MINI R56 Cooper with a weirdly massive spec.
Discussion
kapiteinlangzaam said:
The 2013 cars have an updated fog/side lamp design (although these are not the LED DRL versions). It seems a bit stingy of MINI to leave the fog light bulbs/switches out unless you pay extra - you would almost think its cheaper just to make them the same across the range 
That's just what cars without SALT, PEPPER OR CHILI Packs look like, since R55/6/7/8/9 inception. There's nothing in the lower area, hence the prominent divide to seal the side light. They don't have the map lights or roof toggles in the front either, just a big, single lamp panel.
Edited by Waugh-terfall on Monday 27th January 21:27
kapiteinlangzaam said:
Just got am email from the dealer saying that MINI have changed their mind on the warranty claim, so its new headlights on the 12th February.
A good result
I also couldn't help noticing this morning how bloody comfy the ONE is on the 15" winter tyres.
I've had a couple on non RFT 15s and the ride is so much better. Sure, they don't grip as well as 17" versions but unless it's a Cooper S then I'd take that trade off any day. A good result
I also couldn't help noticing this morning how bloody comfy the ONE is on the 15" winter tyres.
Edited by kapiteinlangzaam on Tuesday 28th January 11:47
A lex said:
We traded in our 10yr old R50 ONE, it had 200k km on it but still drove wonderfully. We really liked it and it was a very good car to us (nothing went wrong in our ownership),
The old ONE:
Next to each other:
Before I read all the other pages, I bought a 2001 mini cooper in the UK in May 2013, and I've since come to the conclusion that I would never buy a generation 2 mini due to the fact that I hate 3 things about it. 1) The dash. I Love the detailing of the gen 1 speedo, and hate, strong word, hate, the central thing. 
The old ONE:
Next to each other:
2) the gen 1 has cute, carefully detailed vents in scuttle panel and wing, and the later car looks like they didn't try.
3) It's bigger. Not by much, but just enough to go from cute to munter in one easy step.
On the other hand NICE spec, but (mainly because I have a 12 year old car), it's more to go wrong just out of warranty.
PS I'm jealous, so very tongue in cheek.
Now to read the other pages.
The difference between my two is incredible.
The Cooper S Hatch on 17" Yokohama Advan Sport ZPS (RFL) has an almost unbearable ride. Noisy, mega hard, crashy, thumpy, no front end grip in anything mildly damp.
The Cooper Roadster on 17" Continental ContiSport Contact 3s is a world apart. Comfortable, grippy, quiet, refined.
I can hit bumps, holes etc in the Roadster and not notice, hit them in the Hatch and it'll sound/feel like the windscreen would shatter if you did it again.
The Cooper S Hatch on 17" Yokohama Advan Sport ZPS (RFL) has an almost unbearable ride. Noisy, mega hard, crashy, thumpy, no front end grip in anything mildly damp.
The Cooper Roadster on 17" Continental ContiSport Contact 3s is a world apart. Comfortable, grippy, quiet, refined.
I can hit bumps, holes etc in the Roadster and not notice, hit them in the Hatch and it'll sound/feel like the windscreen would shatter if you did it again.
I borrowed my brother in laws 52 reg MINI Cooper the other week whilst we were waiting for our new car to be prepped after selling the XC90.
Its had a hard life, last cleaned about 5 years ago and with 130k miles on the clock but always serviced on time.
Used it for the odd 80 mile commute for which it was ok but as has been said the ride was terrible.
Not sure what wheels it had, think tyres were michelins.
However great fun when pressing on and the first car in a long time I have wanted just to take out for a drive to nowhere in particular.
Even my wife liked it after I had spent 3 hours cleaning it!
She commented that she wanted to "hammer it" every time she drove it!
Its had a hard life, last cleaned about 5 years ago and with 130k miles on the clock but always serviced on time.
Used it for the odd 80 mile commute for which it was ok but as has been said the ride was terrible.
Not sure what wheels it had, think tyres were michelins.
However great fun when pressing on and the first car in a long time I have wanted just to take out for a drive to nowhere in particular.
Even my wife liked it after I had spent 3 hours cleaning it!
She commented that she wanted to "hammer it" every time she drove it!
I couldn't find much on R56 failures either, I'd pretty much convinced myself that it was probably carbon build up on the valves instead. However quite a few BMWs use the same Bosch finger coils and there's plenty online about coil failure at similar ages/mileages.
Nice and easy to swap, a couple of torx screws to remove the engine cover and then they just pop out.
Nice and easy to swap, a couple of torx screws to remove the engine cover and then they just pop out.
Nice car - glad you are enjoying it.
My wife bought an R53 One in 2003, so when the R56 launch was approaching we were invited to visit the dealer who supplied her R53.
Inevitably we didn't leave until she had placed an order and her Red R56 Cooper was collected on 23 December 2006 - she said it was her Christmas present to herself!
Anyway she went mad ticking boxes and added nearly 50% to the list price by the time it had Xenon's, Harmon Kardon, mood lighting, 16 inch alloys, air-con, full black leather with red interior highlights, piano black trim, heated front screen, black bonnet stripes and roof, and that was without the Nav or glass roof!
She still has it now at just over 40,000 miles and the average from day one has been over 40 mpg according to the OBC.
We don't live at the same address now so sadly I don't get to thrash it any more!
They drive really well.
My wife bought an R53 One in 2003, so when the R56 launch was approaching we were invited to visit the dealer who supplied her R53.
Inevitably we didn't leave until she had placed an order and her Red R56 Cooper was collected on 23 December 2006 - she said it was her Christmas present to herself!
Anyway she went mad ticking boxes and added nearly 50% to the list price by the time it had Xenon's, Harmon Kardon, mood lighting, 16 inch alloys, air-con, full black leather with red interior highlights, piano black trim, heated front screen, black bonnet stripes and roof, and that was without the Nav or glass roof!
She still has it now at just over 40,000 miles and the average from day one has been over 40 mpg according to the OBC.
We don't live at the same address now so sadly I don't get to thrash it any more!
They drive really well.
kapiteinlangzaam said:
JonoG81 said:
kapiteinlangzaam said:
va1o said:
Saw one this evening in that colour and it looked super smart, nicer than the new 5dr MINI for sure. It's a brave design but stands out from the crowd and should still look modern for a good few years
I had a look at the Clubman a couple of weeks ago, it looks good and is a lot more practical than the old one (which we had).However, I totally fell for the BMW i3 after a decent test drive, and being based in Cloggie-land I strongly suggest KL has a look at one of them as an alternative to the V40
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