2007 MINI Reader Reviews

My experince of driving R56 was short, but very sweet. I drove the MCS outside the dealer’s showroom in Moscow, Russia. The car was on summer tires and the ground was covered by about 7 cm of snow^ thus I can’t say much about acceleration and handling, though it did handbreak turns like a charm. I thing I can say, is that it is incredibly quiet inside and all the controls seem so much more solid and ergonomic. The new MINI Hi-Fi speakers are on par with the H/K installed previously and in my opinion are a great value for money.

Will write more soon.

Ginger,

What problem did you have with the aux socket ? what do you mean by “from new” ?

It’s been a few months since I have driven the R56, on the official dealer introduction here in the Netherlands. I’ve driven a pretty basic Cooper, which lacked the sport button, so I can’t comment on the enthusiastic comments about that “Jeckyl-and-Hyde” widget. Overall, in handling and response I didn’t notice a lot of difference with my own ’07 R50 Cooper, except for the suspension (have SSPlus on my R50, so it’s much more harsh).

The dashboard, more in particular the center stack, remains the one big gripe I have about the car, I can’t second the comments that it “looks better in person”; I disagree, it looks just as awkward. I keep saying the R50’s dash was a caricature of the original Mini’s dash (which took time and some factory options to make digestable for me), and the R56’s dash is a caricature of the R50’s. That’s caricature-squared and that’s just one step too far for my taste.

That’s interesting. The windows in the car I was in yesterday did not move up and down when opening and closing the door. I checked it multiple times, unless it’s such small movement that I couldn’t tell. Maybe it was just an issue with that car, though.

The car may not have been PDI’d yet (Pre Delivery Inspection).

JP, you saw the sparkling silver when it was overcast–wait until you see it in the daylight. I saw it recently underneath the lights at the Chicago Auto show, and that combination–sparkling silver/black–is stunning. If I was getting an R56, it’d probably be my first choice (I saw in it pictures, wasn’t that impressed with it, but in the flesh, and in bright light, it may now be my favorite color). I have a Dark Silver/White 2006, and for what its worth, it looks blah when its overcast, but under lights at night or when the suns out, it looks great. Sparkling Silver does the same thing.

Ok, I still prefer the R53–the panel gaps, rear hatch bulge, new headlights, center stack, etc, bother me, but not enough that I wouldn’t buy one (and when mine dies, I’ll be right in line for a JCW R56, although I hope that won’t be for many years). But the new seats are fantastic–I have english panther in mine, and even the new cloth seats are significantly more comfortable.

Ok, I cheated, I haven’t driven one yet, I can’t wait to though–and again, although I prefer the previous generation, this next generation is growing on me, and I have no doubt its going to further the Mini’s success.

I posted my comment in the Non functioning Bonnet scoop article before I notice that this was here. It didn’t appear, I have had this problem before where it never did appear, we will see if I suffer from this again.

Ginger,

Thanks for the info. If you could tell me more… what was wrong with the Aux… was it software or hardware ?

This is my review that I originally posted on the Bonnet scoop section. For posterity:

I saw the R56 for the first time today (Yesterday) and a few impressions,

You can <em>so</em> put a forced air induction on that puppy. That will be so cool. Yeah, I asked if you could swap a MC bonnet with a MCS bonnet. The MA didn’t know.

There was a bonnet rub on the front passenger(US)side of the car from what looked to be an air conditioning filling hose cap. It does look like it will be ease to fix though. (44 miles on this car and it had rubbed through to metal)

Laser blue is a really cool color!

I miss the supercharger whine but the engine sounds really nice and powerful.

The thing that really made the biggest impression on me was the “Fob” Key.

The key, proximity door opening, push start is way cool. The door handles look just like the R50/53 only with a small additional button where your thumb would go. To use it, simply have the Fob near the door, Push the button with your thumb and the car unlocks, then open it just like a R50/53.

The Fob has a valet key built into it that comes out and is able to open the door if the fob is dead. Reinsert fob into “fob hole” and it recharges!

The secret glove box above the glove box is unaccessable (sealed) when you have the iPod adapter put in.

The center stack is still not so pretty but looks less “Playskool” with a higher build quality than the pictures allude to.

That is a huge Speedo! Would like to see one with nav.

In December while on my honeymoon in London, I tried out a new Mini from Park Lane Mini.

At first glance it might appear that the car hasen’t been changed at all, but probing deeper, the car has been changed a lot.

