MINI has heard the complaints and will be upgrading the sport seats in both the Cooper and Cooper S. Our sources are telling us that the new seat design will be a bit more comfortable and supportive. They won’t quite match the level of the currently optional (outside the US) Recaro seats but they will be a noticable improvement. Speaking of the Recaros, they may indeed be coming to the US market sometime during the R56 model life cycle – stay tuned.
MINI will also switch the material placement on the cloth/leather seats. They will now have black cloth in the center and colored leather on the bolsters and outside. Reporedly one of these combinations is red leather and black cloth that is “stunning” in the words of a source. In total MINI will be offering seven upholstery options including several new shades of leather:
-Red Leather (I’m told this will blow people away)
-Blue Leather which is reportedly lighter than Lapis Blue
-Black Leather (no surprise there)
-New Biege that should look a bit more “rich” than the currently available option.
New LOTH!! I can’t wait! I’m thinking of ordering an 07 now. 🙂
Sounds interesting, glad to see them take a stand to improve the seats while maintaining the safety they have developed in the car. While Recaro’s are very nice, I am not totally against the current seats and so will be interested in seeing how they improve their support and comfort.
The color combos soudn fantastic, I am deffinetly looking forward to seeing the offerings.
It’s about time! The current “sport” seats are absolutely miserable, providing absolutely no lateral support leading me to upgrade to aftermarket Recaros for my MCS – the difference is night and day.
The main reason I had to get rid of my 04 Cooper was the seat design. It was killing my back. I have already made a deposit on an R56 and am taking a little gamble by assuming that the new seats will be a bit flatter in the lower back, similar to the 3 series. This is a much more comfortable design than the current arched seatback.
The interior pictures I have seen appear to be better designed in the lower back area. I am hoping that will be the case in the final product.
I have red/black sheepskin seat covers made for my CR/W MC and yes, they are stunning. 😉
Someone posted this image from MSN UK … it might not be much but it gives you a good idea of the look and quality
<a href="http://www.mini2.com/galleries/data/500/Mini_red_trim.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.mini2.com/galleries/data/500/Mini_red_trim.jpg</a>
I guess I’m in the minority again . . . I find my Panther black cloth MCS sport seats to be extremely comfortable. I’ve put in many back to back 10 hour days in the saddle without a twinge, something I can’t say about the bench seats in my Toyota Tacoma. Extreme lateral support in a street car is hardly necessary and I find my Schroth belts pin me down quite nicely when I track it. As for leather, I’m not a fan: it is cold in the winter, hot in the summer and shows wear quickly. I prefer cloth.
I drove from SF to Seattle w/o any issues, however the Recaro’s from the GP would be really nice to have.
Guess I’m in the same boat you’re in Siddhartha. I think the seats in my 05 MCS are just fine – a perfect fit. And at 14 months the space cloth is holding up well.
When trying to decide on which upholstery to get in my MCS, the decision was pretty much made for me. Leather. Not because I particularly like leather seats… but because that was the only way to get lumbar support. I’m glad I did – it makes a huge difference to me to have my lower back supported!
Nice to see that at least MINI saw there was a problem. Not a problem for EVERYONE perhaps, but a problem for enough people to take a second look.
LOTH!!!! Krut Rules!!!!
All in all, I am pretty excited about the 2007 changes. I’m not about to go buy the first one on the lot, but in a couple years, I can imagine having a great time tuning a turbo. . . .
<a href="http://www.mini2.com/galleries/showphoto.php/photo/40266/cat/500/ppuser/15921" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.mini2.com/galleries/showphoto.php/photo/40266/cat/500/ppuser/15921</a>
Here is a link for that red trim
The main question that needs to be answered is how will the pricing come out for both leather options, and will the fit and finish be any different then the current ones? BMW seats I’ve looked at have consistantly been less baggy and more along the lines of the leatherette, so it’d definetly be a good thing to match that quality (and design, since the stitching may be part of it) if they’re going to keep the premium so high.
I have to agree with Sid on this one. 12 hour trip to Vegas was very enjoyable. The seats give me just the right amount of both comfort and lateral support. I hate some of the new seats with the very large side bolsters. Very uncomfortable to get in and out of.
I like the work in progress stickers MINI put on the speedo.