F55/F56 Picked up my Thunder Grey MCS today...
2nd Gear
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 64
Likes: 2
From: Oklahoma City
Congrats. The car is awesome. Nice touch with the color accents in the interior. Careful on the gixxer.
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5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 830
Likes: 31
From: NYC
Background: never owned a mini. just drove one when i was younger (10 years ago?) my impressions are based on knowing NOTHING about the car nor the options.
Thoughts:
Drive:
The drive is great. I had a maxima before this and currently have a crv and so driving this car is quite a difference. The handling is firm. I was able to avoid a few potholes in NY w/just a quick snap of the steering wheel.
Acceleration is also very impressive. while i'm keeping it at <4k RPM for the first 1k (noone told me to, i'm just doing it) it almost doesn't need to go up past 4k (it really does, i'm just fighting it). the acceleration on the low end was enough to raise a few eyebrows in the car. the rev-matching seems to stand out on the down-shift. i have yet to notice it on the up-shift. perhaps it's my way of shifting, but we'll see as i continue to drive it.
Space:
i've had 2 people sit there, one of which is a 5'10" person and he was quite comfortable in the back. it could be simply because both my girlfriend and I are short so moving the seats up allowed for extra space. i'm about 5'7" and with my seat position, he had his feet comfortably in the space.
there is a permanent armrest in the middle of the backseat area that i could never see in the pictures prior to this purchase. this makes a 3rd person in the middle a PITA. i'm going to try and see if we can fit someone, but it just seems that it would be pretty uncomfortable.
Multimedia/Entertainment:
as mentioned in another post, there are lights in the cockpit that can be changed to your liking. the lights illuminate the following areas: your feet, the door handles, the lower center console, and the ring around the center console. you can change it to any 1 of 10-12 colors.
EASTER EGG: hold the toggle (located next to the map lights) for 10 seconds until the indicator flashes and the colors will cycle on their own
the glowing ring around the center console can be managed in 3 ways: follow the ambient light, changes with whatever driving mode your in, engine speed. It will also flow with any changes you make to the car such as volume, temperature, etc... it can have its brightness adjusted so if you're not a fan, you can lower it or even turn it off.
Note that i only ordered the upgraded HK system and since this was my first mini, i was pretty disappointed to find out that in order to stream bluetooth to the car, i NEED to get the mini connect package. that really bummed me out because i have quite a bit of music. again, this is all new to me. i did end up looking this up last night and it's been known on previous gens, so if anything, i'm just here to tell you, it hasn't changed. i will settle for plugging into the aux connection while charging with the usb.
The HK sound system sounds great. i can't compare to the OEM system, but in my previous car i had ripped everything out for a new sound system. i'm planning on leaving this as is as it suffices my needs as a daily driver with some decent bump.
LED lights. they're beautiful and....VERY STRONG. did not take pictures although i will later on tonight to compare, but they do a very very good job of lighting up the road while also having a very sharp cutoff so as not to blind drivers.
hope this was a decent first-drive review. not sure if i'm driving her today. if anyone has any specific questions or wants specific pictures, please let me know.
P.S. things i plan to do on my own: add the rear fog light, add the factory alarm (if it exists), look into adding A2DP into the car w/out mini connect although i'm being told that almost impossible.
Thoughts:
Drive:
The drive is great. I had a maxima before this and currently have a crv and so driving this car is quite a difference. The handling is firm. I was able to avoid a few potholes in NY w/just a quick snap of the steering wheel.
Acceleration is also very impressive. while i'm keeping it at <4k RPM for the first 1k (noone told me to, i'm just doing it) it almost doesn't need to go up past 4k (it really does, i'm just fighting it). the acceleration on the low end was enough to raise a few eyebrows in the car. the rev-matching seems to stand out on the down-shift. i have yet to notice it on the up-shift. perhaps it's my way of shifting, but we'll see as i continue to drive it.
Space:
i've had 2 people sit there, one of which is a 5'10" person and he was quite comfortable in the back. it could be simply because both my girlfriend and I are short so moving the seats up allowed for extra space. i'm about 5'7" and with my seat position, he had his feet comfortably in the space.
there is a permanent armrest in the middle of the backseat area that i could never see in the pictures prior to this purchase. this makes a 3rd person in the middle a PITA. i'm going to try and see if we can fit someone, but it just seems that it would be pretty uncomfortable.
Multimedia/Entertainment:
as mentioned in another post, there are lights in the cockpit that can be changed to your liking. the lights illuminate the following areas: your feet, the door handles, the lower center console, and the ring around the center console. you can change it to any 1 of 10-12 colors.
EASTER EGG: hold the toggle (located next to the map lights) for 10 seconds until the indicator flashes and the colors will cycle on their own
the glowing ring around the center console can be managed in 3 ways: follow the ambient light, changes with whatever driving mode your in, engine speed. It will also flow with any changes you make to the car such as volume, temperature, etc... it can have its brightness adjusted so if you're not a fan, you can lower it or even turn it off.
