hi gang -- after leaning on NAM during the pre-ordering, ordering, and waiting phases of ordering my new MINI, i picked up my R56 MCS (LB/B) last weekend. i purchased from MINI of Nashville (big props to John Monk, my MA there, who is awesome.) to accommodate a partial road trip -- and a mini (pardon the pun!) vacation with my wife, i shipped the car to Phoenix and drove home to Seattle from there.

i should say that i'm a former R53 owner and it's so great to be back in the fold! the road trip home needed to be quick, but i planned some great scenery and twisty roads to have fun with the car. my first impressions mirrored those of many others but are worth noting:

- overall, the interior quality is much higher; materials are better and the fit and finish are now BMW quality. perhaps not quite to the level of an E46 3 series, but still, very good.

- the ride is excellent — taut and agile and the steering feels even better than the R53. i have LSD and DSC but did not get the sport suspension. i can't say that i missed it. the standard suspension is firm and i didn't notice much body roll at all.

- the new engine is smooth & powerful delivering great power across the power band -- yada, yada, yada -- but it’s really brought to life by the silky smooth transmission. the ‘sport’ button is completely addictive and makes a huge difference in terms of spirited motoring — it really should just be 'on' as a default. the torque steer is definitely there; i noticed in when taking off hard from a full-stop and on those twisties where the road falls away from you. nothing terrible, but it does demand two hands on the wheel!

- speaking of which, the steering wheel itself -- must be the leather -- feels just great to hold; and the sport seats are supportive and waaaaay more comfortable than those in the R53. i have the leatherette and it's fantastic.

here's a quick summary of the trip:

day 1: took US 60 to US 93 out of Phoenix to Kingman (nice ride through the desert and lots of joshua trees); from there took old US 66 over Sitgreaves Pass (an old stretch of road that takes you down to Oatman). lots of curvy twists, but it’s not as smooth as glass still, a great ride through some awesome southwest scenery. then took US 95 up to Vegas.

day 2: after visiting some family, took off out of Vegas on US 95 to Beatty, NV and over US 374 to CA 190 and through Death Valley National Park; a great road with lots of elevation changes and twisties! the MINI really shined through the mountains — where the engine showed no ill effects from the elevation. the ride down into the park was fantastic. i paid my $20 fee and took off across the desert; temperatures reached 107°F but the MINI took it all in stride. on the other side, i climbed back into the foothills and across to US 395 and up the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. (more great winding roads that were a blast!) i made it to the outside of Yosemite NP by evening and just decided to head across the park. after being at sea level (or below) and 107°F a few hours earlier, i was now climbing into the Sierra Nevadas over Tioga Pass climbing to 7000 ft at around 41°F. Yosemite was great — the traffic really moves through the park and the road is really curvy! i kept pulling off to take photos cause the scenery was so spectactular .. especially as the sun was setting.

day 3: after making it almost to Modesto, i took off and headed up I-5 for a largely boring ride through Central & Northern California; i kept alternating between 5th and 6th gears to keep my revs varied and to be kind to the engine during the break-in. one highlight was Mt Shasta … and OR 38 (Umpqua Highway) over to the Oregon Coast. that’s a really nice drive.

day 4: up US 101 along the Oregon Coast is a truly wonderful stretch of motoring fun … through some quaint beach towns and on the twisties in between. the geography is stunning and it’s nicely broken up when you head through Tillamook because the road curves away from the coast into some beautiful farmland (with yet more windy roads!). i made it up to Cannon Beach where i met my family … and headed up to Seattle the following day. i put some pics in my gallery to check out. it was about 2000 miles in four days, but all in all, a fantastic way to get to know my new MINI and a great American roadtrip!

motor on!!

 

Hi Dave. Great report. Although I can't believe you took off on Highway 38 and never even bothered to call.

You would have taken off from I-5 at Sutherlin, which is 11 miles north of me in Roseburg. I could have at least followed you to Elkton. Who knows, I might have kept following you all the way to Seaside, where I used to live.

Sounds like a great trip. I enjoyed reading about your adventure. Great planning to get it shipped to you in Arizona, so you could drive back home in it.

I love the color scheme of your car. That would have been my second choice. Looks wonderful.

 

oh man i wish i'd known ... that would have been great! i did get off I-5 in Sutherlin! the coast drive was great; that's some beautiful motoring country!

i love the Mellow Yellow as well. looks awesome!

dave

 

more selected pics from the road ... Scottsdale, Mt Shasta, and Oregon Coast

 

Sounds like a terrific adventure. I'm heading back home to Colorado in 4 weeks to visit family and friends. Good to hear the new engines are elevation friendly. I'm looking forward to pushing my MCS through some old familiar mountain roads. Nice trip!

 

Great road trip story - beautiful car - beautiful pictures... Congrats.

Donna

 

Insanely beautiful snaps. I could actually visualize my MCS in those pictures!

 

I think you probably encountered increible beauty throughout your entire trip.

How did you do on the Tyee curve? That's the horseshoe-shaped one that if you don't negotiate successfully your car ends up against the rock wall or in the Umpqua River on the left.

Thanks for the MY compliment. I'm not a big yellow fan, but I like the contrasst between that shade of yellow and the black. Beats the heck out of Ford's much too yellow yellow.

 

Sounds like a great trip.

So will there be another R56 showing up at the Puget Sound MINI Motorig Club events?

www.psmini.org

 

Great read and pics DaveCo! Thanks for sharing!

 

yes -- super elevation-friendly! it just pulls & pulls without any sense of drop off. course, i was using 92 octane but i was still impressed. if i'd had more time, i'd have carved out some time through Zion NP and the Grand Canyon too. i have family in Colorado as well ... should be a great drive! post some pics when you get back!

 

what was your average gas mileage?

 

i averaged 36MPG (and the average speed was 50MPH according to the computer.) there were some really windy and hilly parts of the trip ... so considering all, i thought the mileage was good.

 

Great pics, beautiful car ! Congrats !!

 

I second that... Lightning Blue/Black rules!!!!

 

Color scheme looks very close to my R53 MCS: Hyper Blue/Black w/ bonnet stripes. Very nice-looking car.

If you come to any of the PSMINI events, I'll have to see your car in person.

 

Great read. Sounds like an outstanding trip.
I am bright green with envy!
Thanks.

 

Which day were you in/around Yosemite? I spent several days there last week and saw 2 MINI's in/around Yosemite...got a wave out of one

 

I 3rd that from the www.PSMini.org Club!!!

 

Beautiful pictures, very nice MINI too!

 

will do! great to be back in the MINI fold!

i went through on tuesday (5/29); i headed into the park around 6:30pm and was surprised how long it took to get through. it was sundown -- around 8:15pm before i got through. then it was an interesting ride down the Sierras on the other side. CA 120 -- the road through Yosemite -- is not particularly well-lit as it reaches out toward Modesto! i had my fogs (front and back) on ... and had the driving lights on most of the way. it was a fun ride! curvy and dark!

 

I was just driving into the Valley about that time. CA 120 is one hell of a road! It pales in comparison to Highway 6 though...twisty turny and short steep hills...you'll catch air if you're having too much fun through them. It's open range through there so there's always the possibility of a cow or wild horse over the hill though... definitely makes things interesting!

The Dragon has nothing on that road for fun...