Well, the BIG DAY finally arrived for me! I picked up my MCS/JCW last Friday and I have ~625 miles so far.

The car is fantastic. It has far exceeded my expectations. I am still in the break-in period, so I drive it like Grandma (don't exceed 2500 rpm) until it reaches operating temperature. Once it is fully warmed up, I drive it with some spirit occasionally. (Spirit means 1/3 to 1/2 throttle and shift at 4000 rpms.) I'm pretty sure there's more performance to be had by using full throttle and not short-shifting, but I'll defer that pleasure until I have accumulated more miles. I have used cruise control only once for about a half mile just to verify that it works.

The acceleration of the car is amazing. The thing just flat scoots! Using half throttle and shifting at 4000 rpm yields far better acceileration than I expected at on the floor shifting at redline. A buddy of mine bought his wife a used Beetle Turbo S a couple of weeks ago and it is pretty quick once it gets rolling. The Beetle is a pure SLUG until you hit 20-25 mph, then it goes. My MINI takes off just fine from just off idle. The torque at low rpms is much better than I expected. Everyone who has ridden in it or driven it has been stunned. I was surprised to hear blower whine in the car to the extent that I do. I can hear it accelerating normally from a stop sign or red light. I expected to hear it only under extreme acceleration. Maybe it's the JCW or the revised gearing. Either way, it is a pleasant sound. The only way to NOT hear the whine when accelerating is to shift at 2000 rpms and use minimal throttle. I also expected 6th gear to be useful only on a flat interstate, but I was wrong again. It'll cruise just fine at 40-45 in 6th gear. (My LT1 powered Camaro can only use 6th gear over 60 mph on flat ground). I got the JCW because I was afraid that the car would be sluggish without it in a mountainous area. Either the car is mighty quick or my expectations were way too low. Regardless, I am pleasantly surprised and happy.

Handling and braking are really amazing to me. The handling is even more amazing than the power. I haven't even come close to the limits of the car, but what I've seen so far makes me think that the limits are so high as to be frightening. There is a wide road in my area with a near 180 degree curve (we call it the horseshoe curve) that the average grocery getter struggles to carry 20 mph through. My Impala SS can take it at 30, and the Camaro at 35...but it is not comfortable to push them that hard. The MINI took it today at 40 and didn't even chirp a tire or blink the DSC light. Using 1/3-1/2 throttle after the apex just launched the car up the hill out of the curve. (The road was deserted and I never strayed from the middle lane.) I think that the rear sway bar could use a bit of an upgrade as there was some lean, but the grip was astounding even with the Pirelli 17" runflats. The most amazing aspect was that there was no torque steer that I could feel and the steering wheel tended to "self-center" like a RWD car. Maybe the LSD was working its magic to pull the car out of this turn. This is my first FWD car (other than company cars) in over 20 years. Every chassis engineer for a FWD car should be forced to drive a MINI to see for themselves that FWD and good driving dynamics aren't mutually exclusive.

The MINI experience has overwhelmed me somewhat. My first "story" happened at 7 am at a local drive-in when I stopped to get breakfast on Sat morning. A well worn Chevy 4x4 pickup full of construction equipment parked next to me and an 60ish man got out of it and walked around the MINI twice. He peeked in the windows and down through the sunroof...really looked it over. (Mine is CR/W with bonnet stripes, chrome pkg and white S-Lites) He approached me and said "Sir, is that your little car?" I told him I had just got it last night and anxiously awaited his response.... He said that he had no idea what it was, but it was the sharpest car he'd ever seen. He stood there and quizzed me about the car for 15-20 minutes. The response to the MINI has been overwhelmingly positive. There'll probably be a few more around here soon.

The xenon lamps are good, but not overwhelmingly good. They are about on-par with the "Export Only" E-Code lamps with 80/100W bulbs I installed in my Impala SS. They are really good and well worth the cost, but they aren't quite as "magical" as I expected.

The MINI accessory driving lamps are very unimpressive. Mine were aimed at the tops of telephone poles. When I tried to re-aim them, I couldn't make them pivot down even with the nut completely backed off. Also, the mounting stud was broken on one of mine. After the dealer replaces it, I'm going to replace the MINI lamps with my Cibie Tango driving lamps I bought from Daniel Stern. I have to go back to the dealer anyway. My right front wheel and tire are gouged pretty bad and the passenger side "skirt" is damaged and the aluminum sill plate is damaged. I think this is unforgivable in a $37K car that the dealer has had for 2 weeks and has done extensive engine mods to. They should have inspected the car before installing the JCW kit and already had the parts on order.

Also I got chased down and pulled over by resipsamcs! He has one sharp DS/W MCS and is one really nice guy.


I'll post some questions in a day or so about some things I'm curious about.

Rawhyde

 

That's $37k Canadian, right?

 

Great writeup! Can't wait to hear more after break-in!

 

It is always interesting to read "First Impression' posts, Rawhyde. I guess you like the car, huh? I've had my '05 MC since September and was thinking(as I was sitting behind the wheel with a big grin on my face), there isn't one thing I would change if I was ordering it today.

