My car exhibits the same tendency that you speak of. I've just kind of ignored it but I may mention it at the second meeting this Saturday. I doubt anything will be done about it and I am getting used to it. But after reading your post yesterday I purposefully used sport mode and your right the behavior disappears in sport mode. I'm not sure that it bothers me enough to make a big deal out of it but it is very unusual. I have never experienced this type of behavior in any other car.

I also don't think it is turbo lag. I think it is poor throttle by wire mapping.

 

Ok then, it's not a problem with your car per se, just a quirk that's avoidable by switching into a different drive mode. It's a MINI, not a Toyota. Quirks are Character, not flaws to be taken seriously along with a deep analysis of whatever Consumerless Reports blathers on about.

Just enjoy the car!

 

Not sure how Consumer Reports got brought into the dialogue. Asking a question regarding a cars behavior to see if others are experiencing the same and I'm on sacred ground.

I apologize if I in some way offended. Quirks are character, I've not heard that one before. I always believed they are still quirks. In software we usually refer to them as undocumented features.

 

*looks around* I'm not sure who's offended.

The CR reference is just perspective for what you find important. The MINI tends to be a gateway brand for people transitioning from vanilla cars to sporty cars. Some people aren't used to paying attention to their car, so when they have their first "sporty car", all of a sudden every little thing becomes a big drama and instead of taking a logical approach they freak out and forget there's a whole world full of the same car doing the same thing.

MINI didn't gloss over the drivability, it's doing exactly what they intended within the scope of their legal emissions window and corporate drivability preferences. For sure everyone has their own opinion on whether they like that or not, which is why you find perspective altering products like the Go Pedal. It doesn't change the ECU coding but it makes the driver feel like something changed.

As for "quirks are character", spend half a day at an old British car show and you'll get an earful of that.

 

But If Mini wants to gain a larger audience, read that as gain more customers, they are going to have to eliminate the so called "quirks" in order to do so.

 

Quirks?!? Anybody here as old as I am and had the pleasure of owning a British Leyland Motors car? I do believe they invented quirks...

 

Turbo Lag and or hesitation was a very common thread on the BMW forums when I owned a 2011 BMW 535. While I notice it to time to time with the Mini. The 535 was much worse.

 

I have had a number of sports cars (in the past and presently) so, I'm not really new to the game. No BMW's in my past and this is our first MINI.

As I mentioned, this behavior is odd for a new car (or any car) for that matter, which is why I asked the question if it was unique to my car specifically. Since others have noted the same behavior, the question is answered.

The quirkiness of the MiINI (IMO) includes the body styling, dash layout, ambient lighting changeability, and a variety of interfaces that are unique, and fun and left to one's taste whether you like or dislike.

The drive train performance is an engineering aspect of the car and something completely unexpected for anyone previously unexposed to it.

Actually for the average driver I would classify this behavior as a flaw, as I would if the transmission "Clunked" when put in gear or displayed a high pitched whine when driven at speed. It may be a normal "quirk" for that particular brand of auto, but certainly not a welcome one, (but that's just me).

As you inferred in one of your responses, it is what it is in the MINI, just enjoy the car. I certainly will enjoy this car as it is a blast to drive and fits like a glove.

Am I upset by this car's behavior? no. Will I be trading the car? no. Do I still think the car is fun to drive? yes. Am I wondering WTF were they thinking with the drive train? well, yes.

 

That's exactly what they've done for every successive generation. It's why R53 owners keep getting angrier that they're being "abandoned" by MINI, but it's also why sales keep trending upward. The balance of having an identity and selling out to the masses is a delicate one.