Interface Experts Review the MINI Interior
We’ve said it many times on these pages and now we’re being joined by the experts; the R56 center console is a usability mess. And now the usability experts at usercentric.com have taken the current MINI’s center console to task for being “awkward”. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
>…The audio system suffers from an inefficient layout of controls and poor error recovery. The selection dial could be mistaken for the volume control (Figure 3), which actually sits further down below the CD player outside of the main area of interaction. This control is seems disconnected from the rest of the audio system.
Not news to anyone who owns an R56 or R55 but certainly interesting to see it written by usability experts.
+ What’s Driving the Mini Cooper? Not the User Experience / usercentric
…one of a few things that were a backward step from my old R53… too much plastic being my other gripe. Still got the R56 tho… 😀
“which affords more leg room for rear seat passengers” comparison of Old Classic Mini vs new MINI.
Did these guys do measurements and actual seatability?
I agree that the R56 dash is a mess, but lets face it; if you are an owner and not just someone who hopped in to play around with the buttons or write a review, all it takes is a few days to get used to it and go on with your business.
Same thing can be said about the split door rearview mirror issue on the Clubman.
<blockquote>“which affords more leg room for rear seat passengers†comparison of Old Classic Mini vs new MINI.
Did these guys do measurements and actual seatability?</blockquote>Reread the article. The statement was referring to Clubman vs coupe.
Agreed…I find the controls to be superb in real life and I like the styling, too.
I’m also from the makes more sense when you live with it camp. The volume seemed wrong to me at first blush, but turns out its sitting down where my hand does all its business on the stick shift. Sorry, its a case of life being right and the reviewer being wrong.
That said the BMW designers could use a field trip to Apple to learn about how to make an obvious interface for the display. It suffers a bit from the remote control syndrome where you just throw more buttons at a problem. The row of station preset buttons below the screen is a retro throw back to an old fashioned push button dial. There is nothing those buttons do that you can’t do with the dial, so why have them at all. You can also navigate the menu with the arrow buttonss on either side, or the selectors on the steering wheel. We have 4 sets of buttons for one action.
This all works fine and dandy when you are used to it, really most owners its a non issue, but if you want it to review well then it has to be obvious and work for the first time user. Apple is very good at that, Mini not so much. Do they care? Do they think they are building the car for reviewers or owners? Which would you prefer they do? Oh wait, this is the car company that gives reviewers cars that are not optioned up for the best performance… so much for reviews.
But all this is aside from the looks of the stack. That’s what most people can’t get over, and they don’t understand the OS – all they know is they can’t figure it out. Squawk as everyone might I think there really is no story here.
One thing I want to add is that the whole interface for setting up the car which is done from the turn signal stalk using the display on the tach is much more problematic than anything going on in the center stack. Granted it was much improved in the 07 model, its still confusing and reminds me trying to set up a cheap chronograph watch from timex.
Is this the way BMWs set up? Or was this something that was inherited from Rover?
HAHAH, controls that take a couple of days to get used to?! If the dash designers went to design school, they would have flunked and would be working at McDonald’s now. Don’t Make Me Think!
My personal favorite, the wiper’s stalk has a small icon where it is on top going behind the stalk. Who the heck can see that little icon from the driver’s seat. Unreal. Its not even illuminated.
How much better would the car be if you can just sit in there figure out the controls and drive it without issues.
I would hate to rent this car at night (having never driven a mini before)
I think a new generation Mercedes is just as confusing as well as any other car that has a lot of bells and whistles. Quirky look aside, don’t tell me you can get into any modern day car and just be comfortable with the controls in 5 minutes.
Are we this lazy as humans and willing to settle for what we are “used to”?
I always hear about how difficult the I-drive setup is to use. This is my second R-56 w/ Nav and I find the stick very easy to use and I navigate easily between the Nav, phone, satellite, and radio screens w/out any issues.
There’s an issue with the Clubman having split doors??
We have an “08”. No problems there.
But, the heat controls and seat heater buttons stink!
Oh, and the radio control buttons on the back of the two spoke rule when compared to the, nintendo style, hard to use buttons on the 3 spoke. They are a distraction to use, I reach for the volume knob its just easier.
