Today we had horrible weather and the worst rain downpours in months. In the early afternoon, we were invited to a dealer event in Ft. Lauderdale. The drive up I-95 was in the midst of blinding rain... But the Clubman absolutely felt solid, secure and composed This car rocks in all driving conditions The wipers, front and rear can handle the worst amounts of rain

Anyway, we made it to the dealer event (We were the only Clubman in the midst of a sea of regular hardtops). I discovered that when you put the car in reverse, the rear dual wipers start to wipe continuously so your vision is not impaired while backing out in the rain When you put the car in drive, then the rear wipers revert to intermittent function

Oh and the front/rear fogs proved to be very useful.. Highly recommended!

Anyone else has discovered a cool little feature in your Clubman?

 

If you need additional lighting when you park in a darkened area, pull the turn signal stalk once towards you, and the headlights will stay on for a preset time, 40 seconds. This time can be adjusted through the menus outlined in the owner's manual.

 

Would they be called "follow me home" lights?

 

Yes. I also have them programmed in my '05 R53. Very useful safety feature.

 

Looking forward to being able to program, etc., different things by myself - and not having to pay for it.

 

Careful what you wish for, it's not the most user-friendly set of programming instructions! You'll get through it, but it's a chore. BMW has a reputation for overly-complicated user interfaces, and the MINI is no exception. I'm sure if I was a German automotive engineer I'd pick it up more easily. The radio controls alone have page after page of menus and options. Have fun!

 

I believe you.

 

Programming^^^^^ Very true! Mike spent HOURS in the driveway reading and trying to figure everything out. Patience is definitely a must...

Donna

 

Once you understand how to navigate through the different prompts is not too bad. But it isn't the most user friendly or intuitive system, that's for sure.

 

Yes, this is the best aspect of the second gen MINI. Although I never paid to have any of those programmed in my R53 (Everything was done before delivery) it is stil a hassle to have to take the car to the dealer to activate/deactivate any feature. No longer necessary with the new car.

At least a friend of mine (He owns a MINI/Mini repair shop) he bought last year the necessary computer equipment to access the R53 computer settings

 

Funny you mention the rain in South FL yesterday and cool features. I didn't notice the backup thing but I did notice that when you stop at a light if the wipers are running low speed they slow to intermitent or if they are WFO they go to slow speed. My wife and I both looked at each other like...... That was cool.

 

It took less than 5 minutes at the dealer before I left to program all my settings; 24-hr clock, celsius temp, auto-lock, 3 blip signals (for just one of the keys tho). I think the OBD and Radio are actually rather intuitive.

I think the pockets in the barn doors rule. I usually leave my daughter's booster seat set up in the bazooka (behind shotgun) position. So that leaves the seat behind me folded down for my golf clubs. Thanks to Mini for the door pocket because my driver clubhead extends into the pocket void. Absolutely perfect dimensions in this car.

 

Yep! Forgot to mention that as well

 

I noticed something really cool too...when you completely turn off the ignition on the club, listen very closely for the next few minutes in complete silence and you will notice and hear little things going on in the car, the machinery etc...you will hear things mechanically working in the background..its quite an amazing thing to listen to

 

I just detailed the interior today, and noticed that the Clubman has 10 airbags! Two in front, two in the front pillers, two in the front seats, two in the middle pillars, and two in the rear pillers! That's a lot of airbags!