With my MCS07 at the dealership to be fixed, I have been driving the MCS06 loaned to me. How come the 06 feels better than the 07. The sound of the engine, the flow of acceleration, the clutch. All of it feels better than the MCS07. Plus, I always hear a howl when driving on the highway and I could not hear it in the MCS06. There is no S button on 06, does that mean that the S mode in 07 is in 06 by default?

 

That's very interesting. I am in the same situation. My car's at Sterling MINI for the 5th time, six weeks total, and they can't seem to fix the CEL light problem. MINI Germany just says reset the button and drive it another 200 miles then bring it back.

I've been driving an 06 and albeit automatic, is a pretty nice car. The supercharger whine is a little too much like a sewing machine compared to the 07, but hey, it works. Plus it's easy to use the radio, very intuitive, unlike the newer model. If I had it to do over, I would buy a used 06 and mod it like crazy.

 

OH OH OH this one's easy! They're different cars - to some, the 07 feels better, to others, the 06 feels better. You sound like an R53-type person.

See what they've got on the lot and trade that badboy in!

mb

 

The R56 I have has only 5000 miles, whereas the R53 that I am currently driving has 17000 miles. Could that be the reason why the brakes, clutch and gas seem to feel so much better to use.

Like my R56, when not in S mode, it doesnt feel like it has the same power as R53 nor is the steering as responsive. Plus I agree that the interior is much better in R53. Even in S mode, I dont like the way it sounds, but I like the way R53 sounds and I never have to switch on the S mode everytime I start the car. Not juist the sound but even the feel and responsiveness is so much more better. I just find it very strange. Every review I have read, they say that the R56 is a much better car than R53. What about the howl when you drive on the highway. Do you guys get that too?

 

Well there have been some epic battles on this site on this very topic. To answer your specific question - yes, there are many people who get what you get. Not all reviews have been positive, but in reality, for most drivers, the R56 probably represents a step forward. You sound like you're not most drivers, like the many on this site who are not impressed with the R56 either.

mb

 

new is not always better. What can I say?

 

Short answer... there is no "S mode"

I think what you are referring to is the "Sport Button". There was no sport button in the R53 because there was only one engine program. The sport button is a new feature with the 07+ MINIs and has nothing to do with the car being called a Cooper S. That designation goes back to the 1963 Mini Cooper S. It is said that no-one is really sure what the S stands for... some say "sport", some say "special" some say it's just "S"... it's just one of those mysteries.

 

There is supposedly some run-in time on the R56, to me the engine seemed to pull a little more smoothly around 4500-5000 miles. Braking seemed to feel better around the first 1,000 miles or so, but that's probably just the normal new brakes feel that went away. The throttle's electronic and isn't likely to change.

Road noise in my R56 doesn't normally howl on the freeway- certain spots of rougher pavement make more noise though. The difference you're hearing could be just a difference in tires and wheel size. That could make a big difference in steering feel too. Might be worthwhile comparing the tires and rims when you return the loaner.

 

It's true...some folks just really like the driving characteristics of the first gen car!! If it really suits you, do some research and see what you're going to do with that information. I say "research" because R56 has certain strengths that may not be as immediately apparent as the visceral R53. Reading up on all this will either have you switching or loving your R56 all the more, so either way it's all good. Both cars are great...it's about personal preference.

 

Fullymooned, how do you find the acceleration of the R53 vs the R56? The '07 has strong torque from about 1500 rpm on. Do you find the '06 similar?

You do sound like an R53 person...

 

yeha, it's personal preferance, it seems that the r56 (07) is more refined for comfort, as you can tell in the leather change and the ride. honestly i like this better, for the flow of the acceleration, that's probably the supercharger, i'm pretty sure that the supercharger has a more spread pull compared to the boost of a turbo.

honestly i've ridden an r53, got annoyed by the wine of the supercharger(sometimes i like it, but when i'm tired, i wouldn't want to hear it hehe) and it seems that (my own opinion) it's a bit more quicker and comfortable. :P

some people like the supercharger feeling with more road feel (r53).

