[anissut]

Well, a few of you would have read my thread "Friday is the day" as yesterday I took delivery of my Chili Red Mini Cooper S. So, where to start. It's my first ever Mini so I'm looking at the car from a totally fresh point of view having never driven a Mini before the R56. Over the last 3 years I have had an E46 M3, 2 E46 M3 CSLs and a SLK55 AMG. So I am used to cars with double the horsepower and 0-60 times around 5 secs. Living in London I decided that to have these high performance cars was a waste. It took me 3 years to realise and no doubt I have had a ball with those cars and realised dreams that I had never realised such as tracking my CSLs, listening to the most wonderful induction noise and having a superb sounding V8 in the AMG with silly amounts of torque. With those cars also came a certain image and the whole showing off side of things which while it was there was nice but really not necessary. So, a couple of months ago I woke up to the fact that owning a house in London, having 2 kids and living in an over populated city meant that I was really pouring money down the drain and not really getting any benefit out of it. Insuring high performance cars in London isn't cheap, 17mpg isn't fun even if you can afford it and maintaining cars with tyres that cost £900 and brakes that cost up to £1000 just doesn't seem sensible.

So, I sat and thought to myself. Deep down I am a petrol head so I needed something that was still quick and still fun. I thought about a BMW 130i, I thought about a Focus ST, Megane F1, Astra VXR but none of them really got me excited. A friend suggested test driving the new Mini Cooper S. I was pretty sceptical but was aware of the classless image that the Mini has, the friendly nature of the car and the fact that the motoring press raved about its go karting handling etc. So I went for a couple of test drives. I really liked it and with the JCW aero kit the car looked fantastic. After securing the private sale of my M3 CSL I then specced the Mini. That in itself was a lot harder than I thought. Endless options, variables, I was getting confused. Finally I settled on Chili Red with a whole load of JCW bits and I ticked plenty of option boxes apart from Sat Nav and Comfort Access.

I then had a 4 week wait. In this time I got scared about whether I had made the right choice. Would I regret this small car, would I feel stupid driving it, would it match up to my previous cars, what happens if I hate it. A 1 hour test drive is of course nothing when you own a car day to day. My friends commented that the Mini will be sold in 3 months and I started to get nervous.

Yesterday arrives, the car turns up and the first thing that strikes me is what a cool looking car it is. I know there is the big R56 v R53 debate but I love the new R56 Cooper S. I think the proportions are just right. It's an agressive looking car with the JCW kit. In Chili red it really stands out and I'm amazed that it has got so much attention with only 80 miles on the clock.

So, I get comfortable in the car ready to drive it for the first time. Bluetooth is excellent. Phonebook works, call quality is good, certainly exceeded my expectations. DAB radio is awesome. Following the instructions on this forum it was a breeze to set up and gives so many station options. Seats are good, driving position is great and I think the switchgear is excellent. Once you have had a look around at all the buttons and worked out what they do it makes sense that they are where they are. People complain about the indicators but once you are aware how they work it starts to become second nature so what's there to complain about? Niggles so far. Clutch biting point is a little high and rear legroom seems appalling. I also don't like the fact that the revometer is slightly blocked by the top of the steering wheel when I am sitting in my ideal driving position.

So, now to driving it. This car feels quick. The torque is fantastic. Touch the throttle and it picks up instantly. Excellent response and I haven't even gone past 3500rpm. More than quick enough for day to day driving. In fact I find myself constantly going faster than I think I am. Ride is a little hard as expected. With the sports suspension and 17in wheels it certainly doesn't glide over bumps. But for me with the cars I have previously owned it is fine. Steering is great on turn in and grip is excellent. The car gives the driver excellent feedback and you feel you can throw it around without a problem. I must admit I sometimes find the steering a little vague in sport mode. It almost goes light on you for some reason. Not sure if anyone else has found that. Also seems a little vague at higher speeds, not quite tramlining but you do need to be on your guard.

I haven't yet found any major flaws or bad points. The hifi upgrade is fine for me but I haven't pumped it up yet. My dealer didn't have the blanking plate to do the Ipod installation so I will get that done when I have a bit of time in the next few weeks. I am glad I specced the JCW alcantara interior bits (Steering wheel, gearshift and handbrake) as it makes the car feel a little bit more unique and sporty. Fuel consumption here in London urban driving is so far around 26mpg.

