[chiph]

Flow MINI has a website up. Shockingly enough, it's
http://www.flowmini.com/

It's a little slow loading, and not a lot of info there, but still....

Chip H.

[MINIMENC]

The news flow from Flow (:-o) is not very forthcoming - anyone heard about delivery dates or even test drives?

[chiph]

Well, just got off the phone with Matt Foltz at Flow MINI (in Winston-Salem, NC). I'm signed up for a test drive on Saturday in the Cooper S. (wooo hooo!)

He confirmed again that they plan to sell at MSRP (no mark-up), and no "mandatory options". Really good to hear that. Heck, I was going to buy extra stuff anyway -- it's just nice not being forced into it.

Chip H.

[chiph]

Went for my test-drive on Saturday at Flow of the Cooper S. Can't seem to get this stupid grin off my face...

But, here's a pic of the dealership. I've got other pics in my gallery.

Matt (the salesman who I put my deposit down with) was unavailable, so I went with the other salesman, whom, I'm sorry to say, I didn't get his name. But we started out by heading south on Peters Creek Pkwy, which is a smooth four-lane divided road. It's amazing how quickly you get up to 70mph. After about a mile, we made a left onto a two-lane road, went for a while and came to a stop sign. We waited a bit to allow a white pickup to get some distance ahead of us, then made a right and went through a sharp left turn at about 60mph. The salesman said that he had gotten the DSC to active earlier that day on that curve - an impressive achievement, given the speed we were going at, he must have had another 10mph on top of that.

The road got a little bumpy afterwards, but the suspension just absorbed it with no complaints. I drove the same route afterwards in the ML, and there was no way I could have done the same route at the same speed. The lower power/weight ratio of the SUV didn't allow me to get up to the same speed in the same anount of time as the Cooper S. Plus, on the bumps, the truck-based frame of the ML shuddered a bit on the impacts of the bumps.

Then it was my turn - we changed positions, I adjusted the mirrors and the seat, and we were off. Despite the fact that I've been driving an automatic for the past 3 years, I had no trouble getting used to the manual transmission. I did have a problem with the clutch pedal, though. The dealership had a paper mat on the floor to protect the carpet, and it got into the way a few times. But mostly, the rubber pedal was too low to the floor for me - I guess I have big feet or something (10-1/2 US/45 Euro), because I found I was pressing more on the arm, and not the pedal itself. This may be something which I just get accustomed to.

It took me a couple of turns before I became used to the quick ratio steering. On the first curve (a left) I really put too much input in, and found myself in the oncoming lane. I got progressively better as time went on. The outside mirrors are perfectly positioned, but the inside mirror I found was a little too far away for me - I would have liked to have had it positioned a little closer.

After a short while on the two-lane, we arrived back at Peters Creek Pkwy, and I made a right back to the dealership. While the car is wide, it's still a little narrower than the ML, which would fill most of the lane. The Cooper S had quite a bit of room in the lane, and I could easily position it to avoid imagined roadkill, trash, errant Buicks, etc.

One thing that I'm concerned about, long-term, with the car is the silver "metal" interior. It's been my experience with various VCR remote controls, etc., that this type of finish wears off fairly quickly, exposing the gray plastic underneath. The dash, while obviously fake (almost too fake), won't have this problem, but surfaces that you contact every day (like the turn indicator) will quickly wear. This is something that the aftermarket should get to work on - I would pay 3-4 hundred dollars for billet aluminum control stalks that would last longer, and be easier to keep clean.

All too soon, the ride was at an end, and I had to park the Cooper S for the next waiting test driver. Overall impressions: You've really got to pay attention to the steering, as it's very direct. Not a lot of cargo room - I'll probably end up pulling the rear seats out, because otherwise I'd just leave them down all the time. I'm 137 on their combined list, and I should have one by November. Can't wait!

Chip H.

[MINIMENC]

Chip,

Sounds like you had a blast. I drove an S in Atlanta this week, so I know what you mean about wiping the grin off of your face. That car is so much fun to drive. My buddy who also drove the car said it was every bit as good as an M3 (he owned one previously) except the torque.

[S2K&CooperS]

Anybody know the MSRP/options of the Indi Blue Cooper with the 17" R90 wheels in the showroom?? Just curious. It's beautiful!

[chiph]

Quote:

Originally posted by S2K&CooperS
Anybody know the MSRP/options of the Indi Blue Cooper with the 17" R90 wheels in the showroom?? Just curious. It's beautiful!

IIRC, the wheels/tires added about $3000. Plus there was the bonnet stripes and driving lamps. The interior was either leather or leatherette (I couldn't tell by feel).

The bad news? It had a "sold" tag on it.

Chip H.