[TallAndy]

Press the sport button, it makes a massive difference

[envy]

Andy,

As you have the JCW ; what did you think of it vs the new cooper s?

Good to have some thoughts from a JCW Owner with more bhp

[P33 ULC]

Quote:

Dont worry about the missing whine, we can finally have the by-pass valve everybody keeps asking if they can fit

A dump valve? If so i had one on my RST and the novelty factor wears off believe me it gets annoying! On passionford (the ford forum) they are called chav valves

[Taffcd]

Took the MCS out yesterday for a test drive. Made sure the sport button was on. Very refined compared to my MCS JCW. Which was to be expected. The interior is completely different, I liked the speedo reading on the taco aswell as the centre dash. The power was better than expected, still enough to put a smile on your face and leave most other so called sports cars in the dust. The ride seems more comfy, can still grip the road well, sports suspension ordered. Will miss the JCW but should have the new on run in well by the time the aftermarket kits become available.

[MINIMANIAUK]

I think you will find aftermarket tuning kits limited, for sure they will come online later but the gains will be limited and expensive for real gains,induction kits will not make a great difference,likewise exhaust replacements, VVTi,boost cut limits,also wont help in tuning ,as with alot of modern engines it is what it is,and should be purchased on its present performance level,smoothness,and fuel economy. The works option later may give it a little more or a lot more it depends on what the market does in the next year and other offerings from the competition. to get another 50 bhp for a works version may involve a totally different set up and have high cost implications. within 6 months the supercharged car will be 300+ bhp as a common occurence as the values drop and more cash is available for tuning and warranty long gone. There is no way that the new car will keep up with the previous one and you shouldnt expect it to, If you want a secure warranty ,predictable running costs,and a new car then the new model is the way to go

[zyo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Restyle (original)

Had a good blast today in perfect conditions on big wide roads, & as long as you`re already doing above say 3500revs then its quite nippy.
BUT ... If you shift down to 4th to overtake from 70 as I did, then be prepared for a "little" wait before the turbo kicks in.
In reality, this was probably no more than 1/2sec, but was nonetheless a very disappointing experience in from what I`d read was a Sorted car.

I went for an unintentional test drive today, I went just to have a look, making sure not to take my licence in case i ended up test driving and buying. After a brief look round the sales man offered me a test drive anyway.He gave me the keys and i went for a twenty minute drive. I know what you are saying Restyle but from my own limited experience of the supercharged S which consisted of having one for a day as a courtesy vehicle I felt the turbo S to be quicker. Now this maybe because you get a big lump of power at the same time rather than it building consistently but the impression was that it seemed considerably quicker. I know from having a Fiat strada abarth which was naturally aspirated and then going to a Lancia delta turbo, the turbo always felt quicker although the Fiat was actually the quicker of the two.
I really liked the look of the car, but the stereo controls aren't very intuitive and i still don't like the new BMW style indicators ( an accident waiting to happen, you end up indicating the wrong way if your not careful). Not sure if it was done on purpose but the rear seats were down possibly to make the exhaust more audible. Unfortunately the exhaust even with the window down isn't very loud, you can hear it when you give it some real welly but it could do with being a tad louder in the cabin.
Now where's the bank managers phone number............

[Restyle]

Quote: Originally Posted by zyo (original)

.... Unfortunately the exhaust even with the window down isn't very loud, you can hear it when you give it some real welly but it could do with being a tad louder in the cabin.

I`ve never really seen the neccessity of wanting to hear the exhaust note too much, so in this respect the R56 scores points
... but quickly looses them as I love a supercharger whine
I also found it quite nippy most of the time, its just that when you need to overtake another vehicle you have to allow for that certain extra time for the turbo to kick in, which you just dont get with the present model {unless you have the aircon on }

I agree entirely with the non-intuitivness of the radio controls - & the same for the sat nav, which eluded both the Mini rep & myself.
And as for that Indicator control ....Definitely an accident waiting to happen.

