Just bought a 2015 MCS. Always loved the cooper's looks through all iterations, classic to modern. Have owned a few British classics, and I bought the new mini for a few reasons that make it stand out from the crowd... It looks like nothing else on the road, I still think it looks eminently mini - ish. It feels very European in the finest sense of the term. The lower fascia, like all else, is just a matter of taste. Most uninitiated motorists would not even notice the difference. The interior actually won me over, helping me make the decision to buy. I think all of the gauges, switches, gizmos, controls feel very intuitive, work well, have the tactile sensation of real quality, etc. I also have a new American car, and there is no comparison... the interior just seems so well thought out on the mini. I like all of the minis. Step inside, step on the gas and smile.

 

Very well said Helix.

If you like the F56 buy one. Are you buying a car to please other people or yourself?

 

I've had my '14 MCS for 9 months now. I still absolutely love it. No car is perfect. Not a one. I think BMW did a great job overall. As isleofbones said above, "step inside, step on the gas and SMILE". Yep, I do that smile thing a lot!

 

I bought a GTI in 2003 because I couldn't afford the MINI yet and was a little wary of that first model year thing as far as working out links. I was replacing a karmann Ghia so anything would have felt like a rocket in comparison. But the launch of the modern MINI was closer to the aesthetic and whimsy of my air cooled VW than anything in the modern era. When I had the chance, I picked up my R53 in 2006 and lever looked back. No accounting for taste. All of these cars are s combination of performance, reliability, practicality and build quality, measured by personal experience on the test ride and that undefinable factor that makes people choose this over that. We are pretty fortunate to have the choices we do!

 

Amen to all that. Had a few VW's myself. They were a joy to drive and economical, but finally got tired of the poor quality interiors with pot-metal accoutrements. The unpleasant dealerships were the coup d'grace. Bought a '05 Cooper and been stuck on them since. MINI's are relatively inexpensive, vivacious, and fun to drive- even with a wart or two, here and there. I really like the staff at the local dealership, and that seals the deal for me. C'est la vie! Or whatever!

 

Very well said!

I absolutely LOVE my 2015 MINI Cooper S Hartdtop and it is by far my favorite of the MINIs I have owned over the years. Definitely the common thread through each generation is personality and the MINI has plenty of that, love it or hate it.

Funny that you mentioned your VW K-G. I still have my '73 VW Super Beetle convertible (and have had many newer modern VWs as well) and the vehicles I am most asked about, waved at, admired in or simply happy (grinning ear to ear) to drive are the Super Beetle and the MINI.

My only complaint is that I wish more MINI owners would wave like early on when the brand was new - the vehicle has almost become too mainstream. If you ever owned a gen 1 MINI or Classic Mini, you would know not to complain about squeaks, rattles, check engine lights, quirks or issues.

 

I have found that about 50% of Mini drivers wave up here. I always wave, regardless.

 

I always wave, too. Funny thing is, I get more waves from people in Countrymen than anything else.

 

Funny, the Countrymen drivers never look or wave! (I drive an '08 MC). I reserve my waves for the other Coopers and some days they all wave back. That is usually a feel good day.

 

Gti. Lol

 

I drove my friends new F56 MCS over the weekend. IMO the car looks very much like the R56. Unless you are very familiar with the F56 front fascia it's hard to tell them apart. That's the biggest difference. I'm not in love with that black bar but it's OK. It still looks like a Mini.

 

Here in the SF Bay Area, it's a numbers thing. With my first gen there weren't a ton of us on the road, and especially few modded ones, so we saw each other around and waved a lot. Lots of parking lot inquiries and gas station micro-reviews prompted by passerby lookieloos. By the second gen production was way up, we had multiple dealerships in the area, and being a small car in a dense city it was quite popular here. Soon enough most drivers didn't wave. I described it to one MINI friend that we now have two types: MINI drivers and small car drivers, and nothing wrong with that. I prefer people driving MINIs (or other small cars) vs. big SUVs or whatever. But yeah, it got to be where you only could tell an enthusiast by obvious mods, or grill badges. And as the line forked, the difference was even greater. I'd get smiles from other small MINI drivers but the CMs and such ignored me entirely. EVEN IN MY CM later on. And the mod thing: I'm seeing more and more modded or you-ified MINIs now being driven by little old ladies or regular joes and when I wave they blink at me. One I talked to on a site visit and she said she got the car from a used dealership and didn't really know anything about MINIs or what was stock or not stock. She had an aero kit and custom stripes. Ha!

Oh, how we miss the Karmann Ghia. So impractical and deadly, so lovely.

 

They never should have made a 4 door Mini.

 

Oh boy if only we could buy the '84 GTI again. That was the best FWD car.

 

Should've just made a Clubman with 2 suicide doors instead of only 1.