Well, for those of you with your car, what do you think about the options you went with? Any regrets? If you could go back, would you change anything? How is the nav system?

 

The sunroof is louder than I would have liked. I hate the automatic climate control but that comes standard now. Happy with the LED lights. I would have purchased the base Cooper instead of the S because I am mostly city driving. Even driving in mid mode the car is jerky. I have to switch to green mode for a smooth ride at slow speeds.

 

LED/Xenon headlights were a no brainer

 

I regretted not waiting for the JCW exterior pack and chili red, but I wouldn't get the HUD again, I only find it useful when I'm using navigation which isn't very often.

 

I still go back and forth and on the sports suspension. I didn't get that option but still have yet to try one with the sports suspension.

 

I'd love to drive a Sports Suspension car back to back with a non-Sports.

I've yet to drive one either.

 

LED Headlights with corning

I did not order my car, found it on a dealers lot. This option was already installed. Did not really want to pay for it but now that I have it I would not trade it.

HUD

This is very debatable... I keep mine on all the time. I did not use it for the first several weeks, was another option on the car I did not really want, but now I love it and would order it again.

The only missing option on mine from the wish list when searching for the car was comfort access. Had it on my previous R56/S and miss it. Worth the money in my opinion.

 

Things I don't regret buying at all
- Black Pearl Seats
- LED headlights (I don't have the cornering version)
- Storage compartment in the boot
- Connected XL kit

Things I wish I'd bought
- Convenience package

Things I regret buying
- Can't think of anything

 

Don't regret:
NAV / XL
LED Headlights
Cloth Seats

Meh:
Sunroof - I hardly use it, and when I do, wind noise is unbearable for my ears
HUD - Only use it at night, because during the day my polarized sunglasses make it impossible to view

Regret not getting:
Backup Camera - yeah I'm lazy and I'd like to just look down at the screen
Convenience Package - minor inconvenience not having it, it would have been nice

Thought I'd regret it, but I don't:
Storage Package - I'm making do with what many of us have done as a workaround: the storage tray, topped with the luggage compartment floor. It is absolutely fine.

 

I would have picked a different dash trim other than Piano Black...seemed like a safe choice, but, its a fingerprint magnet.

 

Here's what I've got:

Volcanic Orange, custom black stripes, black roofline/mirrors. VERY happy. Photo below.
17" Black Cosmos Spoke wheels Looks sharp to me
Sport Seats (Leather/Cloth Diamond Satellite Gray), Heated Wanted light color interior to help alleviate heat build-up in the summer. I'm happy enough with these seats.
Anthracite headliner, MINI Yolurs Interior Styling: Off-White, Off-White Dash, Satellite Gray Color Line & Door Panel Were I to do it again, I'd add some color to the dash -- likely red accent pieces with the JCW interior options
Cold Weather Package (Heated front seats, Powerfold heated mirrors) Even with the lesser-powered seats, this was never an option for removal
Sport Package (White turn signals, LED Headlights w/ cornering, 17" Black Cosmos Spokes) I could take or leave the cornering feature with the LEDs, but the lights themselves are terrific.
Premium Package (Storage Package, Comfort Access, H/K Sound, Sunroof) Were I to do it again, I'd delete the sunroof.
Wired Package (Connected + Visual Boost XL, Enhanced Bluetooth, NAV XL) The NAV XL is beautiful. It's a luxury thing, but I am really impressed.
Auto Climate Control I liked the implementation better on my R56, but this wasn't an option on the 2015
6-speed with Dynamic Damper Control Could take or leave the DDC. It makes a nominal difference between the two settings. I never test drove an F56 with the sport suspension, but would like to
SiriusXM Coming from an R56 which didn't have bluetooth (2007), I probably didn't need the Sirius as playing everything off my phone works great. But I'm not complaining that I do have Sirius installed
Rear PDC This was the last thing I added, and I'm very glad I did.

The only thing I regret not adding was the JCW Interior option as mentioned above.

 

I don't have the F56 but have driven Minis since 2007 and browsed this forum since then. I think the LED headlights are a must (with or without the cornering option which makes sense to have). I rarely opened the sunroof I had on my 2007 and I don't miss it now one bit. Anthracite headliner is a must.
The adjustable dampers I would pass on. I like my sport suspension and the ride isn't too harsh at all. The HK sound upgrade is a must. Black Pearl seats are great, I test drove on F56 with them. The JCW body kit I have, love it, and it looks great on the F56. I have no need for either the NAV or HUD.
I urge people to visit a dealership and see for themselves what the colors, wheels, and interior options look like. The Configurator is nice, but the colors of things look a little different in person. Pearl Black seats are a good example. Good luck1

 

Oh gosh I can't believe I forgot about the HK sound. Yes it is flat out amazing. You get a sub under each seat. It is a huge improvement over even the HK option from prior generations.