I think much of the issue is that a lot of MINI drivers are unfamiliar with other cars in the BMW family. To answer one of the questions above, these controls are from BMW design, not Rover. My 1987 BMW 535is, and my 2005 BMW 3 series both had the “BC” control, which stands in BMW-speak for “Body Computer” – trip computer would be more logical. I have had my MINI for more than a year and I’m fairly used to how things work, but even now I discover new things about the audio/UI that i didn’t know. It’s unusual for the volume control to be located where it is, but for those of us who have the MFSW, it’s never really touched, anyway.
The current interior is THE reason preventing me from even considering replacing my 02 S. It is one thing to be quirky and respect design history (e.g. dip switches for the windows). It is another thing to do what they did with the current interior. You shouldn’t have to pull out a manual. Period.
first time i drove a 7 series (2005 model) I couldn’t figure out how to put the dang thing in gear!
(it’s a stalk similar to the turn signal stalk)
I would have to say that Mini could really stand to rework the dash and center stack. I still have to say that without the nav the oversize speedometer is just to massive. While nothing about the controls are to bad to understand they could stand to look this over again. As for the center stack I think they should fire every designer and manager that gave this the all clear. A low point of Mini design. It reeks of cheapness and feels like it came out of a children’s toy design factory. Another beef I have with the interior is that the quality of the plastics still feel cheap to me also.
Thank God I have a team of “Interface Experts” to tell me in explicit detail just how wrong I am about the car’s interface. You know what I just don’t care…
Perfect pedal placement, great seating position, crisp shifter within quick reach. Everything else is irrelevant.
I wish they wouldn’t have gone with a center speedometer in the first new Mini. Now it’s unlikely that we’ll ever be rid of it. It’s a bad idea in a Scion or an Echo or a Saturn and it’s a bad idea in a Mini, too. Mini can talk all they want about it’s rallying heritage – but I don’t drive with a navigator!
Just put the flippin’ speedometer where it belongs and put the vents where they can be functional for something other than blowing air on my hands.
i do agree that the interior design is just horrid, and the materials are REALLY crap for a car that costs over $20K USD.
its the reason why i have been waiting for the refresh the past 4 years to buy one… im hoping the new model is at least semi decent.
in terms of the center stack speedo, i understand tradition, and having worked in teh autobiz myself, ive read all those reports saying that its actually faster and safer to put it in the middle (the eye takes less time to turn and focus looking ‘side to side’ than ‘up and down’, plus if you look to an elevated center stack, you at least see a piece of the road.)… but one thing they didnt account for was that people are USED to seeing teh stuff smack in front of them… but i digress…
the more i think about it, i rarely touch the radio controls once i have everything set… and since the mini does have controls on the steering wheels, i guess its fine on the bad ergonomics and UI for the controls. i didnt want my passengers touching my radio settings anyway…
all i ask is that to get an interior worthy of the price im paying for the car, meaning it has to be equal if not better than a VW interior.
Same can be said about scientific calculator, but it works beautifully when you learn how everything works. If people wants conformity, they should get a Toyota Camry.
<blockquote>That said the BMW designers could use a field trip to Apple to learn about how to make an obvious interface for the display.</blockquote>Apple may not be the best to emulate. Like MINI, they have their share of form over function failures, such as the round puck mouse in the late 90’s.
Personally I am quite happy with the way the center stack is set up. I like the volume by itself as it can actually be easier to sure this way. I use my iPod 24/7, and I almost never mess with the standard audio controls. So having the volume seperate from the rest is in my favor. Also, I find the climate control to be easy to use and simple in its layout. Oh well…
I enjoy owning a car that doesn’t have the same interior controls as every other clone car out there. I don’t find any of the controls difficult to operate either though.
I’m in the camp that likes the center stack as well. One of the driving criteria was to give a little extra footwell room, which is well appreciated in the R56. I’m not a fan of the linear dial controls in the manual ac, but for the trade off of the extra bit of room for my feet I like it. I sat in a R53 and a R56 before I purchased my R56 and it was night and day in terms of comfort of seating position. In the R53 my right leg was crammed up against the center stack in an unnatural seating position, in the R56 it was more comfortable and natural a seating position. The volume control is also perfect. It is in such a good place, right where my hand is with the shifter anyway, that I rarely if ever use the mfsw controls for anything other than cruise. I also like the OBC display capability in the center stack, and navigating it between radio, cd and obc display is very natural with the dial. It took about 10 minutes after purchasing the car to be comfortable with it all.
I think most of what they wrote is accurate. I think you could find many similar issues with just about any car. They seem to agree if you are familiar with the car, many would be a non-issue. I would say the most flawed item they pointed out is the 2 sided single buttons. You have to judge by experience which button goes with the function displayed above it.