The interior is now put together with better materials than the previous generation Mini. The half cloth/leather combination seats are very comfortable with support just where you need it. The lever to move the seats forward for rear access is now at the stop of the seat next to the headrest making it a little eaiser to move the seat forward.

I think the central speedometer is now a little too big. I can see the numbers without my glasses leading me to believe it was designed for aging motorers.

The higher beltline of car is visable from the inside. It felt a little like I was sitting in a hole.

The rear folding seat can now be locked into position. Boot capacity doesn’t appear to be any greater that the previous generation.

Clutch action is nice, and the gearshift moves smoothly through the gears. The gearshift knob is a bit unpleasant.

Wheel and tyre size for the Cooper and Cooper S is unchanged from the previous car. I don’t like the wheel designs for the new Mini.

The new Mini is a very nice car, except a few things bother me. I feel the car has been moved over closer to what a BMW should feel like and less what a Mini should. The Mini was critized for hard ride, so BMW soften up both the Cooper and the Cooper S. People complained that the steering was too quick so BMW engineers slowed it down. BMW dialed out what I think made the Mini special. The new car is set up to make more paletable for the average driver. You don’t motor anymore in a Mini, you just drive it.

BMW always went to great lengths to make sure the Mini would not be confused with any BMW. Now the line is blurred. The date code tag on the left front strut mount that reads BMW made just proves my point.

BMW will sell every Mini that they make, and their owners will love the car. But I think the Mini just became a little less special now.

This will be a styling critique, as the line to drive one was long, and time was short. Seat time will have to come later.

Interior
Okay, okay, the MINI world is not ending – it just looks that way from certain angles; unfortunately, one of the worst offenders is right from the driver’s seat. The center stack really is cheesy looking, with ungodly plasticky looking, and feeling, knobs and controls – it is beyond me why MINI chose these design elements; they’re even somewhat confusing, and certainly non-intuitive. They have a “cartooney” look, a discordant design theme carried over onto the larger fender flares and an overall lack of subtlety and refinement, strangely in exact opposition to the mechanical end of the new design. The lounge leather was admittedly awesome, tho – the seats looked and felt like something from a much more expensive car. I’m all over those. The codpiece seats still look yucky to me, but they are quite comfy – I’d jump for the lounge, myself, tho. The pedals are bit too far apart for comfortable heel-and-toe, but I get a sense of more room in length for the front-seaters, at least as far as the general placement of things.

I’m not too sure about the interrupted oval elements in the doors; not only is there less storage all around in the interior – you can just about keep a pair of matchbooks in the rear seat “coin slots”, and maybe three of ‘em in the extremely reduced front door pockets, and don’t get me started on the glove box: room for one only unless you cut the fingers off both – anyway, with the driver’s door open it looked like two broken rib ends sticking out of the red leather….uh….no. The back seats are still for Billy Barty and his family, but they’ll have more butt room, at least – sadly, my 6′2″ noggin says less headroom.

Exterior
As I mentioned, the bigger flairs are, well, BIGGER, and they serve the new design to keep the proportions commensurate with the first MINIs, but I can’t help thinking 3/4 of an inch less outside radius would have been more elegant. Under no circumstances should these be painted body-color, the car would look heavy and disjointed. I still would have an assendectomy if I got the newest MINI coupe – Sir Mix-a-lot might like it, but I see it as a styling continuation of the less stylish, higher belt-line – it looks fat-assed. Ixnay on the uttbay, guys, in the next new and improved, and try to slim down the chrome trim – looks like it was stuck on with a trowel, when it should be done with a fine camel-hair brush. The headlights are deceptively large – they look a helluva lot smaller than they really are…until you open the hood. Holy Cow! I can stick my head thru the headlight cut-outs, and I did so without removing my specs – freaking huge holes! I could only think of Mister Magoo, but that wasn’t the cartoon element they were shooting for, I’m sure. Speaking of opening the hood, interestingly, MINI has chosen a retro theme – they are acknowledging the blood line of old Mini release latch, literally. On the original Minis, the latch was hangin’ down right in the center of the open hood, and was a nice skull-gouger if you weren’t careful; the newest MINI has a frighteningly similar one offset to the right now, so if you do a lot work on your engine, better hope your genetics don’t hold the promise of male-pattern baldness. Then again you could always say you got the scars fighting Finnish sailors down on docks, I guess.

