F56.














Why?


1) Awesome in-person design...it looks so smooth and modern, and the taillights actually look like the right size. At least on darker colors, the bottom of the front bumper on the S looks nice and unobtrusive.


2) LED headlights have a great design and are super powerful.


3) Overall interior quality is multiple generations ahead of the R56. This is one point that can not be understated. When you sit in a F56, you will understand!


4) Seat design and comfort: A+. The extendable thigh support on the sport seats is excellent, adjustability is high, cushioning feels perfect (for me), and side bolsters hug me well. If you ordered the partial cloth seats, you can be PROUD! They actually look like an expensive option item.


5) For such a small change in width and height dimensions from R56 to F56, the F56 feels MUCH larger inside, even with the black headliner! This only adds to the luxurious feel of the interior and the car as a whole.


6) Technology: from the heads-up display to the auto-park feature to the infotainment system to the GPS-assisted auto tranny tech originally found in the Rolls Royce, this car has an unbelievable list of tech options.


7) Dynamic suspension: The difference in road feel between sport and normal modes IS noticeable, and there is almost no body tilt in turns.


8) Turn-in/handling: Excellent. When you are not pushing the car, it is difficult to tell what it's capable of (R53 owners, insert comments here, haha). However, when you let it loose, its abilities are on full display! No thicker rear sway bar needed here! Rotation in corners is perfect...


The only negatives I could come up with are:


1) Don't buy the Thunder Gray color if you are expecting the same effect as the R56 GP2. This one is dull in the dark showroom and dull in bright sunlight. It does not show off the great features of the car's exterior as it should.


2) There is almost no difference in straight line performance from the R56 to the F56. This is because the F56 is a bit heavier. However, the B48 engine looks amazing for future tuning potential, especially since it's been detuned massively from what it's capable of. I'm sure Evolve or other tuners will have awesome and affordable multi-stage power kits within the next 6-12 months. Problem solved!


3) The auto transmission is high tech (see above). While its upshift speed is good (not great), its downshift speed is super slow. :( Worst of all, even in manual mode, redline upshifts are automatic and the driver has no control. :( Thankfully, I ordered the manual!


4) For many, price may be prohibitive, especially when considering the size of the car. But when those same people sit in a fully loaded F56 MCS, they will likely see the price tag is well justified.


Can't wait to receive my BRG II F56 MCS in a few weeks!

 

Just the quality reputation of the R56 alone is enough to totally avoid this "Mustang II" of the MINI brand. The F56 on the other hand holds great promise to correct everything that the bean counters mucked up with the R56, including quality. The F56 far exceeds the R56 in any number of areas, including a superior drive train, far superior interior, and outstanding electronics. Personally, I think the F56 is going to repair and restore the damage done to the MINI brand by the R56.

 

Our 2008 Cooper has been fantastic. Reliable and fun to drive.

 

I took delivery of my 2013 MCS in June of last year. Sully has been a blast to drive with no issues. Glad I bought it. It will be interesting to see what the first year gremlins will be for the F56.

 

The R56 is a very good MINI. References to it being the Mustang II of the MINI generations is nonsense. I test drove two last year and two in February. I thoroughly enjoyed the cars I drove. The F56 is an evolutionary platform upgrade. And a fine one at that. While I definitely prefer the new F56, I would have bought an R56 in a heartbeat if the F56 didn't exist.

 

I owned a R56. It was great. I didn't own it long enough to have the issues it was plagued with.
If I still owned it, I would probably be in the group hating the new F56. lol
Why is everyone getting into these debates with bitter R56 owners who are mad because they cant have the latest improvements.
New interior - cant even question its better.
Bigger size - ohh ya more leg, head and storage space is a bad thing.
larger, faster, better engine - lots to hate there.




Just kidding...thought I would do my April 1st thing there....lol


in all seriousness, R56 is a great car that has just evolved. some will love it, some will hate it. but we cant go back.

 

As a former R53 MCS owner, I feel there was a downgrade in quality to the R56 before a huge upgrade to the F56.

As far as raw steering feel/handling, I feel R53 is the best, followed by a tie between the R56 and F56.

 

Idk, I love my R56. Only had it for about a year now but I love the looks much more than the F56. I am interested to drive the new one however, but I plan on keeping my R56 for awhile.

 

Exactly... great to see MINI delivering again on the promise of Motoring...

 

R56 owner for over 6 years here. Not really the Mustang II of its family but after 40-50K miles (around 75k now), it started giving me regular issues. I've probably spent close to 6k in the last 2 years on repairs/maintenance (poorer by $1500 this week). However from that money being spent a bunch of components have been replaced (water pump, DMTL pump, timing belt, window regulator, oil filter housing, a bunch of vacuum lines, pressure controller and some other stuff I don't recall). The fuel pump had to be cleaned a few times and the engine went through a carbon cleanup once. All of this happened in the last 2 years.