Note that i only ordered the upgraded HK system and since this was my first mini, i was pretty disappointed to find out that in order to stream bluetooth to the car, i NEED to get the mini connect package. that really bummed me out because i have quite a bit of music. again, this is all new to me. i did end up looking this up last night and it's been known on previous gens, so if anything, i'm just here to tell you, it hasn't changed. i will settle for plugging into the aux connection while charging with the usb.
The HK sound system sounds great. i can't compare to the OEM system, but in my previous car i had ripped everything out for a new sound system. i'm planning on leaving this as is as it suffices my needs as a daily driver with some decent bump.
LED lights. they're beautiful and....VERY STRONG. did not take pictures although i will later on tonight to compare, but they do a very very good job of lighting up the road while also having a very sharp cutoff so as not to blind drivers.
hope this was a decent first-drive review. not sure if i'm driving her today. if anyone has any specific questions or wants specific pictures, please let me know.
P.S. things i plan to do on my own: add the rear fog light, add the factory alarm (if it exists), look into adding A2DP into the car w/out mini connect although i'm being told that almost impossible.
1st Gear
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 21
Likes: 1
From: Taxachusetts
That's a bummer about the BT streaming 
. I was hoping they made it standard for the F56. Have you tried sending music over USB rather than AUX? I'm not sure what kind of device/phone you have, but I thought it was supported for some models.
. I was hoping they made it standard for the F56. Have you tried sending music over USB rather than AUX? I'm not sure what kind of device/phone you have, but I thought it was supported for some models.
Thread Starter
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5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 830
Likes: 31
From: NYC
For iPhone users, the usb connection should allow for streaming. I have a nexus 5 and it just showed up as a storage device. Some users in the older Gen minis have gone to putting all their music in a flash drive and leaving it plugged in. That's an option.
Marco. Couple of questions:
Are they the leatherette seats? Heated?
Is that the stock trim or piano black - hard to tell from the pics.
You are happy with the bass on the stereo?
Thanks
Are they the leatherette seats? Heated?
Is that the stock trim or piano black - hard to tell from the pics.
You are happy with the bass on the stereo?
Thanks
5th Gear
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,100
Likes: 3
From: Endicott, NY
Can't believe Prestige MINI puts an ugly permanent dealer plaque on YOUR car. I thought those days were over, I don't mind the plate frame ad, but a permanent plate stuck on the finish of the boot is No class in my book!
Nice looking MINI, by the way !!
Nice looking MINI, by the way !!
Thread Starter
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5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 830
Likes: 31
From: NYC
besides the red, everything else is stock trim, so the base headliner and a carbon fiber look-a-like/checkerboard trim.
bass on the stereo is not hard, but it's definitely acceptable. you don't feel anything so i wonder if it makes you THINK you have bass when you really don't. i'm a hip-hop/house/dance type of person and the few songs i've played have sounded nice. i would say the surround feel of all the speakers makes up for not being a full aftermarket system.
bonus storage: to the right of the center console, just above the glove box, is part of the checkerboard trim. push that in to expose a 2nd storage.
Thread Starter
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5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 830
Likes: 31
From: NYC
surprisingly enough, i never noticed that prestige logo. i'm pretty sure a blow dryer and some patience could take care of that.
Thread Starter
|
5th Gear
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 830
Likes: 31
From: NYC
Background: never owned a mini. just drove one when i was younger (10 years ago?) my impressions are based on knowing NOTHING about the car nor the options.
Thoughts:
Drive:
The drive is great. I had a maxima before this and currently have a crv and so driving this car is quite a difference. The handling is firm. I was able to avoid a few potholes in NY w/just a quick snap of the steering wheel.
Acceleration is also very impressive. while i'm keeping it at <4k RPM for the first 1k (noone told me to, i'm just doing it) it almost doesn't need to go up past 4k (it really does, i'm just fighting it). the acceleration on the low end was enough to raise a few eyebrows in the car. the rev-matching seems to stand out on the down-shift. i have yet to notice it on the up-shift. perhaps it's my way of shifting, but we'll see as i continue to drive it.
Space:
i've had 2 people sit there, one of which is a 5'10" person and he was quite comfortable in the back. it could be simply because both my girlfriend and I are short so moving the seats up allowed for extra space. i'm about 5'7" and with my seat position, he had his feet comfortably in the space.
there is a permanent armrest in the middle of the backseat area that i could never see in the pictures prior to this purchase. this makes a 3rd person in the middle a PITA. i'm going to try and see if we can fit someone, but it just seems that it would be pretty uncomfortable.
Multimedia/Entertainment:
as mentioned in another post, there are lights in the cockpit that can be changed to your liking. the lights illuminate the following areas: your feet, the door handles, the lower center console, and the ring around the center console. you can change it to any 1 of 10-12 colors.