The presentation of the new MINI engine is BBBBOOOORRRIIINNNGG. What happened to that wonderful intercooler???, a flat-out loud visual that your ‘S’ had something special in there! Now there’s just a coupla boxes about the size of a fat man’s lunch, just sittin’ there like lumps. Oh the humanity – it will never, I repeat never, look as boy racer as the last ‘S’, sigh – remember when everybody would open their hood to show off, even the Coopers? I predict this will be less common. And what’s with the agricultural exhaust pipe cover right in front on the ‘S’ – it looks like something my 10-year old once hammered out of a Julian Pie tin in Scout Camp. Change the stampings there, boys. The best thing, tho, is this motor will be easier to work on, and has less of thrown-together look overall – a place for everything, and everything in its place.

The headlights really do look good with the hood closed, and if it saves a few jay-walkers, at least MINI did a bang-up job on the front-end styling overall, IMHO. The average joe will prolly not even notice any difference, and a lot of slight inconsistencies in the previous version are cleaned up nicely – the grill is beautifully proportioned, and no hint of the dreaded “snout” look. I’m not going to comment on the scoop – ’nuff said already, by just about everyone in the civilized world. The rear tail lights have a bit of the too-heavy chrome look, but once again, MINI has kept the faith with placement and shape. I noticed as well the rear wheel wells are less shrouded on the inside – the bits and pieces of the suspension are much more visible, giving it a look like a thinly-veiled racer. The new yellow – FEKKIN’ AWESOME! Close to Fly Yellow, and so much more warmer – way to go MINI!

Overall: Grade B

Outside: Grade – B+, with a mention in dispatches.

Inside: Grade – C, with a lot of homework assigned and the admonishment that the parents don’t do all the work.

Engine compartment: Grade – C+, with a chance to improve with extra project work.

For an evolutionary design, MINI got it pretty much right – strangely enough, on the way up and back, we saw a split window Beetle, an oval-window Beetle, and one of the last non-Super Beetles from the seventies – evolutionary designs that were related and deliberately so; MINI needs to focus on keeping the MINI an icon, and if that means a certain amount of sameness, they need to keep those basic elements just so; any tweaking should be done as carefully as possible. You don’t want MINI becoming just another small car that follows styling conventions just for the sake of caprice.

BCNU,
Rob in Dago

I just got home from test driving an 07 MCS and I’m in severe pain! I was grinning so hard driving the MCS that I think I sprained something in my face… Seriously, if I was to grin another inch, the top of my head would fall off!

Ok, enough of describing my joy with the experience of driving the R56 MCS. While I have limited experience driving any Mini, I can say that the R56 MCS rides better than it’s predecessor and the sport button really is a Jekyll/Hyde switch. I spent about 30 minutes driving around town and on the interstate both with the sport button on and off. I am impressed.

The laser blue MCS I test drove was a no-frills car. It had the leatherette interior with brushed alloy trim, the 6 speaker standard stereo, center arm rest, convenience package, auto climate control, 16″ wheels/tires and chrome interior trim. I will try to cover everything that I’ve read were concerns here and on NAM.

1: The center stack, IMHO, really doesn’t look bad in person. It might to a long-time Mini enthusiast but I personally didn’t see what all the griping was about.

2: The sport button really is a Dr. Jekyl / Mr. Hyde button. There is a very discernable difference in both the steering and throttle response.

3: The standard 6 speaker stereo system sounds really great. The interface is a bit confusing until you get used to it but other than that, I feel it is a top-notch sound system though I will opt for the 10 speaker system.

4: The gaps on the MCS I test drove seemed close to the 06 MCS I test drove a few weeks ago. The fit and finish of the 07 was fantastic IMHO.

5: The leatherette standard seats were comfortable and I’m not a small man. I stand 6′ tall and weigh in at around 240 lbs. My biggest gripe is that the door window sill just isn’t a comfortable place to rest my left arm and the left arm rest is too low to rest it there. As I’m right-handed, I don’t know what to do with my left arm.

6: When set to high, the heated seat will cook your behind!

7: The center arm rest was the perfect high and position for me.

8: I didn’t get much of a chance to play with the automatic climate control because the car was already warmed up when I test drove it and it was comfortable inside. I did bump it up a few degrees and it silently raised the temperature.

9: The differences in the body of the 07 versus the 06 are, IMHO, minor if anything. To me it is hard to tell an 06 from an 07. In my opinion both are beautiful cars.

