Swapped R56 for R50 for a day

[mister.t]

Well, its in the title really. Got friends who fancy buying an R56, which incidentally will be a mirror spec of ours, so we swapped Minis for the day and we borrowed their R50 for a day. This was an early, October '01 Mini Cooper, and it was highly spec'd:

Pure Silver/Black
Chili Pack
Full Leather Profile Black
Dark Glass
Panoramic Glass Roof
ASC+T
Radio BOOST
6 CD Autochanger

It's only done 32,000 miles (had a staggering 22k miles on it when it was 1 year old, so its only done 10k miles in 4 1/2 years), and has been very well looked after.

Anyway, driving it. There was very little difference between both cars. The steering was very similar (the only thing that was different was the steering wheel "texture"), and the ride quality was noticably harsher, even on 16"s. The traction control was something that we should have spec'd, as it is handy around the tight and twisty lanes that are often lined with wet leaves etc. The engine is a good bit harsher at high revs, and not as torquey, but, the "punch" at 4.5k rpm is addictive, and the new one misses out on that, yet, the new PSA unit with the smoother torque curve is more appealing in the long term.

The quality overall is a huge leap forward in the new one. Considering this was a very expensive Mini 5 1/2 years or so ago, and only covering 32k miles, it sqeaked, rattled, and shuddered over ever bump imaginable. I was amazed how much the supermini market has moved forward in 5 or 6 years, considering the Mini was the best back then, and now, a car similar to that would probably seen as average, especially compared to the R56.

The rear leg room is also very noticably different. Sitting in the back of the R50 with a 5ft 11" in the front and a 5ft 6" er in the back, it was very tight. However, in the R56, its a pleasure, with a noticable size difference over the old R50.

In conclusion then, the R56 is a huge leap forward over the R50. No dis-respect at all to R50, R52 and R53 owners, because, there are parts that I do prefer on the R50 to the R56. I think that overall, the R50 has the edge on looks. It just looks 100% at all angles. The rear has more storage, with bigger cubby holes, and more practical storage nets in the back of the seats. And the stereo is OOOOOOOO so much better Judging by this leap forward, in 6 years time when the R56 will be replaced, we will have Mercedes S Class levels of refinenment, with Mini driving fun (and hopefully a stereo to match). I can't wait

[KenL]

Mercedes, please don't say that!!!

Good review, I agree about the refinement - a HUGE leap forward.

[~Marcus~]

I agree the R50 looks good from all angles, whereas R56 looks a bit blocky from some. The R50 is more fun to drive slowly and there is more of a connection with the road. But by the end of the week, I was frazzled by the restless ride even on 16" wheels - amazing how it never settled down, even on freshly surfaced motorways - and while I never had any rattles in 55k miles, the interior build is not up to the R56 and the seats weren't as comfortable.

On balance the better comfort, ride and refinement of the R56 is welcome and a good move by MINI, and when you get a series of bends the handling is superb - very polished and slick and better than the R50 as you don't get knocked off course as much. Not as raw as the R50 which is a both good and bad, but the R56 really feels like a well set up, premium car.