"And I also realize that at this point there are only 2 people contributing to this thread that feel this way, and there's no hope in convincing them otherwise, because they are simply delusional, but I can't stand irrational people, and they always manage to get under my skin." Look thyself in the mirror first. Those who have committed no sin, feel free to throw the first stone...

 

Nah - I'm sure there are quiet contributers

mb

 

Try a 73 Honda 600 car, that was fun to drive. probably about 50 hp. Would beat a bug off the line!!

I do sympathize with you and other R53 owners and your desires. But brands morph as time goes on, they have to or die (as the sales figures point out). Most mini owners are not true sports car enthusiasts (myself included, just a mini lunie!! ) Mini obviously responded to many complaints the first gen car had to a rough punishing ride, although many true sports car enthusiasts felt it lost some connection with the road. (The reason many think only the presoftened first gen 02 is the only car) (Oddly enough many journalists complained about the R56 still having a really firm ride) Many are glad that the car softened up slightly in dare I say BMW like fashion. I hope they will scratch the true enthusiast itch with Stage II JCW, or even just a firmer optional set up on the MCS. Perhaps they will address the true enthusiast concerns in a mid cycle refresh, or even V3.0, who knows, but in doing so they should try to keep expanding the market. Many wanted a little more refined ride and BMW responded, lets just hope they can cover all the bases. I think they are trying and doing admirably. I know in my own case I loved the first gen, the looks mostly, I knew someday I'd own one. I drove a few that friends owned and loved them, although I felt they were not for me. The second gen captured me and my needs greatly. There are many of us out there. It is sad we are at times relegated to second class citizens by the ranting of a few. (We've been called drivers of clown cars and the like.) The sad part for the true sports car enthusiast is much of that ranting of a few becomes almost comical and will in all likelihood be wrote off as someone with an ax to grind. They are not helping your case any.

We all love Minis and have a variety of needs and desires in our car. I only hope BMW continues to expand the brand the way it is doing, keeping the brand name healthy and offering an every increasing array of options and setups for our cars. I think they are doing just fine!! Way to go!!

 

Well said.

 

Thank you,

What happened to the plane??

 

The plane took off from West Palm Beach International Airport at 1:35PM (EST) and as soon as they became airborne, the pilots realized they had nose gear wheel trouble. It was an AA flight bound to Chicago. The nose gear would not retract up (Wheel got stuck down), so the entire landing gear was stuck in the down position. They radioed the control tower back and were instructed to fly closer for a visual inspection. They determined that the nose gear door got stuck, preventing the wheel from retracting. So they had to circle around WPIA for about 1 hour dumping fuel in preparation for an emergency landing. The Miami air traffic control center instructed the crew to divert the plane to Miami International Airport as we are much better prepared to deal with that type of emergencies. After dumping the excess fuel from the wings, the plane circled around MIA a couple of times and attempted the landing. The MD-80 was landed safely (and very smoothly I might add) here at MIA with no further calamities. The pilot landed the plane main gear first (as commom procedure) and then very slowly rotated the nose back to earth. The front landing gear withstood the landing very wheel and it did not collapse. So in all and all, a very happy ending!

 

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Superior interior quality is a judgment call. We can agree to disagree.

If the R56 has a huge gain in power over the R53, if it has superior HP and superior torque, why does this huge gain in power not show up in speed measurements, such as zero to sixty times?

One would think that a huge gain in power would provide for large measurable difference between the two cars.

Dean.

 

Quality, yes - I'd actually sy the 56 IS more refined (see comments below).

But... design-wise? No contest (IMHO).

The R56 cabin is simply horrifying in many ways. Gimicky buttons in the shape of the logo and a stereo that I quite simply cannot figure out how I'd replace or upgrade, seeing as how the controls are integrated into the cyclopean center speedo. That decision still baffles me - unless someone knows something I don't? According to the dealer, the only way to install an aftermarket stereo is to MOD the "secret compartment" behind the RH panel. Huh???

I gotta admit that the seats are a hell of a lot more comfy, and I love the solid "thunk" that the doors give off when closing - it feels like a true German car now. Of course, a quick Dynamat job in the doors would fix that the same way...

 

The increased low RPM torque of the R56 gives the feeling of more rapid acceleration. When I test drove a R56 COOPER automatic, I was impressed with the acceleration of the car vs my now departed '02 Cooper CVT. But immediate torque availability down low in the power band does not necessarily translate in increased power/speed in the upper powerband. This is an area where the supercharged R53 shines. The R56 turbo seems to run out of air past 5.5K RPM in stock form. The R53, on the other hand, keeps building and building and building power from 3K RPM all the way up to 6.8K RPM. The music coming out of the supercharger rivals the finest philarmonic orchestra! The supercharger is more willing to put power and not let down at the limit. I would encourage any current R56 owner, to test drive a supercharged R53 just for kicks. You'll be pleasantly surprised! (I know Reelsmith did and look where he ended up)

 

Hmmm, the doors of my 3 year old R53 hardtop close with a very teutonic solid "Thunk". Maybe the cabrio (Not being as stiff as the tintop) has a tendency to reverberate vibration through the body of the car when slamming the doors?

 

Hmmm, the doors of my 3 year old R53 hardtop close with a very teutonic solid "Thunk". Maybe the cabrio (Not being as stiff as the tintop) has a tendency to reverberate vibration through the body of the car when slamming the doors?

 

For me, design is a major component of "quality".

Dean.