There was a 2007 MCS in Sparkling Silver w/Black roof and bonnet stripes with redwood lounge leather at the dealership and that particular combinations of colors is dead sexy on a Mini. If I wasn’t absolutely certain that that will be the dominant color scheme, I’d change my preference from laser blue in a heartbeat.

Tested a lovely Cooper S at Mini of Peabody in MA today. I’m now working with the miniusa configurator to design one of my very own, and have already sent a couple more questions to the Salesman. I’m looking forward to having one that’s all mine Mine MINE.

I last test drove in 2004, and I was hooked then but not ready to buy. I know many MF readers mourn the change to a turbocharger, but the turbo performance is VERY nice (spoken as the owner of many Saab turbos, and there are a lot of criticisms I won’t bother sharing about them). I’m delighted with the new R56, and am not at all sad that I’ve waited until its debut to order one.
Come Spring time, if you see a Laser Blue S on the roads north and west of Boston… it might be me. ;^)

I drove the ’70 today. It was nice, I must comment.

1. The turn signal selector… Is a lever that pushes a button. It is electronic, and the noise that the car makes to give an audible is loud and annoying. When stopped at a light I noticed that when you move the gear selector left to right and back it cancels the signal.

2. The ride was ok, a bit too smooth for me, I mean this IS a MINI, right?

3. The seats were un-eventful.

4. The “key” is a bit clumsy, you must make sure you click it in.

5. I REALLY miss the supercharger!!! The turbo had the power, but not having the car screaming at you when you get on the gas is something that I am not too sure I could live without.

This new car makes me glad that I got my ’05 and that I can still order an ’07 and ’08 vert.

Drove two new MCS cars today. Personally I’m glad for the balance of comfort and handling. The cars on the standard suspension felt like you could attack the road and not loose your teeth over the bumps. It rolls and squats a bit. The engine had good torque most everywhere. LSD a must! The sport button is more of a personal preference in my opinion. It’s what you’re used to that will matter if you use it often. I forgot to turn it on in my first car. When I did in the 2nd it was noticeable and different but I’m not convinced it would produce any faster track times, etc. Brakes seemed very good. 16″ tires were more comfortable over bumps than 17″ though only by the usual amount.

The exterior is fine. The standard s-winder wheels look to be very light weight.

The interior is nice and I didn’t look too close to see any fit problems. Cloth seats could have a bit heavier material and is much like on the new base Rabbit 2dr except for the checkers. The Lounge leather is great and leatherette is nice. The seats are still not as comfortable as some of the competition like VW. They seemed a bit small to my 6’4″. Standard radio sound is marginal or below par for this class. Controls are OK. HVAC control are a bit light and the Auto HVAC does looks a bit less cheap. The chrome interior package looks nice with most of the trims and I think I would order that if I get a 2nd chance. The Aluminum trim color sometimes looked a bit green to me and there were some noticeable surface imperfections in the checkered trim. Is the sunroof shade a joke? I moved it just enough to scare myself I would break it. Turn signal stalk, move it till you feel the “notch” and it stays on, is easy and logical once you’re used to it and really no different than any other.

I’m not a previous MINI owner. The driving exceeded my expectations and I think would even more so over time. The exterior met my expectations. The interior was a bit below my expectations. I may go compare a GTI again just to make sure I still want the MINI.

WOW! I went down to my local Mini dealership today to check out the newly arrived R56. I couldn’t have made a better decision to bring along my fiancee, because it resulted in a new orbital key fob dropped in my hand with direction to return the car in one piece.

Having never owned a Mini, but being a long time fan and potential buyer I have test driven the R53 MCS prior to the R56 MCS. I have to say I was disappointed in the performance of the R53 in my test drive. The R56 was noticeably faster, and nothing less than a joy to drive.

»The sport suspension was a bit harsh imho for everyday driving.»The new turbo is awesome, and the overboost kick at 4.5k-5k rpm painted a huge grin on my face.»The center stack and (gimongous) speedo look better in person than in pictures, as many others have noted.»<b>I noticed an annoying wind noise from the sunroof even when it was closed</b>. Has anyone else noticed this?»Another complaint I had was the cheapness of some interior parts. I know that this is a $20k car, but I must say the VW GTI interior is a step up. (But the leatherette was very nice, and we both thought it would be our first choice in interior compared to the $1900 lounge leather option)»Also I looked closely at the hood scoop, and <b>it most definitely blocked the air flow to the engine.</b>

Overall an awesome car though. I hope to own one later this year once some of the initial kinks are fixed.

