Hey guys,
What are some of your favorite features that are new on 3rd gen MINI? It can be options or simple standard features.. I wanna hear about them as I wait for mine to ship

 

A few small things:

- Changing the color of the ambient lights continues to be one my favorite "small things" about MINI
- SPORT MODE!!!
- The new LED light ring around the center is a lot of fun
- HUD is awesome
- When making a BT call, you can now press the phone button on the steering wheel to pull up a list of recent contacts on the instrument cluster - MUCH easier to make a quick call without futzing around with the menus.

 

Buttons under the central display that you can program. I have one that shows the HP and Torque (although those aren't real readings) and one that shows my emails and texts...fav radio stations...media drive...etc
The fact that you can watch movies - even mkv high def (only when stopped - but this can be hacked!)

 

Coasting, Auto-Start/Stop.

Interior car warmer, that's been huge.

MINI Click & Drive iPod holder, the Cravenspeed Flex Mount also would have have been great.

Acceleration. If you tailgate me at a light, you're left stunned in a cloud of dust. I got my first ticket last night. I have to get the all-season tires on soon.

 

So tell me about this ventilation feature. Does this only cool the car down in the summer time or does this also hear the car up in the winter? And does it run off of battery or does the engine start up and run for thirty minutes or what?

 

- Auto Start/Stop
- Ambient Light (I set it to loop through all the colors)
- LED Central Display
- Voice Command plus can activate iPhone's SIRI through it
- Auto Headlight
- Driving modes - I use GREEN on the highway, MID on normal driving and SPORT when I want to pull away from the 'crowd'

 

I agree with most of the comments above. The HUD is the best. I like the Idrive once one gets it is figured out. Mine is a 6 speed 3 cylinder and I like the fact that once on cruise, if you shift up or down without touching the brake, it automatically resumes your cruise speed. Love the torque this engine puts out.

I like the fact many switched on things like fog lights, driving lights, heated seats default to off after a brief period of having the Mini shut down. One thing I wished would default is the auto shut off. Since once the engine is started, the driving mode defaults to mid mode, it would be nice to have auto start be off.

Like the voice command system. Our Honda Pilot's voice command basically doesn't function worth a dang. Mini navigation is great.

Like the auto climate control. Some earlier posts said the fan speed doesn't change like that on the F56 but what I have found is that if it is cold outside and you set your inside temp to 74 and put the fan speed up, the fan speed only increases as the engine tmp. comes up. The R56 would increase fan speed regardless of where you had it set.

Great gas mileage. I live in a rural area so I don't have to deal with stop and go traffic. I have be getting 39-44 mpg regularly. Some carp about the green mode but on my usual 30 drive there is no use for mid or sport mode so I use the green. It took a bit before I got used to the auto shut off. It does increase gas mileage. Several other nearby roads are sport mode roads and that is exactly what I select.

Other great feature is the auto windshield wipers. I think it is a bit of a guy thing, my wife always thinks I need to run the wipers more often than I do. Using auto, it is nearly perfect. I live in SW Oregon and we have lots a varying amounts of rain by minutes and it always sets the right amount of wiping.

I biggest complaint is having Mini reversed the steering wheel switch gear. All the other vehicles I drive have it the other way.

I have driven Carlotta over 8400 miles since getting her in early October still cant wait to drive her every day I can.

 

I like the keyless entry - I can't remember the last time I actually fiddled with the key other than make sure it was in my pocket. I thought it was for wussies but it really grew on me.

I also like the door pulls - compared to my previous R56s they're thoughtfully designed and a pleasure to operate.

Can't forget the manual intermittent wipers either!

Finally, I like the exhaust burble now - upshifts give a quick burruup and downshifts a pleasant barum brum brum. (my 2009&2012 gave a godawful cracking, backfire way too often.)

-Mike
2014 MCSa F56

 

HUD

LED Headlights

 

The LED headlights are my favorite feature. Honorable mention goes to the LED around the radio, which still feels fun to me despite being a gimmick.

 

-HUD, especially with Sat Nav
-LED with cornering lights
-LED fogs
-Seat comfort and support, especially the JCW cloth seats
-Quality of interior materials and technology
Special mention goes to
-How easy e-sys is to use compared to NCS for coding

 

To me the lack of torque steer is really nice. Since my '87 RX-7 Turbo, all my cars have been front drivers.
HUD, seats are also appreciated.

 

• Heated seats in WI are a must!
• Automatic wipers and headlights. LOVE.
• Sport seats, they hug your body when you whip around the roundabouts in sport mode.

 

The B38 triple, and the 2nd gear ratio...

(Hey whattayawant - I'm a racer :-) )

Cheers,

Charlie

 

One of my favourite things is the digital speedometer in the instrument cluster. I can see it faster and more clearly than the analog speedometer. I think you need the on board computer to get this in the F56.

 

LED headlights and LED fog lamps
Automatic headlights and the puddle lamps on the door handles
The seats are amazingly supportive. I have driven a number of long distance trips (up to 1000 miles in a day) and the seats make the trip so much easier.

 

What an interesting feature! How do you set ambient lighting to loop? I have 'mini yours' interior with the extra lights.

 

Hold down the ambient light switch and keep it held down until the ambient lights flash. That puts it into "club mode" lol

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Excellent! Oh what fun!

 

I like the lack of brake dust on my 18" wheels. Zero. Wheels look great all the time.

I like how quiet the car is in comparison to my wife's Countryman. Her car is loud like a riding lawn mower.

 

Yup. bootsandpantsandbootsandpantsandbootsandpants...

Oh what fun it is! :D