 

There's another thread about this. Maybe two.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...t-getting.html

My Dad just got a truck with a backup camera, I knew I made a mistake not getting that. I'm thinking of adding some bluetooth camera for my iPod if I can find one.

I was next to an Acura Integra the other day, how I miss having a sunroof. The one on the MINI is ridiculous, but if I wasn't going to be able to delete the sunroof my plan was to find some opaque laminate, like GlassKote, if you could use it on a car.

My car has very little. No bluetooth audio, so I plug in my iPod. It would be cool to have but I'm not missing it.

I don't have the on-board computer, which is something you can only do in Canada, so I don't have the digital speedometer. MINI Canada will not let you add the retrofit on-board computer. I'm not missing that like I thought I would. When it matters most, on the highway, it does tell you where you set your cruise control. And I have an OBD2 dongle plugged in and connected to my iPod for when I want to get MPH.

The most annoying thing about my car is that I have to hit the recirculate button every 15 seconds. I'm hitting it 60 times a day. They can't do anything about it at the dealer, except replace the button when it wears out. How well does the auto-climate control's auto-recircluate work?

My options:

Sports suspension. It's still a bit squishy to me, coming from a 2006 R50. I think aftermarket could have been the way to go here, maybe JCW. In most situations it feels good, but it still rolls too much in very hard cornering.

Harmon Kardon. It's okay, it doesn't get loud. I was in a car wash the other day and had to turn it up to about 80% to hear a podcast. When the dryer started, forget it.

Storage Package. Don't get the car without it. I haven't made use of it yet.

Heated seats. They found some compromise between too hot and luke warm that will please nobody, if you like heated seats, these ones will not be hot enough for you. I find them okay.

Automatic Transmission. It works fine, not as smooth as the CVT.

Spare tire. I had to fight to get it. The dealer pointed it out, "It's the only one in Western Canada, it's cool!" May I never need it.

Fog lights. It doesn't get foggy here very often.

Rubber floor mats. I'm not as confident in these as the bottlecap floor mats. Adequate.

 

Bought two minis. Did not order. I personally don't like the moon roof; but, my wife does..both cars have it. Only thing we both wish we had was the LED headlights/fog lights. I got the NAV system on mine....I like it...easy to use. Also results in getting a 20 gig hard drive that allows you to store music vs the USB drive. She wishes she had that on her car. But, in compensation, she got the cold weather pack, leather and the HUD.

If we had to do it again, would've waited and ordered. But, read about the hold up and no word as to when the cars would be released and didn't want to deal with that.

Maybe in a few years, may look at trade/order and new one. Then again maybe not.....I kinda fell in love with my car as it is....even with the stupid green scuttles. Ruins my idea of stripes (hood or side) as I don't find any in that funky green.

 

This is my wife's car so she insisted in volcanic orange and an automatic transmission (first time I haven't had a manual transmission car). I insisted on the S engine, roof rack, and paddle shifters (if I had to compromise on the auto transmission). I find it funny that my wife has the turbo-charged car with paddle shifters and launch control.

 

I only got F56 with Automatic and Sport package. VO and white roof.

I regret not getting the Storage package for the trunk. I thought I was going to add that later with aftermarket, but no, it's completely different.
Basic infotainment is not too bad, but looks kind of outdated.

Wife wanted the sunroof, but I didn't get it after reading horror stories and also to save money. It's a nice option to have, but it's so much easier to go wrong (such as rattles) down the road. I do have sunroof on my other cars.

At first, I wanted the convenience package ($250 addon) for sure, but did not go for it after thinking over again about mini's bad reliability. Again, more things to go wrong down the road.

I want the backup camera, but you have to spend like crazy to get that in a MINI. I'm so used to the backup camera from my other car that in my mini, I'm always afraid I might run over someone that I missed spotting even looking at the back several times.

 

I have a pretty loaded 2014 MINI non-S that I got in July 2014 and now have over 16,000 miles. My thoughts on options:

S vs. non-S: I'm happy with my non-S. I have plenty of power and have not had to slow down going over Colorado's mountain passes. If I had more money I would have gone for the S, but only because more power is good. But the non-S goes faster than I want to drive.

6-speed manual: I like shifting. After all the miles I've gone, I have no regrets. I don't do much city driving. Build up some revs in 3rd or 4th and the MINI GOES!

