>>Ill let you know, as I will be driving from New York to Califonia in September...ACROSS THE WHOLE FREAKIN COUNTRY! I just hope the wheels and doors dont fall off while Im driving.


Ants... You Should Organize a NY to LA Rally... I'm Sending you a PM

 

Best LD car I've had!
Done severtal long trips, including one from TX to WA and return, over 5k mi.
It was great! I found the drive far less tiring than other cars I've driven:
cruises well, excellent seats (leather sports with lumbar), great ergonomics, great visibility, comfy cabin! I enjoy LD driving more in this car than any recent one I've had, it feels like the car and I are one.

 

ok, now how about back-seaters? we have two teenagers. Anyone have any experience with backseat passenger comfort on medium (3-4 hour) trips?

 

I too live in a remote rural area. It’s a 54 mile round trip on twisty mountain roads to the closest supermarket and 120+ miles round trip to any shopping center or nice restaurant. The MCS is an extremely fun car to drive and can be equipped like a lot of high end luxury cars. You can get options like leather, navigation, park distance control, Xeon headlights, and directional stability control to name a few. But don’t think you are getting a luxury car ride, especially with 17” S lites , run-flat tires and the MC/MCS’s short travel suspension. The ride can be harsh on some roads, but any harshness is soon forgotten when the rode turns twisty! The MC/MCS does have its faults, but for the money is a hard car to beat if you truly like to drive. And you will find yourself taking the fun way home even if it means driving a few more miles.

 

We've taken a number of trips to Phx from San Diego - about 6 hours - with no problems. Took the big trip up the coast road to Seattle last summer, and two things made an impression - the adjustable lumbar support in the cordoba leather seats was worth it! - and if you spend more than 3 or four hours driving thru twisties, better get some driving gloves. The sunroof can be a bit noisy, but I love the open feeling. The climate control air worked great. Fold the rear seats down, and you've got quite alot of space.

BCNU,
Rob in Dago

 

I love taking the MINI on long distance trips! I've motored 7700 miles in 3 months. From Motor City, to Madison, Deals Gap, Cincinnati, Mid-Ohio, and all over the place in Michigan. The MINI is definitely the most refreshing to get out of after long distances than any other car I've owned, honestly. The seats are SO supportive, you just don't get fatigued

Ok, so if you're driving on broken concrete, keep some Fix-o-dent in the glove box , but other than that, it's awesome!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Best long distance car I've ever owned. Last month, I went from NJ to NC, back to NJ, up to NH and then back home to NJ. Over 2K miles in less than 2 weeks. I have had back problems for over 20 years and it has never been aggravated by a MINI drive. I agree with others, you gotta get the sport seats. If my butt gets tired, I blast the A/C and click on the heated seats. Aaaahhhh........

Yesterday, I put on about 200 miles driving around Bucks County for our Aug. 3rd meet. I LOVE being in my MINI all day. No complaints here.

 

Nice new sig, Harmini. Was that taken in Bucks County?

 

>>>>Ill let you know, as I will be driving from New York to Califonia in September...ACROSS THE WHOLE FREAKIN COUNTRY! I just hope the wheels and doors dont fall off while Im driving.
>>
>>
>>Ants... You Should Organize a NY to LA Rally... I'm Sending you a PM

Got it, thanks MM. A rally like that would be some sight...

 

As per back seaters, I guess it depends on how close you want to sit to the dash, and how long their legs are. The back seats are ultra-comfortable, but the lack of stretching room would require semi-frequent stops at the rest areas...

Rocketboy_X

 

The MINI is the ideal road trip car.

My wife, dog and I just completed a 4800 mile road trip from CO through: NE, IA, IL, IN, OH, PA, NY, VT, MA, and took the long way home via toronto and MI on the way home. We spent nearly 75 hours on the road!

It was a great trip!

 

I've driven from San Diego to Phoenix to Tucson a number of times, both alone and with another driver, and this car is really very comfortable on long trips. (The trip is about 6 hours with a stop or two for gas and food.) I'd almost forgotten just HOW comfortable until this last trip when I dropped her off at MINI North Scottsdale and had to take a loaner Protege to Tucson. NO comparison! Was missing my MINI the whole way! Can't wait to get her back! (She's in for some body work - a minor fender bender. Also having the aux kit installed while she's there.)

Definitely get the leather seats for the lumbar support; it helps on long trips. I also found the auto AC to be more than adequate. The outside temp hit a high of 112, I had the auto AC set to 79 or 80 and was quite comfortable. Again, the protege was no comparison there. Cruise control also helps a great deal when your legs get tired of being in the same position all the time.

