R56 :: Hatch Talk (2007+) MINI Cooper and Cooper S (R56) hatchback discussion.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

R56 What you dislike about your MINI but it's still awesome thread

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 05:17 PM
  #1  
sk8erguyzach's Avatar
sk8erguyzach
Thread Starter
|
4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
What you dislike about your MINI but it's still awesome thread

ok my mcs is awsome i love it but i am dissapointed.

comming from the r53 mcs i was used to the high end torque and now i have an r56 mcs i love all the low end torque but once i finally got into the throttle and up in the higher rpm's it felt as if it lost half its power

anyone else dissapointed with this or some other thing or feature?

ziggy/08 mcs/sport/xenon/driving lights/leatherette/hifi/multifunction steering


 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 06:12 PM
  #2  
SuperGreg's Avatar
SuperGreg
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,733
Likes: 1
From: Chandler, AZ
I have a feeling that this will be a very short thread
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 06:17 PM
  #3  
ClubmanS's Avatar
ClubmanS
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,972
Likes: 3
From: South Florida
Originally Posted by SuperGreg
I have a feeling that this will be a very short thread

Why?

Is there a ban in effect for constructive criticism of the R56?
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 06:19 PM
  #4  
ClubmanS's Avatar
ClubmanS
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,972
Likes: 3
From: South Florida
Answering the OT's questions... Yes I agree. The R56/R55 Turbo have tons of low end torque and good mid-range power but the engine starts to lose steam after 5K RPM or so.

In the R53 S Supercharged the engine revs and pulls like a freight train from 3K ROM all the way to redline 6.8K RPM.
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 06:58 PM
  #5  
Minidrivr's Avatar
Minidrivr
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,881
Likes: 6
I dislike the price. Mainly the price of the options. Like they say on Top Gear, BMW only gives you the windscreen and the air in the cabin standard.

My Mini was way too expensive, with nearly every option, the price nearly doubled from base. Not double, but not far from it.

The car itself is great though!
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 07:29 PM
  #6  
4cefed4's Avatar
4cefed4
2nd Gear
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
From: Huntington, NY
1) No option for non-run flat tires.

2) "Belt line" is too high to improve side crash test compliance

3) Rear and over the shoulder visibility should be better

Some other nit picky things, but otherwise a great little car.
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 07:33 PM
  #7  
ClubmanS's Avatar
ClubmanS
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,972
Likes: 3
From: South Florida
The center console still bothers me to this day.

No front height adjustable seat belts

No water temp gauge in the R55/R56. This is not acceptable on a Turbocharged car.

Plastic chrome gas cap (In the R53 it was made of real metal)

Lack of bonnet grille alternatives in the S model

Option to leave the sport button on by default

Body gaps and shutlines in the front end still need work
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 08:37 PM
  #8  
Horatio's Avatar
Horatio
2nd Gear
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by 4cefed4
1) No option for non-run flat tires.
i agree with this one, the runflats are rough, especially over such things as train tracks and the like
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 08:41 PM
  #9  
gjhsu's Avatar
gjhsu
5th Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 876
Likes: 0
From: Austin, TX
I dislike that I didn't order rear fogs.

At first, I thought I'd be disappointed by the lack of power, but, like the boys and girls in Miata-land, having a light car is much more fun than having a ton of power!
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 08:49 PM
  #10  
sk8erguyzach's Avatar
sk8erguyzach
Thread Starter
|
4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
high under bonnet temps

amount of ***** needed to do custom mods
 
Reply
Old Aug 12, 2008 | 11:54 PM
  #11  
x1morethanux's Avatar
x1morethanux
1st Gear
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
having to wait forever for my car to come
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 12:07 AM
  #12  
minihune's Avatar
minihune
OVERDRIVE - Racing Champion
20 Year Member
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,262
Likes: 72
From: Mililani, Hawaii
Dislike about the R56?

High prices for base car and options
No LSD for auto transmission
Stock wheels too heavy
Runflat tires with no option for compact spare
Total weight too heavy
Wheel spin too easy
Stock radio options not good enough
Limited dealership locations
Long wait times
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 12:30 AM
  #13  
scabpicker's Avatar
scabpicker
3rd Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
From: Fort Worth
Well, if you miss the high rpm power, just shift. It takes off all over again

My gripe: I want some hand crank windows!


They'll never make us all perfectly happy, a completely excellent car otherwise.
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 05:40 AM
  #14  
zooki's Avatar
zooki
2nd Gear
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
I do like my car, but i wish the interior was less "legacy" and more "functional". I want the window controls on the doors, something beside that huge speedo in the center of the dash, different fan and A/C controls, variable speed intermittent wipers, and a radio I can actually upgrade if I wanted to. I think MINI is holding on to the heritage part a little to strongly. Or maybe I'm not "artsy" enough...
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 05:52 AM
  #15  
hdvato's Avatar
hdvato
3rd Gear
iTrader: (3)
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 154
Likes: 0
From: Valencia, CA 91355
Originally Posted by 4cefed4
1) No option for non-run flat tires.

