One of the first things about this car I learned is to never stomp down in too low a gear (higher ones have enough nice smooth torque to really not need to) and try to initiate a lane change at the same time--all to the left.

dsc intervenes and corrects

There seems to be an on-the-road performance consensus here about upgrading the rear sway bar; even 18mm helps considerably. This and going with non-runflats are the two most cost effective mods one can do.

 

I did the Alta 22mm and seen a major improvment. I just orderd the frony & rear adjustable end links and rear struts. I already put coil overs in. I am focused on getting the suspension where I like it. Hope the TS keep fading away.

 

Wow, sounds like an extra special "bonus" feature to me!!

 

This is my first Mini and it's the best/most fun car I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot of cars in my time). I sold my Mazda RX-8, which is a very fun car, to get into the MCS and haven't regretted it for a single second.

The car is speedy and gets great gas mileage. If you're looking for a luxury ride, buy a BMW or Cadillac. If you're looking for a fun ride (albeit a bit rough) than the Mini can't be beat.

I only have one complaint about it, the bass response of the hifi is terrible.

Otherwise, I love the way the car fits me, the way it drives, the fuel economy, and the way it looks.

You people with these HUGE lists of complaints should trade your car in for something else. I might be accused of being a Mini fan-boy but why should you (complainers) stick with a car you are so displeased with?

I love mine!!!

 

Great choice of color....
Some floks buy a car and find out after a bit of driving the things they don't like in a car rear their ugly heads. Test drives don't always reveal the true nature of a car for some.

Unfortunatly not everyone who buys a car and is not happy with it can just trade in and move on. I do agree there are some who make a living complaining..

 

My saying about some people is "Give them a bag of gold and they'll complain about how heavy it is to carry."

 

It just kills me when people complain about things like "rough ride". Again, this isn't a luxury car. If a buyer isn't aware that a car of this size will ride roughly (even with non-runflat tires) they are delusional. My RX-8 ran rough as well...all sports cars do to some extent. Similarly, the torque steer complaint. It's FWD, it WILL have torque steer. I don't notice mine much or I've gotten used to it. It's NOT that big of a deal.

Sure, people complain to complain. However, I've had all sorts of cars and SUVs in my life and this is far and away the best vehicle I've ever owned. It's inexplicable to me that someone would have such a long list of complaints, yet not be looking to get rid of said car.

 

Likes:
Stand out looks
Fantastic Handling- I came from a Mazda Protege5 and I feel even more confident on turns.
Good fuel economy

Dislikes:
Ergonomics aren't fantastic- you tend to have to actually look at switches as opposed to muscle memory. Lots of reaching instead of fingertip access.

Speedo- I know it's a mini and needs the center mount except it's hard to read when driving. I have the nav and it makes it harder to look at. The digital read out on the tach requires the driver to divert his eyes and refocus as opposed to being able to look at a needle in your peripheral.

iDrive. Not the best design ever...

 

YEP...on points such as, ride, room...the things that are obvious it is pretty pathetic to complaint about.

 

After owning my car for exactly one year as of today, I have to honestly say, by far this is the best car I've ever owned! Yeah, I hate the stock wipers, the squeaks and rattles, the engine sounding like a diesel, torque steer, BUT, every time I get in and drive, the fun factor alone makes all those "small" issues seem piddly. The squeaks and rattles have to be expected considering the amount of "jarring" the suspension encounters being that even for stock, it's a pretty stiff suspension! I've gotten accustomed to the radio controls. I've even learned to live with the "barely" Hi-Fi radio (Harman Kardon would have been waaaaay better and worth the price!) The lack of a temperature gauge would have to be one of the complaints that I am in strong agreement with everyone else. The next mild complaint would be when you get down to one bar on the fuel gauge, the annoying gas pump stays on and won't go away. I never look at the center speedo for current speed and rely mainly on the speed display on the tach. Another mild complaint, in todays technically advanced world, there's only two "stock" power outlets in the car. Again, not a biggie and and easy fix, but c'mon, ya feel me?

 

bass response and lack of midrange EQ are my only beefs with the upgraded stereo. Why they didnt keep the H-K is beyond me; it was a strong point of the R53. Now that was bass response!

 

I guess I am lucky...no rattels or squeeks. Maybe they will come with some age....I hope not...they drive me nuts.

 

I agree, the MCS has slight understeer tendencies. one poster here called it excessive which is simply not true.

 

+11ty billion. The best parts of my day is the drive to work for 45 minutes, then going home. I try to leave later so there is no traffic. NJ drivers are pretty respectful of the left lane on the highway, the PA drivers driving in NJ suck!

I don't like all the leaking crap from the holes in the underside of the door. I have NEVER had a car that leaked all sorts of goo onto its body panels.

 

IIRC press the button at the end of the turn signal stalk should remove the gas pump image and the MPH display returns on the tach.

 

If it's like the low tire pressure warning, it will only go away temporarily (about 20 seconds or so) and then return. Gotta admit, that is a bit annoying, especially since the warning is also on the speedometer. I had that problem when my tires were low and couldn't get to a gas station to fill them.

