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Charlotte Observer Drive the 2007 MINI

Of course, another great review of the R56.

Anybody who enjoys driving will love the quick and responsive Mini, but the little car works equally well as a political and fashion statement: I’m saving fuel and easing congestion on the road, and I still look better than you do.

But it wasn’t perfect. They did find fault with some of the interior bits.

Some of the pieces should fit together better, however. The steering wheel had a rough edge of poorly trimmed plastic, the air vents occasionally shut themselves with the fan on high, and the shoulder belt snagged in the seat latch every time I pushed the front seatbacks upright after accessing the rear seat.

That kind of sloppy engineering is very unusual for BMW, which owns Mini and oversaw development of this model and the award-winning 2001 car.

[ Mini offers major pluses ... and minor problems ] Charlotte.com

michael Sep 27th, 2007 Link

I continue to be surprise by the lack of fit and finish refinement. In particular, the R56’s chrome trim line that run along the base of the glass is very poorly executed where the front quarter panel meets the A pillar – on every example I have seen.

My current R53 came with rattles and annoying buzzes that have grown into a symphony at 104,000 miles. The Mini has more soul than most cars. But in comparison the say a Honda, it cannot compete in build quality or reliabilty. A sad compromise.

gokartride Sep 27th, 2007 Link

Funny that the quirks mentioned seem to not be a factor for most all R56s out there…only the slightest few have reported similar anomalies. They certainly aren’t common R56 traits.

Sowellman Sep 27th, 2007 Link

Umm, that review actually came from the Detriot Free Press. The Charlotte Observer reprinted it through a wire service.

I agree with gokartride that most of the complaints were rather minor and not ones that have been reported by owners. Overall, it was a good review.

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Charlotte Observer Drive the 2007 MINI

Sections: R56 (Coupe) Sep 27th, 2007 3 Comments

Written By: DB