I test drove a Cooper S yesterday at MINI of Morristown. The place was very busy and my MA was busy with customers so the sales manager took me out for the ride. I own an 06 MCS w/JCW that I got in September so that is what I have to compare it to. The first look at the 07 S was nice. Having read a lot of reviews I had to go in with an open mind. From the outside it is hard to see the difference at first, but once you look closer you can notice the differences. Getting inside you felt at home, sure some things were moved around and missing but it was still a comforting feeling. I started up the MINI and off we went. The first thing I noticed was the sound, were did it go? The 07 is more softly spoken and the SC sound is gone. The car handles great, there was still some snow on the road so I was not really pushing the MINI too much. I did notice the slightest bit of lag with a hard exceleration, but not like the turbos of days gone past. The car is tight, smooth and really a pleasure to drive. The center stack looks very cheap but the rest of the interior is nice. The momentary contact of the turn signals took a while to get used to but is also nice. The comfort feature is very cool, as you walk away from the car the doors lock, and with the key in your pocket you just have to grap the door handle and it unlocks the doors. In all, the 07 is a very sweet ride. Would I give up my 06 JCW? Not on your life, but I would add the 07 to the stable.

Morristown already sold one of their sparkling silver/rusty interior combo on the premise, I was told by a salesman, that the color is already slated for dicontinuation on hardtops.

word is there are still some out there:

<a href="http://gpmini.net/wp/2007/02/some_gps_still_not_sold/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://gpmini.net/wp/2007/02/some_gps_still_not_sold/</a>

Ok, so today I had a chance to drive the R56 MCS. I must say, this is something I’ve been waiting on since before I ever even ordered my 2006 MCS back in June of 06. I had to make a decision at that point to go for the MINI I knew I loved, or to wait it out and see how impressed I was with the new model. I wish I had more time, like a weekend testdrive, to really get a chance to get a feel for the car. The car I drove was a MCS, 6-speed manual, non-sport suspension, no-DSC, 16″ runflats.

I’m glad I didn’t wait. Let me say though, that is not because this is not a good car. I am glad I didn’t wait because I’ve experienced so much already by owning BLISS, that it’s something I do not regret at all! I do think that the R56 is a wonderful car, and will make plenty of owners very happy. I do think that it’s a bit softer now, as you will soon see…

These cars NEED a suspension upgrade. As someone who bought this car with suspension as a top priority I was very upset that the non-sport suspension was so soft and so hard to predict. In all honesty, not upgrading the MINI suspension in some way is as bad of a mistake as ordering an automatic. Actually, with that said… MINI has “Americanized” the R56. “Order me up an MCS with automatic, big ‘ol cupholders, soft suspension, and make the car a little fatter too if you don’t mind, it’s making my rear look small in comparison. By the way, what the heck is a sport button for? Who would want to drive ’sporty’?”

I don’t like the softening effect taking place at MINI. The arches, the rear end, the bonnet (at least if your head smashes into it when you walk out into traffic), they have all been toned down and softened. I try to look at it with optimism in hopes that the only reason they softened the MCS is so that when the JCW car comes out all of the true drivers will find the car they have been looking for. Sure, you can order your MCS with a sport suspension, a 6-speed manual, and go ahead and use that sport button, but there is just something lacking. Where is the heavy steering or the supercharger screaming as I tear through the twisties?

So you are out driving your new MINI, but then you try to use the A/C, or maybe find a radio station. Ha! Unless you’ve spent your first 48 hours with your new MINI sitting in the driveway, reading the manual and figuring out what everything does, you have no chance at SAFELY operating your new car. One thing MINI really screwed up on was the center console. Not only does it look like they asked Tyco to supply their buttons and switches this time around, but they apparently forgot that you wouldn’t be looking at your feet while driving. Unless you take your eyes off the road for a few seconds, it is very difficult to make adjustments to anything other than the fan speed or temperature. I guess you could adjust the volume too, since they made use of dead space by randomly throwing the volume knob in.

The aesthetics inside the new 01-06 MINIs were, well, not wonderful. They at least seemed to pull off a wonderful design though, something that the R56 does not do. They added a really fun “color line” and gave more knee room to people in the front, but screwed up the placement of everything you’ll use while operating your car. The interior design of the new MINI is wonderful in some places and disastrous in others. The tach is visible now and the door handles feel solid. The switches will be hidden behind your 44oz Big Gulp though, and if you want to change where the heat or air comes from you’ll need to look down and fiddle for a minute. The new seats are a great improvement, though they appeared to give way a little easier when REALLY pushing through the corners. Oh, and in case you were wondering how fast you were going, just ask the cop 5 cars behind you, I’m sure he’ll be able to read your center speedo now.

