Here's what the standard light gray color looks like...

 

The darker the interior, the better the view out the windows.

 

i just dont like how the lower half of the car is all black, or at least dark materials and then the top half is a very light gray.... which is another reason i went for the anthracite.

 

And 23-pound stock wheels with heavy 18-inch tires do?

 

You know, I just don't get the fact that the headliner will get dirty. Unless you jump in the car after changing the oil or doing yard work, I don't see it happening. I've had many cars with controls on the ceiling and light colored headliners and never had a problem with them getting dirty. Maybe my hands are just cleaner than most

 

Ummm, no. It's not cheap looking at all. It's merely a matter of preference between light and dark...or, if you're like me, no preference at all. I could go with either. If they offered it for free, I might have gotten it but it wasn't something I deemed necessary.

If buying an anthracite headliner prevented me from getting MFSW/Sunroof/Comfort Access/HiFi/etc. I'd choose any of the other options over it. Even though I didn't get it, I probably would have chosen Cold Weather package over the headliner. (Realizing that these other options cost more than the headliner.)

 

This is all about personal tastes. I bought two '07 Minis last year. For my wife's CR MC, the anthracite didn't even come up in the conversation when considering options. For my AB MCS, it was a must have. The fact that you are asking about it tells me that you would be much happier with than without. The price is the price. In this case, I don't think $250 is too much to get exactly what you want, even though I agree it shouldn't cost more just because it's a different color. The justification is probably because it varies from the standard and perhaps involves an extra assembly step. That's just a speculation on my part.

Hope this helps.

 

It's not from your hands but from keeping your windows open. If you're the type that likes leaving your windows open like an inch or so just to let some fresh air in eventually the top part of your roof near the windows will accumulate all the dirt from that air getting in. I had the same thing happen to my first car that had a light headliner.

 

Ahhh, I see. I hardly ever open the windows while I'm driving. Don't like the air rushing in. Maybe the sunroof occasionally on sunny days...few and far between.

 

I didn't get it and I really like my car the way it is. I keep the sunroof shades open and I love how bright it can be inside (except for the 18% tint...). I honestly didn't even consider it as an option - it's the headliner! I do now have one greasy fingerpring on the plastic by the upper toggles (Thanks Dealership!!). I'm sure it'll come off, though.
It's only $250, but that does add up. I felt like I got just what I really wanted (didn't even change the interior at all except to pick the checkered seats), and I stickered my '07 at $27,600. Plus over $500 for dealer installed graphics and sidemarkers, then $95 for floormats... I walked out paying about $30k for him. I think it's worth it, but I work hard enough for my money to carefully consider every $100 I spend on anything.

 

A must? Hardly. Get what you like.

 

If the anthracite headliner was the standard option, would people be ordering the light gray for $250?

 

I don't prefer it at all and wouldn't waste a dime on it. It's just as silly as chrome to me.
But, then again, I just put a totally useless Brit plate on the front of my car...

Almost everybody caves in on a little bling at some time. If you have to ask if it's worth it, it isn't.

 

MINI offers the Gotham Grey interior to lighten the lower half, for those who love the lighter upper half

 

I don't think that it is a must. My first MINI had a grey headliner and it never bothered me (until the anthracite one came out). I like the fact that the instruments on the roof blend better with the anthracite headliner than they do with the grey, because either way they're black.

 

Good point... I guess I will order it then (which now cuts my $1000 in savings by... $250)... Thanks everyone for the input.

 

Which is exactly what I did-- for free!

 

In all honesty, I could not even tell you what color the headliner is without going out and looking at it. Also, I think is more of an issue for all those who do not have the sunroof. The sunroof kind of makes the headliner disappear.

 

+1

 

Yes! Because I hate black interiors with a deep passion.

 

I think it's worth it and I have a low option car. I never specced it on my pretend builds until I testdrove a car without it.

My only qualm with the anthracite is the almost white dome light in the middle of the headliner that really sticks out because of the colour contrast.

 

IMO, it sort of depends on what your used to.

My GF had an Audi TT for a year and a half. It was silver with full black leather inside, which had a black headlining too.

On having a test drive of a sparkling silver S with silver headlining, i felt a lot more open and a bit too bright. Jumping back into the TT at the same time, i felt more at home and more comfortable.

We decided on a DS S with black roof, black bonnet stripes, chrome line interior, piano black trim and grey colour line, so the black headlining just went a lot better.

 

Someone mentioned they thought the toggles blended in nicely with the antrax-cite I actually like the contrast of the toggles with my stock headliner.

 

see the problem is not us. it is the other individuals that sits in our cars and sometimes they like putting there hands where they shouldn't be.

 

I think it's a definite "must", especially if the rest of the interior is black. It brings it all together. Also, someone said in another thread that it is MUCH more expensive than $250 to change it all to black after the fact so it's not something you want to try adding later. If you have grey elements in your interior then it might look good having some shades of grey.

That said, I added the sunroof to my order too, thinking that it might be too dark and cave-like having the anthracite interior without the sunroof. Glad I did, 'cuz I looooove the sunroof, but if you don't want a sunroof then you might want to check out one that has it but doesn't have a sunroof.

If it's too late to add it to your order, uh, don't worry about it 'cuz it's too late!