The F56 MINI UK Launch Gallery
The F56 is officially growing on us. We will be the first to admit the extended front overhang was disappointing to see when we first laid eyes on the car back in September. Especially given MINI”s history of wheels on the corners philosophy. But given the added pedestrian safety and the fact that all front wheel drive cars with transversely mounted engines either have or will have the same proportions, we’re quickly getting used to it.
And that’s a good thing because the 2014 F56 MINI is a revelation in every way. From the fluidity of the chassis to the excellent three and four cylinder engines to the vastly improved interior we can’t wait for our own to arrive later this spring. But in the meantime, we have photos. Lots of them. Courtesy of the UK press launch of the Cooper D and Cooper S. Enjoy.
<p>I have a 13 WRX who’s long low snout is frequently scraping drainage swales and being cracked on lumps of ice. I am considering a Cooper S in the next few years, and though the MINI’s nose isn’t anywhere near as outstretched, it still concerns me a bit as I live in a place where the potholes are only connected by short stretches of “road”.</p>
<p>the variable damper control is great on the cooper S . in fact for such a low priced option (£375) I would recommend it on the cooper & cooper D’s. I have driven all the range as we have 4 f56’s at our dealership here in UK</p>
<p>Is it just me or are there only two pictures here and no link to a gallery?</p>
<p>must be you as I see it all.</p>
<p>I can’t be alone in feeling that red Cooper w/black wheels up top looks better than the CooperS. That chin is just not good.</p>
<p>Having driven the F56 last week at our Motoring Advisor training event in California, I can attest that this is the MINI that will raise the bar across the competition and in our own lineup. I truly won’t feel as bad departing from my R53 S to the new Cooper (yes, Cooper) when the time comes. The sheer amount of tech that makes the car that much more enjoyable, without hindering or clogging up the motoring experience, will be welcomed once anyone gets behind the wheel. I can truly see competitors trying to knockoff the center ring colored display because of its truly engaging use and just plain eye candy to those in the cockpit. And quiet!!…I’d compare the decibel limit to that of a 3-series.
Everything about this new generation is just better and we’re going to welcome a slew of new owners along with seasoned Motorer’s alike.</p>
<p>That’s great to hear. I can’t wait for them to arrive at the local dealership, even though I have a 2012 Cooper I think I will be really tempted to go foe the new Cooper much sooner that I’d anticipated.</p>
<p>On a side note, the Red Cooper pictured here with the Black roof and wheels is the least attractive one I’ve seen to date. Just personal preference, I dislike Black wheels on any vehicle.</p>
<p>It’ll be interesting to me personally to see more and more reviews of this car. When I wrote mine I went out of my way to not be influenced by any other views of the car by not reading any of them initially. And in that vacuum in mind I was blown away at what MINI did to the quality of the car and the driving experience. Without an overabundance of other takes on the car out there I’m sure a lot of naysayers assume I was being too kind. I’m guessing as more people drive the car it’ll be clear that I wasn’t :)</p>
<p>Gabe,
A number of reviews (not all by any means) have said that the cooper struggles with hills in higher gears but then others rave about the 3 cylinder being a gem or jewel in how it performs. Could you tell me how you think it performs when compared against the R56 cooper over different terrain? I trust your opinion more than these other guys.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Clearly those reviewers haven’t driven any other iteration of Cooper. It was fine over the hills of our test route. In fact it felt almost as rapid as a r53 Cooper S (albiet much quieter).</p>
<p>Thanks you Gabe, that was my thought too. I can’t wait to take one for a test drive! :-)</p>
<p>I drove an automatic Cooper up a mountain with 3 adult men in the car. I did not notice any lack of power.</p>
<p>seriously it is a phenomenall engine. sounds fantastic, with this great throaty noise as it goes up the rev range. this new engine is light years ahead of the R56. it may only have 133bhp, but it has so much torque available. the diesel is even more impressive. goes like a rocket! I had a customer who did not believe we were in the Cooper D.</p>
<p>Could you comment on why you imply your preference to Cooper (and not S)? So far initial previews say the Cooper suspension is softer for the masses and the S is the beast you want. How soft is soft?</p>
