As promised, here is my post on my first impressions of my brand new Oxygen Blue R56 MCa beauty: Tawanda, aka Sky Blue.

Sonja, from MINI of Dallas was a joy to work with. We communicated by phone and email for almost two weeks as Tawanda made her way to Charleston to Dallas. She had her ready for her inaugural road trip that started yesterday, 3 July from Fort Worth, TX. I am posting from my brother's house in O'Fallon, Illinois (just outside of St Louis).

What about the Oxygen Blue color?
Well, OB is, IMHO, the most stunning color MINI has produced. In fact, I realized that if I didn't jump this year, I would miss this color. I didn't "need" another car (love my Honda Civic EX), but MINI lust is irrestible. OB has been compared to the old Mini Island Blue, to old Lemans colors. I think it is a 70s throwback: I had a 74 Pontiac LeMans with white top that was similar in color, as well as a 302 71 'Stang. But, it's also the old 50s T-Bird, Chevy look. But, best of all it resonates the Southwest: turquoise trails and blue skies. I am in love.

Well, does an automatic MC have "giddy-up"?
No question about it. Slap her in Manual, and I revved through the gears going through the hilly MO hills that surround Ft Leonard Wood. But, in Automatic, she pulled strongly up the hills. This transmission is amazing. I just mention the Manual mode because I bought Automatic to have the best of both worlds. I've only dinked with the paddles so far, so no real observations to share here. But, my bro said the paddle shifters were "smooth" and would be his choice of mode. If you want "quicker" take-offs from a standstill, Manual does give more zoom, but so far I haven't felt unsafe in straight Automatic. And, that includes Dallas traffic in the storms, merging onto the hellacious freeways, after delivery. Verdict so far:

Is the horsepower in an MC adequate?
I won't lie. My brother has an 07 Dodge Charger SR/T Hemi. I'd been salivating while waiting to drive it. And, that ride is incredibly breathtaking, and a light punch on the accelerator will throw your head back. My 05 MINI S had more oomph from take-off. BUT, the MC has what I only describe as "driveability". No, she doesn't knock your curls back on take-off. Where she excels is the sheer torque and road-plantedness she exhibits 3 seconds after take-off. My brother and I just took her through the twisty country roads in corn country outside of St Louis. He couldn't get over how she hugged the corners and how the transmission never skipped a shift.
And HP on the freeways is more than adequate. This new R56 engine seems to be so strong. By strong I mean it just pulls and pulls. I put her in cruise to alleviate some of the road fatigue (more on that later), and she never skipped a beat going uphill (granted we didn't have a lot of uphills from Texas to Illinois).

Is the MC comfortable for a road trip?
No doubt about it. My partner and I put the back seats down, loaded her up with two weeks of traveling gear, and we had room to spare. The big difference I notice between the R53 S and the R56 MC (this may not be a fair comparison) is the ride quality. My 05 S had rattles galore, and the run flats made for a harsh ride. Still, she handled beautifully. Tawanda, on the other hand, has no rattles yet (KOW), and is amazingly quiet. We had a bit of wind noise at 85 (I didn't want to push it until break in is over), but it was nothing that interfered with the ride.
Bottom line: 12 hours of driving, and 700 miles yesterday and neither of us felt fatigued. The ability to control the ride through the different shifting modes, the smooth ride on 15 inchers, the rattle-free cabin, the effectiveness of the Auto Climate in 90 degree weather and a limo tint on the sunroof all contributed to one of the best hauls I've experienced.

Would I buy her again? Better questions is: Why did I wait so long?

 

Great report...glad your trip is going well!!! Hooray for Tewanda!!!!!

 

Great write up, trip sounds like it was a blast.

Why is Oxygen Blue not on the MINI configurator, or in any brochures?

 

Cooper side only??

 

Nice write up. Enjoy your new ride!!

 

Congrats on your new MINI!

I'm throughly enjoying your commentary... Very insightful.

Kind of feel as if I'm riding along with you on this road trip. Waiting to hear more.

Thanks for the post and looking forward to hearing more about your trip!

Motor On!

 

Excellent report on the MCa. I too have the the same mechanical configuration and get the same performance that you describe, to the tee.

 

Having an 07 MC myself (but manual), I second all of your comments on the engine power and comfortability.

I ordered around 3/1 and almost swtiched to OB. I couldn't see one however, just the configurator, so I declined and stayed with BRG. I still haven't seen one in person, the pics I've seen posted sure do look nice.

 

Oh, I will keep posting impressions. Tomorrow we head out to the Lexington, KY leg of the ROAD TRIP. Looking forward to some twisty back roads in the corn fields and horse farms. Pics will be posted.

And, then how about some commentary and pics from THE DRAGON

 

Such a tease!!!!! Can't wait for your reports!! Safe travels!