To sum up my views on the R56 MINI, I’m not sure exactly how I feel. They may have improved upon the refinement of the car in many ways, but by doing so, they have robbed us of some of the “motoring” feel that we loved with the R50/R53. I don’t feel the road as much, and I don’t enjoy the drive like I do in my R53. I’m sure it’s a much more livable car for the everyday American, but that’s not who I am, or who MINI has focused on for years. I want to really DRIVE, and really MOTOR. What happened to “Let’s Supercharge, let’s lane change, let’s motor?” Now all MINI wants us to feel is “Let’s cupholder, let’s quiet down, let’s soften.”

Please, BMW/MINI, please make the JCW car soon. And please use the GP as your platform, not your typical American A-B Transportation.

Happy R53 Motoring!

Drew

Took delivery of my ’07 Chili Pepper red w/ white top Mini on Saturday. The dealer, Global Imports of Atlanta, said mine was the second ’07 delivered that day.

After only 120 miles, here is what I see:

It looks and feels bigger than our ’04 (which we kept – my wife wouldn’t part with it under any circumstances) especially in the dash area. It feels like we are peering over the dash rather than looking across. Noticable wind noise, a low whistle, from the closed sunroof when over 35-40 mph. Tried opening and closing the roof several times, no change.

The auto transmission is noisy in the lower gears but quiets out at road speed. Is shifting more smoothly all the time, just may be a wear-in issue. The engine sounds more wheezy than I expected with this new iteration and I thought more sophisticated design. Again, this is from moderate motoring as I always pay attention to the wear-in instructions.

The radio is the most complex component in the car, I sat in the garage for 45 minutes getting it set up. First thing on our drive into work this morning my wife changed the stations attempting to change the volume. A minor point but looks like poor ergonomics.

Out on the highway it has the Mini feeling of stability and sure-footedness. Cruising at 70 has the engine at a relaxed 2,700 rpm’s, this will be a good touring Mini. Ride is softer (more compliant, actually) and absorbs the poor Atlanta street surfaces very well.

The sport seats are great, feel just like the previous ones. The dealer said ours was the first punched leather option they had seen, and everyone was admiring the appearance. I like the marginally bigger boot – we get a week’s groceries in the ’04, should be a certain fit now.

The ignition fob is an odd touch. I have two other cars with push button starters, and both of those feel purposeful. The Mini fob/push button seems contrived somehow. It takes two steps to accomplish one action, whereas in the other cars inserting and turning a key (similar actions) seems more natural or meaningful. Not quite sure how to describe this, it just isn’t a favorite feature of ours.

Steering is overboosted. Too soft, but some road feel does get through. I would prefer this turned down about 50%, too bad there isn’t a dial adjustment for the electric boost.

Breaks are powerful but grabby. Again, this may be a wear-in issue.

More to follow, this is our new daily driver so I’ll be rolling up the highway and urban miles pretty quickly.

I’ve gone in for 3 test drives over the years since the MINI was brought back to life by BMW, so I’ve seen them, but haven’t lived with one. I drove a new MCS yesterday.The R56 is clearly a fine, solid, comfortable and fun ride. Since my driving style isn’t necessarily “racetrack aggressive” on the roads here in L.A., I can’t really compare it in that mode. If felt very comfortable and solid. To my eye the center console didn’t look all that bad, but I admit that one of the things I like is the quirk factor of the oversized speedo. The door loops are indeed plastic, but the short door handles were the brushed alloy. Sure, it would be better if all the trim were alloy, but I was surprised by how well the two materials matched up.
Again, the turn signals feel different, but that shouldn’t be a problem after a day or so. It’s going to take three steps to get moving: Put the fob/key in, push the Start button, and push the Sports button. The difference with the Sports button on was like night and day to me.
Since I’m taking delivery of mine in about two weeks, I’m most concerned about the Sunroof noise. No question that it was there at higher speeds with the Sunroof fully closed. I mentioned it to the MA and he agreed and said that it’s been mentioned by others.
From those in the know: Is this something that will be able to be fixed?

Stopped by MINI of Sterling (VA) late this afternoon and got to take a long drive in a yellow 2007 MCS. Here are some brief comments.