 

I need to find an 06 MCS to drive because if its better I'm willing to trade. The R56 is the best thing I've ever driven so far.

 

Good point, but this is really tricky as both cars are a collection of strengths...along with certain quirks one can live with in light of these strengths. Even from a performance perspective it's not clear that one is actually "better"...but one person may prefer certain driving dynamics and one person may prefer another. Very personal thing...both are fantastic MINIs. You're right...a test drive is in order, but even there, as more and more tuned MINIs turn up, comparing apples to apples gets hard when making generalized statements about the two models as a whole.

 

So I drove the r53 all morning. I drove it on the street and drove it on the highway. Then I went to the dealer and got back my r56 and drove it all over as well.

R53

1. I like the engine music
2. I like the connectedness that it seems to have with the road
3. The throttle clutch combo felt better to use
4. The steering is a lot better
5. I dont like the interior of this car. The seats, stereo plus the button to change display is awkward.

R56

1. The interior is a lot better
2. I dont quite like the howl of the engine but I can live without it
3. This is surely a more powerful car. I can pull it from 60 to 85 with no effort. I could not do that with the r53
4. Suspension is the same on both cars. I felt the bumps the same way on both cars.

So which car do I prefer? I would say both. They are both a joy to ride. The steering is more responsive on R53 but I dont particularly dislike it in R56. By default its a little less stiff but you can make it heavy with the S turned on. For R53 its somewhere in between. They are different cars and I like both of them. I dont think I can say one is better than the other. Even though the R53 felt a lot more nimble than R56, I do like the BMWness and refineness of R56.

 

Interesting observations. I've never driven an R53, but I'd like to (I have a friend with one). The person that mentioned the tires has an excellent point. In a car with as much "feel" as a Mini the tire makes a ton of difference in the steering, noise, bumps, all of that. An SUV, you can put pretty much anything on one and they feel the same.

 

Just make sure you're playing on at least a semi-level field. Is your R56 modded at all? Is the R53 you drove? That could make quite a difference.

 

Doesn't the "S" have something to do with "Supercharged" ?

 

I've heard it just stands for "super." Of course, that might have been advertising-speak.

 

No, S has nothing to do with supercharged--from what I've read, there was no consensus back in '63, so they simply tabbed it with an S.

 

I've driven both as well, and the r53 suits me better.
There is more of a connection with the car and the road on the r53. Less body roll, better aesthetics, lovely sound.

the r56 is, true much more refined, but has less of a connection, the body rolls like an SUV on hard sharp turns, the engine doesn't sound all that great, the aesthetics look bloated. basically bmw "camry-ed" the MINI like it has done to all of its cars. they are better for the masses, but worse for the enthusiasts.

 

Funny you mention the sound. I actually dislike the whine of the supercharger on the R53s. Much prefer the stealth of a foot planted firmly on the "turbo pedal." Not that I wouldn't like to change to a new exhaust system!

As for body roll, my first mod will be a sway bar.

 

Well, this of course has been hotly debated in that a MINI should not be the sole property of a small subset of enthusiasts and has a rightful place as a car for the masses (those who are enthusiast enough to want to drive a MINI anyway). R56 presents a car that is easier to live with off the showroom floor while providing a strong platform for enthusiasts to tune via aftermarket or factory options. This is a good arrangement overall, I think, in that the envelope has been pushed in both directions.

What has become clear, though...and really this is great...is that some enthusiasts will gravitate towards the 1st gen car and some towards the 2nd gen car. Upon consideration, it really could not have gone down any other way. This is really good news overall and diehard MINI enthusiasts will want to be aware of what each car offers.

 

whew! i got my r56 back and have to say it's a very different car than the r53....much more like a racecar, but maybe that's because it's jcw....yeeehaw!

 

After following the R53 vs R56 thread wars, I have to compliment you on stating both sides of this controversy better than anyone else.

 

All of this does bring up the question of what happens as the fleet of R53s is depleted. Crashes, parts availability, or whatever, it will eventually happen that R53 owners have to change to the R56, or the model after it. I have several friends in this situation already.

I think the R56 will work out as a REAL MINI, especially after people put their own favorite mods on both body and engine...