<blockquote>“which affords more leg room for rear seat passengers†comparison of Old Classic Mini vs new MINI.</blockquote>
The text fully reads:
<blockquote>Take the Mini Clubman for example. Compared to its cousin the Mini Cooper, it is approximately 10 inches longer, which affords more leg room for rear seat passengers and greater trunk space while not compromising on performance.</blockquote>
Because they specifically mention the Clubman, I believe they are comparing the R55 Clubman to the R56 (normal coupe). In that case, the assessment is absolutely true.
But yes, it would be nice if they also compared the R56 (or R50, for that matter) to the classic Mini. It’s… (how to put this nicely…?) “surprising” that in a car that’s smaller in size, rear passengers have more room 🙂
Anyway, just to make sure Mini (who will probably read this too) gets the impression that everything is fine and dandy, I would also like to chime in to agree with the article. My dad just bought a Clubman and he couldn’t really figure out how to work the radio(!). When it isn’t immediately apparent to him how something works, he usually resorts to me (so that in itself isn’t really saying much), but I too had trouble figuring out what to do. Not that it took much effort, but as someone else said: <i>Don’t Make Me Think!</i> This is the title of a book about web design, but I think it applies to any kind of user interface design, really.
Hmm… Would love the ability to edit my comments here, I just can’t seem to get a post right the first time around…
<blockquote>just to make sure Mini (who will probably read this too) gets the impression that everything is fine and dandy</blockquote>
That should have been “…does not get the impression…”, of course.
As it’s been said before, opinions are like….everyone has one — To quote the 1999 hit by Groove Armada “If everybody looked the same, We’d get tired looking at each other”
Seriously, if you plan to keep the car for several YEARS, is it really that big of a deal to look at the manual for a few MINUTES when you take delivery? It’s like if someone offers you a million bucks, but you complain because you have to walk across the street to get it.
Could it be difficult if you were just renting the car for the night? Sure. It would also be difficult to learn if you and your MINI were pushed out of the back of a cargo plane at 30,000 feet and were hurtling toward the earth . Fortunately, neither are relevant situations for someone who is purchasing/leasing a MINI.
When I went on my first test drive of the 09 MCS, I found roughly half the controls I was looking for to be unintuitive. I fell for the “where is the volume knob” thing, as well as getting a bit lots in setting up the stereo for the right station and such. Having said that, the signals, wipers, and actual driving controls all worked as expected. I had a great drive and ended up buying a MINI for the driving experience. The visual styling of the interior appeals to me, and I’m not turned off that it takes time to learn all the quirky stuff. I treat it like a game.
BMW did exactly what they have always done. Cheapen up the interior and put money in the engine/suspension.
Gabe commented about this way back when the R56 was still in design stages.
I suspect that they will find a way to put iDrive into a MINI as well.
The buttons on the steering wheel go a long way towards helping, but they can not change a poor center stack design that the R55, R56, and R57 have..
Still they beat the 2001 Neon I drive today
Still beats the rental-car interior of a Chevy Cobalt! Besides, this poorly-designed interior contributes to the MINI’s character and soul, for better or worse.
Those who get it, get it.
Hopefully noone has found a way to burn themselves on any of the interior controls
The classic “designers” mantra… “Those who get it, get it”.
Sorry that to me sounds as some distracting mumbo jumbo to deviate from the fact that bad design is just that BAD DESIGN.
Here is my two pence directed towards Gert Hildebrand’s design team….
There is no need to continually re-invent the wheel. The center stack design of the second gen MINI is a clear example of this. Change for the sake of change is never a good thing (I know this is something very ingrained in the German way of thinking).
Take a look at the dashboard/center stack of the R53. Clean, simple, elegant, purposeful. It blends extremely well with the interior and exterior design elements of the car. It pays homage to the dashboard designs of the old Issigonis MINI. The stack with its center legs gives a nod to the rallye past of the Mini. The stack is made up of the radio, HVAC controls and the toggle switches. And speaking of the toggle switches, even though now you have 2 rows of them in the R56 (Headliner and bottom of center stack) they get lots on the sea of cheap plastics and trying too hard to be cool design elements.
In the R53 you had a maximum of 6 toggle switches. They bring the center stack together. They become a central element of the interior of the car. They look fantastic.
