I was there bright and early at my local Birmingham dealer this morning for the official S launch. Not quite the glitz of last year's Mini launch (no press or radio), but plenty of drinks, crisps and some new literature.
Best of all there were two Cooper S's, a fuly specced DS (black roof, with sunroof) in the showroom and a fairly basic EB (white roof, no sunroof) for the test drives.
Initial impressions of the DS:
- great colour (not as dark as I expected - so have stuck with my original DS choice)
- loved the lapis blue leather seats (even the rear one)
- alloy patina could be better, but I definately prefer it to the standard painted/clear coat (so far so good)
- dark door trims go well with the black leather (I got rid of my magnesium option)
- black roof really works well with DS (changed my roof from DS to black)
- loved the very different bonnet lines (but my wife missed the chrome)
First ride as a passenger of the EB:
- so smooth, as a passenger it just goes....
- supercharger whine made me smile...always there and very pleasant
- very supportive and comfortable seats
- got lots of interested looks from the public
First drive of the EB (60 miles on the clock):
- easy set off (no problem with the reported high gearing on 1st)
- knotchy gear shift, but very direct and easy to shift (loved it - especially the kudos of 6 gears)
- acceleration initially felt slow, but I was tricked by the refined ride into taking it easy. Knock it down a gear and it's good, knock it down two gears and it's great, knock it down three and wow!!
- occasionally got a bit lost with 6 gears to play with (when trundling along it doesn't seem to care what gear it's in) if you need to accelerate just knock it down a gear or two and everything is fine
- wheels were 16" and went just where I wanted, minimal body roll - just how I like it - great on Birmingham roundabouts and tunnels
Conclusion
I love it - my wife loves it - my children love it - the saleman love it...the only compromise for me on an otherwise great car is the cheap dash - but I will forgive it that small indiscretion.
Definately glad I got the deposit down early - 86 days to go.
Go see your dealer...i'm going back when it's done more miles...the salesmen reckon it gets even better!!
