3rd Gen F56 Cooper My 2-day MINI F56 Justa Cooper Test Drive

While my R56 JCW is in for warranty service (Grrrrrr ... that's another story), the dealer has kindly given me a new (32-mile) BRG/Black/Black 2014 F56 Justa Cooper to drive:

MSRP $19,950
Cold Weather Package (Power folding mirrors and heated seats) $600
Premium Package 2 (Panoramic sunroof and automatic climate control) $1,250
Automatic transmission $1,250
16" Loop Spoke silver wheels $750
Interior surface Piano Black $200
Destination Charge $795
TOTAL MSRP $25,295

Enough has been said about the esthetics of this car, so I'll just say I still don't like the front end, I can live with the rear end and the rest of the car is OK.

Here are my very first impressions.

The Auto Start/Stop function is awful. The engine shudders to a stop at every stoplight, and it shudders to restart as soon as your foot comes off the brake or you move the shift lever or you move the steering wheel or you open the door or you burp like a baby Burmese tiger. The sensation is sort of like hitting a chuckhole every time you stop or start the car. If I had purchased this car, I would have driven it a block and taken it back to the dealer to report a serious drivetrain problem.

Fortunately, the dealer left the owner's manual in the car, so I could figure out how to turn off the Auto Start/Stop function. (Lesson 1 about this car: Read the manual!) From this point forward, as soon as I start the car I will hit the Auto Start/Stop off button, which leaves an irritating orange LED glowing by my knee any time I'm driving. The default mode for this "feature" should be off - and I'll bet new drivers ding MINI on the new-car surveys for it, just like they did for having the window switches on the center console in the second-generation cars.

The moon-sliver tach is awful, the whole gauge package is susceptible to major reflections and the fuel "gauge" is difficult to read in sunlight. I also miss the digital readout for speed - oops, just checked the manual and it's there, just a few pushes of the end of the turn signal stalk and a couple of seconds' of delay, waiting for it to appear. (Why?)

I do like the new graphics in the display though, and the quality of the interior materials is better than in the previous generation. The functions and features in the center display are easier to program too. I also like having the window and door lock switches on the driver's door and the hatch release button down by the hood release. Unfortunately, the back half of the sunroof no longer opens to a vent position, which was a cool feature of the R56.

The rear hatch is also easier to open from the outside, with a flat bar under the hatch handle to push instead of the R56's where-is-the-magic-spot-to-push-in-that-glob-of-rubber-above-the-license-plate button. And the inside hood release takes two hard pulls to open the hood - there's no outside release - and it feels like a chicken bone about to break. Of course, under the hood there's a side-to-side, top-to-bottom sea of black plastic pieces, with only a windshield washer filler cap, coolant cap and positive battery post cap to break up the monotony.

This all sounds pretty critical, I know - but IMHO details make the difference between a "no" and a sale. Now it's time to drive for awhile, keeping in mind that this is a new car, so I'm going to help break it in - not break it. That means 4,500 rpm and 100 mph limits, according to the manual. :biggrin5:

 

It didn't say. :devil:

 

My 3-day MINI F56 Justa Cooper Test Drive - Part 2

While my R56 JCW Hardtop is in the dealer's service department for what's now become 3 days, I've been driving Gareth (according to the name on the key tag). As my significant other said halfway through our 10-mile ride in this new BRG MINI last night (2/3 in-town and 1/3 Interstate), "Sometimes cute doesn't cut it."

She was reacting to the previously discussed Auto Start/Stop feature, as well as the Ring of Fire in the center of the dash, which is incredibly distracting - especially at night. Yes, you can turn its brightness down, but never low enough - even at the point where the rest of the dash disappears into darkness. Thankfully, you can turn off the volume/heating/cooling/SportMidGreen mode/rev-counting circle (I read the manual!), but what a waste of money for something you can't avoid buying. OTOH, the ring is the only part of any car I've ever owned that reminds me of a Bomb Pop - the circle turns red, white and blue during temperature adjustments.

Kermit the Frog was right a long time ago: It's not easy being Green. (He should have added that Sport Mode isn't easy either.) I've now driven this car about 130 miles in the course of my daily duties. Because I'm a car guy and interested in new technologies, I've spent about half my time in the Green mode, which means snail-like acceleration, gentle upshifts at 1,800-1,900 rpm and a projected 0-60 time of next week. Real acceleration only happens when you push hard on the gas pedal, which I had to do one time to safely merge into traffic without getting rear-ended or run over. However, that much thrust also resulted in my being chided by the "Lift your big right shoe off the pedal, you hydrocarbon-sucking dog!" symbol on the dash.

Sport mode is the opposite, and until you get used to feather-footing the gas you'll think you chose Lurch mode. The pedal is very sensitive, and the car jumps forward from a stop and just about any time you touch the gas - until you learn how to control it. Sorry, but a light touch on the gas in the fun mode seems counterintuitive to me.

If I owned this car, I'd leave it in the Mid mode all the time, unless I was hypermiling or autocrossing. Everything smooths out in Mid mode, and the MINI actually becomes more fun (and normal) to drive. The 3-cylinder is a little gravelly-sounding at idle, but it switches to a decent growl when you get on the gas (still with a limit of 4,500, since we're still in the break-in period). In fact, the engine has a surprising amount of power - even to the point of being deceptively quick. The automatic's shifts are glassy smooth, and you'll waste your time shifting manually. (This is not the sport automatic!) On the highway, the F56 is fairly quiet and secure - and may lull you into ticket-inducing speeds.

Economy is clearly the focus here, which greatly appealed to a business associate of mine who looked at Gareth and loved the idea of the 44-45 Green mpg I got on the Interstate at a steady 65. He also thought the Auto Start/Stop feature was a cool idea, without experiencing it. That's all he needed to know, before deciding he's headed to the MINI dealer for a test drive soon.

BTW, in the Mid mode, Interstate mileage dropped to around 43; in Sport, it was 38. Turning the air-conditioning off seems to be worth a gain of 1.0-1.5 mpg. I expect all the numbers will increase significantly once the drivetrain hits 5,000 miles. YMMV.

So, do I hate the new MINI F56 Justa Cooper? No, but I've been pretty annoyed by it, and IMHO there's a lot of competition in the marketplace worth a look. Besides, I'm not the target for this vehicle. I love my R56 JCW, and looking into the future the only MINIs that interest me are the F56 JCW and the Superleggera. But I've coexisted with Gareth for as long as some road testers drive their cars, and that's plenty of time to form some opinions.

Questions? Please ask. Differing ideas? Tell me what I missed.

I may be wrong, but I'm never in doubt. :biggrin5:


On one run down the Interstate in the Green mode, I gained 4.3 miles from the tank. Any NASCAR or
Indycar driver would kill for that much extra range at the end of a race!

 

To be honest, my first "mod" would be to buy a base GTI for the same money. For me, the Justa just has too many expensive distractions that detract from a positive driving experience. MINI definitely isn't targeting me with this car.

 

And this is the least reflective of about 10 shots ... :frown2:

 

We're all going to remember who suggested this when the aftermarket starts selling stick-on bud vases! :lol: