The clouds parted allowing the sun to partially warm things here in central Ohio today. I was out driving around town. Ended up near the new MAG Auto Campus and decided to pop in. The new showroom is very nice. They did quite the job on that place. Big, airy, open. All the sales people were busy so I popped up the Sales Mangers office. Not 5 min later I was offered the keys to a brand new Cooper S. This being a launch car it has an auto transmission. Not really familiar with the area I figured I'd just do a run down the highway a little then bring it back. Not really having a grand idea of where to go...then the phone rang. Since I was stopped at a light I fished in my pocket, pulled out the phone and looked it who was calling then answered the call. After a few pleasantries my friend asked where I was. "In Dublin, test driving the new MINI. Where are you?" I replied. "At your place" "I'm not there" "Well Doh" "Sit tight" I said, "I'll swing by and pick you up then we can drive it back" "I'll be here" she replied. Now I had a destination. I know the route well, there are some fun curves. Plus I can see how this thing zips about crowded downtown streets. It's Gallery Hop in my neighborhood today. The place is crawling with an in flux from suburbia that have no idea where they are going. It's fun to navigate around. On the drive to my place I started to concentrate on the driving experience. For those who do not know my car a quick bit here. It's an R53 that's been "slightly modded", everything has been touched. Not much is stock. It's loud, it's stiffly sprung, it's quick. On of the first things I noticed was the size of the rear view mirror, it has shrunk. You can still see out the back, but now you can see more out of the front too. The side mirrors are HUGE, but then again, I have those tiny CraftSquare mirrors. A dental mirror is big in comparison. Well...you read this far... The F56 S is quick! It's handles darn well too. I'm not going to write how fast I took a certain curve known as the Hospital Curve, but 3 digits were noted. Yes, I is a hooligan. The brakes I cannot honestly evaluate. This F56 S had only just over 100 miles on it and I'll bet never has had the pads bedded yet. Plus I have brakes that allow you to stop on a dime and get change back. Handling is superb, I'd say it is on par with a well modded R53 out of the box. Some sticky tires and brake pads with bite and I think most people will be very happy. You can move the rear around a bit in corners with the throttle, lift a little mid corner and the back moves just enough. a bit of throttle and it scoots back in line and off ya go. Picked my friend up and off course she had to start with all the switches, buttons and the radio. From what I saw setting a radio station is rather complex. I didn't delve much into it, intuitive it is not. Fit and finish of the interior is very good. Drove down a cobblestone street, nary a squeak or rattle. Unlike my R53 that had both from delivery. Switch gear all feel good. BMW good, I'd venture to say that there is a lot of part sharing there. Layout and all that stuff I'd need to live the car a bit more. It is very different than an R53. The seats are fantastic. I felt well supported and planted nicely, did not have to prop myself up with the wheel on hard corners. The downside is there is no room for someone on the back if the seat is all the way back, unless they are leg-less. The F56 S is a hoot to drive. It does feel a bit bigger than the R53. Compared to my car you sit a lit higher off the ground. I have race buckets on the floor. You sit low in my car. Then I found the sport mode switch... WOW, what a difference. The throttle is a lot crisper, the steering quicker and there is more sound. On the highway I set the mode to green, kept my foot at the same place on the pedal and moved the mode to Mid. The car sped up, the steering got a little more firm. Then into Sport mode. Sped up again and everything felt tighter. In sport the auto-box kicked down a lot faster to lower gears and held them. Mid, the transmission felt a little sluggish. Green, oy, it would up shift to higher gears real fast, hold higer gears till it almost lugged and was not at all responsive. The pedal as numb and steering mushy ion Green mode. This car begs to be shod with sticky tires, put in sport mode and flogged about. You'll have one hell of a grin. As to the exterior. I reserve judgement still. I didn't spend much time going over the exterior. The bottom line, I'd buy one probably. A huge thanks to Lance and the crew at MINI of Dublin for just tossing me the keys and letting me be. I sure do appreciate it.
Good review. I still haven't got to drive one. The day I went they still had not prepped them. The sales manager even got on to the salesman that showed them to me. He told him that they can't be sold so he shoulders have taken me to the back to see them. Go figure.
