Okay. Key fob in pocket, approach passenger's side of car, hit button on outside door handle - both doors/rear hatch unlock.
Approach driver's side, hit button on handle, only driver's door unlocks.
While I understand the (safety) logic behind this, I am surprised at the key fob's "location sensitivity."
Here's what I mean: when my wife and I are returning to the car, (she approaching the passenger's door, me the driver's door), and the fob is in my pocket, I can unlock my door, but she cannot unlock her door, even though I'm standing on the other side of the car with the fob.
Where is the fob being "read" in the car that it knows it's outside the driver's door, not the passenger's door?

 

The car is, to mis-quote Darrell Waltrip, just all ate up with sensing antennas.

 

On my Clubman, one press gets the driver's door and the gas filler door. The second press gets the passenger door and the back doors. It doesn't have anything to do with where I am standing, as far as I can tell.

 

Why not just set the fob so the driver's side button unlocks the passenger's side also? This is how I have mine set and then I have it set to lock the doors after I start driving.

He is referring to keyless start feature (Comfort Accesses in the Convenience Package), not pressing the fob buttons.

 

I'm not talking about the buttons on the key fob, itself.
I'm referring to having the fob in your pocket and hitting the black buttons on the exterior door handles.
Is there a way to "program" what the door handle buttons do?

 

Yes by using the left stalk button. It is similar to all the other fob programing like rain sensor sensitivity, headlight timer,....

 

Thanks, that seemed a bit odd...

 

There are 4 antennas on the MINI for the Comfort Access key fob. One under the center console to detect the fob inside the cabin, one in the boot (try locking the fob in the boot, the hatch will pop back open), and 1 in each door. The fobs only work within close proximity of each door, that's why only the drivers door unlocks on the drivers side and all the doors unlock on the passenger side.

 

Well if you want to get all technical about it ...

 

And, there's the answer!
Thank you, MINIDean. That explains it.

 

Mine unlocks both doors/hatch from the drivers or passengers side since I configured both fobs it work that way (you can have one fob drivers only if you want). It's user selectable that the drivers side opens the drivers door or both doors/hatch and not fixed that it will only open the drivers door. Drivers door only is just the system default and can be easily changed in the system's settings.

EDIT: Page 19 in the manual and it covers fob buttons and Comfort Access.

 

While I'm at it here are the instructions.