3rd Gen F56 Cooper Most liked posts in thread: My 2-day MINI F56 Justa Cooper Test Drive

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!

 

My 3-day MINI F56 Justa Cooper Test Drive - The End


One of these is faster than the other one, even in the Sport mode.

In the interest of science, all of my travels today were in the Green mode. I believe this qualifies me for entrance to Heaven when the time comes. Almost all of the miles were around town at 25-35 mph, with a couple of miles at 55 because I had to. I even ventured downtown at the height of the lunch hour, just to experience extreme stop-and-go traffic. (Crawl…brake…shudder…stop...green circle…release brake...shudder...green flash...crawl...) :frown2:

The average mpg today was 33.4, which is about 3 more than I get with my R56 JCW in the same circumstances. I expect that should increase for the F56 as break-in continues. BTW, the average speed was a screamin' 24.7 mph.

I guess my bottom line on the F56 Justa is that it's a fine choice for someone who wants an economical new appliance that's cute, gets good gas mileage and has a little bit of fun-to-drive built in. If you value the driving experience, you'll have to consider the sport suspension or the adjustable shocks, along with new tires and sport seats. But then you're pushing into S territory, which sort of defeats the purpose of the Economy First mantra.

Other observations:

The base seats are flat and not very comfortable for more than a few miles. (The seatback pushed relentlessly on my lower back.) In addition, the leatherette black material quickly heats up and starts sticking to you, even in 70-degree temperatures. So make sure you try a longish drive; I'd go for the cloth option or the sport seats.

At the limit, the F56 Justa is pretty neutral and is going to be a safe ride for most owners. I really expected more understeer. However, as with a lot of econo-tires, these let go without much scrubbing or warning (sometimes front end and sometimes rear end) - sort of like hitting a patch of black ice. An unskilled driver who overcooks it on a freeway ramp soon will be looking up at the road from the ditch, wondering, "What's the road doing up there?" OTOH, a stripped F56 Justa set up the right way might be pretty competitive autocrossing in G or H Stock (wherever SCCA classes it).

Read the manual. The Auto Start/Stop feature can be defeated in many ways, which I found comforting on the Interstate when the right lane was completely backed up and stopped because of the exit ahead. The center lane (where I was) wasn't moving, because it's more interesting to gape at stopped vehicles than it is to drive - and the traffic in the left lane was tooling by at 65 or so. Sitting "dead" on the Interstate in that situation is a little uncomfortable.

I also learned today at a stoplight that hitting the horn (and the resulting slight movement of the steering wheel, I guess) causes the engine to restart when the driver of the car in front of you thinks green means text.:incazzato:


Yes, there is a temperature gauge. It knows when the engine is cold (Duh!) and then disappears when
the engine reaches normal operating temperature (What?). When you blow a coolant hose, smash
the radiator or otherwise cook the engine, another light comes on to tell you something steamy and
expensive has just happened.

Read the manual. One time I parked the car, turned off the engine, opened the door and the engine restarted. When you start the car, you push the red Start/Stop button with a foot on the brake. When you park the car, you push the Start/Stop button twice - with your foot off the brake. This feels like an unnatural act to me.

Did I mention you should read the manual? One time I shut off the car, opened the door and the horn started blowing. Crap. Let's see - Hit the door lock button on the fob? Nope. Hit the door unlock button on the fob? Guess again. Get back in the car and hit the Start/Stop button once? Uh-uh. Hit the Start/Stop button a second time? HONK-HONK-HONK!
#?%+! Jiggle the shift lever, foot on the brake and hit the Start/Stop button one more time? Success! All I can figure out is that the shift lever wasn't quite all the way into Park, so the car was telling me LOUDLY that maybe I'm not always as smart as I think I am.

A few minutes later at the gas station, it happened again, after the car was shut down and I was several feet away. BEEP...BEEP...BEEP! WTF? Turns out it was a work truck backing in behind me, with the loudest reverse warning beeper I've ever heard. This car is getting to me. :crazy:

And that's where I'll leave this tale. An F56 Justa Cooper will not find it's way into my garage. IMHO, it has too many distracting, expensive and potentially dangerous "features" I never could live with. It's time to simplify, MINI - or at least offer some new MINIs without all the silliness.


I don't care what you say. A new MINI is still, well, mini.

 

An iPod in your R53? What could possibly be better than the music of your mods? :cornut:

 

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.