The whole R56 / 55: episode has been 'hijacked ' by accountants , poor build quality , poor components ( have a look at the air intake pipes on all R56 petrol + diesel ---rubbish ) sparing a few pence on carpet ( look under the bottom door / kick plate trim ) and just generally not finishing to a 'quality' standard . I am now 7 months into My R56
MC ownership and I must say I am generally happy with the 'dynamics ' and improvement over My previous 2 R50s but get annoyed when I look at what might have been . competition is now catching up especially with Audi's A1 and I think now is not the time to p*ss off loyal MINI owners . I was going to order a Clubman D and keep Our R56
MC BUT now its on hold due to My Brothers experience with His D as well as this bloody 'Club Door ' issue , I would be happy with NO 'club door ' OR 2 Club doors but as the Irish Indo article says its the " breathtaking arrogance" of Munich will cause irreparable damage to the brand , I am so annoyed about the whole debacle I am writing to MINI and indeed Munich HQ to point out the feeling 'on the ground ' about their big mistake .
G