Well i finally saw the new R56 today Doesnt look so bad like i thought in Pictures but still a very different car im sure it will do very well but its not
the car for me i prefer my 04 MCS some likes and dislikes


Likes:

-- Like the seats very comfortable
-- I like the big tail pipes
-- man im struggling here theres not much else i like about it

Dislikes:

i cant get past the gap between the wheel arch and Bonnet makes the whole car seem cheap to me

the interior just doesnt look right to me for the character of the car and since many people feel the interior looks better than the old i just cant see it even feeling the plastics and dash they feel cheaper than my R53

is it me or am i the only one that thinks the Headliner looks cheap it feels like poster board with felt spray mounted on it even the light above there looks so cheap i miss the little switches on each side of it to turn it on

i walked around tha car looked inside and around it and overall u can tell where BMW did the cost cutting an excellent example is not sure if anyone noticed this but u know those little grab holes on the left and right side of the inside of the boot that helps u pull the boot down well the original ones could let your fingers going all the way down to grab hold the new ones dont let your fingers go down there makes it wierd to close it and i agree with others about the bonnet when up u can see how cheap the sheet metal is

even the new slite rims look very cheap to me no substance to them at all
im sorry if it seems like im degrading the new Mini just making observations its still very much a Mini but for a different customer . Most people will not notice the changes but die hard enthusiasits will . I will be holding on to my R53 for a long time

 

Nice to hear your opinions about the car! Thanks! But to speak for all die hard enthusiasts? I have plenty of friends who are diehards that don't share the same feelings of "cheap"

 

Personally, I prefer the gap to the slit in the wheel arch of the R50/53. I don't know if anyone shares that opinion ...but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks for your take on the R56.

dean.

 

No, I think it's all MINI...but you're right it is a very different car once you start perusing it piece by piece. I think it may take some getting used to for some...others will always prefer R53, and that's fine. As the marque broadens, specialized interests seem quite natural.

Frankly, the more I see R56 the more I like it, but then I liked the early drawings and spy shots (of the Cooper) so it wasn't such a big stretch. Add to that the fact that Coopers have already had one styling update, so maybe it's not as big a shock as it may be to some MCS owners. Add to that I'm looking at the prospect of motoring in an R56 Cooper this fall.

 

Thanks for sharing your opinions.
I'm very glad you like the MINI you have because if you didn't it sounds like you'd have to look at a different manufacturer because the current model doesn't sound like it cuts it for you.

I prefer the current MINI so I didn't need to look to another brand and I'm glad I didn't.

 

I saw the R56 for the 1st time yesterday....and I have to say....I may only ever drive an R53.......I can't say the R56 is for me....

Then again we will see what I say after a drive during my next service visit.....

 

Wow, is that a stretch!

How can you compare the relatively small detail changes of the R50/53 styling update with the total make-over of the R56? Not even in the same ball park!

Zip

 

That might be why the statement was qualified with "...so maybe it's not as big a shock as it may be to some MCS owners."

dean.

 

Trust me, Cooper owners did notice the changes...although you're right, it was nothing as extreme as the R56 change. As Dean said, maybe the shock is dulled a bit (for me anyway) on the Cooper side, but that's only a guess as I've never owned an MCS.

I must say, I do see the R56 Cooper update as just another step in Cooper evolution as I myself had grown quite attached to the Stephenson-designed bumper strips (and four-slat grill) and that went bye-bye long ago. We also saw clues (which we also puzzled over) with the Traveller concept. I guess once the design-modification ball started rolling I just began seeing more than one iteration of the Cooper as a real possibility. I'm just trying to retrace the whole thing to understand why the R56 Cooper makes so much sense to me.

 

In respone to both reel and gokart, and yes, this is my opinion: a change in the number of grill slats, and the elimnination of 2 sets of bumper strips is not even close to every panel on the car being redesigned. Again, just my .02.

Zip

 

It was a simple observation that MINI changed something....anything...on your cars and the S has been left alone. Cooper owners have experienced change when the S owners have yet to deal with that.

Lets not pick over the little details and lets all ***** about that new shitty pannel under the windshield wipers!!!!! lol

 

a week ago i saw the r53 and r56 side by side. the r56 looked more aggressive to me. the gap in the wheel arch did bother me but not enough not to buy it. i am currently trying to decide between a leftover r53 or a new r56. i really did like the interior better on the r56. kinda liked the huge speedo

 

I don't recall much reaction here with regard to the upper front grill. To me, the body colored metal slats on the R53 are considerably more pleasing than the black plastic one on the R56.

 

Agreed, completely.

But, some will see the changes as minor and others as major. Some will see the changes and disapprove, others will see them and prefer them. And round and round and round we go.

Good luck. I think its a very difficult choice. Two great cars that are very similar, yet different. Maybe the first section of the configurator should ask: R53 or R56 body style?

dean.

 

Especially since some dealers are marking down R53s by $1,500!!

 

I was at Prestige in NJ yesterday and got my first look at the 2007 Mini's as well as a test drive.

I am not a fan of the interior at all and seeing the R56 and R53 back to back the R53 just looks so much better to me. Just my opinion and would it stop me from buying a r56 probably not but if I had the choice R53 is the one I rather have.

I love the new seats but besides that I will not be trading in my 2002 MCS anytime soon. The feel from my 2002 is just a amazing driving experience, I feel more connected to the road, the sc whine is just awesome and the entire driving experience seems to be better then what I experienced with the 2007.

With that being said the 2007 is more refined and a great car and I would not talk anyone out of buying one.

 

I am not a fan of the R56, but I will say this:

I was at Hassel MINI today for our monthy USMC meeting. There were two R56s parked outside, rear end in. My car was parked just to these car's right, looking at them from the front.

I will say that the R56 Cooper is more pleasing to me than the R56 'S'. The chrome grill slats give the front end a more balanced appearance, imo, than the black mesh of the S grill. Of course, I prefer the chrome grill slats that come standard on an R50, as well. The R56 Cooper front end looks less bloated, and more in proportion than the S. It is also no secret that I never cared for the hood scoop on the R53, so the lack of one on the R56 Cooper helps its looks, as well, as compared to the R56 'S'. The Cooper I was looking at was (liquid?) silver with a black roof, and was kinda cool looking.

After the meeting, me and one of our members, who does not read this site, were looking at one of the R56s, and he commented on the plastic shelf in front of the windshield wipers, and how cheap it looks. He much preferred the honeycombed whatever they're called thingies under the R50/53 windshield where R56 has the plastic shelf.

Zip

 

there called Pollen Vent screens but i agree with u i do prefer the look of the cooper i thought it was cleaner looking than the S