The quality is an enormous leap ahead, externally and in the interior. I remember squeezing the outside mirror covers on my second generation MINI and hearing the sound of REALLY CHEAP squeeky plastic-but the F56 mirror covers are rock solid. A small point, but shows that BMW is sweating the details better. Interior quality was top notch. The car is the base Cooper (Justa).

The standard radio sounds ok but the intuitive functionality is typical BMW. The manual will need to be read. (the dealership was short on manuals but my MA "stole" one from another car). The lack of an oil dipstick sucks and the electronic oil level detector/computer takes about a minute to measure. Not liking this part of the car.

The center armrest is awkward, as many others have mentioned. Would be very uncomfortable in a manual transmission car. The sports seats are comfortable and firm and certainly hold you in place. Not for those with large torsos though.

The automatic trans seem rather jerky on downshifts and positively sucks in econo mode. Sport mode is the operative mode, with normal mode on the freeway. I'm thinking it will smooth out as the miles add on.

I ordered the car with 16" Victory wheels and they came with non-runflats (Michelin Energy-the jury is still out on these, but I think they will be adequate for my purpose), and a mini spare. That is all good-didn't want runflats. This seemed to baffle my MA as he thought all wheels larger than 15" came with runflats. Looked at other Coopers with 16" wheels on the lot-some came with runflats some with non-runflats. Go figure.

The car feels as solid as a bank vault. No squeaks or rattles. Handles great but certainly feels bigger than my R56. My MA did warn me about being careful on shutting the hood and to just let it drop rather than pushing it down. Seems the metal is soft so in case you hit a pedestrian its a softer hit (?).

Had a hard time keeping the car under the speed limit on the freeway. The power and torque are exceptional and is fairly quiet. BMW did their homework on sound deadening.

The circular lighting in the center console is annoying, especially in orange. Will shut that off. I like the computer inside the speedo-lots of information and relatively intuitive. The steering wheel felt good. The cruise control was a bit odd when I turned it totally off at speed-felt like the brakes were applied as it slowed very quickly. Will need to investigate that some more.

The paint seems to be of good quality. The Blazing Red looks orange in some light (sunlight) and red in others.

Overall I am very impressed with the quality of the car, the handling, and the engine power and torque.

 

Theres a lever in the bottom front that allows you to tilt it down, but it will come back up when you set the parking brake.

 

My MA also said that anything over 16" would be runflats also. Do you have the base Justa or an "S"? I'm interested in hearing about the torque and power on the base model. Good luck with your Mini.

 

I think Russmini's Cooper is base,just like my daughter's.
I've been driving it for the last 2 days as she's still out of town and it's simply amazing.I wouldn't be surprised if it goes on to win a few awards this year.
The power,economy and refinement of that little 3 cylinder engine is brilliant.

 

Base Justa. Pretty seamless power delivery with loads of low rpm torque.

 

I fully agree. I first drove the S then the base and instantly fell in love with its motor. I bought the base just because of how spiritedly it felt. Amazing that it's a 3 cylinder!

 

Glad to hear that. I just ordered the base today and felt the same way. I was ready to get the S but I really felt the base was all I needed. It did everything I wanted and more.