And what wheel do they show in the picture?

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009...a-problem/?hpw

 

Nice article, Allen, but the REALLY interesting one is further down...about the MINI.

 

Actually the really really intersting thing is missing. The Mini rep compaired owning a Mini to gettting married. At first your spouse needs to be trained to know how to deal with your idiosincrities.

 

The wheels on Babs Audrey were much worse than the MINI's as far as turning coal black goes. Could this be related to late braking?

IMO MINI & Audrey are responsible for the latest fad, black wheels & blacking out everything else. Even windows.

 

 

Yep MINI has some strange ergonomics for sure. After a short while I became accustomed to them. Now when I get in one of our other cars they feel so very strange & un-MINI like.

The R56 has taken those strange ergonomics to new heights.

 

I heard that in the Mini SUV thing they are coming out with you controle the volume using a toggel switch located on the passenger's headrest and the steering wheel controles are located in the glove box!

 

We can only hope that the improved cup holder system in the rear bumper makes it into the production models....

 

From that secopnd article on MINI "Quality":

One of the quirks of the J.D. Power survey, when it comes to the interior features category, is that it gives equal weight to items that are broken (and need to be fixed by the dealer) and items that are difficult to understand or use, or designed in a way that’s not so intuitive, Mr. Sargent said.

The reasoning — derived from interviews with consumers — is that broken parts can be fixed (at which point they are no longer problems). Counter-intuitive design, on the other hand, cannot be fixed and can be seen as a permanent problem.

Sounds like part of the issue is the ratings scale that's used... But this is ALSO a DEALERSHIP problem, and I hope that MINI USA reads this. As someone who has traditionally been underwhelmed by the sales side of MINI (MAG in particular was horrible back in '06 when I bought my first MINI, but they seem to be trying to improve), I can say that they really should be taking more time to educate the customer about the "oddities" built into the cars. That would definitely help, I think.

 

My experience buying from MAG MINI in 06 was fine & their service has been stellar. As they say your mileage may vary.

Now about that survey....

IMO it is up to the consumer to know what he/she is buying. So someone buys a MINI & doesn't realize that it is an ergonomic oddball. Well they must have had their eyes close during the test drive & the buying process.

It seems that in the not too distant past MINI's were bought by enthusiasts. Now MINI is trying to be a more mainstream car & the R56 was changed in ways to appeal to the non-enthusiasts, but some old quirks remain. Those regular non-enthusiast buyers are less likely to find MINI's quirks enduring, but rather annoying.

I take all of these surveys with a large grain of salt, but many people do take them most seriously. For that reason MINI should try a bit harder & not rest on their laural's. Trouble is if they make it even more mainstream they will lose their enthusiast customers. And what about a MINI SUV?

What the heck were they thinking?

 

I also hear that taking it off paved roads will void the warranty. All kidding aside, thankfully I didn't have much trouble figuring out the controls and settings as my manuals are all in German.

 

Reading a manual, what a novel idea.... How can a MINI have a German manual? It's British just like BMW. British Motor Works, oh wait that's Break My Wallet.

 

Ich liebe mein MINI. Ich würde ihn nicht für den ganzen Tee in England handeln.

 

Meine Deutsch is sehr schlect.

 

Looks like I am going to have to get a German to English translator.

 

Me first. It means my German is very bad.

 

I said "I love my MINI and would not trade it for all the tea in England."
However, I should have said, "Meine brake dust ist sehr schlect."

 

Case in point: In the R53 (and others?), you dim the dash lights be pressing repeatedly on a button ... you brighten them by pressing and holding. Ridiculous. Who thought that was a good idea? Just put in a friggin' dial like every other car, which can be adjusted quickly, easily and without having to take the driver's attention off the road! Design wise, it would even work nicely with all the other circles on the dash.

(Does the R56 continue this ridiculous detail?)

 

Odd the dimmer brightener is one of my favorite Mini things. I can never find the dial in most cars and honestly once it is set how often do you adjust it?

 

Danke! My brake dust is also very bad! I learned something new today!!

 

Indeed it does, although completely atypical I have to admit that I completely forgot about it until now. It seems to be a set and forget thing for me.

 

In most cars it's set-and-forget for me, but something about the orange lighted dials and such in the Mini makes me need to turn them up around dusk and then back down afterwards. I feel like always hitting that darn button... press-hold-oops-too-bright, push push push there we go ...

 

R103 5-spoke 'Blaster' 16x6.5 ET48 19.0lb (8.6kg)

 

I remember wanting to adjust the dash lights and knew I read it in the manual but just sat there in a rest stop and stared at the dash until I remembered to push the little **** on the tach. Unfortunately this was after I wanted to do it on the highway and couldn't really spend a lot of time looking at the dash!