The next MINI’s dashboard should be an evolution study of the Stephenson dashboard design. What would have looked like the R53 dash in 2007?, 2010? Get my drift?
Also step away from the Fisher-Price plastics and buttons. This is a premium small car. Not a clown car.
Oh please and add more useful gages (Water temp, oil pressure, volt, etc).
If MINI v3.0 addresses the design “sins” of the R56, you’lll have flocks of current R53 owners all over the new car, like bees to fresh honey.
Why is my last post on moderation?
Whine, whine, whine…
Learn how to do something different!
Grow a few dendrites!
Fred, will all your due respect…
STOP DRINKING THE MINI KOOLAID!
Not everything that MINI does is a heaven sent. We, the paying customers, need to tell them when they are taking the product in the wrong direction. MINI, in my experience, happens to listen.
Feedback and not the “status-quo” is what makes any company successful. Arrogance and complacency is the worst enemy of any automaker.
I agree with you in principle, C4… we need to let MINI know what to improve on for ‘next time’.
However, when someone acts like a weirdly-placed volume knob and the resulting 2-day learning curve is grounds for writing off the whole platform, it diminishes one’s credibility and drowns out REAL problems like Cold-Start issues and maintaining the overall MINI philosophy.
I am not writing off the whole platform. I think the second gen has much, much to offer. As A Clubman owner a truly enjoy the car and to top it off, it has been absolutely trouble free (Coming on 1 year of ownership).
However, there are aspects of the current car that either took a back seat or were changes for the sake of changes. As both a R53 and R55 owner I deal with both positive/negative aspects of each car on a daily basis. To me the dashboard of the R56 could have been a much better design exercise than what was finally approved by the top honchos.
I remember seeing some “leaked” photos of the R56 dash back in 2004-2005 and I could not believe for the life of me that this was going to see the light of day. And it did.
It’s just UNATTRACTIVE! PERIOD!
I wasn’t suggesting that YOU were writing off the whole platform, but some people are certainly overstating the importance of interior ergonomics in the grand scheme of the MINI philosophy.
Again, I agree that there are some things that could have been done better, and that would be nice for them to “fix” for the facelift or future models, but there has to be a balance of feedback intensity based on priority.
Having to spend a few minutes figuring out the controls ONCE at the beginning of a few YEARS of ownership is not as big of a problem as the Cold Start issues or as important as maintaining the MINI philosophy of Driving Fun and Character as paramount.
Better ergonomics would be nice, but as priorities go, it’s way down on the list. Hopefully BMW realizes this and keeps their priorities straight, and doesn’t let the ergonomics Chicken Little’s shift their focus from what’s really important.
Usability doesn’t make a difference if you own the car because it’s only a matter of what you’re used to. Aesthetics should be the priority; and I think it looks wonderful.
Coming from a 06 330xi and a 96 318ti, I am familiar with the BC and the audio control layout. What I don’t get is why BMW made the the center console in the area of the climate control so cheap looking. I find it to be an eyesore in a car that is beautiful and unique inside and out.
I have the car for about a year and a half now and still my eyes hurt when I look at the audio controls’ contraption on the speedo. And almost never touch it, using the MSFW buttons all the time, only when I need to switch the audio source (which is ridiculously complex comparing to my old R50’s one-button press).
Five words: You get used to it.
Please, lets not turn this into an examination of the R50/53 interior and center stack. That’s a crit I could run on and on about.
I can live with the stereo, my beef is the window switches. Most of the time they are fine, but when you pull up to a toll in the rain and try to pull away, changing gear and rolling the window up at the same time is very tricky.
I’m reminded that it is awkward whenever my wife gets in the car and tries to operate the nav or radio. The other 90% of the time it’s just fine.
It did take some getting used to but it was no problem after a couple weeks.
Coming from an R50, I find the benefits considerable outweigh the disadvantages of the R56.
Nothing is perfect and life is all about choices.
If anything, a MINI is a non-conformists’ car. Those who own the car get used to it and it really isn’t an issue. Those who don’t get it should stick with their normal humdrum cars. Which they do.
Also, the messy ergonomics makes it harder to steal.
But I still like the R53 mess better than the R56 mess.