EASTER EGG: hold the toggle (located next to the map lights) for 10 seconds until the indicator flashes and the colors will cycle on their own
the glowing ring around the center console can be managed in 3 ways: follow the ambient light, changes with whatever driving mode your in, engine speed. It will also flow with any changes you make to the car such as volume, temperature, etc... it can have its brightness adjusted so if you're not a fan, you can lower it or even turn it off.
Note that i only ordered the upgraded HK system and since this was my first mini, i was pretty disappointed to find out that in order to stream bluetooth to the car, i NEED to get the mini connect package. that really bummed me out because i have quite a bit of music. again, this is all new to me. i did end up looking this up last night and it's been known on previous gens, so if anything, i'm just here to tell you, it hasn't changed. i will settle for plugging into the aux connection while charging with the usb.
The HK sound system sounds great. i can't compare to the OEM system, but in my previous car i had ripped everything out for a new sound system. i'm planning on leaving this as is as it suffices my needs as a daily driver with some decent bump.
LED lights. they're beautiful and....VERY STRONG. did not take pictures although i will later on tonight to compare, but they do a very very good job of lighting up the road while also having a very sharp cutoff so as not to blind drivers.
hope this was a decent first-drive review. not sure if i'm driving her today. if anyone has any specific questions or wants specific pictures, please let me know.
P.S. things i plan to do on my own: add the rear fog light, add the factory alarm (if it exists), look into adding A2DP into the car w/out mini connect although i'm being told that almost impossible.
Thoughts:
Drive:
The drive is great. I had a maxima before this and currently have a crv and so driving this car is quite a difference. The handling is firm. I was able to avoid a few potholes in NY w/just a quick snap of the steering wheel.
Acceleration is also very impressive. while i'm keeping it at <4k RPM for the first 1k (noone told me to, i'm just doing it) it almost doesn't need to go up past 4k (it really does, i'm just fighting it). the acceleration on the low end was enough to raise a few eyebrows in the car. the rev-matching seems to stand out on the down-shift. i have yet to notice it on the up-shift. perhaps it's my way of shifting, but we'll see as i continue to drive it.
Space:
i've had 2 people sit there, one of which is a 5'10" person and he was quite comfortable in the back. it could be simply because both my girlfriend and I are short so moving the seats up allowed for extra space. i'm about 5'7" and with my seat position, he had his feet comfortably in the space.
there is a permanent armrest in the middle of the backseat area that i could never see in the pictures prior to this purchase. this makes a 3rd person in the middle a PITA. i'm going to try and see if we can fit someone, but it just seems that it would be pretty uncomfortable.
Multimedia/Entertainment:
as mentioned in another post, there are lights in the cockpit that can be changed to your liking. the lights illuminate the following areas: your feet, the door handles, the lower center console, and the ring around the center console. you can change it to any 1 of 10-12 colors.
EASTER EGG: hold the toggle (located next to the map lights) for 10 seconds until the indicator flashes and the colors will cycle on their own
the glowing ring around the center console can be managed in 3 ways: follow the ambient light, changes with whatever driving mode your in, engine speed. It will also flow with any changes you make to the car such as volume, temperature, etc... it can have its brightness adjusted so if you're not a fan, you can lower it or even turn it off.
Note that i only ordered the upgraded HK system and since this was my first mini, i was pretty disappointed to find out that in order to stream bluetooth to the car, i NEED to get the mini connect package. that really bummed me out because i have quite a bit of music. again, this is all new to me. i did end up looking this up last night and it's been known on previous gens, so if anything, i'm just here to tell you, it hasn't changed. i will settle for plugging into the aux connection while charging with the usb.
The HK sound system sounds great. i can't compare to the OEM system, but in my previous car i had ripped everything out for a new sound system. i'm planning on leaving this as is as it suffices my needs as a daily driver with some decent bump.
LED lights. they're beautiful and....VERY STRONG. did not take pictures although i will later on tonight to compare, but they do a very very good job of lighting up the road while also having a very sharp cutoff so as not to blind drivers.
hope this was a decent first-drive review. not sure if i'm driving her today. if anyone has any specific questions or wants specific pictures, please let me know.
P.S. things i plan to do on my own: add the rear fog light, add the factory alarm (if it exists), look into adding A2DP into the car w/out mini connect although i'm being told that almost impossible.
i'm just going to spew my thoughts as they pop in my head
- arming the car does not give off a honk. the lights blink to tell you the car is locked but i like a little honk as a final confirmation if i'm too far away. not cool.
- i've been driving in green mode because it's the only way i'll keep her below 4k RPM. i moved to MID and Sport a few times and the feel is night and day. each level feels and SOUNDS different.
- car is very quiet in green mode (think hybrid vehicle), regular car in mid mode, and slight aftermarket exhaust sound when in sport mode.
- i did not get the armrest so i just have an open space where the E-Brake is. that should not be used to place the keys. after a few turns the keys went underneath the seats.
- backseat headrests can be adjusted to either be vertical or turned to horizontal so you can see better from the rear.
