I am considering the anthracite dash and door over the silver. Does anyone have this and can give an opinion?

Thanks - It's aesthetics, I know, butI'm still trying to decide on options. :confused:

Let me know about your other favorite options :)

Keep tricking!

Go for the anthracite.
Also get the multi function steering wheel at a minimum.

i went for anthracite because.. and this is not an attack on the silver people.. but i didnt think it looked as cheap and is much easier on the eye.. nice and subtle, and once you have been driving the car for a long time i think thats a good thing! or maybe im boring.. but happy! :)

I also have anthracite and like mark-tifosi I did so because I thought (and still think) the silver looks cheap. I've also seen a lot of pictures of scratched silver interiors and it's not pretty. I haven't seen any scratched anthracite interiors and so I think it may be more hardwearing.

My advice would be to see the real thing. The pictures in the MINI brochure make anthracite look dull and boring. I think it's the classier of the three options and I'd have it over alloy patina any day of the week.

I went for silver because anthracite looks cheap and comes as standard on ONE's

wise words from a wise oldnell.. 'great minds..'

hmm.. i think at the end of the day it comes down to what you think looks less cheap! and yes definately see them both 'in the flesh' :)

Originally posted by Kinster
I went for silver because anthracite looks cheap and comes as standard on ONE's

Hey Smartypants :D - Anthracite is also standard on the Cooper.

Seriously though I chose silver to brighten the interior up a bit. The silver bits make a nice contrast to the black door panels, seats etc. The silver also matches up well with my PS car. I don't think the silver look scheap at all. Such a refreshing change to the acres of black trim in just about every other car on the road.

No scrapes on my silver bits yet !

Anthracite is nice too of course.

What's everyone's opinion on the Alumium patina which is standard on the S but now an option on all cars? I really liked it when I saw my first S.

KenL. I loved the photos of the alloy patina, but in the flesh it still looks like plastic with a printed effect stuck on top.

Unfortunately, safety concerns mean that we won't get a proper metal dashboard, even though it would look cool.

I test drove a Cooper then Cooper S back-to-back. The absolute *first* thing I thought when I got into the S was "dang, that dash looks DIRTY." (I kid you not - I even reached over to the dash to wipe my finger across it to check).

For my MCS, I've ordered the silver, and for the same reason as KenL -- it brightens up the interior.

I like the look of the anthracite - it has "depth" with the metalic look.

MINIGUY always used to say that the anthracite was more durable... I'm hoping so.

Originally posted by msenkbeil
I like the look of the anthracite - it has "depth" with the metalic look.

MINIGUY always used to say that the anthracite was more durable... I'm hoping so.

MiNiGuY still says that.

Anthracite Vs White silver :-

Door cases - They are both equal in durability.
Door case grab handles - Antharacite more durable (less prone to scratching)
Dashboard - They are both equal in durability.
Downtubes - Anthracite more durable (much less prone to scratching)

I have always found the paint finish on White silver downtubes to be exceptionally poor quality, and unacceptable in durability.
It's a fact that has not gone unnoticed by bmw as so many scratched White silver downtubes are replaced on just built cars.
In fact, when replacing a white silver downtube on the glovebox side of a mini, quite often the replacement gets scratched and you have to try again due to the replacement process.
Bmw actually incorporated a felt cover into the build process about 6 months ago to combat the huge amounts of scratched downtubes. This cover wraps around the down tubes to protect them from scratches in the factory.
Of course, once the cover is off and the car ships, the downtubes are still as vulnerable.
Only this time it's your fault if they get scratched.


MiNiGuY.

You'd think that the amount of effort required by MINI and MINI dealers to replace downpipes would make them put a bit of lacquer on the downpipes.

That's the thing that annoys me about MINI. There are known problems with simple rectifications, but they just don't seem to feed these back into the build process so dealers end up fixing the same issues over and over again. Surely if they stop the problems happening in the first place everyone would be happier.

I was expecting silver and was surprised when my Cooper turned up with anthracite. I liked it better right from the start and now would definitely choose it again. Also so many manufacturers are now using silver in their dashes, it is just a fad and in a few years will look extremely dated (IMHO):)

i didnt choose either. i went for Patina in my cooper :)

My MC had silver and I liked it; I had no trouble with scratches, etc but I was always very careful with it (and no kids, etc).

