Hi,

Title should be 'BUILD' oops!


I'm looking to submit an config to my MA, but have a few questions that have sort-of been discussed, but I'm not finding the 'exact' answer I want. So I apologize if these have been hashed to death in other places.

I have a 14 Toyota Prius, but the cheap seat is killing me with my commute and too many near deaths, Prius bullying and complete lack of agility in the car are pushing me to get rid of it. I still owe on it, but I'm at a break even point. I came from a BMW 328i, so I miss a great handling car.. met the Clubman and fell in love!

So I'm looking at a Lapis luxury blue 2018 Clubman S All 4 fully loaded with JCW Interior.

I want to have the ability to code the car to use the rear door lights for break lights. So my question is, do I need to order rear fog lights to make this work or do the rear fog lights offer the best visibility? I'm in the US, so it's $100.00 option.

I'm wondering about 17" or 18" wheels. I do know that the 17s offer a bit softer ride, but I'm leaning toward 18"s. Is there a big difference between the rides ? My clubman will be primarily a daily commuter car (~65-70 miles round trip daily)

I am interested in the JCW as well, but with MINI not doing much on deals for the JCW, I'm interested in the MINI Aftermarket JCW tuning kit for the SAll4 and then adding a Dinan Elite tuner. I know the kit is not available yet, but would putting in the JCW tuning kit, which seems to be an ECU flash and a new muffler, prevent me from adding the Dinan Elite Tuner?

Also, I am leasing a BMW X3 for my wife, off-hand does MINI offer 'loyalty credit' for BMW owners? I know my MA will let me know. I ask as I'm kind of looking at a VW Golf GTI or R and an Audi S3/S5 sport back and they offer a conquest credit...

I'm going to see what my MA can do on either with a SAll4 or a JCW and play with the numbers, but I suspect I can get a better deal on an SAll4. The JCW is close to BMW 428i GranCoupe Drive (w //M sport package) pricing after haggling. So my wife would tell me to opt for the BMW instead.


Any info, recommendations is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

Since I just went through the process in August, I can give you insight on a couple items. I have the 18 inch rims on my car with the adaptive suspension and it’s a great combination. I keep the car in sport mode most of the time (as I’ve programmed that to be the default on startup). I thought the ride would be more jarring but even in sport it’s pretty great. If you want to make it more compliant, just switch to mid.

I dont have the rear rear fog lights on mine,but I do plan on turning on the door lights as break lights. I just have to sift through all the codes to make sure I have the right ones.

There was cash available if you had another luxury brand in your household. I believe it was $500 but may have been $1000. I’d have to check my paperwork.

Its a a great car. Add in the programability with BimmerCode and throw in a Dinan Sport or Elite and it’s darn near the perfect small car.

 

OP:

Clubman World is indeed a special place. After a year of ownership with ZERO issues and an excellent first scheduled maintenance experience at our dealer, we are lovin' our MINI.

We went 17" for comfort. Without a doubt, ditching the run-flats improved both handling and ride quality, so I think tires are as important, if not more so, than rim diameter. We also have the adaptive suspension. If you don't need the hidden storage room, order the spare tire which gives you more aftermarket tire options if you wish to escape runflatworld.

It's easy to get the MSRP up there into the 40's on an S Al4 nicely kitted. But it is also possible to score nice discounts. Even on a custom ordered car (if you can stand waiting!!) Without a doubt, dealers are making aggressive deals on cars from their inventory right now. And there are factory incentives as well.

I do believe that the fog lamps (bulbs) are already in the rear light units from the factory. You pay for the switch and the software activation coding if you spec the option. Check with a knowledgeable MINI service tech -- might not need to sped the money for the option.

You can, indeed, add a tuning box on top of the JCW tune. Others have done it with Dinan and NM single-input boxes and someone is about to do it with a Dinan Elite. You may find you don't even need the JCW tune if you simply add a plug in boost box like the Dinan Sport or Elite or the JB or the NM or the Racechip, or, or, or...

If you haven't done so, you might benefit from slogging through How to Buy a New MINI in F56 Hatch Talk. Along with others, I've said a lot there.

Ask for an aggressive deal and welcome to the Clubman Club.

Good luck!!

 

And, BTW, if you are thinking that your cost is getting you into BMW territory, right now folks are getting insanely good deals on new Bimmers, so, if you are inclined, I wouldn't rule out BMW. The new X2 is coming soon, the X3 has been updated, and the deals on 3 series are strong.