I am however hoping *knock on wood* that the love that went into it for the last two years means the car will live on for a little longer.

 

I bought the R56 in its first year. If by some chance I end up going the route of the Fatty56, I'm telling myself I'll wait for at least a year.

 

I seriously doubt that's the issue here. That reason sounds silly. R56 owners have been holding their breath waiting for the next iteration to see if they want to remain a MINI customer. When the R53 came out, the classic crowd disowned that car. When the R56 came out, the R53 crowd whined. Same with the F56. I personally think that the Fatty56's front is ugly but I also think that the Countryman is a very ugly car as well.

Then again no one is forcing anyone to buy an F56. There's always the option of buying a 2013 CPO R56 or finding a supercharged R53 with relatively low miles (doubtful). Or go explore the world of cars for a while and consider MINI in ~5 years for the next refresh. I am looking at a CPO Cayman or a new BRZ. After driving FWD for so long, maybe RWD will be a nice change of pace for the next 6 years.

Or the 2016 JCW won't look as shoddy as MF has reported and I'll consider that

 

Perfect example of why the R56 is the "Mustang II" of the MINI family. This is what a bureaucratic bean counter R56 "design' team delivers, and a prime reason why the F56 can't arrive soon enough.

 

And history proved them more than right for doing so. The R56 was simply an effort by BMW to recoup the high cost of producing the classic Frank Stephenson designed R53. Stephenson himself was quoted as saying that the R56 "wildly abused the brand"...

With the F56, MINI has returned to its original vision of offering a fun and unique enthusiast centric automobile. And one that doesn't cut corners at the expense of the buyer. The F56 wreaks of quality with its BMW sourced drive train, upscale interior, and modern electronics. It is everything the R56 is not.. a quality based, well thought out, well sourced, automotive offering.

 

You've attempted to make your Mustang II- R56 comparison ad nauseum. Give it a break and move on.

 

.

 

Amen!

 

Have you actually driven one? If not, you really need to. Only then will you be able to fairly and objectively compare the two.

 

You should see if Fox News is hiring. You took one statement out of a paragraph and changed the context.

 

It's called price of admission when you drive like I do. I am not thrilled with the reliability but I love my car. For 6+ years, she's put a smile on my face and this is the question I ask myself or others when it's time for the chips to fall. Knowing what I know now, would I buy another brand new R56 if magically I was transported to late 2007? Hell yes.

In fact, I'd pick an R56 over an F56 in a heartbeat but I don't have to badmouth the F56 or any other model to enjoy my choice. You sound like that one guy on NAM from 2007 who used to whine about the NAV system on a daily basis. Enjoy your F56.

 

Please find that article lol

 

It's certainly no secret on how Stephenson viewed the R56 refresh... and the damage it did to the MINI brand. He has made himself very clear on this topic in any number of interviews and statements. It will be interesting to see what he thinks about the F56. I suspect he will like the direction.


And I stand by my "Mustang II" comparison of the Prince powered R56, especially with it now bookended by the already legendary Frank Stephenson penned R53, and what appears to be a VASTLY improved F56. I certainly understand how the current set of R56 owners must be feeling, but that doesn't make the F56 any less brilliant.

 

Each generation has a distinct character and I think they are all 'MINI'. I love my R52 and the R56 I drove wasn't to my taste when I test drove it as much as the previous generation. My wife was really looking at Clubbys when I got my convertible an I would have been happy with that too even as a second generation MINI.

It'll be a while before the first F56 gets out here to Lubbock and I see it I imagine but I'll be very interested when I do. The initial style on the exterior doesn't strike me at first but I've read several that say it looks better in person. The interior does look top notch!

So I love the first generation with it's sparser interior, SC whine, and burble but that doesn't mean I hate all the other iterations. I probably would have bought an R57 back when I sold my first R52 if it hadn't had that open meter gauge.

BTW, certain Mustang II's are now beginning to be considered as collectible or so I hear. And the front suspension has been robbed to upgrade earlier Mustangs and other 60's Ford products. My mom had one when I was a kid; wasn't a bad car except for the quart of oil it set free every week

 

I don't think we can comment on the overall quality of the F56 yet, it hasn't been out long enough. For all we know it could be a massive pile of crap. The build quality does look great through, but so was the R56's. And I really like it's interior, very nice car. I also don't think the R56 is as bad as you make it sound. Sure it has the timing chain issue, but other than that it seems pretty solid to me.

 

I think folks are on pretty solid ground saying that the F56 drive train quality (BMW sourced) is going to completely blow away the R56 Prince. The reality is that the R56 is so plagued with quality issues, its a safe bet even pre-launch to predict the overall quality of the F56 is going to far exceed the R56. Again, this is a statement of the R56's historically poor quality more than anything else.