I have been lurking these forums as I am agonizing over selling my '08 E92 M3 for something more economical but still fun . Stopped by a Mini dealer yesterday and asked the sales person to drive the car for the 1st leg of the test drive and I would take the second. This was by far the best test drive I have ever been on. He drove the car like he stole it!

Car was a 6 speed with H/K audio, no 8" screen. The audio system was very impressive, surprised me how clear everything sounded and the bass sounded very good. Music was played through a thumb drive. Exterior was black on black (17" wheels) and looked outstanding. BMW really out did themselves with this new design. Interior was black on black with the leather/alcantara trim. Much to my surprise everything inside felt very solid. Seats are perfect for my frame (5' 11" - 170lbs) and I felt very secure in both the drivers and passenger seats during some very aggressive driving. The rev matching is very quick. I was surprised how quick it was. This is very different clutch/shifter than what I have been driving for the past 5 years so I understand it takes some getting used too.

I'm almost sold on making the switch however there were some slight concerns that I need to either get used too or hopefully try and address after I make the purchase. Please provide feedback on the below if possible:
1. Brakes felt very soft. Coming from a car that can stop on a dime this has me a little concerned. It could be that the was 300lbs heavier (passengers) so I am hoping that it stops better with just me in the car which will be 95% of time.
2. Clutch was extremely soft. Clutch in the E92 M3 IMO has a nice feel but it's predictable for me. My concern with the Mini is that it's so soft I stalled on a couple of take offs. I understand that new cars take some getting used too but would love to hear other impressions of the clutch.

I also got to sit in a car with the full technology package and it is worth the investment IMO. Very slick and useful. Also got to experience the auto parking which was very impressive.

All in all it's a lot of car for $32k and I am really close to pulling the trigger. Please share your thoughts and anyone who own or may have owned an E92 M3 your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

the mini cooper is a very nimble car, we have had one and miss our mini cooper dearly! I would not have any worries from going the M3 to the mini cooper. Modifications and changes will make it worth it!

 

not sure about the brakes, but yes the clutch is extremely light

 

Going from an M3 to a mini will be tough only if you really like the feel of rear wheel drive. The M3 is really fun to fly around corners and has a great engine sound. The mini also goes great around corners but they don't feel the same doing it. I actually bought a 2013 mini jcw hardtop and sold it 7 months later because I decided it wasn't practical enough for me. Driving the car was really fun but I didnt like how it wouldn't push me around corners like rear wheel drive cars do. I ended up buying a 2014 Audi S4 for business and a 2014 Nissan 370z for fun. Before buying the S4 my bmw dealer let me borrow an M3 coupe for the day to see if I liked it. The car was wonderful, it had a great engine and is surprisingly comfortable. The big problem for me was that after the day I ran out of gas. I didn't even drive very far but I still had to fill it up. The M3 is a serious car, the mini is more colorful it's almost like a pet. If you plan on just using this car for commuting and the occasional weekend drives then the mini is a great car. The mini won't feel that fast coming from the M3 but you can actually use all the power the mini has. The only way you can actually appreciate the engine and power of the M3 is on a race track which most don't do. The mini is a great car for someone who wants a quick, nice handling, small car with good fuel economy.

 

If you can, wait for the fJCW (MINI's "M"). Tuned engine (rumored 230hp), JCW brakes, different suspension, upgraded transmission, aero kit, wheels, ect., ect.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2014/02/...ed/#more-33252

 

I'm not sure about the clutch on the F56 but the R56 MCS clutch was a dog. I have been driving standard transmission car for 45 years and the dual mass flywheel system on the previous model was the worst I have ever driven. If you slipped
the clutch once the rot would set in and within 20K you would need to replace the clutch. To make matters worse BMW would not pay for this $3k fix blaming "driving style".
You have very good reason to be worried if they still use the same clutch. I read somewhere that the clutches burn out so easily that they never have manual S models available at their release events. Check Puerto Rico - no MCS standards to drive. I cant imagine how the JCW's will handle the potential power!

 

Interesting. I must be the exception then. 60k miles on my '11MCS clutch and no issues whatsoever.

 

First Gen cooper sold at 100,000km clutch was good. Learnt to drive on a Morris Mini. Alfa, Fiat 850 sport, 124 sport, Audi A4...etc no clutch problems.
Do a search "MCS R56 Clutch".....If you never, ever feathered your clutch you could do 100k...but you can never race off the lights!

