The Washington Times drives the R56

The first review I have seen that even mentions the interior lighting.

Taking a cue from parent BMW, night illumination is some of the best I’ve experienced. Indirect lighting from the roof lining softly spills light onto the door handles and storage areas without causing distractions. The ambient lighting system can vary between warm orange to racy blue in five steps, setting the mood from a warm glow to edgy.

And, the most interesting way, I have seen, to explain the center stack without actually saying whether or not they like it.

Since the beginning, I have loved the way this car drives and the spirit it creates behind the wheel. Much like a go-cart excites a youngster, the Mini excited me and thousands of others with its excellent handling and performance. But I was always feeling a bit cramped from the waist down.

Why? The center console needed to be very wide to accommodate the sound system and climate-control switching. This design created an uncomfortable rest for my right leg as I tend to thrust my right leg against this wide center stack during hard cornering. I would climb from the driver’s seat with a large crease in my leg, which increased the discomfort level on long drives.

That problem has been solved with the redesigned and narrower center console. Some of the switching is relocated to the lower face of the large speedometer in the center dash. It opens up much more room, so I did not use it as a resting point.

[ New MINI Cooper isn't mini-uscule ] The Washington Times