The 2007 MINI Launches in the US

Ummm, I think I will go drive my ’06 Cooper S instead.

Saw it sitting in the show room. Bright Silver color looled good. It did seem bigger.

I don’t like the fixed headlights with the wraparound bonnet. Looks like an alignment prob waiting to happen.

Very disappointed in the int. The color of the seats (something kinda orange) just clashed with the outside color!

The new center just looked very odd, no make it stupid.

Overall-my first impression was disappointment.

Just test drove the new cooper s, with regular sport package. Very nice! No turbo lag, with lots of power; pretty close to an ’06 JCW tuned one! Sport button is cool. With it off, throttle is less responsive and steering is slower and has less feel. With sport button on however, throttle is extremely responsive and steering is quicker with much better feel;awesome with sport button on. Like the digital mph read out in the tach., and push button start is cool. Plus, nice aluminum rear suspension pieces!

I came, I saw … and I too was very disappointed.

That said, I also was quite surprised to see the scant turnout for this premiere event — only a handful of people showed up at the Las Vegas dealership.

There is no point in rehashing what we already know but I had a chance to make a side-by-side ’06 v. ’07 comparison and the ’07 wins hands down! I also noticed some significant gaps where the bonnet joins the leading edge of the doors. I will never get used to the goofy looking Big Ben speedo and the new side light assembly is ugly.

Savor your pre ’07s — they are not only destined to become classics but are real time winners over their deformed siblings. Nothing some design stem cell re-engineering couldn’t fix and put a smile back on our faces

Saw it. Drove it. Bought it!!

Actually test drove both the R56 MC and MCS. MCS was really quick, probably too much car for me – esp with 2 teenagers in the house!! The MC had plenty of pick up, and was a blast to drive. These were my first Cooper experiences, so I can’t compare with past models, but the new ones are great!! Fit and finish of the interior were impressive and plenty of interior room – at least for front seat passengers. The push button start is really cool, as is the sport button. There was an immediate change in the feel of the ride when that button was pressed. I drove the MCS manual, and the MC with automatic. The paddle shifters would take some getting used to, but it was very cool to have control over changing gears when I wanted to (unfortunately, I kept upshifting when I wanted to downshift and vice versa) Overall, I was impressed enough to want to buy – ordered an Oxygen Blue/White MC which should arrive in about 8 weeks!!

Test drove the 07 and was completely disappointed compared to the 53. Speedo and center stack just doesn’t cut it, too large, integrated stereo, and too much plastic.

Definitely felt like a refined vehicle, but I don’t care for the refinement, it’s like a Jeep, you buy one to bounce, bump, and have lots of wind noise. Here you buy the Mini for the tight steering and cart ride.

Definitely purchasing the 06 this week to get the last of a great one! However, if you like the larger interior, higher front end, and refined ride that feels more like a Beemer, then this is the car for you.

My father and I put a school-bus yellow ’07 MCS through the paces this afternoon- a very fun MINI. Our MA gave us the key (if you can call that thing a key) and we had a big time. I’ll just say a bound above the stock MCS. And that it sounds GOOD under WOT. No supercharger whine, but GOOD exhaust tone.

I’m a mini motoring advisor and i have my own MCS. I have had the opportunity to drive the new cooper and S on the street and the track. The new Cooper in auto is definetly a million times better than the older one just because of the transmission. The CVT in my opinion sucks. I like the new S also but it doesn’t handle as good as my 06 MCS which by the way is Stock, no extras, etc…. The feel on the new S is great i love the redesigned inerior, but as i said the old MCS performs and handles way better than the new one. the new S just slides all over. Even with the sports button. I perfer performance over luxury and comfort so if i had to make a choice the 06 it is. FOR NOW……

Bud… for the record, we had one of our biggest turnouts ever in Vegas on Saturday. I was there from 8a to 8pm. We sold 4 R56’s and took orders for 3 more.

You can be disappointed all you want, but you do not need to enhance it with misinformation. Your ‘handful of people’ comment has ZERO merit. We have 4 MA’s, yet there were times people had to WAIT IN LINE to drive the new MINI.

