My dealer sent me a photo of the offloading of my MINI. I assume the Melting Silver roof is concealed under that shipping lid????

 

Wow you got a new MINI yachtsman. lol Which it should just boat to you. No need for a shipping liner.

 

Just called 1-800-ASK-MINI and they indicated my car has cleared the VDC and is slated to be picked up by truck to be delivered by Monday! Can't wait! I'll hopefully be able to pick it up Wednesday! I'll keep you guys updated with pictures once I've got it.

 

+++ Mine is scheduled to hit the Port Hueneme VDC on Monday. You'll be motoring by then!!! So cool. Can't wait to see photos. Remember, 300+horses in a MINI, you lucky dog.

 

My dealer let me have my third loaner in 2 months..my fave being the hybrid countryman. This loaner was a 2020 Clubman S with only 6 miles on it. It had just been unloaded the day before. Pepper white. What threw me off was the transmission lever...it was like a BWM, I think. 2 days later and I still put it in the wrong position. I really like the lever in my 2017. And I will be putting the cravenspeed mod on it too. There is no hope for that on this one. Power-wise...I can tell there is more ooomph with my seat of the pants dyno...and it’s not even in sport mode. Sport mode is soooo much more aggressive than sport mode in my 2017 (but then again, haven’t put a “box” on it yet!).

Gear shift lever on 2030 Clubman S

 

You can still get some models of Subaru with a manual transmission. I know the Crosstrek has a manual option, so does the Impreza. I'm pretty sure that's the only two options as of now, though. But yeah, when my MINI dies or gets too old, not sure what I'll do either. Hopefully somebody preserves some old manual wagons for the used market, for when that day comes =).

 

Daaaang! Talk about getting new loaners, a 2030! =P

On a serious note, why the loaners? I get loaners when the other MINIs are in the shop. Do you have a good enough relationship with your dealer to arrange extended test drives?

I love having a vehicle overnight and through a daily routine to see how it fits into your life. The idea of being comfortable buying a car after a 10 minute drive up and down the highway has always seemed ludicrous to me. I've found myself favoring used lots because they tend to just chuck you the keys and say "have it back before close."

Gag me with a spoon. The base Impreza I drove was hands down the worst standard transmission I've ever driven. Not to mention the anemic drivetrain bleeding efficiency away into the rear wheels during highway cruising. Subaru has finally started taking their interiors seriously at least, which puts them on par with most 90's Euros.

Oops, my bias is showing again...

Now if they ever brought back the WRX hatch... color me interested. Those cars don't even feel like they are made by the same manufacturer they are so much better driving.

Tons of new 6MT GSW 4Motion and Alltracks sitting on lots with cash on the hood around me. I'm tempted from time to time, but taking a step backward in performance from a FIAT 500 would be pretty painful...

Definitely a bad time to be a wagon lover. =/

 

Miniando...I have a decent relationship with my MINI SERVICE dept! My 2017 clubman goes in for lots of nightly warranty related issues. Seriously, things just fall off or get bent..replaced under warranty of course. This time it was water collected in driver side scuttle/side marker light assembly. I have been to and from them at least 4 times in past 2 months. I think that they are hoping my service warranty expires soon! I just ask really nice for a loaner that catches my eye and don’t take the first one in the line. It at the rate things are breaking down or need replacement for the third time in a row (rear cargo door weatherstripping..) I’m wondering if I got a lemon. But it was a certified car, at a good price, so I guess I gotta live with it. But the quality isn’t there. Something makes it sound like an East European ox cart over a rutted road sometimes, and in 6 times there, it doesn’t do it for them. I think it’s a bushing, but since it can’t be replicated on the dealership grounds, I deal with it until they can hear it too...

 

Wow! What a total bummer of a situation.

Take them for a drive until you find a some pavement that can replicate the noise! I took my VW shop foreman on lunch break once so we could cover more miles. XD ("It's a VW, they rattle... sorry!" And that was a DE built car.)

Not sure of the lemon laws in TX but it sounds like you have a decent case for them to buy the car back. I think most places just need a problem to be documented on separate service orders three times with no resolution. You may have to hire a lawyer, but that's better than having the car fall apart and constantly cost you money.

Our '07 R56 had a whole bunch of dash rattles but overall the chassis felt and sounded solid over rough pavement so it didn't bug us much. (Maybe because there was always so much breaking under the hood!) Our '15 R61 is a total peach so far. At some point I'll have to start looking for opinions of the 3rd gen longevity, but I do get the feeling that your situation is the exception and not the rule.

Best of luck with the car, I hope it all rattles into the right places before your warranty is up!

 

Haha. The last subaru I drove was a '94 Legacy, and yeah the gearbox could be described as "moving a spoon through a bowl of cooled oatmeal". I was young when I owned it, but it is by far the worst manual I have driven still. It was a front wheel drive car too, one of the last Subarus that wasn't AWD. But it did last quite a while -- at around 210k the differential stopped...differentiating (effectively it became a locked diff). I gave it to a friend for a case of beer. Everything still worked in it though, power windows, AC, etc, when it was 20 years old. Just having it eat tires and a few CV joints in the last year of ownership wasn't so fun.

The clubbie gearbox is fairly crisp in comparison, but the throw on the shifter makes me feel like I need longer arms. My other car is a miata though :P. I might have to put a cravenspeed short shifter in the clubman.

 

I can relate to this. I had a short throw in my TDI that let me grab all gears with just wrist movement (perfect commuter set-up) and in my Abarth I can touch the shift **** in 5th without taking my hand off the steering wheel.

I drive my wife's Paceman and the gearbox is great, but yeah, the throws feel like what I imagine driving an 18-wheeler must be like. I loved the feel of the gearbox in the MCS Clubman I drove, though I kinda missed the oversized **** of the 2nd gen.

