So I am finally getting around to posting Rhino here on the Picture Thread.

He is a 2015 Cooper S John Cooper Works Kit Hardtop.

I have to say, as a multiple MINI and BMW owner over the years, this IS BY FAR AND AWAY one the most enjoyable vehicles I have owned. I am almost 1 month in and 1900 miles (Brought him home on New Year's Eve) later and each mile makes me happier. Complaints? Well, I wish the exhaust note was throatier. Since this is a lease, there will be no mods to the exhaust, but the next one will have the tuning kit installed for sure! That's probably all I have to gripe about.

And what are the $11,000 in options?
JCW Exterior
18" Club Spoke wheels
JCW Interior
Black Pear cloth/leatherette interior
Glowing Red Color Line
Thunder Gray Metallic Paint
Sport Automatic Transmission w/paddle shift and launch control
Premium Package
Navigation XL (Wired Package)
Wired Package Upgrade
LED Headlights and foglights
Roof Rails

Accessories:
JCW Pro Mirror Caps
JCW Pro Rearview Mirror Cover
JCW Pro Roof Graphic
JCW Pro Cloth Floor Mats
JCW Pro Side/Rear Window Screens
JCW Pro Front Splitters
JCW Pro Rear Spoiler Extensions
CravenSpeed iPhone Xbrace

In addition to my great deal, "Motor Obsession" dollars took care of almost all the JCW Pro Accessories. THANKS MINI!

 

Hello there,

I would love to see some more pictures of your car....like some close-ups of the JCW accessories, mostly the Front splitters and Rear spoiler extensions.

Thanks in advance if you're able to do so.

Cheers!

 

If you're gonna spend a couple grand on the tuning kit on a lease you'd better buy that bad boy at the end. Especially all the JCW parts. You shoulda waited for the factory JCW lol.

 

Oh man, I really failed at that post - I meant to include a larger pic of the MINI, not just the avatar. Ooops.

Anyway, here is a link to the closeups of the front splitters (scroll down to one of the more recent posts):
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...pro-parts.html

 

Nope. But thanks for the suggestion.

Not interested in the factory John Cooper Works model - no leasing incentives and the payment would be crazy. I never keep a car more than a couple years (if that), so I tend not to buy either.

And I wanted the Tuning kit mainly for the exhaust. By adding it into the lease, it is amortized and would be a $14.00 bump per month in payment. However, it was not available when I got my MINI so it remains stock. The splitters and a few other bits will be transferable to the next vehicle unless the LCI is significant. I wish the Tuning Kit had been available because the Motoring Obsession money would have taken care of at least half of it!

 

my mini fits just right in the shop

 

Got the windows tinted this week. The wheels are photoshopped. Still trying to decide if I should get them painted or not...

 

Dip the rims

 

I thought about having one built but i don't have the patience. Next up is redoing the stripes. My wife just got her CM back from the dealer after doing custom stripes and it looks bad ***.

 

My CM has aftermarket stripes and a good tint job. It really made it come together.

 

are those my wheels? lol, they look very similar

 

Ah, I see your dealer has one of those long rumored Mini sports cars in stock (the one in the foreground). How much do they want for it?

 

a pretty penny, I had to make sure all the 700 horses are in it

 

Your car is so bloody perfect. I dropped mine off at the body shop today to have the light shrouds, grill, & emblem painted in body color (MB). Love your clean build, my vehicle will be your American cousin with the mods that will be coming soon. Cheers

 

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this board. I'm seeing some fantastic builds, and look forward to adding to the mayhem.



Here is my 2014 MCS launch edition which I bought in April 2014. Currently it has a custom turbo back exhaust system tipped off with double walled piping. I just dropped it off today at the body shop for some blacking out on bits here and there. Additionally, I may have to go above and beyond and have my side scuttles removed by the shop. I adore the way its supposed to look. Anyhow, here is my daily driver F56S

 

I picked this up yesterday - my third MINI and first non-S. I only have the one pic since it was snowing yesterday and the car is already filthy, but there will be more pictures to follow soon.