"This car begs to be shod with sticky tires, put in sport mode and flogged about. You'll have one hell of a grin. " The same can be said of a corvette--and a 335I --and several Audi models-and ....I could go on but my point is-being 8 inches longer than an R53 and 5 inches longer than an R56 and wider as well as HEAVIER-the new BIG MINIs are not working for me. I can buy any of the cars mentioned, as well as a slew of others and have a heavier, bigger NON MINI that sticks well, is fast and a hoot to drive. I didn't want or need a BIGGER MINI. With a playstation instrument panel. and no dipstick. I always reserve judgement from photos, waiting until I see a car and drive it. I was lukewarm on the R56 and they have grown on me to the point of likingand owning them,but it is going to take some serious mid life changes in the F56 for me to consider them a MINI, instead of a FWD 3 series. I am not bashing for the sake of bashing...this car does not even resemble the 2 generations of MINIs that came before it. I gotta go find a GP2 while there is still time to buy a real MINI.
oh yeah one more thing-moving the window switches to the door just because the mainstream automotive media bitched about them (since day one) being in the center stack just SUCKS!! one of the last truly individual and different items in a MINI is now the same as...EVERYTHING ELSE!! ALSO--the start stop "switch" now IN the center stack is more playstation design s**t. What they have done to this car is actually starting to make me angry.
Uh-ohhhhhhh, MM. You'd better watch that bashing and trolling, or rkw [late of the f56 MINI Police] will be after you, too. :devil:
So, what you're really saying is you won't be doing business with the owners of F56s? Not even a "Mine's Bulkier" T-shirt?:devil:
I hear a lot mentioned about the size being too big. The Prodrive WRC car was a "Countryman" and it did just fine.
naw-got nothing to do with business, this one is personal LOL! we even work on MINI owners brand x cars when they need it. although this car kind of erases the current "Mines Longer" clubman t shirts!
All in the name of protecting stupid European people that walk in the streets. ( Pedestrian safety ) :mad2:
While it is true you can purchase any of the above and with the right set up get them to stick as well, BUT you will not get the family, friends that you get with a MINI..... Unfortunately for people that want to join us and our experience the F56 might be their only choice AND that's what really sucks! Maybe, just maybe the F56 is a ploy to increase Roaster/Coupe sales????
For those who do not know my car a quick bit here. It's an R53 that's been "slightly modded", Read more: http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/cooper-s/21338-i-drove-f56-s-today.html#ixzz2y7mIuJ27 And the Pope might be a little religious, the President might be slightly political and this last winter could have been a mite chilly. Thanks for the review!
No, I've dropped out of discussions about the F56. People get hot on this topic and my comments get misinterpreted from my style of writing.
Good to hear what I consider to be an HONEST UNBIASED review of the new car...good to hear it has some good stuff going for it!!:smile5: Performance is fact...it is measurable... Quantifiable... If it was not "better" in most every way, I would be shocked..... Now the only real question.....does it speak loudly enough to folks to fall in love with it....or just like....
Yup....but folks just think I am a buzz-killer when I bring it up....say I am negative. Good to hear I am not the only one mad that they built a baby BMW.... As opposed to a mini.
I'm really sorry if you feel I have gotten "hot on this topic" or have misinterpreted your comments. It is not my intention to cram my opinion down anyone's throat. It is, after all, only an opinion. You can see, however, that I AM hot about the Gen 1 MINIs, though. Perhaps the R53 and the R50 are old MINIs now to you, but they are MY MINIs. I thoroughly enjoyed my original Mini Minor when I owned it at 17 years old, and I continue to love the Gen 1 MINIs I own now. I'm open to change. After all, I DID change from the Mini Minor to a VW Bug in the mid-1960s [and on to other cars until 2003]. Thinking back, it almost drove me into a deep depression when, suffering from seller's remorse, I went back the next day to reclaim my Mini...only to find it had been snapped up off the lot right after I had traded it in for the Bug! The same thing WILL happen again whenever I sell my MINIs, because history DOES often repeat itself...unfortunately. We just never seem to learn to leave well enough alone! So, the F56 is not for me...no big deal. I saw it, rode in it and didn't like it all that much. I stated my opinion and got blasted. So what? Are we not here to voice opinions and make comments? There is just NOTHING mini about that MINI anymore that would make me want to buy one, so I shall stick with what I have.