Motor on!

 

Arrrrrrrrrghhh... I can't wait. My MCS JCW arrives in a few weeks. I ordered it in January and I'm still waiting to hear the supercharger and drive it like crazy. Thanks for the great writeup. I too purchased CR/W with sunroof, all 4 packages, LSD, Union Jack mirrors, and the JCW kit. Yummy!


Nozz

 

No, I priced it up a loaded 05 JCW is $37K.

Did you get the JCW suspension upgrade as well?

I drove an 05 MCS and I can tell you there is a lot more to be had with a suspension upgrade. So if you have 40 now you'll easily have 50 with an upgrade. The stock suspension while comfortable and "sporty" can be vastly improved on for handling. At $37K I think you have the JCW suspension.

 

Rawhyde, great write-up and congrats on your new MINI! As for the xenons, they are typically delivered aimed too low. Try adjusting them and see if they don't light up your life! Tee hee!

Let me know if that doesn't make a big difference in your night time driving experience.


Clover

 

How do you adjust the Xenon's? I thought they were autoleveling......

 

Rawhyde-
I picked up my new 2005 MCS with the JCW Engine Tuning Kit Sunday, Only 80 miles so far. I'm also impressed with the low end torque, the output is amazing from a small displacement engine. It's hard to evaluate the car with the RPM limitation recommended during the break-in period, 4,500 RPM's comes up quickly even with partial throttle.

 

Congrats and a great write up. It's always great to read first impressions and experiences. Many more motoring smiles to come my friend...

Donna
02' CR/W MCS (gone to MINI heaven - burned up)
05' Cool Blue MCSC "Ariel"
05' HB/W MCS on it's way - no name yet

 

They're autoleveling to compensate for the road's "ups and downs"; you can adjust their "fixed" level as well. Lots of threads here on it.

 

It was $37K with taxes and all fees (out the door). I have the JCW Engine kit, but not the suspension or brakes, yet. There are only 3 options I didn't get (Auto Trans, Nav, and Chrono Pak), then I added rubber and carpet mats, boot mat, boot net, rally lights, and the JCW kit.

I adjusted my xenon headlamps. That was good advice! It helped a lot. There are two long plastic hex (allen wrench) looking things on the back of the headlamps that also are slotted for a screwdriver to adjust the aim. On an 05 they are not marked. The INBOARD one is for up and down. Loosen the screw (anti-clockwise) to raise them. 1/4 to 1/2 turn is plenty.

Daniel Stern's 65W H7 high beam bulbs (clear, not blue) work really well. Just plug and play. No relays or wiring mods needed. He sells a halogen backup light bulb for the 02-04 models. He told me I'd need two. If you have an 05, DO NOT BUY THEM! They won't fit. The one he sells has a base like a single filament parking light bulb similar to an 1157. The 05 MINI uses a strange backup light bulb. It is all glass and has a push-in base. It looks like a big fat oversized 194 style bulb. I think they are halogen already. They're pretty bright. I'll just use them in another car.

I twiddled with the rally lamps and got them pointed onto the road last night. They really look good, but the lamps themselves are not that good. Bosch, Cibie, and Hella are far better. I've never tried Piaa lamps, but they have a fine reputation and are probably much better than stock. I'll swap the OEM rally lamps for Cibie Tangos after I get my wheel and sill plate replaced. No need to let the dealer see an upgraded part...

I have a question about the rain sensing wipers...

While at a coin operated car wash rinsing off pollen, I just had to try them. They'd wipe once and that was it. Later that weekend, I hand washed the car. As I turned onto my street, I put the wipers into automatic mode. They wiped once. I parked and left the car running, got the hose and each time I wet the windscreen, the wipers wiped. Also, there is fog on my windscreen every morning, so I use the auto wipers on that and they seem to work fine. My theory is that they behave differently if the car is moving when they are turned on vs sitting still. Is this right, or do I have an intermittent problem that I need to get fixed?

Rawhyde

 

The behavior you're describing with the wipers seems normal. Mine don't wipe as much when I'm stopped, but when I'm going, it certainly adjusts according to the amount of water and how fast I'm driving. They're pretty freaking cool, in my opinion.

 

You can park it and hose it off as much as you can and the fastest they will go while stopped is on slow, but once you go over 45-50 they will go faster. Also depending on how much water is on the windshield and the speed you are going determines when they will wipe. I don't believe there is a certain speed they go on though. Mine just seem to wipe till there's no water on the windshield. They might wipe once or twice and go off for a few seconds then come on again once then go off for another few seconds then come on again and so on and so on. But I do agree with tygirwulf that is cool as hell!!!!!

 

I live in Atlanta. If you want to meet in Dahlonega sometime for drive let me know.

 

Great read. Great ride. I definitely want a JCW-equipped MINI in my next life. Something to look forward to aside from fire and brimstone. Thanks!

 

So, the next JCW MCS should be Chili (Red Devil) Red then, eh?

Clover

 

God I miss "El"

 

Absolutely! But perhaps also if we paint it black, black as coal, black as night...