The turn signal is the same as my husbands BMW 135i which I drove before I test drove the MINI, so I knew that they can be tempermental unless you already have a handle on how to work it. But yes, when I first drove the 135i the turn signal was strange to me as well, going left but signalling right gahhhh! But I'm glad I had that sorted out before I test drove and ordered my MINI .

 

I hated that turn signal for about 3 months, I think I was able to change the functionality so that it only blinks when I hold it - I know i changed it on one of my cars...either that or I just got used to it.

 

I've grown to love my turn signals, especially since I set the lane change blinker to 3 blinks. I'm actually thrown off when I drive the Odyssey or the Scooby now.

 

same here. I love the 3 blink.

 

Took me a few days and now I hate driving the wife's car because I think the stalk is broken as it stays where you put it and does not rerun to center like my MINI. I have driven "normal" cars for 10 years now and this one has some cool features that are great.

 

I don't think there's anything I hate about my car; that's too strong a word. There are things, however, that I dislike or wish were different:

• The lack of engine gauges. Coolant temp and oil pressure would really be nice - I wish they were at least an option that could be specified; oughta be standard with the JCW or the Sport Package. The idiot lights are 'too little, too late' - and not really appropriate in a car that has sporting pretensions.
• The inability to change the wiper interval on the fly - Your average $12K Hyundai can do that nowadays. Having to go digging through the Reset menu is silly, and not very useful.
• I would like the ability to turn on the heated mirrors to clear morning dew or the like, which often happen at a temperature above the threshold that the computer will turn them on. This could easily be rectified by having the heated mirrors also activated by the rear defroster switch; I usually need both at the same time.
• The headrest with the lounge leather sticks too far forward and pushes unpleasantly against the back of my head (I ended up pulling it out and turning it around backwards, so problem solved but it looks wonky)
• The contrasting color C-pillars on the rear of the Clubby. The black works okay in the greenhouse portion, especially if you tint the windows. Mine is BRG2 body & roof, so the black rear parts don't stick out like they would if they were in silver, but I still don't care for the look.
• I wish I could display the clock on the tach display; the outside temperature and other selectable displays are nifty, to be sure, but I'd like the option of having the current time displayed in that location. I know it's visible on the Navi/Radio display in the speedo, but that's not in my line of vision. I would think that this would be easy to change if MINI were so inclined.
• The lack of interior color choices when ordering the car was frustrating. I don't like black interiors, and most MINI interiors are black. The only light color is Polar Beige, which is essentially white. I liked last year's light tan/beige interior, the name of which I forget, but it's no longer available. I got the hot chocolate in my Clubby largely because it was the only other non-black interior choice.
• The limited interior/exterior color combinations. MINI talks big about "Youification", and yet you can't get the red colorline in a BRG car, even if you order a JCW with the red roof. And I think the red roof would look good on a bunch of colors that MINI won't let you put it with. There are plenty of other examples of this artificial limiting of color choices, and I don't think there need to be. And yet you can order green seats in an orange car!
• I wish the Clubman had a 'third' door on both sides - and I expect that this will be rectified in the next generation Countryman-based Clubby.
• The runflats and no spare is not a choice a lot of people here, myself included, appreciate. I think I understand why MINI did that, but I wish it was something I could have opted out of as a 'delete' option when I ordered.
• You shouldn't have to order $1000 (or more) leather seats in order to get lumbar support. Especially since not everyone likes or wants leather (for some people, it's a statement kinda thing). I can see leaving it out of the base-build seats, but it should be included with the Sport seats, which already cost extra unless you order an S - in which case they're part of a model that costs even more extra!
• The center stack controls seem to have sacrificed function for styling; while it all works, I think it could have been a lot more user friendly (and I've got a 2011, which is already 'better' than the previous years!). Specifically, I'm not too hot on the controls for the HVAC system - the funky wheels for the fan speed and temperature are annoying and not as easy to operate as the regular rotary dials in other makes. And while MINI isn't the only one to do this, I'd prefer my door lock and window switches on the doors - I find the bottom-of-the-stack positioning inconvenient.
• The color-changing mood lighting is cute, but you can't turn it off. Even at its lowest intensity, at night I can see the light on the right door pillar out of the corner of my eye, and it's distracting - I keep thinking that something's there. I find this sufficiently annoying that I may end up disconnecting it entirely, and yet it wouldn't be at all difficult for an 'Off' option to be built into the system.
• What happened to the amber turn rear turn signals on the Clubman? On mine, they're red. Which is adequate, but the amber I believe is a better option for safety. For that matter, I think the lights on the rear of the R56 and R57 are better than those on the rear of the R55. I heard somewhere that one of the design goals for the rear lights on the R55 was to make them as small as possible, and while I disagree with the goal, I have to admit that they couldn't be much smaller than they already are.

While this may seem like an extensive list, let me point out that all of these were things that came to mind despite the fact that I haven't driven my Clubby in nearly a week now; nor did I go back through this thread to 'refresh' on everyone else's dislikes before listing mine.

To be fair, the only things on the list that I wasn't at all aware of before taking delivery of my car were the headrest thing, the clock display, and the mood lighting. Oh, and the rear turn signals.

While I doubt that it happens, I would hope that someone at MINI takes the opportunity to look at what their more devoted customers are saying. No doubt there's a lot of chaff here, but even so it would have to be more informative (and cheaper) than using so-called 'focus groups'.

 

The glue that was used to secure the headliner.
Does not hold up in HOT weather. (FL is HOT)

 

When my 2006 MCS has been in the shop, I've gotten loaners with the "new" turn signals. Being a loaner car I didn't have enough time to get use to the turn signals. My question ... why fix something that isn't broken? Was there a problem with the old tried and true turn signal design that has been on cars since forever? I shudder to think about what they are going to "fix" next .

 

You can't? I'm surprised, you can on R56s.

 

The new turn signals are awesome, when you get used to them!

Dave

 

How, i have been through my setting too and cant find anything. i have an r55 clubman (2011) i hate when the radio is on and the time is TINY

I dont know, i love the 3x setting but i always findmyself on the highway pushing it too far so i have a turn signal that doesnt turn off or when im trying to turn i never do it far enough for the litle "click" to make it stick rather then 3x

hopefully i get used to it, in the mean time i still dont like it.

 

Well if I can, I haven't figured it out yet. It might be a factor that my car is equipped with Nav.

 

People who insist on calling it a Clubby...

 

Sorry - Is it supposed to be Clubbie?

 

Clubby/Clubbie...

Please tell how to get the clock on my tach!

 

NEITHER.

 

Or in Japan it would be a Crubman!

Dave

 

And Germany, Klübman.

 

Dont forget Jamaica....the Club-Mon

 

Not sure, on my 2009 it came like that but on the 2011 loaner I had I could not figure out how to get the clock up there.

 

You can't.

 

Doen't anyone wear a wrist watch?

Dave

 

NO! But then, I don't really care what time it is. I'm retired.

 

Yes!

My wrist feels naked without the watch. Having to pull out your phone is way too much of a hassle for me.

 

Honestly, I hate that there is not the intoxicating super charger whine....man, i never thought i would miss the whine this much

Maybe it will go away as soon as i get a BOV and Intake