Also the interior to me feels a really special place. Very comfortable and dare I say it reasonably luxurious. It feels like you are in a big car, a well built car and a car worth every penny I paid for it. To me it has answered my debate that I have had friends and with myself. You don't need to spend 40k plus on a car to feel like you have a great car. The Mini feels special and does everything I would need in a car at half the price. It's fast, comfortable, great looking, funky and gets more friendly looks than my previous cars ever had.

Hope you enjoyed my review and ramblings, I will let my Mini adventure continue...........................

[CC07ERS]

I take it that your glad you got the MCS then .Nice write up .Where are the int pics the mate.

[Olly.]

Nice write up, glad to hear your happy with the car.

[steeve]

Thats a good write up, I really enjoyed it. Now just wait until its run in then give a blast and report back.

Cheers

[ScottyBoy]

Awesome right up there! Very good read,

and a Very good positive response from a new MINI owner, Glad to hear it!!

[pimbeche]

best review I have ever read , thank you

[Lord Hemming]

I am fortunate enough to have had my fair share of 'nice' cars, I have owned a MCS until I moved to the USA for work at the end of 2005. Since arriving Stateside I have enjoyed V8 power from ford (well I had to try something made locally) and Audi.

After reading your experience it reminded me of how much I enjoyed driving from SW London to the Cotswolds on a Friday evening before I left blighty (I also enjoyed a CSL too!). I think it's time I dropped V8 power for my 8 mile commute and purchased something British....another Mini.

I would appreciate it if you can share the spec of your car, the number of options available is mind boggling and if I'm not careful, I will tick them all

[M1TCH]

good read, sounds like you got a nice car there! enjoy

[supersaw]

Hi Anis
Ive read many of your posts on bm3w and I'm glad to see your still writing well informed reviews.I too have come from an m3 & csl background and like yourself decided to move away from the massive running / depreciation costs.However i don't regret my time in these cars at all {especially not the csl}.Reading your review has settled my nerves about waiting for our cooper s,in fact I'm quite looking forward to it now.


Best of luck Stuart

[DerekH]

Very good review i would love to see some photo's if you have as waiting for our new MCS Chilli Red, I have just bought a E90 330D Sport Dec 06 and it is excellent but far more excited about the new MCS

[anissut]

Hi guys. Have been on holiday for a couple of weeks so I haven't had much chance to post.

The car is going well and I continue to be impressed by it. One thing I have noticed is that the torque is so impressive that when you actually put your foot down you almost expect a bit more. I'm a little unconvinced by the ride and the steering is strange sometimes under power over an uneven surface. I am putting that down to the run flats and I am pretty tempted to change to normal tyres and maybe some 18in wheels but lets see.

With regards to spec. I am very happy I specced bluetooth, it really is good. The hifi upgrade is actually pretty good. I had a expensive audio setup in my CSL with morel speakers, genesis amp and a sub. The Mini is nowhere near as good but is more than good enough for a car system. Auto headlights are winding me up and need to get the sensitivity adjusted. Not sure what the visibility pack does apart from rain sensor and auto headlights. The heated seats are HOT!!!!! So, they do a good job. Sports suspension is a little jiggly but I'm fine with that. Haven't noticed the benefit of the LSD as I've only done 250 miles so far so not really pushing it yet.

Averaging 27mpg in a lot of urban driving which I think is very good for such a car. Really happy I specced the JCW aero kit as IMHO it finishes the car off nicely. Also, loving the JCW alcantara steering wheel.

More from me in a week or so. Got a journey to Bristol & Wales lined up over the next few weeks so that should be a good test for the car.

[Paul]

Quote: Originally Posted by anissut (original)

...I'm a little unconvinced by the ride and the steering is strange sometimes under power over an uneven surface. I am putting that down to the run flats and I am pretty tempted to change to normal tyres and maybe some 18in wheels but lets see.

...Sports suspension is a little jiggly but I'm fine with that. Haven't noticed the benefit of the LSD as I've only done 250 miles so far so not really pushing it yet.

Shame, as the drive and handling are the best things about a MINI. I wouldn't leap into 18" wheels either, chances are they will exaggerate rather than help your issues.

In fact, I wouldn't do anything until you've had more time to learn the feel of the car.

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Quote: Originally Posted by anissut (original)

I'm a little unconvinced by the ride and the steering is strange sometimes under power over an uneven surface. I am putting that down to the run flats and I am pretty tempted to change to normal tyres and maybe some 18in wheels but lets see.

May I suggest a proper strut brace to cure the first problem, as soon as GT Tuning make a real strut brace for the R56. Please don't expect a change to 18" wheels to do anything to help the ride quality

Tigger.