 

Well, I'm not coming from an E92, but I did have an E90 M3. I presently have a 135i MSport 6MT and am considering switching to the new MCS. I recently drove a MCS 6MT at the dealers, and was very impressed. Didn't find the clutch to be soft or a problem, but fwd vs rwd will take a bit of getting used to. Nothing that's a problem tho, and I am still thinking it over.


Good luck.

 

To the OP, I went from a SMG II E46 M3 to a R53 MCS 6-speed manual. The E46 M3 (in retrospect) was a great car, but I had WAY more fun, WAY more of the time, in the MINI.


I understand cnyilas's point about missing a RWD car's rear end pushing him through the corners, however for me it was not an issue, as I preferred the MINI's ultra-quick steering and handling and was happy with the comparable overall grip around corners.


Just so you fully understand my preferences, I don't enjoy drifting, but love the sensation of never-ending grip.

 

With a heavy rear sway bar you can get the handling pretty neutral in a mini. that addition would be the single best upgrade in an R56 IMO.

 

First, that new JCW photo above made me almost spit out my coffee. I know some don't like the new front end on the MCS, but the red certainly accentuates the features some don't like. All I could think of when I saw that red horizontal trim piece was an upper or lower lip covered with red lipstick. No like! LOL.

Back to the OP's questions.
The last manual transmission car I drove was my old 2003 Cobra. 504hp to the rear wheels with stock clutch. VERY stiff clutch that surely worked your left thigh muscle. The manual before that was a 1994 Callaway Camaro. With another stiff clutch although not as stiff as the Cobra. So I was very used to a stiff clutch feel. The MCS is very light. But....it took me all of 5 minutes driving the car to get used to it. I never stalled it. Never had a problem launching or shifting (normal and at WOT).

The brakes felt fine to me. This after driving my wife's 2012 Hyundai Azera for over a month, preceded by a 2011 Buick LaCrosse V6 which I got rid of in February. I can't compare them to an M3, of course, but they really felt just fine to me.

 

I had the R56 Mini Cooper S (2nd Gen), and I currently own an E90 M3. Just over the weekend I drove the F56 which I'm now strongly considering because I dealer miss my R56.

So some background: The only reason why I got rid of my 2007 R56 was that the engine failed on me. I had the chain tensioner clack. The dealer "fixed" it for free, but left a piece in the engine. That got sucked up into the chain, chain popped off sprocket pistons hit valves. Enough said. They wouldn't rebuild my engine (only replaced valves) so I decided to get bent over at the dealer and I sold it to them. I couldn't in my right mind sell the car to someone for more than trade value knowing the issues the engine had.

Anyway out of any car I've owned I by far have had the most fun in my MCS. The way that car drove, got great gas mileage and handled was just unmatched. It's at a power to weight ratio sweet spot I think. You can have the pedal down almost all the time, zip around corners and have a smile on your face. On public roads without going illegally fast.

The m3 on the other hand is VERY fast as you know, and it gets 16mpg. So for me the m3 in daily driving scenarios is actually unnecessary. I currently have the DCT. I open it up sometimes on back roads, but not that often. I also plan on tracking the car, but that's expensive and adds up. I've been currently shopping for M3 brakes. The car is very heavy too so it will go through tires faster when tracking / autoxing. That said it sounds like no other car, and is special in every way.

However I come back to a central question: which car is more fun? I must say the mini was more fun. It has all the modern doodads that I want, has cool design, gets great gas mileage, is lots of fun.

The new car was great. Unfortunately on my test drive of the F56 the A/C was on, and my sales guy was probably 300+ lbs, and the car was saddled with a slushbox. So I felt like the car was a little low on power, but I always felt like that in my R56 when I had a passenger. I'm guessing the F56 is just fine.

Ok so where am I going with this? The F56 is great, and if you're similar in thinking to me you'll have a blast. With that said if you love high HP, status, and brutal speed keep the M3.

 

As I noted earlier in this thread, I had a 2009 M3 Sedan, and sold it for the same reasons. Can't have fun without insane speed, and I don't track my cars. Additionally, M3 is very hard on gas as a DD. Anyway, I have a MCS 6MT on order.