Just got back from the auto show... they have a r56 cooper and cooper S there (no lounge leather though). Overall, I'm pretty impressed by the vehicle. The speedo is HUGE but you have to realize that a third of the space is taken up by the damn stereo. Speaking of stereo, why in the hell are the buttons so tiny, its a friggin' distraction in my opinion (steering wheel ontrols are a must). It does look a bit higher off the ground but my brother (who's not a mini fanatic) couldn't tell the difference until he both generations next to each other. I was hoping for some MA's from MAG to be there but it wasn't so... I can't wait to take a test drive.

 

You can't ever replace that stereo either... You'll have to put an aftermarket head unit in the little secret compartment on the passenger side... At least that's what it looks like to me. What a weird choice...

 

We went to the auto show yesterday, I was all excited to have my wife see the r56 (I have slowly been convincing her that a MINI would be an acceptable replacement for my Mazda6 wagon). This was the look I got when she looked in the backseat and the boot............... I'll have to try and get her out for a test drive and see if I can't change that to a .

 

Why not just wait for the arrival of the Clubman, instead?

 

hahai agree it also seems that the buttons on the key of the r56 is quite small. i had a look at it and it was k ind hard to push!

 

I was thinking about that since I'm probably not going to be getting anything until later next year. Her biggest concerns are my son's carseat and those times that I need to take our dogs (80 lbs and 120 lbs) to the vets or borders.

 

The car seat, if it's forward facing won't be a problem. We have a cabrio, but if I'm thinking right, don't the seats fold down in the Coupe? If you can get past the dog hair and slobber, I bet you could get two large dogs in there. We have a 170 pound dog that Matt wouldn't ever let in the MINI, but we also have a Suburban, so that's never an issue with us. We fit our son's booster seat and his teenage sister in the back all the time.

 

Holy crap... Kara's posting on the MOM forums! Now I have to watch what I say!

 

Yeah, you're funny.