Given that I work at a BMW/MINI dealer here in Cincinnati, I've had a few opportunities to drive the Justa and S F56's. I was blown away...the R56 (no offense to current owners) is garbage compared to this thing, granted...

The R56 looks a hell of a lot better, but I've got to hand it to them on the interior, power, and the way it drives. Anyone else driven one yet?

 

Calling the R56 garbage, not the way to make friends around here lol. Having said that, many of us will agree that the F56 is much improved in quality and ride. exterior appearances are up for debate. The F56 is growing on me though.... And since I have one coming off the boat next week, I think you can guess which model I prefer

 

Comparatively speaking of course

I'm not trash talking the R56, in many ways like it...for example how brutal the power feels in it compared to my Paceman S.

When the F56 was first introduced I was really turned off by the looks, but driving it changed my mind. The interior materials, fit and finish are all up to par with any BMW. I was blown away. The ONLY complaint I had about the interior was using the "iDrive" with the armrest. Just a tad awkward, though I think i'd get over it pretty quickly.

 

I'm glad to hear so many people loving the new mini, I've never owned one before, but ordered the new MCS after driving my buddies 2010 hardtop (justa).

because I have such a small frame of reference, I don't notice much difference in the looks, but what I do notice I really like. The biggest thing I keep reading/hearing is the quality of product of the new interior.

From what I've seen so far using the word Garbage is a bold move indeed!

Hoping to pick up min by the end of this month

 

Welcome to the club my friend. After driving the Justa and S F56, I can say that the 1.5 turbo inline 3 was most impressive. It doesn't sound or feel like a 3 pot at all. Nice low end torque for such a small engine.

 

Yep... the R56 is the "Mustang II" of the MINI brand. The F56 roll out can't begin soon enough!

 

Slag. I love my R56 S. It has a few problems (clutch, Bluetooth mic, Timing Chain tensioner) but what German car is not without its hiccups. The car is a blast to drive quick and responsive. They are fun to customise and it is fun to be part of the community. There was in 2007 nothing that came close to it and even in 2013 it was hard to find a serious competitor. I am not in anyway seeing the comparison (that I see from you all over this forum) to the Mustang II.

 

My prediction --- the F56. BTW, a lot of the problems you mention with your R56 are French sourced.. not German... thus my prediction.

 

I had and Audi A4 with worse problems than my R56. I hear you on the French engine transmission....but only wish they would sell French cars in NA. Some are ver. very cool IMO. and I don't generally think of French car and lots of problems.

 

I drove one today too. Like everyone's said, inside it's better, and I love my interior and the leather is still almost perfect. The R56 lighting in front doesn't compare, the gauges, *****. Off the line it is a bolt. I didn't get to twisty it, but the steering felt tight, no play at all. And it's quieter in a good way. My high speed wind noise is borderline obnoxious. I think I'll be ordering a Volcanic Orange model soon. It's a better mousetrap, and the R56 I have is the best car I ever owned.

 

Can you drop the Mustang II comments. You're annoying.

 

Agreed.. the French definitely produce some awesome cars... the Prince Peugeot drive train however is anything but awesome... making the R56 a real quality turd. One of the most exciting updates on the F56 is the BMW sourced drive train.. and a return to quality and longevity.

 

Slag - Marty Feldman - Guess we will find out if that is true in the next few years. :-)

 

While I don't agree w/ the Mustang II comparison, it's no worse than the F56 is the worst thing MINI could have ever done to the brand threads that are sprinkled liberally by a small subset of users.

 

They're still in love with their R53 with the supercharger, the pulley, all the checkerboard bits, and the add-on cupholder lol.

 

I really miss my supercharged R53, the SC was a huge part of the car's persona...the turbo takes away from it, IMO.

 

[QUOTE=slag1911;3909417]Agreed.. the French definitely produce some awesome cars... the Prince Peugeot drive train however is anything but awesome... making the R56 a real quality turd. One of the most exciting updates on the F56 is the BMW sourced drive train.. and a return to quality and longevity.[/QUOT
On how many other forums do you do this "troll thing"?

 

Agreed. I ordered mine sight-unseen before the first one made it over here. I've had very few problems. The biggest one--chain tensioner--was replaced before anything broke, at MINI's expense. I'm expecting to replace my week 3 '07 with either a late 2013 R56, or an F56, and at this point I'm leaning toward the latter. My daughter and son-in-law won the F56 test-drive contest and they were impressed, which is one reason why I'm thinking more about it (although I still don't like the front-end photos I've seen). Oh well, when I'm inside, I'm not looking at it!

I've had a lot of new and used cars over the last 45 years, and the MINI has been at the top of the list for fun, and certainly well within reason for new-car-hiccups. I can only hope the F56 does as well.