Originally Posted by Horatio
i agree with this one, the runflats are rough, especially over such things as train tracks and the like
+2 ^^^^^

I'm not feel'n the love from my runflats. Tramlining = FTL
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 05:53 AM
  #16  
4xAAA's Avatar
4xAAA
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 0
From: Bryan Texas
The distance between the cup holders and the toggle switches could be further. A couple of large drinks can block the entire row.
Not to mention the amount of trials and tribulations it takes to get a drink out of the danged thing.
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 06:34 AM
  #17  
callahan00's Avatar
callahan00
5th Gear
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 622
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati, Ohio
Here's my list.

1. The absense of a one touch open sunroof.
2. The doors don't easily stay open and tend to close on my shins.
3. I like the layout of the center stack [am i the oddball here] but the materials should have been higher quality.
4. Lack of the chrono-Pack option liek on the R53.
5. Being punished by BMW for not ordering a Rear Fog light. Gets my panties in bunch when I see the blank toggle. Just put it in even if it doesn;t do anything [like the hood scoop]
6. The GONG. although it is better than the GM chime.
7. Runflats. Just icky.

Even with all that said. It is the best car I have ever owned. Oh and for those of you [and there are a lot out there] that hate the radio volume dial position, it is really there for a particular reason. If you notice it is almost perfectly lined up with you hand on the shifter so you don;t have to fumble about trying to find the ****. Agreed it looks odd but it does have a reason for being there.
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 06:41 AM
  #18  
Bishamon's Avatar
Bishamon
3rd Gear
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 250
Likes: 0
The JCW performance kit seems to have resolved the lack of torque above 5000 rpm, which is nice. Not that I was complaining about that before.

I do dislike the use of a proprietary radio setup built into the dash. I'd prefer the option of an easy replacement.

I dislike the stock shift ****... too large and cheap-feeling with an uncomfortable top. My Whalen **** is much better.

I dislike that there is now a faster model available through the dealer than my MCS with JCW kit.
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 07:15 AM
  #19  
netsatwork's Avatar
netsatwork
1st Gear
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Louisville, KY
My big complaint comes from the plastics on the door interior. The piece that connects the arm rest portion to the main door, near the speaker, is so cheap. I often want to pull on this to close the door, but don't because I worry it will break. Nothing else really bothers me. The overall design of the car is just excellent I think.
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 07:29 AM
  #20  
DanQ's Avatar
DanQ
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 93
Likes: 1
From: Lake Zurich, IL
Squirrelly radio head unit design. It would be so much better if the speedo were smaller and they designed a double din radio spot in the dash. I know BMW won't change their design 'cause if they did I as suggest, they wouldn't be able to sell outdated $2500 nav systems, $500 Bluetooth and Ipod options... I, on the other hand, could buy a $1200 aftermarket system that does everything...

Here's an idea BMW, give me a $250 OPTION to have an empty double din radio slot and still have the onboard computer in the speedo! EDIT: I forgot to add, include a wire harness with antennas for FM, GPS, HD radio, speaker wires and speakers. Maybe another $250 HIFI double din delete option with wiring for external amp and component speaker upgrade?
 

Last edited by DanQ; Aug 13, 2008 at 08:03 AM.
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 07:33 AM
  #21  
Loony2N's Avatar
Loony2N
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 15,966
Likes: 1
I have 3 significant disappointments:

1. The HiFi upgrade is subpar. Although, lately my stereo has sounded much better.

2. The center arm rest stinks. It's flimsy, holds almost nothing, opens too easily, is too low for a true arm rest and doesn't go up all the way.

3. Rattles that only SA's can't hear.
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 07:45 AM
  #22  
RadishAttack's Avatar
RadishAttack
2nd Gear
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 69
Likes: 0
From: New Jersey - U Just Feel Better
.
 

Last edited by RadishAttack; Aug 14, 2008 at 06:59 PM.
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 07:54 AM
  #23  
davo_florida's Avatar
davo_florida
2nd Gear
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
Cheap display for on board computer.... reminds me of a 1980's alarm clock.
IPOD navigation..... SUCKS!
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 08:16 AM
  #24  
jw34's Avatar
jw34
6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,275
Likes: 0
From: Ohio
-I wish the vents would work without having the fan on
-Window toggles are hard to get to with drinks in the holders
-Radio should be easily removed
-temperature gauge and gas "gauge" instead of candy corn
-adjustable intermittent wipers (on all my other cars for the last 15 years)

Love the car, just being picky.
 
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2008 | 09:17 AM
  #25  
amazingrando's Avatar
amazingrando
Auto on Sport Button guy
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 702
Likes: 2
From: Portland, OR
If you don't like something, mod it! if you can't fix it, then complain.

I don't like the lack of an auto unlock feature, so I pretty much drive around with my doors unlocked, because I don't like the double door pull.
 
Reply



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:48 AM.