I like to have the seat jacked up high enough to see out over the bonnet...but then I sometimes feel like I'm ducking under the rear view mirror to see out the front window. Anybody feel this way? And I'm only 5'8" tall...

The mirror seems rather large...maybe to keep the speedo company?

John

 

The mirror is too large because people complained that it was too small on earlier models (02-03) when it was, in fact, just the right size to capture the entire rear window. Now there's a huge mirror that lets you see both of the rear pillars, too.

It's less of an issue on the R50/53 because the bonnet is much lower. I'm 5'9" and have my seat cranked all the way down. The mirror is still way too annoyingly large, though.

 

I have the same problem.

I'm starting to consider seeing if a retrofit is possible.

I don't understand this. I'm not cranking my seat up to see over the hood. I'm positioning my legs how they are the most comfortable with relation to the pedals. I can barly see any of the hood and what little is visible is not obstructing a vital portion of the roadway. The mirror is.

 

Something my O5 Cabrio has in common with the R56. If an aftermarket mirror which preserves the electronics but cuts down the mirror size were offered, I'd be there in a second! Heck it ought to be a safety upgrade.

 

Im 6"1" and enjoying my Mini
The rv mirror and the side sunvisor touching top of my hair are probably the only minor annoyances if any.

 

It's the biggest blind spot in the whole car and it's directly in front of you ,It's a problem!!!!!

 

I am 6' 1" and have never noticed this problem. It sounds like a short person issue that may happen only when the seat is not all the way back, so I think maybe responders to this thread should give their height so a consensus can develop as to who has the problem.

 

I'm 5'8" and I slide the seat most of the way back.

I don't have a perception of a blind spot. It may be that I would have a problem if my previous car's rear view mirror had taken up a smaller portion of my field of view. The MINI's front windshield and rear view mirror are much farther from my head than I'm used to, so the mirror seems pretty small to me.

My old car was a Chevy Prizm. Don't laugh, I'm not proud of it.

 

I'm with chrisneal on this one: I have no idea why MINI changed to an oversized rear view mirror, as the '02-'04 mirror was the perfect size for complete rear window viewing. Now it's just obese

 

I nearly wrecked the other day at an intersection when that huge mirror on my 2006 totally obstructed my view of a car approaching from the right. Mirror size on my previous 2003 model was perfect, but the new one obscures a large portion of the windshield no matter how I orient the driver's seat. I've never had to deal with a blind spot in front of a car before!

That said, the 2006 is better in most every other way. I like the new interior lighting, and the LSD takes the car's performance to an entirely new level.

 

I'm 6' and sit very upright and I find the mirror is right in my line of sight. I can see under it, but its a lower angle than I'm used to. Same deal for me in the R50/53s I've test driven or had on loan - all 06.

But I don't think there is any way around it. If the mirror is close to you as in a car with a raked windshield you can get a wider view from a smaller mirror. The Mini's mirror is far away because of the upright windshield and so I think it needs to be larger to provide the same field of view.

 

I'm 6'4" and I can't remember a mirror on a street car blocking my view of the road some. The MINI is worse than most but not as bad as some. Soon we'll all have well positioned display screens hooked to a camera. Or there is always this:

 

Does that baby come with auto-dimming?

 

I Agree i am 5"4 And i have 2 Duck down but i have gotten ust 2 it it doesnt bother me that much anymore

 

I'm a short person and I have no problem with the mirror. I also don't have my seat cranked to "high chair"

 

I'm 6'1" and have the problem. A lot of it might have to do with how one drives. I'm on a lot of back roads . . . it is turns to the right where there is a real problem. . . . can't see the pavement without changing body position, having the seat all the way down, bending my spine and leaning to the left.

 

I'm about 5ft 9in and find the mirror a problem; especially when traveling down hill curves. On the track, that mirror has to go. For the street, I am looking for a replacement.

 

I have no issue with the mirror. I am 6'3" and the seat is as low as it will go.

 

I'm 6'00"

It must be how I position the seat: I like to first set the distance from the pedals (in a position where my left foot rests on the dead pedal and my right comfortably on the gas with just enough bend in my knee to allow me to fully depress the clutch with my leg extended). I then set the seat hight (to support that slight bend in my legs just above/behind my knees - I'm two cranks off the lowest setting!). Then the angle of the seat back (I like it relativly upright, so that my weight is not fully against the seat back, nor on my bum). Lastly I set the reach and angle of the stearing wheel (so that I don't have to reach too far up or forwards, allowing me to keep my arms relaxed and in the best position to control the wheel).

Once I'm comfortable... there's Mr. Mirror, right between two O-Clock and two-thirty in the front window.

I could allways just rip the thing off... "And now my friend, the first-ah rule of Italian driving. [Franco rips off his rear-view mirror and throws it out of the car] What's-ah behind me is not important."

 

I just move the seat until it feels good. Then adjust the mirrors and steering wheel. Does everything have to be a scientific endeavor with the MINI?

 

I don't have any issues with the mirror.

For me, I think the difference is the height of the windshield is much shorter than the Civic I came from. As a result, the mirror may take up a larger portion of the Mini windshield than it did on the Civic. Still, that doesn't cause a problem.

It's having to strain my neck to see the traffic light when I'm first in line at a stop that I grumble about.

 

Hmmmm. The windshield on the R56 is raked more than in the previous generation, thereby narrowing the view, so maybe it does make the mirror appear too large to some. I think it's fine, though.

 

I’ve scared myself a couple of times by having the curving road disappear behind the huge inside rear view mirror. Sometimes I feel like a boxer with my head bobbing and weaving just to get an unobstructed view of the road or traffic. I’m convinced this is a dangerous condition. Will someone explain how to remove this mirror from a 2007 R56 Cooper? Has anyone been able to replace this mirror with something smaller? If so, what did you use and did it improve the view of traffic?
If you have any experience with a failed attempt to correct this problem I’d like to know about that too so I don’t duplicate your wasted effort. I really need to do something about this.

Thanks

 

We have an '04 and an '05. The mirror in the '04 seems too small to me, and the one in the '05 is way too large I'm working on alternatives to the '05 mirror, but it's been slow going.

 

I notice it creating a blind spot at times...to the right and from above when facing uphill on an incline at an intersection.

It also reduces visibility dead ahead when driving up a steep hill.