A few questions

[jgpmini]

Hi everyone-

I am just about ready to order my Cooper. I have decided on Pepper White but I'm not decided on the interior. I'm leaning toward the cloth, sport seats. Do they hold up well, material wise?

When test driving the automatic, I have noticed that it is quite jerky. This is probably nerves and getting used to. Is this generally true or is it always jerky?
What is the wind noise like on the highway (about 80mph)?

There is a lack of storage in the doors and no armrest. Is there enough room for my stuff (cell phone, sunglasses, CDs) in the glove box?

Has anybody had any problems with the sunroof netting?

Thanks!

[BartMack]

To tackle some of those at least:
My current MINI has the cloth and I'm going with the pleather on #2, just my preference.

The cvt is actually very smooth IMO, (even spooky smooth)but the entire car is just WAY more responsive than the average car in the US, so at first even the steering takes getting used to. In the early CVTs there was some jerkiness problems that were fixed by new software some time ago. Lots of discussion on all of these items.

I think the car is very quiet at 80, unless the sunroof is open, then it IS noisy at 80. (but who cares, it's a blast!!!)

You will find your cell phone fits perfectly in either of the cup holders, which are famously useless for holding cups! I wedge my sunglasses on the corner of the visor, but there is a sunglass holder niche on the door of the glove box.

[adgrimes]

I test drove an automatic mini one and it was very responsive compared to my honda civic... steering, accelerator, brake, everything seemed to be much more "awake" if you know what I mean. It jerked a bit when I first started driving it, but I am used to a very hard accelerator pedal, the one in the mini is very light compared to the honda.
Steering is fantastic... Gone are the days my parents can turn their volvo estate in a road where I have to do 3 point turns in the honda...
I made sure I drove on a bypass as I wanted to see what the ride was like at 70-80mph as I drive on the motorway to work. I was surprised how little noise there was when I had the windows open driving along... Wasnt interested in the sunroof as I dont like them...
Hope this helps...

[jgpmini]

Does anyone here have the rain-sensing wipers? Do they work well? I am kind of disappointed the wipers only have 2 speeds.

Thanks!

[dmholmes]

I wouldn't call it road noise as much as tire noise. The all season tires (at least on the base Cooper) start to howl at about 75 mph. Actual road noise seems to be fairly minimal for a small car although I get a bit of a hissing sound from the rear edge of the drivers side door at high speed.

[Steevo]

Quote:

Originally posted by jgpmini
Does anyone here have the rain-sensing wipers? Do they work well? I am kind of disappointed the wipers only have 2 speeds.

Thanks!

Yes, I have the rain sensing wipers, and yes they work fine, although when I finish my journey I tend to forget to switch the wipers off because they operate so infrequently when the car pulls up, and after you restart the engine, they need to be 'reset' by switching off, then on again. I believe this is to protect the wipers in case the windscreen is iced up.

Also, they are speed sensitive, so even the lightest spray is wiped away frequently at speed, but in totally dry conditions they stop altogether as expected. If I go into a tunnel, they perform an extra wipe even though the window is dry but kick in immediately when I emerge the other end, which is strangely uplifting and another reason for the MINI grin

Steve