<p>Performance of F56 Cooper is almost on par with R5X S Coopers with much better fuel efficiency. Also, I’m more fond of cleaner Cooper styling vs aggressive Cooper S styling.</p>
<p>I’ve been a Motoring Advisor and MINI owner since 2002. I’ve owned 2 R53’s and a JCW Sound Kit R50. The new MINI’s are a huge leap forward. Everything you hope this car would be – it is! My life is riding on the success of this car. I’m looking forward to the next few years. I was very worried about all the nay sayers with regard to the overhang, and the car becoming too main-stream. This car is fantastic. I spent more time driving the Cooper than the Cooper S in California, but I was very happy that I did. Go see you local MINI dealer in April, you will be glad.</p>
<p>Really like that Cooper interior with the grey cloth seats and leather bolsters. In a hot climate cloth really is a better choice than leather of vinyl. The 16″ silver wheels look too small for the car now in my opinion. I look forward to seeing the car in person to see if I “get” the rear taillights as some people here have mentioned. In the pictures they still turn me off as being too large for the car.</p>
<p>Having seen the car in person, they ARE too large. They look like they were designed by a person in love with Japanese Anime’.</p>
<p>Wow, I just noticed that the circular center diplay plus the vents surrounding it resemble the shape of an upside-down MINI emblem. Never knew why the car was designed with squarish vents, but now I think I know…</p>
<p>You’re right! Surprised they didn’t flip the design of the vents to look like the MINI emblem.</p>
<p>The Cooper is visually the winner hands down. The Cooper S snout and rear still is not agreeing with my sense of sytle, It feels contrived and aftermarket of the worse kind.</p>
<p>Agreed. I thoroughly like the more classic look of the Cooper. However, in person the Cooper S is still a good looking car. Pictures don’t do it justice.</p>
<p>That interior is sweet. Can’t wait to see it in the showroom.</p>
<p>It’s fantastic in person! I saw and sat in it at the L.A. Autoshow. Originally I was more interested in siting in the Mazda3 5-door and Golf 7 TDI because I figured one of those would be my new daily, especially the Golf 7 TDI. But after sitting in the F56 Cooper I was blown away and have been torn ever since.
The quality of the interior made the Golf feel/look cheap (don’t get me wrong, the Golf 7 interior is nice, actually). Everything was solid. The doors felt substantial, heavy, well put together. Shifter was precise with a short throw. The Golf had a long throw, sloppy feeling shift that stock BMWs have.. yuck. More importantly, sitting in the Mini made me feel connected to the car… everything was driver oriented and felt great, like I was meant to sit in that vehicle.
I wanted a more practical vehicle with cargo space for trips to home depot/ikea.. but man.. that F56.. she’s a heart breaker… I’m hoping and trying to hold out for the Clubman..</p>
<p>What about the new four-door hardtop (F55)? More space, most likely very close driving dynamics as the F56 and will be out much sooner than the next Clubman.</p>
<p>I think it may still be too small. Despite the increased size, I think it’s still sized comparably to B-segment cars, while the Clubman is comparable to C-segment cars.
Also, from the leaked photos, not feeling the more “Fiat 500 like” shape of the F55 resultant from the increased leg room.
Last but not least, AWD plug-in Clubman hybrid has piqued my interest significantly since diesel is seeming less and less likely.</p>
<p>I bet it took ages to get clear shots of the MINI with buses in London without other traffic getting in the way!
Still no official photos of the half leather combination…..</p>
<p>I bet it took ages to get clear shots of the MINI with buses in London without other traffic getting in the way!
Still no official photos of the half leather combination…..</p>
<p>Sorry to ask this here. Just the most recent place.</p>
<p>Why is there no talk of apple car play in mini? I’d love to hear the scoop. Seems like a charm to get it in the new cooper. Will it? Could it be just an update for f56 in 2014?</p>
<p>Just really wanna know more.</p>
<p>Again sorry to take away from your discussion.</p>
<p>BMW isn’t prepared to make any announcements ahd isn’t sure if they’ll go down that path according to sources.</p>
<p>I keep thinking about the cooper with wider than spec 15″ minilites</p>
<p>I have now picked up my F56 Cooper so feel free to ask any question and I will try and help out :)</p>
<p>Looks fantastic! Any more photos?</p>
<p>Here you go</p>
<p><a href="http://s28.photobucket.com/user/aiboart/library/F56%20MINI" rel="nofollow ugc">http://s28.photobucket.com/user/aiboart/library/F56%20MINI</a></p>