do without. The ’05 has been much more reliable than the ’02 was, but I still loved the ’02, so I went for a second one.
I’d say the ACC seems to work the best on long drives rather than stop & go stuff. Same with my wife’s A4.
I find the cruise control one of the best I have ever used, especially with moderate elevation changes. I thought my ’97 4Runner was good but this one is better.
This ’04 came with heated seats and my ’02 did not. My wife uses them but I have little use as we live in SoCal. They do work well though, she tells me.