Sections: R56 (Coupe) Oct 13th, 2006 6 Comments Another rave review for the R56. Here’s an excerpt:
ALEC Issigonis would be proud. For the all-new Mini to meet 2008 pedestrian-impact legislation, BMW realised that it had to extend the outgoing R50’s length by 150mm. But the Bavarians managed to meet the regulations with just a 70mm increase anyway.
Another miraculous packaging victory for the Mini, 47 years after the first one reinvented the small car.
And that, in a nutshell (or, in this case, a clamshell bonnet) is what the 2007 R56 Mini is all about. Not revolution, or even evolution, but reinvention.
Welcome to the first Mini wholly created by BMW, probably the most engineering-led mainstream car manufacturer on Earth.
Every component of the old Mini was scrutinised and either updated or replaced by BMW, to infuse the new model with its brand essence.
[ Bavarian Mini Works spins its magic ] GoAuto
klf23 Oct 13th, 2006 Link
Gone are the rough edges of the old car.
I like those edges.
Yet it is something also brand new: the Mini BMW always intended to build.
Not really. It’s also to meet new safety standards and to streamline costs while increasing production.
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Bilbo Baggins Oct 13th, 2006 Link
Most of the write-ups seem pretty positive so this is promising. We shall see how it pans out in the real world. I can not wait to see my first R56 next year.
Maybe, for some hardcore fans, the refinements are a step too far from fundamental Mini values. The supercharged Cooper S’ whine, in particular, might be sorely missed.
I must be one of those hardcore fans.
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GZ Oct 13th, 2006 Link
I keep reading about inmproved performance. 7.1 seconds to 100km (62 mph?). Is that an improvement over 6.9 seconds 0-60? With 7 more HP in a “lighter” car (how much lighter?)I was hoping for an improvement in this area. Am I missing something in the translation for us non-metric types?
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Dave Mac Mini Oct 13th, 2006 Link
The current MSC specs say 7.2 seconds to 100, so 7.1 is slightly faster. However, most cars will do better than the specs indicate. I expect that when the testers do some measurements, the new car will do quite a bit better than spec.
I am impressed with all the positive reviews I have been reading. I eagerly await the arrival of the cars next year.
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Ben Oct 13th, 2006 Link
BMW tends to underrate its cars (they claimed 6.1 0-60 for 330i, C&D got 5.6), and MINI is no exception. The “official” time for the current generation was 6.9, which has been bested by most of the reviews I’ve read (best time I’ve seen was 6.4, Motor Trend I think….).
I do think the R56 will be slightly faster in instrumented testing, but I’ll be happy if it matches the R53 in performance but beats it in fuel economy (which it should).
Besides, it’s a turbo. Chip it. :)
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