Well, just picked up a loaner. (again) An S this time. Fun to look at the changes for 2011.
Rumor had it they added a vapor separator to the PCV circuit. Nope.
The volume control was moved up into the radio, so the AC controls moved up a little. Good. All balck. Bad.
AC fan and temp are now buttons, not the awkward wheels. Good.
Tach trim is black, but the rest are still silver, and they put chrome on the door. Miss-matched and awkward. Dumb.
They changed the face of the fuel gauge. Wonder if the fixed the gauge itself!

I looked at a Countryman just for grins as I need a car with a back seat. Nope. Not as much room as a Mazda 2. Kept the horrible dash. Run flats and no spare. They don't seem to learn. 35K? Not even close.

 

Yeah, I am with you on some of that stuff. I just got a loaner yesterday while the dealer takes care of a "we owe" on my 10. They loaned me an 11 vert. I am used to the radio controls so that was something to search for. Overall I like the changes inside, but the visibility out the back compared to a hardtop stinks.
I do like the change to the fuel gauge and the radio controls (once I found it lol). I never have been one for lots of chrome, which is why when I get my 10 back I plan on murdering it. Agreed on the all black, I drove it for the first time in the dark, couldn't see a darn thing.

Unlike you however, I don't need a back seat, so a Cooper works for me. But the convertible, at least where I live (Erie, PA) would be more of a hindrance than it would be worth. Now if I lived in Vegas. . . .

 

I just returned a '11 loaner yesterday. It was an automatic Cooper S. I loved the changes in the throttle response in "regular" mode. Much more responsive and hardly any lag at all when it's depressed. This would keep me out of Sport mode more of the time. It seems to me that there is more sound-deadening from the engine compartment. No where near as much engine noise. Not sure if I like it or don't, it's just different. Also, you can definitely feel the extra horsepower in the new engine.

 

That alone I would like, there is no reason to have to depress the go peddle what feels like several inches to GO!

 

Yeah, it really does make a difference. I asked the servce guys about it when I turned it in, and whether or not there was a "new" program that could be flashed onto an older car and they just gave me a blank stare. I guess they haven't been asked that before. They had heard nothing about any sort of programming revisions.

 

With all the window-up-by-remote and what not reprograms NAM peeps do - surprised someone hasn't figured this one out......

 

vis a vis the OBD II programming and the S is a new/revised motor with variable valve timing for intake and exhaust, hard to believe any of the engine related programming (like throttle) would be transferrable via ECU flash update to the R56 and others with the pre-2011 turbo S motor