Apologies for the tangent everyone. Though I'm sure those of you with brand new Clubbies headed your way are too distracted to mind.

 

Learned to drive a stick in a 1958 VW Bug with syncro-mesh in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th (boy do I wish we still had that car!!). After that was a Volvo 122S, and then a Porsche 912. All truly gear-rowers.

Now I just blip the paddles or the shifter lever in my Clubby... six or seven times. The tranny is quicker than I am.

I'm hoping the new 2020 BMW-style shifter is half as nice as the leather-wrapped one on my 2017. Either style, red stitching makes them shift quicker.

My car just cruised past Cabo San Lucas, chugging northward past Baja, heading for Berth 4, Port Hueneme, 30 September, 0300hours. Not that I'm watching closely or anything.

 

I put the Cravenspeed short throw in mine. It is an improvement but that throw from 1st to 2nd is still longer than it should be. I don't think any short shifter will fix that problem. As much as I love rowing my own gears, the days are fading. I am even being tempted by the 2020 JCW F54. If I had not made so many changes to my current ride, I would be very intrigued.

 

My ship decided to make a quick stop in Long Beach California this morning to offload some Mercedes before heading on up to Port Hueneme VDC.

You can see the Queen Mary in the upper right. Perhaps the Queen offered tea to the British vehicles aboard my ship.

 

I used to be stationed in Long Beach when they had a Navy base there. My car arrived at Hendrick on Friday night - it's being prepped as we speak today and I will have it Wednesday.

In regards to my pricing - there is a $2000 owner loyalty rebate available for ordered vehicles - the only caveat is that you have to currently own a MINI. That rebate invalidates the USAA rebate of $1000. Make sure you ask for that $2000 rebate - it's valid through 1/2/2020.

 

Very exciting. Can't wait to get your report once you drive your car -- hope I don't regret not getting the JCW. My mighty little Dinan box will have to do the job for me, I guess.

Interesting about that $2,000 loyalty -- not seeing it out here on the Left Coast. I will do deeper research.

There are still a few Navy vessels in the old Long Beach base area, but mostly it's now cars and containers. The Navy Shipyard is a shadow of its former self.

I have childhood memories of sailing around the harbor, past the Glomar Explorer, which was commissioned and tested in Southern California waters before it went Russian sub hunting. The armed guards on the decks and dock area where the Glomar berthed caused us to wonder what was up -- but we figured Howard Hughes was so paranoid it could just be his craziness.

 

Drove a 2020 JCW clubman launch edition. Loved the car...disliked the tire noise and suspension. Questions:

1. Dynamic dampers don’t seem to be on the launch edition. Salesman indicated that dynamic only makes the suspension stiffer than standard sport suspension. My understanding was that it actually makes the suspension both slightly stiffer and/or slightly more compliant depending on settings. Insight?
2. The car was fitted with the 19” wheels. I would be going with 18”...significant difference in noise and/or road feel?

thx!

 

Not a big fan of dynamic dampers. For my driving in sport mode it's nice until you come upon rough pavement and speed bumps. Then it feels like punishment. It's on or off, no real adjustments. Unless of course they've changed it recently.

Smaller rims usually give a more compliant ride, with all other variables the same.

 

Agreed, most adaptive dampers are too aggressive for normal streets, particularly if you live anywhere with potholes.

I will add that I don't think downsizing an inch diameter will make a noticeable difference on run flat tires. Sidewalls stiff enough to carry the weight of your vehicle for ~50 miles are never going to be comfortably compliant, it just doesn't add up.

 

We need to clarify how, if at all, the changes to the JCW suspension for 2020 limit options regarding dynamic dampers. I don't trust the configurator for reliable info on this yet.
On the S, you can get the standard suspension with dynamic dampers, giving a "normal" firm ride with dampers off or, with the dampers on, extra firm ride. I've enjoyed the feature and have been glad not to have the sport suspension. I also specified 17" rims, which don't have the same look as 19's at all, but improve the ride and driving dynamics in my estimation. And yes, I ditched the run flats, which also improved things considerably. The 45 sidewall is still not much -- I was considering going to 50 this time around. Just depends on how hard one likes to toss the car. Also, All4 definitely changes the driving dynamics -- I think for the better. YMMV.

 

My MINI arrived at Port Hueneme early this morning, slipping up from the Port of Long Beach in the wee hours.

First photo shows the offloading set up at Port Hueneme with my ship docked. Second shot is a wider view, with the BMW/MINI VDC off to the far lower right just below Hueneme Road and the ship to the far left of the photo:

 

Good for you! The automotive industry as a whole is hog wild with crazy low profile tires right now. We need to send them a message that performance and comfort are more important than appearance!

 

What's cool with MINI, is there are good choices from the factory -- only thing that bothered me this time around is that when I went to 17" rims on Iconic trim level, there was no credit given for the lesser rims!! Still had to pay the full Iconic trim charge.

I think the black 17" look good -- I've received compliments on them. Just not as pimpy as the19's. But then, I'm rockin' my own kind of old man cool and those young pretty-boy punks with their 22" rims on their F150's can just get the heck off of my lawn.

 

With the classy colors you spec your wagons in black wheels are most definitely the correct choice.

LOL now you understand my frustration with subsidizing your standard equipment auto-trans!

 

Well, let's hope Indian Summer Red, known on this side of The Pond as Coral Red Metallic, is in fact classy with a Melting Silver roof, and doesn't make the car look like a salmon that's been out of the water a day too long. I'll soon find out. Woo Hoo!

As for the auto slush box, with the paddles... Me and Mario Andretti baby. It grows on ya, trust me.