Discussion
PDTVR83 said:
Stunning handling and vast improvement over r56. I was at Bedford autodrome last week driving the Cooper, Cooper d and Cooper s. Really impressed.
Don't say that....had to buy the R56 whilst waiting for the F56 because my R53 went bang before Christmas. 
Had the R56 2 months now and it's still making me smile. 
I'll reserve full judgement until I drive them this weekend, but after having a good poke around them last night, I must admit I have almost been won over by the F56.
The interior quality brilliant, and the 8.8in Nav screen is superb. Some of the other toys you can spec are also incredible (radar cruise, LED headlights, HUD etc.), but there are a couple of bits that really bother me.
The exterior door handles are absolutely horrible. They're plastic, and the whole door handle moves rather than just the rubber switch on the back. This the first thing I felt on the car, it was flimsy and cheap. Also (and I know this is going to sound utterly ridiculous), the Oxford built cars have always had a proper 'thunk' when shutting the door, and this has disappeared. Sad I know
Also, the windscreen is now more raked, and the A pillar strengthened for crash regs - This means the A pillar is now quite obstructive (especially compared to my R50).
However, in the flesh, I think the styling works, especially on the Cooper. 16" & 17" wheels do look lost in the arches however, I dread to think what the 15s will look like.
Apparently, of all of the orders taken at my dealership for the F56, all have been for the Cooper with the exception of 1 Cooper S, and 1 Cooper D
Each salesman I chatted to last night also said the Cooper is definitely the one to have, I look forward to driving them at the weekend 
The interior quality brilliant, and the 8.8in Nav screen is superb. Some of the other toys you can spec are also incredible (radar cruise, LED headlights, HUD etc.), but there are a couple of bits that really bother me.
The exterior door handles are absolutely horrible. They're plastic, and the whole door handle moves rather than just the rubber switch on the back. This the first thing I felt on the car, it was flimsy and cheap. Also (and I know this is going to sound utterly ridiculous), the Oxford built cars have always had a proper 'thunk' when shutting the door, and this has disappeared. Sad I know
Also, the windscreen is now more raked, and the A pillar strengthened for crash regs - This means the A pillar is now quite obstructive (especially compared to my R50).
However, in the flesh, I think the styling works, especially on the Cooper. 16" & 17" wheels do look lost in the arches however, I dread to think what the 15s will look like.
Apparently, of all of the orders taken at my dealership for the F56, all have been for the Cooper with the exception of 1 Cooper S, and 1 Cooper D
Each salesman I chatted to last night also said the Cooper is definitely the one to have, I look forward to driving them at the weekend Was at the launch last night at the factory and have to agree that the jump in interior quality is fantastic, also agree that the door handles don't seem as solid as the old car.
The S seems very colour sensitive to my eyes - don't like it in the Orange / yellow as the intakes below the bumper seem to come at you. Looked better in the Thunder Grey but we currently have a Grey S so will wait till we've seen other colours
The S seems very colour sensitive to my eyes - don't like it in the Orange / yellow as the intakes below the bumper seem to come at you. Looked better in the Thunder Grey but we currently have a Grey S so will wait till we've seen other colours
RacingBlue said:
I'm not a Mini salesman, and I think the car has become a bloated caricature of the original model. As an enthusiast, I'll shop elsewhere I think.
I hear a lot of people say this, but what else could they do? Cars are forced to be bigger due to safety and despite people saying the new mini is too big, people still say the boot is too small. Drove one today, a cooper S, and thought the interior was stunning, and the exterior was pretty good to me too, even in the new flat orange colour. I'm not sure if I just didn't get proper chance to exploit the car, but for me it didn't seem quite as perky as I hoped. I have fairly recently owned a focus ST, Octavia vRS, and Corsa VXR, and have use of a mk6 GTi, and the F56 just didn't feel quite as eager as any of them - Maybe it was tight due to being so new? I'm reserving judgement until I've had another go...
I'd virtually spec'd up my (wife's!) order so want to like it, just slightly hesitant now...
I'd virtually spec'd up my (wife's!) order so want to like it, just slightly hesitant now...
mascord05 said:
Hi all , I'm a MINI salesman, just thought I'd share my day today! Been driving the F56 today, cooper, cooper d. And the cooper S- WOW!! Even if your not in the market, as enthusiasts get yourself to your dealer and take one out. !!
Did you get to try one with the adaptive dampers - if so how does it compare with the standard setup? Initial reviews don't seem to be suggesting it's a must have option as it has been said for some BMWs but curious to know if worth the extra outlay.Had a ride in a Cooper yesterday (didn't take my licence so couldn't drive it) but from the passenger seat was impressed with the comfort, refinement, engine sound and the performance seemed strong.
Goatex said:
Did you get to try one with the adaptive dampers - if so how does it compare with the standard setup? Initial reviews don't seem to be suggesting it's a must have option as it has been said for some BMWs but curious to know if worth the extra outlay.
Good call - a Mini is on my shortlist (had an '04 Cooper), and wondering about some of the vague descriptions seen on the options on the configurator. I'll also be keen to know the "real world" MPG of a Cooper vs. a Cooper D; coming from a Z4 3.0si, anything will be a vast improvement, and I'd rather have a Cooper than a D (for price & noise) reasons, but I'll be doing around 20k a year, so want my fuel costs to be reasonable too.Cheers!
Test drove the Cooper and Cooper D today; was pleasantly surprised by the latter - much more refined than expected, even if it did have the obvious diesel noise on idle and low speeds. The Cooper was slightly disappointing - the engine note was pretty gruff, enough that I thought I was driving another diesel; it certainly wasn't what I'd have called a fun happy revvy noise. Strange.
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