Color: I have the dark blue with white roof, mirrors, and stripes. Wheels are silver. I like the colors. MINIs are fun cars and should be either all black or a bright color.

I have black sport seats. The seats are OK but too narrow for me. The side bolsters force my shoulders in. I got a travel pillow from Walmart that I lay in the back and this has made a world of difference for me. I understand the 2015s have wider seats. Whatever seats you get, make sure they are comfortable. If I had more money, I would have looked into the leather seats.

Heated front seats work great here in Colorado. The high setting could get hotter though, but not a big deal.

I love the nav system. I wish they had more voice options. There is a plain female voice and she doesn't know how to pronounce many place names. I miss the dirty talking lady on my Tom Tom :-)

HK sound system sounds very good to me. I listen a lot to Pandora over Bluetooth with my android HTC 1 phone. I've also used my iPod and have loaded songs onto the hard drive.

I enjoy the sunroof. I leave it open a lot. This is my first car with sunroof.

Automatic climate control is OK. I wish it was more automatic. I'd like to be able to set the temp and have the ACC adjust fan speed and the temp of the air coming out. I find the car takes longer to heat or cool that I would expect given how small the car is.

LED lights: if I re-ordered, this is the first option I would pick. These lights are great and bright! I'd also order the side-looking feature, though I don't have them on my car. I drive on some curvy mountain roads and think this feature would help at night. Lots of deer on the roadsides around here.

Dynamic Damper Control: don't bother. I have it. I think I have it on but don't see any change in driving.

Runflats: I have 16" A/S Pirelli runflats. They're OK. They're quiet enough on smooth roads but noisy on rough-textured roads. I did get a spare. I find they hydroplane a little on wet roads. We haven't had enough snow locally for me to comment on this. When these tires wear out I'm going with non-RFTs, probably the Michelins a lot of people recommend.

Comfort Access: 2nd option I'd order. Pretty neat feature that works well, except for having to push the door button too many times to lock the car.

Center armrest: I have it. I like it. For me it doesn't interfere with shifting.

Storage package: I have it. For the money a good deal.

I'm not sure what package contains the following:

interior light show: it's OK. Fun to watch the lights changes, but can be a little distracting.

Big display: Get it. The information you get is good.

Wheel size: I have 16" wheels. They work fine. Some people agonize over wheel size, so maybe I'm missing something.

Parking option and rear camera: come on, the car's only 12.5 feet long.

HUD: Don't have it. I'd have to drive a car with it to see if I like it, but I'm up in the air.

Sport suspension: I don't have it or need it.

Edit: don't spend any money on MINI floor mats. Go for Cocomats. I got them and they are great! Well worth the money.

 

First impressions had it for a week now. Love the cornering lamps. Was not expecting much from them, but they are bright and progressively light up the whole side you're turning to. Very happy with them. I'm also happy with the 17" cosmos wheels, they look proportional to the car and the ride is not bad by my standards. Got them as part of the sport package and added the $250 cornering lamps.

Harmon Kardon sound system is good. I think it sounds quite clear. Overall not superb, but might be still breaking-in. Would get again if I had the choice.

Navigation: I was debating whether I'd actually use the in-car nav, or just resort to google maps since it's convenient. So far i've been using the car nav. There's several ways to input the destination: voice, draw the characters, or rotate the **** to select numbers/letters. It seems to get what I'm saying most of the time, so voice is the fastest. There's a few too many clicks, like it will ask you to accept destination, then it will ask you to start navigation. That's the same thing in my book, don't ask me twice. But overall, it keeps my hands off my phone, and the map is good for keeping the display looking as though it has a purpose. I also like the ability to zoom in on the map quickly. Combined with the heads-up displaying the upcoming turn, it's a sweet setup. If you don't get the nav, then I wouldn't bother with the heads-up either.

JCW interior package: What can I say, I like red stitching. It's nice and sporty, but probably not at the top of my priority list. My friend did immediately notice the door sill plate, so there's that.

Center armrest: Since there's no snap-in adapter for my phone, it's not a must have. I tend to recline my seat quite a bit so the seat side bolstering kinda props my arm anyway. The armrest does an admirable job of holding my wallet and phone.

Options that I wish I'd gotten: Comfort Access. I had it on my last car and evidently took it for granted. This one will be a no brainer for me next time, if it's not standard by then.

