I recently took delivery of my Cooper S this past Thrusday. So during the weekend I managed to put a couple of hundred miles on the clock. I know, I know, it's only a couple of hundred miles. I promise to put on some more next time Some initial impressions:

Powerwise I can't say much b/c the manual says to keep the revs down during the break in period. But from what I gather, the car could definitely haul.

I guess the one thing that made the biggest impression on me is the throttle response. I had a Mazda Miata for the past 8 years and that car had a very crisp throttle response. That made double clutching and heel-toe downshifing very easy. The Cooper S on the other hand isn't as crisp. I've driven a Audi A4, S4 and a VW GTI and my Cooper S' throttle is more responsive but not as responsive has the Miata. I guess it's gonna take some time for me to adapt. I also have to get used to the pedal placement. Heel-toe downshifting is kinda difficult right now so I have to work on that.

I also noticed that, with the a/c on, you have to give it more throttle to get it going. In the begining I almost stalled a couple of times. I read about owners saying the car is not as responsive with the a/c on. But towards the end of the weekend I learned to adapt.

During the weekend I had several different people riding the back seat and some felt some degree of nausea. My cousin was this close to tossing her cookies in the back seat of my car. Thank goodness for leatherette . But with her, she wasn't feeling well to begin with. But the two other people said they felt a little nauseous. Hmmm....is it perhaps the rear seat is so close to the rear axle? Or could it be the new car smell? But my 5 year old nephew had no problem on the way back from the dealership :smile: .

I noticed after I pulled into the garage on Sunday night, I already noticed the brake dust on the white rims. Whoa, that quick? I guess weekly wheel cleaning will be part of my routine. But it's all good

 

More like every other day wheel cleaning Gotta love the dust those Euro's put out.....NOT
Have fun w/ your new baby.

Later

 

I've only had my back seats folded up a handful of times. But those that were back there never said it made them nauseous.

The dog has no problems:smile:

Congrats on the new MINI

 

WELCOME and yes bmws have huge dust issues.

But it stops on a dime so it a good trade off.

 

Words of wisdom.....

Wait 'til you pass the break-in period. The experince just gets better and you tend to become a maniac on open roads. The Mini is just that much fun that you won't be able to put it down.

I found myself waking up at night and creeping out of the house just to go for a drive on open roads when there is no traffic. Call me a geek, but your mini will cause abnormal behaviour and possible addiction.

Did I mention... I love my Mini.

(I have done 79K miles between 2 different mini's in 2 different continents and I want more).

 

Sounds like you're an experienced driver Flex. 66k on my MCS and I still love driving this car!

 

That doesn't surprise me. Anything other than an Elise is probably going to feel more remote than a Miata. You've also got a supercharger now rather than the Miata's naturally aspirated engine. I found the MCS's throttle response much quicker than the VW 1.8T that I had previously, though. I imagine you'll get used to it.

Happy motoring!

 

Welcome to the world of drive by wire It is sadly one of those technical 'advances' that just does not feel as good as the older mechanical ways.

I have an E46 with the old school thottle (2000 was last year before drive by wire took over all BMWs) and the first time I had a loaner with the DBW I was appalled at the play in the pedal/dead spot and messed up responsiveness. At least the Mini is much better then that.

 

All you need is MTH. It gets rid of the artificial throttle hold COMPLETELY and makes it a BLAST to drive!

 

Curious about back seat nausea. Does you MINI have a sunroof? I wonder if your passengers were being jostled by the suspension or feeling confined by the interior decor. Or was it your spirited driving that upset the adults while thrilling the infant?

 

Yup, my MINI has the sunroof. I guess it was the combination of the tight confines and the stiff ride. Speaking of which, the ride isn't that bad all. Heck, it's downright cushy! Remember, I was driving a Miata for the last 8 years, the last 2 on rock hard heavy duty Bilstein shocks . When I was reading up on the MINI, I kept reading about the harsh ride quality. At first I was like, it can't be that bad. Then when I took a test drive about a year ago, I was like "man, those car mags should take a ride in a Miata".

I have my first road trip scheduled for next weekend to Maryland. I can't wait! Time to make a mp3 CD!