World of great year-end choices and offers.

I was shopping for a BMW when I fell for the Clubman. Glad I made the choice I did.

 

Ordered my Clubbie S ALL4 this year and took delivery in June.

I went with 18's and adaptive suspension. If you like the 18's go for it. As 2017ALL4 said, the type of tire makes a difference probably more than diameter here. Adaptive suspension though adjusts dynamically and also is about 10% softer in normal mode than the standard suspension, but gets about 10% stiffer than the standard suspension in sport mode.

 

Hah, just reading the OPs post kind of made me chuckle. I TOO am coming from a PRIUS and I TOTALLY feel your pain. We have a fairly steep and bit windy incline to get to our neighborhood and the Prius can barely make it up. It's embarrassing getting passed by old grannies.

I don't know how much I can add given that I have a F60 on order, BUT hopefully some of this is relevant.

I ordered a JCW and was able to get a little over 3k off so i wouldn't totally give up on the JCW route. I went with 19 on mine instead of the 18 but also went with DDC so we'll see how the ride is. I also just received my Dinan Elite today and it'll be waiting to be installed once my CM arrives next week. Can't wait to ditch the Prius and move on to the 'anti-Prius!!'

Good luck!

 

RavenKing,

Good luck on your build.....here's my thoughts on ordering a car as I pulled the trigger a little over a year ago.....

I went with the standard seats with the leatherette. Here in the east during the summer months, the seats will get really hot! So much so, that I bought the Mini Sun shade to block the sun into the interior. Where I park at work, this helps quite a bit. If I had to do it over again, I would order the cloth option. Good thing about these seats is the heating part. They fire your A** right on up!

I checked the box on the rear fogs. First time I did a run with the local Mini club, we hit heavy dense fog. Everyone could not believe how bright and visible I was from the rear. For this, I think it's well worth the extra $100 bucks. I know some people say it's installed already and you only need to code it to go on, but I wouldn't count on that. Also, I asked, but have not received an answer to my question of how do they operate if they are coded to be brake lights? Does the the fog light functionality disappear? Something to consider.

Get the LED headlight and the fog lights. Great lights and worth the money.

CHECK THE BOX FOR THE SPARE! I cannot emphasize that more. At $100, it's cheap. I listened to my salesman and deleted it from my order because I have run-flats! WRONG! What I didn't think about was what I was going to do after I dumped them. Get a flat? You are screwed. Mini road service? What happens when you are hours/miles from a dealer? I ended up putting together a spare and kit (jack and tools) for more than double the factory cost! But now I feel a lot better and yes, I have used it!

I stuck with the 17" wheels. I didn't see the need for the 18's other than cosmetics or preference. These days with low profile tires, most combinations will give you nice handling and performance. This is not a track or autocross car. If you plan to do that with this car, buy another set of wheels and tires for the track and plan to invest in KW coilovers. If you want the best handling for the car from the factory, get the adaptive suspension, I did and really love it.

As far as performance, I got the Dinantronix Tune Box. Really helps liven up the car. Could it use more HP? Most definitely, but again, I knew I wasn't driving a race car. I had the rice rocket (99 Civic Si) for years and the Clubman is not a replacement....it's an alternative lifestyle....LOL. Once I get out of warranty, I might look into more HP, but until then, the Dinantronix is it.

As far as trying to get a deal....when I ordered my car, no one was dealing on them at least face to face on the showroom floor. I have access to Tru-CAR through USAA. When I priced my build, it dropped the price by $4700! When I sent the pricing to 3 dealers they all try to sell me a car off the lot that didn't have everything I wanted. I told them to fly a kit. One offered to order the car for the price I worked up. They got my money.....

Good Luck!

 

Thanks everyone! Appreciate all the great advice! I'd have to say the MINI enthusiast are much more helpful and supportive then the BMW nuts for some reason.

I think I've got a better understanding now. 2017ALL4, I'm working with your MA, thanks again for the referral. Will probably finalize everything right after Christmas! My MA said that they will see if what I want or close to what I want is already here in the US or on order for some other dealer before submitting an order to the UK.

I'm still a bit undecided about a few bits, but I'll get my head around it. I'm going to ask for a quote on a JCW as well as an SAll4 and see....

Wish me luck and I'll report back!

 

Tracey and Mo at South Bay made it easy and treated us well. Best of luck to you. Do your homework on the numbers and it will all come together, I'm sure.