You're right -- it totally is a preference thing. The standard headliner isn't at all ugly, and if its all that was available I probably wouldn't have ever even thought about it. But since there IS the option of Anthracite, I just had to check it out...and decided that it was definitely the way to go for me. And I'm ridiculously happy with it .

 

i'm 6'4 and say in a clubbie with the sunroof and didn't have any issues...I actually had more room than my mazda3...just my .02

 

Kind of on topic - so the Anthracite headliner matches the rest of the car and makes it look more streamlined...has anyone ever seen the "Gotham Grey" interior with the standard headliner? Is that the yin to the Anthracite yang?

 

who said anything about it being ugly? All i said was grey headliners are common in almost EVERY car on the road. The sportiest models (read Audi S4, BMW M cars, etc.) have anthracite headliners.
When its anthracite you WILL notice a difference as the interior feels cozier. Go to Mini o Dallas and sit in the black clubman on the showroom floor for reference.

 

Gotham Grey is the black sheep of the MINI interior ... personally I have seen a few in photos here on NAM, but never in person.

Even my MA talked me out of it when I ordered saying it looks too ... "mismatched" to the rest of the interior bits.


cozier = small in NY Real Estate lingo

 

Whatever hides my rottie's black fur

 

I think if you are going for a more serious, cool, or up-scale look the anthracite headliner works very well and if you feel more "enclosed" well, who cares?!?! However, in my first MINI I was going for a full-on classic Mini look, and in my second MINI I wanted the car to just feel fun. In those cases the lighter headliner was right at home. The overall desired effect might tip the scale on decisions like this.

 

I have it with the sunroof. It is one of my favorite things about my MINI. Even if I didnt have the sunroof I would have added it. I sat in MINIs with the pale gray roof and just found them cheap looking b/c you can see the fibers. The interior is just way too smooth with the anthracite liner.

Think about it: The factory JCW has it standard. Guess that says something as well. Way sleek.

 

I ordered my car with the anthracite sight unseen - they didn't have one at the dealership when I ordered my MCS. And I do not have a sunroof.

Let me tell you I am so happy I did. I suspect that "beautiful" sounds a little bit over the top, but I really do love it. I got the carbon black lounge leather seats and it goes really well with them. Just last weekend I was sitting in my car thinking how much darker it is - kind of surprised that I like it so much, but wow, it really looks gorgeous.

And the material is kind of felt-like, which looks really good - kind of like a grey flannel suit. Ok, black flannel suit.

Oh, and have I said how much I like it?

(obviously this is personal taste, maybe your tastes are different!)

Tony

 

Would the english oak trim and wheel be lost in anthracite with stock or dark gray interior? I like the wood conceptually, and a dark cabin conceptually, but I can't visualize those two together very well. Interested if anyone has that combo what they think of it.

 

you will love the silver trust me the darker is nice.....but silver always wins

 

I've seen the Gotham Grey in person and it matches the standard headliner color perfectly! It's a nice change for someone wanting something other than black panels everywhere.

 

I'm not sure about lost, but there will be less reflection on it from above. Ordering anthracite on my 1st gen was one of the best desicions I made. I'm so glad I have it...I didn't want the sun roof either though. With anthracite everything flows together better IMO...no color change between top and bottom. My dash is painted Astro Black too. The AB/anthracite with silver trim combo (along with dark tented windows) is something I really like. It's nice and dark. I'm not sure about English Oak, but my AB interior isn't lost with it. To be honest, when it comes to a MINI, it's hard to go wrong. It's all about individual taste IMO. If you like it, go for it.

 

I am tossing this around also. From the pics it looks like the pillars are still light grey. If this the case can you get those darker?

 

My anthracite headliner comes with very dark gray pillars, light gray with light gray.

The only way you could get darker pillars i'm assuming would be to buy the trim yourself and pop it on or trade with someone.

 

Thank you for clarification

 

I want the anthracite headliner, but it doesn't seem to be available on the non-S Clubman here in Canadaland... :/