I, for one, applaud the enthusiasm that many MF readers have expressed regarding the R56 although I personally dislike it. They have every reason to be delighted. It is simply a matter of personal taste. Some of us are more yin than yang and vice versa. Vive le difference! Those of us that do not share their enthusiasm should be equally accepted and applauded. Both pro and con factions must acknowledge one thing — the validity of consensus and so far the consensus seems to be negative.

I think many of us that were virtually in love with the R50 and 56 are actually heart-broken over the current iteration and may be forced to consider alternatives that deliver the qualities that regrettably no longer characterize the MINI,(or at least not as convincingly) as they once did.

First, I own a 2K5 PW/B S JCW with black leatherette. I love my car and I was curious to see what they had done with the R56. I viewed two of them, a Sparkling Silver/Black S manual with Redwood Red Lounge leather/piano black trim, and an Astro Black/White Cooper auto with beige gravity leather/wood trim. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to get a test drive.

My first impression of the R56 was that it seemed taller and proportionally slightly larger than my R53. The rear end seems a bit fuller than the outgoing MINI, and the front end grill was definitely a better integration. The rear ‘hump’ of the rear hatch metal bothered me a bit, as it seemed to have lost the graceful flow of the R53. I was surprised to see that the tail pipes of the S were so large compared to the R53, so much that I thought that they might be aftermarket upon first glance.

However, the overall feel of the exterior black plastic trim seemed to be of a cheaper quality than the R53, like it would more easily discolor and turn white over time. There seemed to be more black plastic trim around the wheel wells. Speaking of the wheel wells, I was disappointed that MINI decided to go with the cloth-like material of the rear wheel wells versus hard black plastic. I’ve hated this material as I first saw it on my mom’s New Beetle, and disappointed to see it on the new Cooper.

I am not a fan of the headlights that wrap around the side of the car. This, along with the less contoured hood, seems to take some of the mystique away from the R56. The Side marker area and the rear bumper valance of the S are also areas that I feel are poorly executed. Under the hood, I was surprised about the size of the windshield wiper plastic surround at the base of the windshield. It’s HUGE! The plastic doors covering the battery and other things are attached as one piece to this huge piece of plastic, with the plastic scored to form the hinges. If they break off, then the whole plastic piece would have to be replaced, which seems like it would be no easy task.

On the inside, I was very impressed with the seats, especially with the Lounge Leather. Both seats in the Cooper and the S were much more supportive than my R53. I loved that the forward/back adjustment lever was a bar across the front of the base of the entire seat, which made it much easier to find and adjust. The seats themselves slid smoothly and with less effort on my part than my R53.

Sitting inside, the shifter of the manual was definitely an awesome improvement over the R53, which I’ve always complained felt a bit rubbery and slightly imprecise. Now, the shifter does its job with a solid, confident feel.

Overall, the feel of the interior is that of a more upscale car than that of the outgoing model. I love the dual glove box, and the way the upper glove box door opens is so cool. The toggle switches are more substantial, and I like that there are toggles on the roof. The net pocket on the passenger side central tunnel was a nice touch. The room in the back was better than that of my R53 in my regular driving position, but only VERY slightly so. Oh, and did I mention those seats??

On the downside, there seemed to be too many different plastic colors and textures throughout the cabin. It is nothing that you would notice at first, but definitely upon closer inspection. The black plastic around the tach was of two different plastics, with the rear being shinier than the front portion. This to me seemed to be poor execution that the designers tried to hide with the nice chrome trim ring in the front. I also thought that the black plastic of the turn signals/windshield wipers felt cheap, and left me missing the silver stocks of my car.

Along the center stack, from the front to the side/glove box area, I counted four different plastic grains, and three different shades of black that ranged from charcoal grey to black. And speaking of the center stack arrangement…the plastic trim piece that fills the void around the HVAC and other controls seems like an 11th hour fight to the finish line execution. Definitely CHEAP and FLIMSY! As for the HVAC controls themselves, I would almost prefer if they were black instead of silver. They just seem toyish and awkward looking. They should have kept the silver down tubes/black controls of the R53 design. As for the aforementioned Big Ben speedo…it really doesn’t bother me all that much. I kind of feel, however, that I would almost prefer the look of the Navigation unit, even though I would otherwise never order this piece of equipment.