Funny, but It reminds me of when they shifted from Chrome to the Plastic Bumper model of the MGB GT !
But lets be positive, At least its going to keep residuals high on the old model.

[zyo]

I did overtake a line of four cars (on an A road) and it despatched this very quickly, must admit i was sat in third when i started to overtake which obviously helped. With reference to the exhaust note, i don't like it to be too intrusive( i've had classic minis with straight through drainpipe exhausts and it's tiring) but it's part of the experience for me , if you have a nice sporty car then it should sound it.
I was quite suprised how good the sparkling silver looked, looks so much better then that dull colour we see in the photos.
One thing i completely forgot about until i was pulling back on the forecourt was the sport button...doh...
Restyle , was it the sparkling silver demo you took out. If it was apparently it is the salesmans car and he said he hadn't got the disc for the sat nav, would that explain why you couldn't do anything with it? I was pleased to see that the boot sides are now covered in a sort of carpet which will stop you getting all those scratches on that horrible plastic that used to be in there. It could do with something similar being put either sides of the rear seat. When i'm putting my grandson's isofix seat in my current MINI it is very easy to catch the two locking mechanisms on the side plastic and mark it, i know, i've done it several times and cussed for quite a few minutes after.After having initial reservations when i first saw the photos of the R56 i am now quite happy with the way things have gone. Some people won't like this or that and there are a few things i'm not keen on but overall i really like it and would rather have an R56 than any other small car.
The only thing that struck me when driving this car was , can we justify producing performance cars like this nowadays? Don't get me wrong , i love them, but with all the speed humps, speed cameras and emphasis on travelling slowly it seems a waste. I was concious this morning that during my 20 minute drive i was using the acceleration but once you get to 60mph on an A road, or 70mph on the dual carriageway you ain't allowed to go no quicker( i may have gone a little quicker ). Lets face it, these sort of cars reach those sort of speeds very quickly.
It was so much easier when i started driving in the mid eighties there was non of this road safety stuff to worry about.

[kevkbuk]

Quote: Originally Posted by zyo (original)

It was so much easier when i started driving in the mid eighties there was non of this road safety stuff to worry about.

Wasn't the national speed limit introduced in the sixties?

[R1]

Quote: Originally Posted by kevkbuk (original)

Wasn't the national speed limit introduced in the sixties?

Yes, but people weren't so anal about stuff in the 80's.

Everyone lived in the real world!!

[popey]

Had a full test drive today. Got it on the old motorway and it goes like stink. Totaly in love with the car in everyway, so much so that any negative coments about the car are just like water off a ducks back .

My car now comes in at £25,000. Which is great value as apart from a F430 or 911 Turbo is the only car I want.

P.S Its my money and I'll spend it how I like

[zyo]

£25,000
I thought on another thread you were talking about £18,000, was that not you or did you sucumb to the call of the options catalogue.

[popey]

Quote: Originally Posted by zyo (original)

£25,000
I thought on another thread you were talking about £18,000, was that not you or did you sucumb to the call of the options catalogue.

Sorry, The £18,00 was after my part ex

[zyo]

Aha..now it makes sense

[ttocs]

Took one for a test today and agree it is faster than the old S. came out grinning like a cheshire cat with a coat hanger in its mouth

Just worried about the negative effect this may have on my license though, could well be in danger of collecting speeding points.

[steeve]

I'm hoping the works kit is retrofittable

[Olly.]

Quote: Originally Posted by steeve (original)

I'm hoping the works kit is retrofittable

All indications are that it won't be I'm afraid.

[thrud]

The sport button makes a helluva difference!! I might have trouble not pressing it every time I get in the car.

Paul

[Nev]

I went for a test drive today as well, the first rattle we traced to stuff in the glovebox, the second to the drivers window seal and the third was over a certain frequency of bumps near the middle of the dash. I will post a more comprehensive write up soon...

[ru81]

I don't like the sound of rattles already!! Rattles in my current MCS are one of my main annoyances. I hope the R56 isnt going to be the same.