Options I'd consider more closely: Sport suspension. The cooper S suspension is great in the city, but I'm curious to drive the sport suspension like many mentioned. The normal suspension is pretty good already, especially living in LA with potholes. It feels satisfyingly sporty over crappy asphalt. But on smooth roads, it does feel a little soft and rolly. A little flatter cornering would be perfect. The +30% stiffness number I saw thrown around sounded extreme but maybe it's not.

Might consider some interior color options. There's a lot of black going on inside, and I have the anthracite headliner and window tint too. But had to draw a line on the budget somewhere, and went with the more functional upgrades instead. Like racing stripes.

 

Interesting thread. On 11/24/14 we ordered, 11/25/14 it went into production, completed 12/3/14.

We ordered a '15 Hardtop S
Lapisluxury blue (Her car, her choice)
Auto with paddles (paddles are for me)
JCW Interior (she didn't care)
Sport package (LED w/ cornering)
Sport suspension (because MOTD)
Media package (enhanced BT was an absolute must)
Comfort access (vs the bike prep...my Caddy has the comfort and now the F56 doesn't have a place for the key anyways)
Rear spoiler (not on the configurator)
Backup cam (requires PDC too) was her other must
Heated seats (who doesn't like toasty buns)
H/K because it rocks




Didn't order was:
HUD (wear polarized lenses and looks breakable)
Storage pack (saw a few love it, didn't research it but $250 for storage seemed crazy
Nav or XL, bigger screen would be nice but the nav we never use and not worth it being outdated
Leather (leatherette and dogs is the good combo)
Sunroof (never used it on purpose on the last 2 of the 3 that had it) Latest one is getting a little whistle

 

You can swap this out. I bought Dark Cottonwood from Sewell for $90 per piece. The secret compartment is easy to change. Behind the speedo is more challenging but it can be done.

 

I went with:

Manual Transmission
Wired Package
Sport Package with cornering lights
JCW Interior, went with Pearl Black seats
Dynamic Damping Control
HK
Comfort Access
Storage Package
Rear Spoiler

I was on the fence on the back up camera, but after sitting in one at the dealership I realized the visibility was great and subbed the HK system for it. After two weeks and ~500 miles, I don't know if I'd make any changes.

I'm the least blown away by the DDC. It really only changes when you change modes, and even then I don't notice a huge difference. I'm sure after 20,000 miles I'll be able to tell the difference in a more substantial way.

Comfort access and storage package are both awesome. So glad I went with both, especially for the relatively low price.

The HK system is fantastic, but I'm not a huge audiophile. Seems like most upgraded systems would really be outdone by something aftermarket, but I would guess an aftermarket system in this car would be a huge PITA.

The Nav & screen are fantastic. I'm still learning the right way to load music on, or rather, the right way to organize things. It's a work in progress.

The headlights are amazing. Definitely glad I went with the cornering lights. They work a little differently than my previous car, a 2011 GTI. The GTI actually moved, in the MINI there's an extra part that lights up.

I wanted to do the HUD, but I almost always wear polarized sunglasses, so that was a non-starter.

The black pearl seats are perfect, but I'm guessing they will really shine come summer in Phoenix. The fit and finish are top notch.

I really like the red stitching of the JCW interior. Kinda wish the shift **** was illuminated like the auto, but I'd probably be sick of it in time - there are probably enough lights around the interior as is.

 

The three biggest things we like on our car are...

- LED headlights with cornering lights. They are very bright and the cornering lights are awesome. When you put the car in reverse they both come on. When you are at a stop and put the turn signal on fully the turning side lights up. When you are in a turn and the steering wheel hits a certain point the turning side turns on. Really nice. Must have.

- HUD. Really well integrated into the systems of the car. Well worth the $500 option price. Yes it does not work well with polarized sunglasses, but I have a non-polarized pair I use when I drive the Mini. Not a big deal.

- Comfort Access... so convenient.

Other things we like are the large XL display, the H/K, the storage package, and the Pearl Cloth seats.

We did NOT get the sunroof and don't miss it one bit. There is a lot of headroom in this car without the sunroof and living in the heat of Texas we don't have to worry about added sun heating, and we never use the sunroof in the other cars we have/had. Don't miss it one bit.

 

4-door cooper S loaded. Loving it so far. https://www.flickr.com/photos/49019071@N03/sets/72157649644290002/

I test drove one with the heads up, and as much as I wanted it going in....it didn't impress. Felt like you have to go cross eyed to look at it. Not worth it. The new engine is damn powerful! I'm trying nit to push it in the break in period...but man, 0-60 in 5.6 us fun! I'm coming from a non S. So this is a huge change!

 

5.6? That is the fastest 0-60 for a stock MCS i have heard. Would love to hear conditions/tires you ran that in.