[anissut]

My point was more the fact that the car on 18in wheels with "normal" tyres would maybe offset the car with 17in wheels & run flats. If you get my drift.

Does anyone else find that the steering almost pulls at you when putting power down out of bends? Or am I imagining it?

[Paul]

Quote: Originally Posted by anissut (original)

My point was more the fact that the car on 18in wheels with "normal" tyres would maybe offset the car with 17in wheels & run flats. If you get my drift.

Offset, as in make very little difference, probably. Although if you get very light 18" wheels that will probably improve things compared to heavier 17s. Although smaller sidewalls will tend to lead to a less forgiving ride and more rumble and bump.

Quote: Originally Posted by anissut (original)

Does anyone else find that the steering almost pulls at you when putting power down out of bends? Or am I imagining it?

I think you may be experience the LSD more than you think.

[bugiz]

Nice write-up buddy, appreciate it. KUDOS!!

[anissut]

So, now 400 miles in and I'd thought I'd try and regularly update this thread the more and more I spend time with the car.

I am getting more and more impressed with the engine. Any gear and it has torque which is quite remarkable from a 1.6ltr car. The turbo is very very impressive. The only negative that comes with that is you find yourself wanting more and more revs because you have got so used to the torque lower down the rev range. Having had 3 M3s which are all straight six engines which need to be revved I'm trying to decide whether its better to have the torque low down before the power tails off around 5000rpm or is it better to have seemingly not much torque at low revs and then you hit 4000rpm and the car just screams to 8000rpm with loads of power. On daily british roads the former seems to make sense.

The more I drive it the more the R56 seems like a bigger car than it is. It feels grown up and refined. If you spec a lot of toys you could almost feel you are in a highly specced saloon like a 3 series such is the feeling of space in the car.

The rear legroom is shocking. I'm not tall (5ft. 10) and I haven't got my seat right back but last night my wife couldn't put her feet down in the back of the car. It seems to me that the only thing the back seats are good for are child/booster seats.

The ride is starting to bother me. It crashes over badly surfaced roads and can provide quite a shock with passengers. 17in wheels, sports suspension and run flats are a poor combination on some poorly surfaced british roads.

I'm not convinced by the sound of the engine. Certainly sounds crap on idle/tickover but once warmed up is ok. The car is becoming more frugal the more I drive it. I am now achieving 27.5mpg and I've had several 2nd and 3rd gear runs up to 5500rpm and I don't change up below 3000rpm. Looks like I'm going to get around 320 miles to a tank for mostly urban driving so motorway runs are going to be pretty good I think.

I've just found out I can voice dial from the bluetooth which is an added bonus considering I never specced voice control. I sometimes wished I had specced sat nav but then again anyone who sits in the car always seems to comment on the big speedo. The hifi upgrade is still fine and I'm not finding I need much more at the moment but my first long motorway run is next week so lets see how it copes with road/tyre/engine noise at higher speeds.

The aero kit looks the business but damn I have to drive slowly over the bumps as I keep catching the bit underneath over speed humps. It's a terrible noise as well.

More to come next week.

[mamba]

Thanks for the great reviews! Making me very anxious!

[anissut]

Ok, another update:

Drove 500 miles this weekend, from London down to the Phil Price Rally school in Wales. Here are my impressions.

Good points:

Car is great on the motorway. Loads of torque and very easy to get up to silly speeds.
Very comfortable and the hifi sound is more than adequate.
Call quality at higher speeds is also very good.
I hit some amazing roads in Wales and the Mini was wonderful on them. Turn in is great and I went with a group of friends and I was chasing the new ML63 AMG in the twisty bits. Obviously he got away on the straights but I was more than holding my own and could probably enter corners quicker in the Mini.

Bad points:

Not really a bad point but once you get above 80mph the fuel consumption isn't as good as I thought it would be.
I need to bin the run flats and get normal tyres. It's just uncomfortable over bad roads.
The ride is a little bouncy even with sports suspension, maybe if I bin the run flats that will be cured.
It needs more sound from the exhaust when you are going for it as its almost too quiet. Aftermarket exhaust will definitely help.
The torque steer is a bit over the top to be honest. You need to be on your toes and I wonder how this can be solved.

All in all still very happy with the car. Really attracted flies on the motorway though, the front grill was absolutely covered with them.

[3rdpillar]

Enjoying your write-ups. Please continue.....

Cant exactly say "no flies on ...." when you have a MINI, and out in the wet for 10 mins you end up with a very dirty bum.