I agree with lavardera, glangford, et al. about the volume knob — it is ‘counter intuitive’ in that it is unlike other cars, but the approach of other cars is not necessarily better. while driving — and I am constantly shifting between 2nd and 4th, it is easy to open a window, turn up or down the volume, adjust the temperature, etc without removing my hand from the shift or even looking down (only once have I accidentally switched on a fog light). I drove a R50 mini and thought its interior design very clumsy in comparison. some usability experts confuse convention or ‘what people expect’ with actual ease of use. with their approach, nothing would ever change. dave
sure you can get used to it. But you shouldn’t have to. I can get used to hopping on one foot while burping, but that doesn’t make it a good way to get things done. We own a Clubman, and even though we think the center stack sucks, we bought the car. But the little multifunction rockers for station selection and the like suck, even more so with gloves on. The parallax that comes in between driver and passenger view makes it that much worse.
Sure it’s unique, but unlike many others, we’re happy to loan our cars to those that need one, and they should have to sit in a seat for a half hour to learn how to use the radio! We also like to help each other out, so the issue of a passenger doing things with the interface while the driver is, uh, driving is a real issue for us as well.
Yeah, it all works, and yeah you can get used to it. But MINI sure could have done a better job with the whole mess. It could have been made unique while still being much more intuitive and functional.
Matt
I LIKE the MINI Kool-Aid!
I find the location of the central speedo to be proper, and it relates to one of Mini’s iconic styling designs, but does it need to be the size of a dinner plate? Until MINI corrects the visual and ergonomic mess that sits underneath it, I have no intention of selling my R50 or R53. My ’87 Mini’s layout is preferable to the second generation MINI-just the basics and very clean lines. Good thing, cause the car didn’t come with a manual.
Agree with C4 and others above… quirky operation can be overlooked by an owner as they get over the learning curve but the cheap appearance of the centre stack and majority of the dashboard plastics compared to the first-generation car is the real issue with the R56 interior. This is not a Yaris-priced car and should not have worse-than-Yaris plastics in the dashboard’s primary controls. They look terrible and they feel terrible.
As mentioned by C4 above, early release photos seemed unbelievably bad so I told myself it was just early prototype plastics being run in the molds (I have worked in the industry so know this to be common practice pre-release). Then the car came out and I saw those were the production-spec materials and design?!
Let’s just say a redesign (or at least switch to different grade of plastic for centre stack controls and toggles) cannot come soon enough. I am a very satisfied R56 -> R53 owner and the shameful R56 interior execution is one of several reasons why. And thanks again to MotoringFile for giving otherwise enthusiastic customers this forum to give BMW’s interior designers some much-needed feedback.
I don’t understand the constant reference to “cheap” or “cheap looking” seemingly in reference to plastic. I’ve spent time in both generations and the interiors of both cars are made of plastic. I have just the opposite impression with the R56 interior appearing to me to be better put together, less plasticy (if that is a word) and less toy like. The plastic tubes flanking the center controls on the old design being an element that horribly screamed plastic, hollow, and “cheap” if that is a word that comes along with plastic. This is a classic case of eye of the beholder I’m afraid.
Lavardera, you had shown restraint and composure until that last post.
Laverda, if you want an example of just how cheap and nasty the plastics of the R56 are, just lightly run your fingernails down that pointless bit of plastic under the handbrake (What’s the purpose of it anyway, you can’t put anything there, and it’s rough, especially aroudn the tops). You can feel the cheapness under your nails. Also, the colour line seems to be the cheapest vinyl they could find, it’s not even padded underneath the way the R53 was.
I have driven both extensively, I’ve had an R50, herself has an R52, I own an R53 works, and I used to own an R55 and R56. The cheapness of the interior really really put me off ownership of the newer models – they’re superior cars to drive, but at what cost? I spend all my time on the inside of the MINI, and in an R55/56, I’m surrounded by the legacy of accountants at MINI looking to save a penny here and there.
Sorry to say, the center stack materials look cheap. Maybe if the color was a little darker gray or something it would help with the visual perception.
Well, we can have an interiors material and design smackdown where I’ll next move on to the R50/53s sorry upholstered arm pads and the way the door trim rises at the front to meet the elevation of the dash plane leaving an unexplainable recess where the glass line is lower…
But this thread is about the electronics interface on the R56 so I’ll return to restraint and leave it at you see what you want to see, but don’t kid yourself.
I’ve had three R53’s and an R56. I do like the R53 interior much better. I didn’t mind the R56 interior so much with the exception of the speedo’s emptiness (no kilometers, just MPH) compared to the R53 (missed the needles to). If one could get a euro/canadian speedo it might look a bit better.