For my MCS I was not looking forward to having the alloy patina - it is like distressed furniture :(

Then suddenly there was anthracite - which I love and it looks great with the Lapis interior of my MCS. It really sparkles when the sun catches it.
Only thing is, on dull days and with all the black finish, it might be overly dark for some ... "galactic hyper hearse" maybe :)

Both of ours will have anthracite, it's so nice!

Andrew

Originally posted by audball
I test drove a Cooper then Cooper S back-to-back. The absolute *first* thing I thought when I got into the S was "dang, that dash looks DIRTY." (I kid you not - I even reached over to the dash to wipe my finger across it to check).

For my MCS, I've ordered the silver, and for the same reason as KenL -- it brightens up the interior.

Here, here. Any interior other than panther black and pure silver is not desirable. Patina looks terrible and dull.

its at the stage though IMHO, that there are SO many MINI's going about with the silver interior, that to the casual on looker, it would appear that silver was the standard fitment.......and not the anthracite.
i think the anthracite looks wicked, and im very happy ive chosen that combo. it is refreshing to see it on a MINI, as so often if you see a MINi you can almost be certain of their interior colour choice.

If that convices you that you made the correct option, then that's fine. Although deep down you know the silver interior is best ;-)

Thanks so much for all the feedback! I didn't have a clue about durability.

Originally posted by audball
I test drove a Cooper then Cooper S back-to-back. The absolute *first* thing I thought when I got into the S was "dang, that dash looks DIRTY." (I kid you not - I even reached over to the dash to wipe my finger across it to check).

For my MCS, I've ordered the silver, and for the same reason as KenL -- it brightens up the interior.


My same reaction when I rode in a friends S. I like the silver dash better.

retroom

I am going with the anthracite for my Cooper order... I am going high contrast on the outside Black/White and low contrast inside... Panther Leatherette/anthracite... that and I just think the anthracite looks sooooo good!!

Originally posted by jasonve
I am going with the anthracite for my Cooper order... I am going high contrast on the outside Black/White and low contrast inside... Panther Leatherette/anthracite... that and I just think the anthracite looks sooooo good!!

excellent choices jasonve.. :cool: :black:

i took patina...not so happy with the choices available - what can ya do?

Anthracite and Silver are both too shiny--Patina is the way to go!

We chose anthracite. But only because we have gone for a Metalic Silver exterior.

Had we have gone for a dark exterior then Silver interior would have been the choice.

Both interiors look stunning!

All the interior colors have pros and cons. As for which looks best, I think it is really affected by exterior, door panel and seat combinations. This factored in with personal taste makes it impossible to say, this one looks best. MINI's are a lot like us, some people look good in all black clothes and others look better in wild colors.

I originally ordered my PS MCS with Patina. My wife does not like the Lapis seats and I think it is a little dark with all black (seats, doors and dash) and like the little bit of spice the alloy adds. I ended up vetoing my wife's vote and switched to Lapis Blue. For my conservative tastes, there is a little too much going on with Lapis and Patina so I switched to Anthracite. You gotta love all the choices!

So, my long winded spiel is that it is great we have so many combos. The one that looks the best to you is certainly the best.

Regards,
Motor'nMAX

Est. Prod. 3/21: 03 MCS PS/B, Bonnet Stripes, Rally Lights, Lapis, Anthracite, HK, Pkgs #1, 2 & 3

Got Patina in my new Cooper and it looks good , much more 3D than silver in my last one, infinitely better on doors BUT I'd like to see what an anthracite pass airbag cover looked like fitted in contrast.
The speedo , tachometer and airvents are still silver and the contrast there is quite nice, are the dials etc. silver in an anthracite car?I don't think the interior trim is much of an issue as they all look great but any scratched and worn out interior no matter what the trim looks poor, certainly some of the brushed aluminium trim in BMW sports coupes looks trashed after a year.
Let's relax knowing that no matter what trim we choose the car is simply the best looking object on the road today.
Mike

I've had both, silver in my first MC (RIP) and now the anthracite. They're both nice.. the silver gives the interior a nice contrast (a little too much at first, but nice) while the anthracite gives a nice subtle look. the only bad thing is that the speedo is always silver... What gives??