 

Quite possibly. I've driven a few hard tops though, and the R56 doors just felt more solid. It's a small thing, and certainly not something I'm willing to surrender my beloved supercharger wine for, even IF the cabin weren't so darned gimmicky. Of course, I know PLENTY of people (non-MINI folks) that thought the 2002-2006 interior was "plastic looking and trendy" (not in a good way), so we might not be an unbiased sample.

 

There's no denying that, the layout of the radio and center console is atrocious. The speedo I actually like, but everything else I don't. Overall I think the interior is an improvement though. The seats are 1000% better than the R53, and I really like how the dash looks (less space age to me). Right now I'm trying to figure out how easy it would be to wrap some of the silver pieces of the center console in flat black to try and hide them.

I realize that the R53 and the R56 both have their strengths as far as power delivery is concerned, I'm not the one saying that only one is an enthusiast's car though.

 

Hey a purple haze cabrio is a rare sight. Beautiful car!

 

To me the biggest drawback with the R56 instrumentation is a total lack of a water gauge needle and an oil pressure gauge. They are not even offered as dealer installed accessory (Unlike the R53). The lack of a water temp gauge on a turbocharged car is really beyond comprehension.

 

The R56 design is a caricature of the R53... pure and simple. It is as if the design team could not come up with a single original idea... so they simply exaggerated the design that was already there. The results speak for themselves. This alone was a huge turn off to many R53 enthusiasts.. who expected MINI to deliver something as fresh and exciting as the first series.

The prince engine is certainly not superior... except for the spec on a sheet of paper. The performance measurements bear this out. The Tritec is better in every manner as measured by the driving experience... and that is what counts in the real world... not the paper spec. And let's not even talk about longevity... where the prince is barely holding its own during it's debut year.

MINI had the opportunity to delight their fan base... but they took the R56 in a completely different and unexpected direction. Years from now the R50-53 series will be classics... while the R56 will simply be a foot note.

 

I think the R56 interior suffers too much from "Committee design" approach. Trying too hard to be cool and hip. The R53 interior was designed by one man: Frank Stephenson. He also had the backing of Gert Hildebrand (Current MINI design director) but Stephenson nailed down much of the design layout of the R53 interior by the late 1990's. I think the mid-life cycle refresh of the R56 will see a substantially improved dashboard.... But I am not holding my breath.

 

You make it sound like the R53 didn't have problems the first couple years.

FWIW, I've had just as many problems with my R56 as I had with my '06 R53. Which is absolutely none.

Oh, and I seriously doubt that either the R53 or the R56 will be "classics."

 

I may be a page or two late with this but I will repeat what I said before - comparing sales figures is almost useless in my opinion. Had they never re-designed the MINI, sales figures may have been down more. As you say, it is the stagnant factor. The MINI is no longer as rare as it was in 2002 or 2003. Each year more are sold and put on the road, it loses some of its unique appeal even had they never re-designed it.

If sales are down for the R56 (and I am not saying they are) it could be because they didn't do enough of a radical re-design and make it further from being like the R53. So it may be that it is too much like the R53.

 

True. The problem is the R56 is radically different from the R53, yet it has retained some of the R53 look morphed into a strange look (sort of speak). Besides, the R56 shares its floorpan and bulkhead with the R53, so the R56 is not truly 100% an all new chassis.

 

For someone who prides themselves in their statistical analysis...every single thing you say is purely subjective.

Do you have anything of substance to add? Your point is taken, you hate the R56. Don't buy it, point countered. Anything else?

Yes, C4 was banned.. for trodding the path that you're skipping happily along.

You will not find a single post of mine criticizing the R53 for any reason other than it's gas efficiency. I fell in love with the R53 but could not/would not buy primarily because of that alone. I will not drive a vehicle that does not get at least 30MPG, period. The R56 meets my needs entirely...as a motoring enthusiast, as an environmentally/politically concious consumer, and as a kid in a candy store.

I've grown to love the dinner plate speedometer and the next generation dash layout...it's cheeky...it's unneccesary...it's MINI. Is the car without fault? Hell no. Is any car without fault? Hell no.

It all boils down to this...it's a car. It's an instrument of travel and an instrument of entertainment. To each their own.

But don't treat me like a second class or uneducated citizen because of my choice. That's ignorant and bigoted.

Purely second class American behavior.

Now..happy motoring to you in whatever you so choose. Be it British, Be it German, Be it Yugoslavian...

 

So, too different for some "enthusiasts" (who notice every little thing) and too alike for the masses (who can't tell them apart).

Interesting premise.

Dean.

 

The center stack layout is a contradiction for me. One its layout allows for one great improvement in the R56 over the R53 and that is foot well room. I sat in both back to back at the dealer one day prior to buying the R56. I like Reelsmith had toyed around with taking one of the excess 06 inventory off the lot instead of waiting on my order for an R56. I'm not terribly large, 6 ft, but the R53 had the center stack jammed up against my right leg in driving position, but in the R56, I had more room. That to me was a great feature of the stack layout. Unfortunately that means that the radio has to move up and can't be a standard width after market replaceable radio. Many cars are going to that. I lamented my wife's 04 accord, it too is an integrated radio with no after market capability. Now the contradiction is the center stack has one of my least favorite items, the heat/ac controls. Given the trade off, I'll take the extra footwell room. I did, I chose after consideration to wait on my R56, and haven't regretted it one bit.

I can't speak to the supercharger vs. turbocharger issue since I was in the market for a MC not MCS. For me the new MC engine paired with a 6 speed was light years ahead of the old engine equipped with CVT or 5 speed, hence I chose the way I did.