Hello - this is my very first post on this forum.

So I bought an all black JCW last week and went on a long driving trip this weekend to get acquainted with the car and get a feel for it capabilities. Here are some initial thoughts...

Heads-up display: I really like it, helps me stay focused on the road. I know my RPMs and gears without taking my eyes off the road. Have not had it in any previous car and I think its great to have.

Auto/Manual transmission: Its really quite good, definitely not as smooth as Porsche PDK (which I am familiar with) - but the shifts are quick (if a bit jerky) in Sport mode. I enjoy driving/shifting with paddle-shifters.

Dynamic Damper Control: Very glad I got this option. It makes the ride very compliant once I changed Sport Mode settings to "Drive train" instead of "Drive train and Chassis". The default is nice to have perhaps for track, but the slightly softer spring rates help absorb the imperfections on the roads and keep the car planted.

Handling: Drove the Texas Three Sisters (RR335, RR336, RR337), the famous (and deadly) trio of roads that motorcycle enthusiasts and drivers rave about. JCW's handling was very very good. I really appreciated its nimbleness and its small size, as the roads are narrow and quite curvy which the JCW handled beautifully.

Passing/Over-taking: I am impressed by the cars ability to pass other relatively slower, yet still quite fast traffic. On single lane roads its remarkable to be able to simply shift down to 5th and pass with ease. Quite impressive.

Brakes: They are good. No - they are excellent.


Now a few things I think could be better...

- Harmon Kardon sound system is quite ordinary, its weak and should not be considered premium
- May be its a matter of getting used to this BMW iDrive or whatever its called, but the Navigation system's usability is not great - I keep entering wrong cities and street names
- Seats are supportive but not very comfortable. After a few hours of seat time I wanted a break.
- Rattles and buzzing on uneven/un-smooth roads
- Wheels design, I really dislike the way the wheels look - but I am doing something about that. They don't look bad in pictures, but in reality they bulge outwards and look quite awkward.
- The juvenile/clownish LED lighting and the giant light-ring around the center - I'll just have to turn them off or dim them to their lowest settings.
- tire size should be at least 215 if not 225. 205s look skinny. I will be switching to 215s or possibly 225s if they fit.


Lastly a terrible thing...
After encountering some rain, we noticed that our floor mats were totally wet. They were soaked in water. Leaks happening in this day and age - WTF? Not sure whats causing this. I am taking it to the dealership today to have this rectified. If its fixed - I will forget about it as I do really like the car otherwise.

Pictures...

 

Nice review. The NAV and Mini Connected has come under some fire before. I don't have the NAV but do have the Connected and all I use it for is my iPod music and it's fine for that. Give the HK speakers some time to break in. Remember that high end professionally installed speakers are usually broken in before installation.
The wet floor mat thing has been reported before, particularly the passenger side, and has been found to be a problem with the AC evaporator. As I recall it didn't happen on the driver's side. That's a drag for sure. Everybody loves the HUD, it's one thing I wish I could have gotten on my 2014 R56 JCW.

 

TheBigNewt:

Thanks for your reply.

So its the AC evaporator causing the wet floor mats. Did not think of that. I thought its a leak through which water is seeping in. I hope its a quick and permanent fix.

Mini Connected seems to have a nice set of features, once I can figure out and setup everything right. I think I am going to out-source this task to my teenage son. He will probably figure it out before I ever find the energy to do it.

 

Thanks for your review. Are those 18 inch wheels? What made you go 18 inch rather than 17 inch?

Good looking car!

 

Yes, those are 18" JCW Cup Spoke wheels. Two reasons for 18" - looks and handling.

Although the Cup Spoke wheels that fit the JCW models are different than the standard JCW Cup Spoke accessory wheels (for MCS models), since the JCW models have larger brakes in the front and the standard-accessory JCW Cup Spokes do not clear those brakes. So these Cup Spokes bulge outward to create that clearance space.

Edit:
When I say "looks and handling" - I mean the way the 18" wheels look/handle not specifically the JCW Cup Spoke wheels. I actually dislike the Cup Spoke Wheels and I am in the process of replacing them.

 

TheBigNewt was right. It was the AC evaporator drain that was clogged/blocked/improperly-installed. Its been fixed and it seems to be alright for now. But I'll be keeping an eye on it.

 

Yeah those are sorta boring wheels IMO. Need some flash on that black car. Get some stripes too!

 

What wheels are you going to get?

 

A version of these Cross Spoke wheels:

http://www.shopminiusa.com/PRODUCT/1...LETE-WHEEL-SET

Apparently there is a European version that looks the same but will clear the JCW brakes.

My dealer will swap them for me when they arrive from the motherland - I'm hoping to have them in a couple of weeks.
To be clear - its not a straight swap, I paid extra for them (minus the cost of Cup Spokes) when I purchased the car.