Now, the trunk reeked of cheap materials. The entire trunk area is lined in the hard cloth material and it is flimsy. I am especially disappointed with the hatch cover deck behind the rear seats, In my R53, there is a nice solid hatch deck cover that I would never think twice about resting light and mid-weight groceries on while I packed away items in my trunk. However, now, the deck cover is VERY flimsy and cheap, like it was a last minute change by MINI bean counters that needed to make a cut somewhere (I think I read too many car magazines!). It actually reminded me of the cheapness that I would expect from GM cars of recent past! It seems insignificant, but cheap is cheap, and poor quality parts in seemingly tucked away areas still can and do make an impression.

Overall, the new R56 is a nicely revamped car that is a definite marked improvement over the outgoing model. However, I feel that some of the mystique of the original R53 has been lost in the transition, and that bean counters may have had their way in some of the final execution of certain materials. Would I trade my MINI in for the new…NEVER! I agree with others who have said that the R53 will become a classic. Should my R53 ever bite the bullet unexpectedly…I might consider it in my list of options.

Since my retort to MA has “mysteriously” vanished I am compelled to reiterate. While I cannot speak to the cumulative attendance I can relate my experience during the nearly two hours that I attended the ’07 debut in Las Vegas. In the interest of brevity I will eschew the specificity previously reported and simply say that if this was “one of the biggest events ever” you have good reason to celebrate the dozen or so “handfuf” that I observed.

I am now convinced that this forum clearly does not permit dissenting opinion or for that matter the opportunity to retort since I just attempted to post a comment to iNomi which was blocked. I anticipate that this message will also never be posted either according to your apparent censorship practice. If it does post I stand corrected and will assume a malfunction to be the root cause.

Please accept my retraction of the previos two comments. I stand corrected and am very pleased that I do. After waiting for a considerable period of time without seeing a post, I concluded that my submissions had been censored out. Clearly this has not been the case and I apologize for the error. Onward MF … I rejoice!

Just exercising my fingers FranklnMiami — “ranting” notwithstanding my motoring friend 🙂

Bud… like I said before, you do not have to like the R56. I totally respect your opinion, I really do. Like the R50, R52 and R53, the R56 is not for everyone.

My issue was only with your ‘scant’ turnout comments. You were here for 2 our of 12 hours. You were not here at close, when half a dozen people were here and did not want to leave! While it does seem most posts in here are negative regarding the R56, the overwhelming response in the store is positive.

Love it or hate, the MINI will always generate lively chatter.

Im1hapa wrote: “I, however, left San Francisco MINI with a residue of anger and a feeling of having been belittled,…”.

I know the feeling IM1hapa, I purchased my MINI from SFMini in 2004 and the (Salespeople) or MA as they are called, are not the friendliest. While the service Dept has been friendly, I’n not sure I would purchase my next Mini at SFMINI. I’ve also gone down to Mountain View Mini and found them better. My friends who have Minis have told me that for the best experience, service, etc the best place in the Bay Area is Pleasanton MINI. If you don’t want to drive across the Bay, give Mountain View Mini a try. I also know someone who purchased a Mini from Concord Mini, their exprience was it’s another unfriendly place.

Ralph, how long have you been working for EastBay MINI?
Pretty crappy to bad mouth other dealers don’t show a lot of class.

I think that the R56 will hit a more wide range of customers which is good for our brand MINI owners. The R53 I believe has the edge on performance and looks. But MINI has improved on complaints that I have read from a lot of forums and current customers, such as power steering going out and others say the steering is too heavy and a touchy throttle. Cup holders, seems like all the little touches they have really focused on the R56 but I think everyone has an opinion and there isn’t a perfect car out there for everyone.

As someone who won’t get to see/drive the new car until this Saturday, I say: let’s hear more about the R56, less about dealer service — the NAM site has good forums/threads for that topic.

FrankinMiami – thanks for the pics. Like everyone else, I’ve seen many before, but the pics of the body gaps in that CR are down-right scary.
kcollins – “Mind the Gap” is right.

The sparkling silver/black/lounge leather combo does look very sharp . . . so much so, that I agree many will have that very combo; maybe I’ll have to get it with black lightning, Coop graphics just to be different — lol.