A financial web-magazine, Market Watch, did a review of our beloved R57 MINI today, and were a bit unkind. Based on their past 401k advice, I don't put a lot of stock (sorry) in their bloody opinions.

See it at http://www.marketwatch.com/story/200...e-not-the-tops

 

Yikes, It's very critical. He did say it was fun to drive and good on fuel efficiency.

I agree that there are lots of things you don't get with the MINI that you would get with other convertibles. But to me the goal was first a fun to drive convertible that seats 2 adults and 2 kids. Then my priority was fuel efficiency. So I got what I thought was the most obvious choice...a MINI Cooper S Cabrio R57.

The compromises that come with this car are also obvious. But it was never meant to be the one and only family car. Cheers to those who can use it as such. Our other vehicle is a more luxurious Mini Suv and it's got all those interior comforts that were wanting in this scalding review.

I'd be interested to see what car, if any, comes closer to what this reviewer thought would be acceptable for a convertible that seats 4.

 

Well, I found the review to be quite honest and I agree with everything said. But I bought my Mini Cooper "S" convertible for fun, so I still love it. I wish Honda would build something like it though. This is my first Mini, so I am not a "Mini person." I really don't like any of the controls not their placement. The speedo is ridiculous and after 39 hours and 25 minutes of "open" motoring I find I never even glance at the Openometer. It may be "cute" but it is a waste.

Don't get me wrong though, I love my Mini and I love driving it. I just think some of the stuff about it is silly. Like trying to open the top with the fob as you approach. My fob does not work beyond 25-30 feet, so by the time I press "open" the third time for the roof to start moving, I am standing by the car.

 

I guess it was the 'reader comments' that were the harshest (from people who'd never driven (or probably even ever seen) the car up-close-and-personal).

And some criticized the price when you could go out and buy a KoreaTin or even your grandfather's Buiyuck for thousands $ less. (Is life ALL about dollars and cents-??)

But hey - it was a financial site and not everybody is an auto enthusiast, and even of those who are, not everyone 'gets it' with MINIlove or MINIpassion.

Does FUN (i.e., Openometer!, BigFunSpeedo!, MoodLighting!...) have its place in the world anymore? That's the MINI benchmark! Seems we could use more of it if you ask me!!

Still smitten in L.A.

 

+1

Absolutely no regrets here, replaced an '07 530i6.
Wife and two daughters (7&8) can fit in the car and still have space for weekend luggage in the boot.
[We do have an Odyssey though for long hauls]

MUCH more fun to drive than a VW EOS, Saab 9-3, or Volvo C70 - didn't look at the 335i since I am kind of burnt out of BMWs and need a break.
In fact, it is the most fun to drive car I have ever had, and the 26/35 is not hurting either.

I've learned never to trust the financial rags for motoring advice which is usually 10 year old Accords, which probably make the most financial sense.
But, for a car nut, transportation is an EMOTIONAL issue and not a financial issue...

 

You know. I'm guessing all those who commented have never driven a Mini, let alone our new R57s. We all went with the R57, not becuase we were just looking for a car one weekend and just settled on the Mini, but becuase we knew what we wanted and how we wanted it, and throught the magic that is the Mini ordering process, got what we wanted and are having one awesome topless motoring summer.

At the end of the summer season, you'll look at your total Openometer numbers and remember all the fun you had topless, those wine tasting trips, trips down to the beach, trips to the city, spirited drives with the family in the mountains, crusing down the the interstate, and your first speeding ticket .

 

An auto review by a Financial web magazine makes as much sense as taking financial advice from Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Hot Rod, etc. magazines. And, considering the past year, I think it would make more economic sense to invest in a classic collector automobile.

I do admit it though, Ron Amadon was right on about some of the features he found issue with. The window controls are in the wrong place, the openometer makes no sense, nor does the key fob / start button. He failed to note the oversize review mirror blocking your view when driving twisties (something, he probably did not do). The speedometer, is much better if you have the chrono package, that, I don't think is offered anymore. Other issues, noisy engine, hard ride, sport seats, wiper controls are part of the MINI; something he just does not understand. Based on his picture on Facebook, he finds the $200,000 Lamborghini perfect.

 

How so, they are in a centralized location, making the need for only one lock button, instead of two (one on each door.) And with them in the center, opening the doors in the rain doesn't risk any chance of getting the electronics wet.

Its a novelty, MINI does goofy things, that is what makes MINI, MINI.

There is a good reason for the key fob / start button. Comfort Access doesn't require the key to ever come out of your pocket. All you have to do is press the button and go. Now, if they had went with the 'typical' turn the key approach, they would have had to build two ignition systems. Cost effective to have push to start.

Noisy engine isn't an issue at all, its a sport car, if the engine was quiet, it'd be hard to sell the car as sporty. Hard ride, easily fixed by dropping the run flats. Sport seats, love em' or hate em', his biggest beef is the price. The wiper controls are different on the R56/R55/R57 then the R50/R53 that you are used to. So I can agree with his confusion over their operation, but operator error, in the end, is his biggest problem with the wipers.



All in all, a poor review.

 

And the R57 is definitely NOT a 2-seater! I've gotten myself (6' of mostly legs), my wife, and 2 grown kids in Lizzie. Granted, we wouldn't have been happy taking a drive to Vermont like that, but for a quick jaunt into and around the city, it wasn't bad.