R56 (Turbo) Cooper S Thoughts, Opinions, Experiences?

[tyranical]

Considering one.

Very mixed reviews about them, some people say they get excellent mpg (35+) others only getting high 20's.

I know all about the "death rattle" etc.

Thoughts?

[Smike]

You'll probably get more opinions in "General Gassing"?

Not sure why they move some marque-related ones but other stuff, like the "BMW 330i vs 320d" and "Audi A6/S4 2.7T - Turbo Issues" remain on the main page though???

[tyranical]

My thoughts exactly... Noone reads these subforums thats why I posted in general gassing.

[Sam.F]

tyranical said:

some people say they get excellent mpg (35+) others only getting high 20's.

MPG depends entirely on what your day-to-day driving involves - if you do a lot of A-road (50-60mph) driving you'll average 40mpg with relative ease even if you use the performance to overtake a few times a day, whereas if you spend most of your time in town and/or thrashing it along B-roads then 25-30 is more realistic (but still pretty good given the performance).

Later R56 models do seem to be better-built based on my experiences - my previous 57-plate Cooper S had a few electrical issues and the sunroof creaked and groaned when it wasn't open whereas by contrast my current JCW has been very reliable and actually seems to ride a bit better than the standard car did.

From my POV there's very little on-sale today that provides as much grin-factor to drive whilst being affordable to run and insure.

[mike9009]

Hi

Just picked up a R56 cooper s clubman yesterday. I live on the isle of wight, so mainly small b roads. So far over fifty miles i have averaged 39mpg. Haven't been spanking it though, so suspect that will drop once i get a little more comfortable with it. Going on a motorway blast on Tuesday so will update the mpg after that trip.

Will start my own thread about it with a small review and first thoughts in a few weeks........

Mike

[Poprin]

People who say they get less than 35mpg out of an R56 cooper S have to be reading the trip wrong or someone is siphoning their fuel! I've actually tried to make mine do less than 35mpg and you would literally have to drive it at full throttle at every opportunity to achieve it I think. Mine does 38mpg all day long and that’s with a shift on most of the time as well.

[mike9009]

Quick update on mpg stakes.

On motorway at 80 leptons it will do aprox 42mpg.
At 70 leptons it will do approx 44 mpg.
On an a road at 60 will do approx 46mpg
On th small bits round town i did it was approx 34mpg.

I havent been thrashing it - as i was commuting and didnt warrant it. I suspect lower mpg could easily be possible.

Mike

[123standish]

I get about 44 at a steady 70 - 80.

and 25 with very hard driving.

On average since owning. 38

[Sam.F]

Poprin said:

I've actually tried to make mine do less than 35mpg and you would literally have to drive it at full throttle at every opportunity to achieve it I think.

You're not trying hard enough

[tyranical]

I have a question, which will sound stupid but still..

Are the steering wheel buttons all they crack up to be?

I've never had them on any car before and the idea of cruise control (another function i've never had) is appealling and so is the ability to change the song my iphone is playing via the steering wheel.

If you don't have steering wheel controls can you change the song the iphone plays through the buttons on the console so you don't get done for using a phone whilst driving?

[sad61t]

tyranical said:

I have a question, which will sound stupid but still..

Are the steering wheel buttons all they crack up to be?

I've never had them on any car before and the idea of cruise control (another function i've never had) is appealling and so is the ability to change the song my iphone is playing via the steering wheel.

If you don't have steering wheel controls can you change the song the iphone plays through the buttons on the console so you don't get done for using a phone whilst driving?

Don't know about the hifi, though I personally find it just as easy to drop my hand to radio controls as to thumb the buttons. The cruise on the other hand is a complete boon in urban areas especially as the speedometer is so far away from your line of sight. Just get to 30 & start the cruise; let the car worry about that while you scan the road ahead for hazards. The 50mph motorway average speed zones are now a breeze, with no worries about creeping faster. Darned MINI is too civilised, no more vibrating panels at 50 and steering-wheel shimmy at 60 to act as feedback. Bring back the BMC Mini!

Edited by sad61t on Tuesday 26th July 10:16

[Sam.F]

sad61t said:

The cruise on the other hand is a complete boon in urban areas especially as the speedometer is so far away from your line of sight.

I agree that cruise control is a very handy thing to have (stops you doing silly speeds on the motorway) but, re. the speedometer, don't you just use the OBC to display the speed readout in the display in the rev counter? I must confess I don't think I've *ever* "used" the actual speedometer in mine!

[mike9009]

Just to get my post count up!

I agree that cruise control is great (had it on a couple of previous cars but not my current Mini). Also agree the speedo is weird. It is massive but it is a real distraction to see it in the position it is. I also use the little computer thingy to get the speed in the rev counter.

I don't have the steering wheel buttons for the ipod control - but have had them in other cars and I do find them extremely useful. Really does keep your eye on the road - eventually they do become second nature and you don't even need to look to make sure you are pressing the right buttons.

By the way - I have now used my sat nav in the car and the speeds versu mpg figures I quoted earlier are a little optimistic based upon the speedo over reading by between 4 - 5mph at 70mph. This obviously assumes that the GPS speed is also accurate!!


Mike

[Simple]

Sam.F said:

You're not trying hard enough

Agreed. I get 32 out of mine. A mixture of use, but driven fairly hard it does like a drink. The wife gets about 38 out of it. Good little cars though and worth the mpg for the performance a fun you get.

[sad61t]

I think everyone uses the digital speed within the rev counter (except when it's overridden by the bongbong warning triangle). I'd even go so far as to say that the dinner plate is a complete waste of space, despite getting bigger in every iteration.