Exterior: Overall shape is fine. As many before me have stated I dislike the loss of the curved rear side glass and hate the plastic piece that takes its place. I really dislike the bulge of the body where it meets the glass in the rear area. Surprisingly the front does not bother me too much. Overall it is acceptable but I really like the look of my 02 MCS more.

Interior: Center stack – sucks (but everybody already knows that 😉 Overall everything else is really nicer. With the new telescoping and tilting wheel finding the right driving position is much easier. The quality of the cloth seats was very good I thought (my car has leather)

Driving thoughts: I completely forgot to hit the sport button!!! However, I found the car to be quite peppy but very quiet. I would definatly be adding an exhaust right away if I got one. The car reved freely and had power throught out the rev range but again, too quiet even at higher rpms. The shift action was nice but other than better gear ratios (which were improved on 05 and 06 MCSs) I did not feel it was so much better than my tranny. I believe it is hard to tell until a transmission has some miles on it. This car only had 98 miles. I think the car maintains all of the fun tossability but I must admit that I prefer the hear all and feel all I get from my 02. I would buy one of these but think I’ll wait to see the clubman.

Anyone have any info on the future JCW kit…please share.

also wanted to add that the Cooper handled better than the MCS. The R56 S was very nice overall, but the handling at the limit was a turn off when compared to the R53, even with SS+ suspension and sport button active all the way. Also the extremely light clutch pedal action was unsettling for me. Perhaps this is great for someone new to manual transmission, but for me, I had to re-learn launching the car out of 1st gear because the damn pedal almost gives no feedback. This is one of the most significant differences owners of the R53 will notice on the R56 MCS manual.

Conversely, after my 30 minute drive in the R56 MCS and coming back to my car, I had to re-learn launching out my R53 out of first gear. The clutch pedal in the old car is decidely FIRM but love the fact that it gives you feedback when it “bites”.

The new shifter in the MCS is smooth and direct but I found the throws to be a little on the long side. Reverse is now a piece of cake, but way to easy now to accidentally engage it in the midst of traffic.

More details to come later, but all I can say is this: Current R53 owners (Specially 2005 and 2006) don’t have to lose sleep over the new car. The steering’s calibration and out of the box suspension settings (Not to mention the oh intoxicating supercharger whine and exhaust burble)are still a cut above of the R56. Drving the R56 you can clearly see how BMW decidely over engineered the R53. You may ask how the R53 JCW GP fares against the R56 MCS? No contest! The R53 JCW GP kills the R56 MCS in every measure of performance and handling. The JCW GP will continue to be, for sometime, the fastest best handling Cooper S from factory.

Did the test drive.I like it.Torquey and quick. seats
drastically improved, ride is way better (this car had sports susp and 17s). Steering too light w/o sport button engaged. Had a heckuva time figuring out how to turn on radio. Could use a “short shifter” option.

No problem getting used to turn signals but I wish the center stalk was a bit nore “low key”. Other interior details were quite nice and appeared to be upgraded.

Needs an exhaust system.

I look at this as a polishing of the last generation.
Maybe it has lost a bit of its “edginess” but they same the same about contempory Porsches and Ferraris too. We are just going to have to get used to PROGRESS.

2 thumbs up. Still feels like a MINI to me albeit a more comfortable MINI.

Yes a short throw shifter would be a great option.

Hi Download_Complete, thanks for the extensive review – appreciate it.

Garth,

FYI

I received my R56 MCS on 2/21 – it has LSD and Sport Suspension, Premium, Sport & Cold weather Packages – all WONDERFUL options that I would highly recommend -the LSD and Sport Suspensions are MUST HAVES to maximize the MINI experience.

When closed at freeway speeds – 55 – 70+ mph, my sunroof is quiet with no wind noise. I have noticed other reviews stating wind noise during the test drives. My vehicle was manufactured the first week of Jan. ’07.

Bought the first tank of gas today after a full week of commuting/motoring in our R56. We took delivery a week ago today and are averaging 33.6 MPG in our commuting loop consisting of a good mixture of highway and inter-urban 5 MPH bumper-to-bumper Atlanta traffic.

My impressions have gotten remarkably more positive. This is from a side-by-side comparison to our ’04 R53 which we are keeping.

The auto transmission whine in the lower gears is moderating, was a wear-in issue most likely. Engine is more responsive now, it may take a few hundred miles to really tell what the new powerplant is like.

