I went to the Downtown Manhattan MINI and finally had a chance to sample some CM. Unfortunately they had only one metallic blue/black non-S with automatic loaded with sliding roof, Nav and whatnot. I liked quite a lot how it looks and drives, though it indeed felt a little lethargic with auto and base engine.

But for the price I was quite disappointed with interior materials, their look and feel. Don't get me wrong, there's this satisfying German thunk when you close the hefty doors and I didn't see any gaps or panel misalignment.

What bothered me was the cheap quality of materials - thin standard headliner and dashboard made mostly of cheap to the look and touch hard plastic that sounds hollow. Vinyl with fabric seats also looked cheap, thin and overly firm. In general there was a feeling of something unsubstantial and hollow like in Kia generation or two ago. It all felt like a recipe for squeaks and rattles and lo and behold their were already some on a low mileage car. I remember Car & Driver in their CM first looks had similar impressions. I also sampled S hardtop and its interior felt somewhat better.

And not that I'm comparing to higher class Beemers and Audis. Heck, my wife's $18K Golf feels more solid inside with substantially better materials.

Am I being too harsh, do you guys think otherwise? Is the S has better trim and seats? Is anthracite headliner is thicker?

 

My loaded A3 costs the same as a comparably equipped Cooper S and you are correct, you just can't compare the interiors. VW and Audi consistently are the leaders in interiors, blowing away anything else in the same price range.

But as much as I missed my Audi interior when I owned my MCS, I knew the MCS was a ton more fun to drive. So I guess it's a trade-off of sorts. Although, this gets hard to justify when you start comparing a Countryman to a GTI.

 

Ha, funny you said this - my current car that I'm considering to replace with CMS is a 2007 GTI. I love it to bits but just wanted something different. So far what base CM has over GTI is only funky and fresh looks and a more direct steering. GTI is cheaper, faster, has comparable nimble handling and much better interior. But I'm attracted to CM, need to drive the S with manual.

 

No. Don't feel bad. I actually share similar opinions But I like it mainly for the ambient lighting and the way it drives (so fun!). I know that's not a lot, hence the reason why I will be waiting for the prices to drop, drop, drop :-P Or at least until the 2012 models hit the lot.

 

No it doesn't compare to Audi or old VW (the new Jetta has ruined things though), but I found my R56 much nicer than Subaru, Honda, Toyota etc. I also found the R60 a nice improvement over the R56 not up to VAG standards or anything (but hell that cam be said about BMW's as well), but still better overall. So cheap for the price, no, about average.

 

Totally! CM's interior really feels cheap for the price. Hard plastics where there really should be softer, slush molded plastic, very 'fur' like headliner that I totally not a fan of (also the base material of headliner feels like a thick paper - compared to solid feeling GTI), also very loose.. push the overhead console area a bit.. I feel like I will push in and make a big dent! Also the center console area of IP where AC controls sit... is cheap! Try to push it.. you won't like it. there are so many others....

Oh well.. but somehow we all got sucked into this little bastard!!

 

But still guys who already own CM and put some miles on it - do you have rattles and squeaks? And does S improves on seats and interior?

 

S gets standard Sport Seats which is optional on Cooper. Rest of the interior is exactly same.

 

3400 miles and no rattles, squeaks or other noises. I have the leather seats and the seat bottom could have a little extra padding but is ok. I've been on two long trips and been fine. Not a fan of the center arm rest, but, like the lighting.

 

7,100 miles so far - not a single squeak or rattle. [knocking on wood] I have an S with leather seats and I think they're comfortable. Haven't taken a trip longer than 3 hours yet, though, so I can't comment on how they'd be for a long trip. For what it's worth, the interior finishes don't bug me. I think they're comparable with what I had in my Acura, except for the thin, fuzzy headliner.

 

Is the optional anthracite headliner better than the stock one?

 

We love our CM All4, no squeaks, or rattles. I had An Audi A4 and i loved it as well... but its like comparing apples and oranges. All i can say is if you rave sooooo much about a GTI... then go get a GTI.

 

Nope. Exactly the same except the color

 

I think the interior quality fits the car. Agree with JudgeS that BMW isn't exactly known for interiors either.

I stated having a lot of rattles and realized it was just the seat belts hitting the door panels, otherwise OK so far, only 350 miles are so so far though.

 

7300K on the CM, and I have taken a trip to SC for Christmas and driven back on Christmas in the Snow Storm.

I'm heading to MOTD with the CM.

 

No squeaks or rattles...just the side seat driver next to me.

 

But because of the darker color it looks a lot nicer.

 

Having come from an '08 GTI to the CM, I agree with what you say--for the most part. I wouldn't say the interior of the GTI is "much better". I'm not even sure the dash materials are better in the GTI; if they are, it's slight. However, as I've said in other posts, any MINI's interior is more unique and special--even quirky--compared to the GTI, or pretty much any car at this level. We're paying for these unique and personalizing features of the brand.

Are these features and qualities worth the price over similar, even better performing competitors? To me they are...but the car could still use 30 more horsepower!

 

I only have 1500 miles so far on my CM and no rattles or squeaks. As for the interior, I chose the piano black for the center side panels. Now that have the CM I would have also done well to get the piano black accent that runs along the center length of the dashboard. It does dress up the interior a bit. I also have a 05 MC and it has its share of squeaks and rattles. Nevertheless, I love driving them both.

 

Ok after spending a full day in my CM, I can honestly say now that I am quite impressed with the interior. Huge upgrade in fit over my R56, also better use of materials on the doors and dash. The headliner is probably the only aspect I find cheap by standards (same with my R56), but I have to say in anthracite, far less noticeable in appearance (the dark color masks it much better). They only other part I'm not in love with is the steel gray plastic around the speedo and vents, if there was a way to change those it would be perfect. Certainly not Audi, but much closer to VW than not.

 

Odd that you should mention that. One of the first things I noticed was that the Cooper has very nice looking dark silver rings. When you "upgrade" to the Cooper S, you get the cheap looking light silver rings. You can order replacements, but I'm guessing that the charge would be prohibitive.

 

I didn't even look at the Cooper, but they sound like they would be nicer. The color looks almost spray painted on in the S.

 

I am still debate between countryman vs. Infiniti EX35 for the same reason. The more I compare the more intersted in Infiniti EX35, it's also unique car on the road, you're rarely found it on the street except for it bigger brother FX, and you can get steeply discount to MSRP... But my heart still wanna be with countryman, I would ordered CM if there is a little room for price neg. + rear bench seat. I still folow up the market closely, I am not rush in yet, awating for the year end!!!

 

My wife just bought the FX-35. Have you driven the EX??? It drives like an suv, whereas the FX drives more like a sport sedan. It's very center weighted.... slamming on the brakes gives zero nose dive. She was coming from the G37s coupe so driving dynamics was important. She got a 2010 FX with 12k miles for $10k less than it was brand new. Word of caution though... she's averaging 16.5mpg with mostly city driving.

 

No offense, just curious but why to many rear bench seems so important? It won't seat comfortably 3 anyway. I thought CM's rear bucket seats are very comfortable, secure, unique and actually a highlight of the interior giving it distinction and class.