A bit more info/discussion here...
http://www.motoringfile.com/2015/05/...#disqus_thread

 

Mini Connected "Journey Mate"

Just downloaded the Mini Connected, Mini Journey Mate and Mini Roadside Assistance apps. Connected seems to have a whole suite of apps such as Web Radio, Twitter, News, Mission Control etc. I'm sure everyone can find something useful and ignore most of the other apps.

Journey Mate seems like a nice app/feature that would enhance the usability of the Navigation system. You can use the installed JourneyMate app on your phone and create trips (destinations) and then send them to your car. It also provides weather, traffic, fuel, points of interest etc. for the trip. That is a lot better than spelling/entering an address on your navigation system, which is the same level of usability experience that I had in my very first in-car navigation system 14 years ago.

I think JourneyMate and other Connected apps like Foursquare, Glympse etc. make the Navigation system a lot more value added than a simple portable nav.

 

Got the 18" JCW Cross Spoke wheels installed today.
Obviously this is a matter of personal preference, but I think they look significantly better than the 18" JCW Cup Spoke wheels.
These were ordered from Germany and clear the JCW brakes.

 

Great choice of wheels, how much were they delivered to TX, if you dont mind ?

 

Thanks for the compliment.

It was a part of the deal when I bought the car. Dealer and I agreed to swap out the tires+wheels (set) upon arrival. I am not sure what their cost would be (including shipping from Germany) but I paid about $1500 extra for swapping the wheels+tires (tires were already mounted when they arrived as a pallette).

Price of US version of JCW Cross Spoke wheels (accessory for MCS) is $3200:
http://www.shopminiusa.com/PRODUCT/1...LETE-WHEEL-SET
So you can do the math

It may not be worth it for everyone, but to me this personalizes my car and is worth the expense.

Cheers!

 

Before (Cup Spoke Wheels):


After (Cross Spoke Wheels):

 

I like the Cup wheels but your new spoke wheels are also very beautiful. Your deal with the dealer was also very reasonable for OEM parts.

 

Nice write-up. Looks great, I do like the cross spokes much better!
I got the black track spoke in 17" but sometimes wish I got the 16" for softer, smoother ride..

 

- Passed the 2000 mile mark on the odometer

- Engine "feels like" it is a bit more responsive and revving more freely now than earlier on. This could just be my imagination.

- Perelli Cinturato run flat are not bad actually - its tempting to find out how it might handle with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires but as it is the Perelli Cinturato run flats should not be dismissed.

- MINI connected and XL add to the experience but should work via bluetooth. The need to physically connect the phone is cumbersome. Half the time I forget to connect the phone when I get in the car, the other half I forget to take the phone with me when I exit the car. Also the need for an expensive (phone specific) cradle would be eliminated if all this worked via bluetooth. Music and phone is already bluetooth based - why not the rest of the Connected features?

- The green mode, which I did not think I would use at all, is actually very good to have. It gives the car a dual personality - in green mode it is quite fuel efficient and coasting feature allows using some hyper-miling techniques and one can get fuel ecomomy not too far from that of a hybrid car.

- I think if this JCW was AWD it would be almost perfect.

- JCW is a a lot of fun. I am really happy so far.

 

I don't think that you'll be able to do the 16" wheels as with the last generation JCW wouldn't allow 16"red. Big brakes again. 17"ears are the smallest, I believe. Use the black wheels for winter tires, that's my intentions.

 

I ended up with the standard 17" wheels. They are not the prettiest, but none of the options were acceptable, I am searching the aftermaket to find something I really like.

Although those cross spoke look pretty nice, just a bit worried on the weight

 

You do have to remember that these are the only MINI accessory wheels that are Forged wheels.

 

I'm a little worried to ask this question but by chance are the part numbers on the wheels somewhere? I purchased a set that look exactly like yours only to be browsing ECS Tunings website and notice that there is a set that was made to clear the JCW BBK and one that would require a spacer and I'm a little worried that I may have bitten on something that I may have to change out for another chunk of money because I'm not going to run a spacer and lose my wheel lock. Any advice?

 

I must admit I prefer the cup spokes in those two pics! LOL! I think they are beautiful wheels! My JCW looks like the first photo & I couldn't be happier! To your questions: the part number is stamped on the back side of the wheel, and you have to be careful when selecting MINI wheels because some styles are cast for both non-JCW's & JCW's....they "are" different. You could check realoem or simply ask your local MINI Parts Dept based on your model/VIN.

 

Great write up. I find that I agree with almost all your points. I am not an audiophile but I think the HK sound is better than you have stated. For a stock system it is the best I have had and that includes my Bose system in a $180k Porsche. It puts that to shame.

What ever happened about the water leak?

 

You can buy a retrofit for the R56, no idea how it works or how good it is.

http://www.bmwandminigenuineparts.co...display-screen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvN6EAMfcc0
The video looks like its in an F56, and it does look a little awkward, but it does also look very informative!

 

I really like the cross spoke wheels, but for the money I will stay with the OEM cup wheels. Jamgolf, regarding the wheel diameter you will have to stay with the 215s unless you want to use spacers.