It looked like they got lazy in the styling(r56) vs the original(r53) where they seemed inspired to make something classic. Great performance in both cars aside, this car is ALL about the asthetics.
I got used to the controls quickly so no biggie there. But after a few thousand miles I missed the R53 and went back.
Went to the link. Oh boy, I’ve dealt with human factors folks in my business Useability, human error etc. Seen some of their results, not terribly impressed. Takes a lot of testing by actual users to get a real good design and results. These type folks are theorists, if you want a real good opinion and design go to end users.
I personally like the R56 layout and controls. Becomes very natural quickly. I made one operator error the first day I had the car, none sense. As far as cheap materials go, when I bought my MC R56 in early 07 I toyed around with buying one of the few remaining R50s on the lot. Most reviews I read of the R56 thought overall the interior materials had been taken up a notch over the fist gen, even though almost all thought the control knobs themselves were a little too plastic. When I went to the dealer and sat in both, I agreed and ordered the R56. In particular the better leg room with a narrow stack (which mandated certain constraints with the controls) was very welcome as mentioned above.
So when is the refresh, is it coming this fall with the 2010 models? Will it be an interior and exterior refresh? I had heard there will be some new upholstery options coming soon, possibly spring.
Well, there’s no surprise in this article, and it’s interesting to see how much comment this article has triggered! I for one was quite dismayed by the R56 design, not only the poor erogonimics (sorry, car controls should be untuitive, and not take time to learn!) but also the cheap-looking plastic!
So, thee will be a re-design of the interior as part of the forthcoming facelift?
I just got back from getting my 08 MCS R52 Cabriolet fixed (for the 4th time) from International Mercedes in Milwaukee. They gave me an 08 MINI Cooper as a loaner. It is soooooooooo good to get back into my own MINI. I do not like what MINI has done to lighten and cheapen this new car. I don’t like the engine (even though it gets better gas mileage than mine), I don’t like the cabin the way my knees hit the speakers, I don’t like the radio (which in no way can come close to my Harmon Kardon), etc. BMW has really ruined a classic, and I won’t look at another one till they return the next iteration to some semblence of the first (’02 -’06) MINIs. I hope BMW listens and heeds what owners are saying – I don’t want a baby BMW, I want a MINI, Period.
I think we can all be pretty sure the tide has tilted to baby BMW and it aint going back.
Well see Lavardera. I can’t wait to read your rants when MINI v3.0 finally gets to see the light of day. MINI should give you a medal as the “Defender of all R56 things”. LOL
About the “inevitable baby BMW” that Lavardera and some others seem to be licking their lips in anticipation for… 😉
If BMW stubbornly insists on moving the MINI coupes further and further away from what the brand evokes and has historically delivered, all the while substituting low quality bits that caricature the original design brief, another competitor (Fiat? VW? Audi?) will deliver the most “MINI-like” product and driving enthusiasts will be well served elsewhere. It has happened before.
Alternately, many owners will just hang onto the R50/R53 models, same way Miata-folk tend to hang onto their cars a long long time. Then again, Mazda has at least not entirely betrayed the original design brief of the NA with the NC (it did get softer and larger than it should have, in my opinion, but the sporting focus and road feel have remained largely undiminished and the interior and exterior material quality has actually been improved).
I love my R50, drive it daily, but I am not afraid to move on. Currently negotiating an R56 MCS order, hopefully will get it done tomorrow, which will be the 5 year anniversary of my R50 order date. Gotta love symmetry.
There are things I like better about the R56, and things that did not improve, but they’re both MINIs, and I suppose if I really dislike the new R56, I can always go back…
Going from a 5 year old R50 to a new R56 MCS is a huge change in my book.
Going from a R53 MCS to a new R56 MCS could be a controversial move of all sorts.
These controls are one of the reasons I hadn’t bought a new mini (current is 4 years old from new) that and I think they have ruined things that weren’t broken interior and exterior wise.
That being said I love the Red Coopers S Works Clubman and will no doubt get one and struggle with the usability issues.
Just my two cents. You own the car, you become use to it over time. The cabin is form over function for good reason and in most cases, each plays well to the other. A few materials are iffy but others that are from classes above make up for it. The only gripe I know of from experience is with full iPod integration, scrolling through artist’s names takes YEARS. There should be a letter selection or something – maybe I have too much music. And the Bluetooth can be moody sometimes.