A few quick impressions based on the first 24 hours:
1. The build quality puts the R56 to shame
2. The interior is VERY quiet, almost to a fault. Very little engine noise enters the cabin, which makes it tough to gauge upshifts.
3. It feels quicker than my 2012 R56 when it's in sport mode. I can only imagine what the F56S is like (I didn't test drive an S this time, just the base)
4. Why does the car encourage shifting such that the RPMs stay below 2K?
5. I don't like that you can't press and hold the stop/start button to shut off the accessories and engine at the same time like in the R56.
6. Is it just me, or does anybody else feel like the shifter gets caught when going from first to second?
7. The LED headlights and fog lights are simply wonderful.
8. The tach is way too small to begin with and even more so when you consider the lack of engine noise in the cabin.

Overall, I'm really enjoying it so far and am looking forward to more spirited driving once the weather improves.

 

Congratulations! A few comments on your comments:

1. Agreed!
2. You get used to it. I personally like the quiet, but I know a lot of owners want more noise and will install after-market exhausts.
3. I didn't drive a nonS before I ordered, but I know the Justas are faster than previous models. The S is slightly faster than the previous S.
4. They probably are trying to go for max mpg. Remember, the CAFE standards are putting quite an emphasis on this; ignore it and drive as you want.
5. I'm personally happy it doesn't. I often want to finish a chapter in my audiobook without interruption--it will shut down in a few minutes automatically, but you quickly get used to a "double dip" just as you get used to a "double pull" on the door handle of all BMW products.
6. Might be you--I haven't noticed it.
7. Yes, and that was something I was worried about, given all the deer here. My R56 had Xenons, and these are even better.
8. Agreed--must be the emphasis on automatics. I don't like the gauges.

BTW, in case no one told you, you can lock out the engine shutdown that occurs when you are waiting for a light. There's a toggle on the panel that knocks out such nonsense, and you only have to set it once (not each time you start the car). It lights up to tell you automatic shutdown is OFF. I find the auto shutdown annoying; my toggle is always glowing brightly. Again, part of the emphasis on mpg.

Enjoy!

 

I had the pleasure of driving F56s and Non S for over a week each
Item #6: didn't feel in the justa and did not have paddle shifters, didn't drive too aggressively either. S completely agree hard shift consistently 1 to 2 and sometimes shift on its own quickly 2-3 as I would try to engage 2nd and it shifted quickly after or started before I did split second and then I am in third. Still a blast to drive and I might be a loot toe picky about it if I actually buy one

 

I should have clarified--my comments were for stick shift, as I do not willingly drive automatics.

 

ct21
For no. 8, instead of using the useless fungus/outgrowth tachometer in the F56, you can set the LEF ring around the media system to be a rev counter in Settings---> Central Display---> Main Display---> Engine Speed, or something like that.

 

Thanks! The first thing my MA told me during the walkthrough at delivery was how to shut off the auto stop/start. Interestingly, it doesn't bother me at all and I hardly noticed it last night. That said, I could see how it would be annoying to people that haven't driven a car where it couldn't be shut off i.e. a Prius.

 

Maybe it's just how I'm pulling the shifter, because I had the same issue when I took a test drive last year. Looks like I'll need to correct my bad behavior.

 

Yep, that's how my LED ring is set currently, but I don't look over that way much while driving. I'm sure I'll adjust over time, but right now I keep looking and seeing a speedometer instead of a tach.

 

This might be heresy to say, but unless you're on the track or really, really trying hard to wring every last rpm out of your car, you really learn by ear where your shift points are. I don't pay much attention to the tach, although I would prefer that they put it back on center stage where it belongs. I'm not trying to flog my car, but do drive it in a spirited manner on our many twisties around here.

Of course, that's a matter of getting used to your new car, and it takes a little bit.

 

The operative word in your comment is "pull." This is about the lightest transmission I've ever driven, and doesn't take much more than "guide."

If I did have a quibble with the system, it's with the clutch pedal. Too light for my taste. I understand that many people have to sit in rush hour traffic (I rarely do), and they were probably trying to fix the heavy pedal the R56 had, but I think they overcompensated. I drove my R56 over to a consignment lot about a week after I took delivery of my F56, and thought there was something wrong with the pedal! Then again, I have the same reaction when I drive my 911. Both feel dead in comparison, at least for the first 10 miles or so.

As for the start/stop thing, I had a BMW 3-series loaner a few years ago, and hated it. No one told me how to turn it off (if it could be), and I felt it was a horrible change to what had been a decent car.