_________________

Peanut EB/W MCS, 16" white wheels, HK, Sensing doodads up front, Lapis/Magnesium/Patina, DSC, Xenons, Fogs, Climate, Cruise

 

On my drive back to FL from NC my butt cheeks got tired and sore... too many days with too many hours in the car. The seats are great around town and day trips but they lack the padding needed for several long driving days in a row.

 

1300 miles from Atlanta, Ga to Little Rock, AR I enjoyed it greatly, it tends to get away from you because you dont always feel like your going very fast, you tend to check the spedo and Opps, you doing 90, and have to back of a bit. Enjoy!

 

>>>>
>>I noticed that there's no center armrest, and I know that there are aftermarket alternatives out there, but I guess there's nothing that can be done about the seemingly useless door armrests, which BMW designers inexplicably placed too low on the door.
>>
>>Do any of you get physically tired after driving the car for, let's say, 35-40 minutes or more? A friend of mine who works at the BMW dealership where I ordered the car said that anything over 30 minutes is too much for him, but I don't know how much of that was a plan to get me into a BMW instead...
>>
>>

I haven't even thought about a center arm rest, because the adjustable height on the wheel lets my hands rest at just where i want them to ... and the back support and bolsters on the sport seats fit me well enough tha once i settle in for the day, even stopping for gas seems like a drag ...

The only thing i might add on my car that i didn't think i wanted would be the MF steering wheel - because after a series of 12 or 14 hour days, the right foot is a bit numb and cruise control could help!

... but the car is great on road trips - hauling you through what ever you point it at ... the only other thing i wondered about was when i was going over 9000 ft. passes in Wyoming and it was wanting to suck in a bit more air - the only time i ever thought that an 'S' and it's supercharger would be a benefit!

 

I'll let you know tomorrow, I have to pick up my daughter in Maine and it's a 14 hour round trip, I'm only stopping for gas, starbucks and long enough to toss her suitcase in the boot.

X2

 

2 months ago took a 400 mile trip from PA to OH (then 400 back) with
me, wife, and nephew, all full size adults, plus luggage for extended
weekend. MC with Sport seats/16"/SS+/nonrunflat BS SS-03's.

All were comfy (even in the back). A bit of heavy rain, lots of PA turnpike
with rough bits/construction/big trucks, but no complaints from anyone.
The firm suspension didn't wear me down as it would have in my old
modified '82 rabbit. I think this will be our "trip" car when the weather and
season don't dictate use of the '01 vw cabrio instead.

 

That's it? When you said long trips I thought you meant LONG trips!

My round trip when I lived in Alexandria was 100 miles a day. No problem there either. And I've taken her on several longer excursions....a couple hundred miles apiece....never with any problem.

Enjoy!

 

One of the better cars I have owned for long distance.

October 02 I drove MINI to the end of the world: The complete story is here: David and Jay's Excellent Adventure: our trip from Hudson River to Hudson Bay..

After that, to the Antiwar protests in DC, then to Cinncinati (which I can drive to but can't spell). In total, about 17,000 miles.

It is amazing just how comfortable this car is over the long distance.

 

Recently covered 5050 miles on a 2 week road trip in our MCS (16" runflats). The ride was not unduly harsh but rather nice and firm. The ride didn't beat you up. The standard sport seats in leatherette were very comfortable. Would do it again.

Drove 6-7 hours one day with 4 adults in the Mini. No complaints from the back seat drivers. They said that it was quite comfortable (perhaps they were just humoring me?).

Now, "teenagers" in the back seat is another story!

 

">>Just wondering,

...Do any of you get physically tired after driving the car for, let's say, 35-40 minutes or more? A friend of mine who works at the BMW dealership where I ordered the car said that anything over 30 minutes is too much for him..."

Ok, the wife and I spent three hours driving around in her 02 CVT. stayed off the highway, took all back roads... loved it... no pressure! Could have taken the highway and been there in two hours... but why? its so much fun to drive!

 

I have taken some long road trips and the MINI is just awesome. It is not great if you have more than 2 people or lots of stuff obviously but the MINI is just awesome. Oh I said that already. In the past I would always be in a minivan or SUV, but I always thought that was not any fun at all. The trucks just float around the freeway, whereas the MINI is hugging the road making for a great road trip. I wish that if there was ever a road trip in my future everyone would just have their own MINI following each other. Now that would be awesome



_________________


IB/W/W/W MCS, All packages, Space Cloth, Aero Kit, Driving Lights, Prod date 9/14/02. Motoring since 11/7/2002

 

I'vw taken mine on several road trips. It's not bad, it's even better since I swapped the runflats and got the H-Sport springs. Just did a 620 miler non stop. Really no problem :smile:

 

About long drives........I would think it would be a pleasure in a mini---
im on the waiting list for the mini s cabrio [rag top] thats coming out next spring or early summer. my commute is that far so i plan on taking the long way to work

 

Driven the MINI from Hawaii to California and back...no problem