 

I got mt 09 in October and love it. Coming from an 05 Porsche Boxster S and a Mercedes C230 it is a blast to drive. I LOVE the weight of the steering. I get back in normal cars now and it feels like the front end is off the ground. I am getting use to torque steer and have learned that understeer is solved with the throttle. It it begins pushing add power and it tightens right up.
Coming from a car audio background, i was not happy with the Hi-Fi but have changed a few things and am now very happy. I added a 200 milahenry capacitor to the mids to cut the bass out of them and then added a Bazooka 8" tube to the back. Sounds great with my I-pod. Adding the Alta short shifter set in the middle make the tranny a delight. Hard to beet this solid feeling of the chassis and the quality of materials used on the interior for the price of the car. I really enjoy passing my Porsche clients at the track.

 

The low gas warning comes back pretty quickly if you do, at least in the 08. I didn't think the 07 was quite that aggressive at warning you. I was just driving on one petal, knew I had enough to get to my usual gas station, but he was very insistent on reminding me about it.

 

Love the car!!! Learned to drive in a front wheel drive car, so the driving characteristics were not a surprise to me. That said I haven't noticed the torque steer to be an issue of any significance. I had the strut brace and the suspension options installed at the time of purchase and love the handling!!! Actually pretty much loaded her up - the only things I didn't change much was the interior and radio. Nav, rear backup sensors, xenon lights, the three main packages and so on, love all of it. But, what I like the most is her handling along with a finely tuned engine and an agressive pop and burbble!!

For those poor souls who bought their MINIs, waiting for that other car they really want - just save your pennies and your dreams can come true. Mine did in a MINI JCW!!!

 

As for torque steer, I tried an experiment. On an empty and wide road, while travelling at about 2k revs in first, I let got of the wheel and stamped on the gas. Shawn went pretty straight, but the wheel would have the occasional twitch one way or the other. I tried that a few times, then he had a really sharp dive to the right, I grabbed the wheel and didn't do that again.

The torque steer seems pretty random, most of the time I probably don't notice it as I'm used to that sort of thing.

 

I use to have a 91' CRX with wide aftermarket wheels on it and you want to talk about torque steer! WOW. That car has no power steering either. This car is tame compaired to that.

 

I don't think mine twitches at all, come to think of it!! Maybe my sensitivity is going!! If it's random it may not be torque steer - and if your just running at a steady speed you shouldn't have any. Do you have a strut brace up front?

As a teenager I modded a SAAB Sonnett, increased the horse power from around 65 to around 110. That car had a minor case of torque steer after the mod!! But only under a hard acceleration.

 

I'm currently between MINIs. My first MINI was returned to MINI today (airbag issue). My second MINI is in production and should be here in February. I'm a big fan of the MINIs.

What I like/love:
- How it feels to drive. It's solid, powerful, quick, steady, and nimble.
- Turbo boost. Though I only use it sparingly, it's fun to have.
- 6-speed manual transmission. It's simply fun to be in control.
- Aesthetics. It just looks great from all angles, inside and out.
- The MINI is unique on the road, compared to other cars. It stands out in a good way.
- Stripes, roof graphics, etc. MINIs are the only car that can get away with it without looking goofy.
- Fuel economy (even with the S). All the power without the guilt.
- Xenons
- Mood lighting
- Bluetooth/ipod
- 3-click turn signals
- Tracking the order. Even though the wait is excruciating, it's actually kind of fun to follow it through production, accross the Atlantic and through the Panama Canal.
- Customer service. Even though I problems with my first MINI, the customer service was exceptional throughout the whole process.

What I don't like but have fixed:
- cup holders are too small. I got a thin thermo mug from Starbucks that fits perfectly.
- Armrest protruding to the back seats, rendering the back cupholder useless. I'm installing the european version on my next MINI.
- Need a few extra inches sometimes (in the rear and cargo area). Will drive the SUV if we need the extra room.
- Always adjusting the temperature in the car. My next one will have auto AC.

 

I personally think we have a bunch of apples and oranges comparing them selves to each other.

Let me explain:
- We have MC, MCS, and JCW
- We have open diffs, LSD, DTC, and LSD w/DTC

So what we have here is alot of flavors and configs. We can't compare an open diff cars results to an LSD car. We can't compare a LSD car with that of a car with DTC. We also can't compare a car with DTC in full traction mode to one in sport mode with only eDLC enabled.

Then we have the factor of personal experience to weigh in on it. So what we have here is a whole bunch of different configs saying what they feel in response to TS, under/oversteer, etc...

So I propose that you are "All RIGHT"!!!

But, then again I may be wrong


RODD
"Expectant '09 MCS owner with LSD & DTC, one of the 1st in the USA"

 

What you describe does not seem to be torque steer as it random. Under heavy acceleration front of the car goes up and unloads front wheels, and maybe they are just eager to change direction in case the road has some irregularities or some other external factors impact them.