The impression of larger size is, by my impression, due mostly to the higher beltline. It feels more like we are sitting in it than the R53, but like most things we are getting used to it.

Two points: death by increment is a real possibility. The gradual adoption of “improvements” can inexorably change the MINI character into just another small car. BMW/MINI needs to be acutely aware of this. Secondly, I have not found that people who buy MINI’s really wish they could have a BMW. These are two different demographics, and BMW will at their marketshare peril confuse the two. Keep a MINI a MINI.

All considered, we are really glad to be a two MINI family now.

Last Friday in Schaumburg, I was recalling what motoringfile readers have said about cheap plastic interior items in the new Minis. However, a test drive made all that irrelevant: the plastice is just plastic, but what a great ride the MCS is, at any speed!

The accelerator lag that others have mentioned was there, but the 1/2 second delay led to a nice reward. Handling was as expected, quick and responsive. The sport button might help distracted or inattentive drivers to stay out of adjacent lanes; I don’t see much use for it otherwise.

Except for the steep cost of customizing, I couldn’t find any excuse not to buy, so my order is in : )

Thanks to all the motoringfile contributors who provided information and insights that helped me make my choice.

I’ve had my ’07 Cooper for about a momth and I love the precise steering and the feeling of quality.One of the problems is that the fuel gauge showed half full when there was actually only 1.4 gallons left in the tank. The service tech does not even acknowledge that this is a problem. Furthermore, the engine produces a loud clicking noise for the first 3 minutes when cold. Again, the helpful service tech said it was the fuel control and “they all do it”. It sounds like an old Mercedes 240 diesel. My wife’s comment was: Face it, it’s not a Honda. OUCH!

We have nearly 800 miles on our ’07 S. The big surprise: My wife (who has the Audi Allroad) now wants to drive it all the time!

A couple of questions:

The speedometer is about 10% fast, saying we’re going 30 when it’s really 27 (as measured by radar), etc. The MA says that the car’s within spec with as much as +/- five mph differential. Huh??

The fuel tank is supposed to hold 13.2 US gallons. On our only 2 fill ups, we put in 12.8, then 13.4, topping off each time. Each time the electronic display indicated we had 35-50 miles left. Wazzup? How many gallons can you get in this puppy?

A couple of ramblings:

By now, I’m sure most of your readers have discovered that only the pre-production models had the gap-toothed bonnets. The fit and finish on our Chili/Black S is excellent. ….OK, we have to really whack the boot closed to avoid the dreaded “Bonnet Open” chime, but the dealer says he’ll adjust that.

I still can’t believe you get that much torque out of an engine that’d look at home on my lawn mower.

Yes, it feels like it’s easy to hit reverse when going thru the forward gears and tight corners. I’d really like a better lockout design, maybe a downward motion instead of two similar LH pressures for 1st and reverse.

Up here in Washington, where the roads are noisy anyway, no reason to recommend an upgraded sound system b/c you’re fighting road noise in a car without any notable insulation.

Overall? Love it!

Have to say I’m quite disappointed with the new R56. As the owner of an’02 MCS, I was looking forward to the new car – but something just “ain’t” right.

Several changes are not only the result of new EU legislature but obvious cost cutting. One or two things I can accept, but taken as a whole, I have to say the car has lost a lot of character.

The car just doesn’t sit right anymore on its wheels, proportions are off, there is no more passion in the details. The Minilite-style rims on the MCS look like cheap, flat plastic wheel covers – c’mon guys!

The interior is more give and take – definately more solid, a few clever new features but also a little cheesy. Ok, the original had issues too. Miss the center-stack. Materials are classier, though.

Driving the car is also a toss-up. More refined, smoother, yes – but I miss the eager, frisky nature of the R53. The supercharger whine was part of the original car’s appeal – gone!

It really pains me to see a car as cool as the Mini developing this way. Everyone grows up sometime but this car is sadly on its way to becoming just another fish in a sea of econo-cars.

Get my (1st ever Mini) S 07 tonight. Been reading all day, so excitement is certainly building.

More tomorrow, if I get back to work!

Curious if anyone else is having an issue with 2007 mini cooper fuel guage. We have had our new car into shop twice and think we may be headed back. The fuel guage is not working. My daughter actually ran out of gas! Tank read as 1/2 full. Sent it back, they replaced it, and it happened again. Luckily she was keeping track of gas herself.
Anyone with simliar problems?