R56 Test Drive Impressions (from an outsider)
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1st Gear
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 49
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Test Drive Impressions (from an outsider)
I got to test drive the 2007 Cooper S tonight. It had almost no options and was yellow with a black roof. My current car is a Mazda RX-8. I'm looking at the S as an alternative car that makes good horsepower at altitude and gets much better gas mileage. The other big plus is that I can drive the car more in the winter, which is iffy in my Mazda. Before the RX-8 I drove a Miata, so the MINI is a very similar type of car (other than the obvious configuration difference.) Ideally I want a car that I can drive on long trips and autocross somewhat competitively.
I stopped by earlier in the day to look at the colors available and such. No sparkling silver in Denver, but they have 2 yellows and pure silver. I really like the new yellow--the paint looks thick and sort of makes the car look like a piece of candy. I sat in a car with the tuscan beige interior, which is what I thought I wanted originally, but I'm not sure I'm $1900 crazy for it. It's nice, but unecessary for my purposes. The cloth seats seem good enough. Of course the problem is that, like the Mazda cloth seats, they are made with racing in mind and are quite narrow. Definitely will need to sit on a pillow on long trips.
I went back for the test drive at night. The car already had some bugs with the key fob. If there's one thing I would say about the ergonomics, it would be "not intuitive." Fortunately I had a sales kid with me who showed me how some things worked like the seat back and the computer. I think whoever designed the HVAC/Radio system also did the iDrive. Nothing really worked the way you expected it to. I will definitely need to get the radio controls on the steering wheel to help with some of that. I need cruise control anyway. He did show me how to change the colors on the mood lights--ooh very romantic.
As for the styling--I can't tell much difference between this one and the '06. I've always thought the MINI looks a little ridiculous and am certainly not going to buy it based on how it looks. After owning two of the best looking cars in the world, IMO, I can handle not having the greatest looking car if it does what I want it to do. Yes it's cute, but it's also a fairly common car around here. I think with the right color scheme the car can really stand out. The one thing I thought when I got back was that the body kit might not be such a horrible investment on this car. I'm just not wild for the big black fenders. Otherwise the car is decent looking, but doesn't excite me due to the fact that the novelty has worn off.
The important part--the performance. The car had a bit of torque steer, but I got used to it quickly. The acceleration is very impressive. The turbo really helps in the mile high city. I had driven an older Cooper S a couple years ago and went away very unimpressed. This new car not only feels nicely refined, it also gets up and goes very similarly to my rotary. This car really gets up and goes without much effort. It encourages you to drive like a complete A-hole. The brakes are touchy and require a bit of finesse.
The best thing about this car is that it does exactly what you want, when you want it to. It goes right where you want it to go, and it really inspires confidence. It's a car that begs to be pushed, and then you realize the limits are a lot higher. This new turbo motor was the best thing BMW could have done. The handling is very miata-like. It doesn't feel like a wrong wheel drive car, except that you realize you don't have to worry about spinning it. Hit the corner and mash the gas and it doesn't push!
So to sum up: Styling so-so but irrelevant, paint looks great, interior fairly comfortable with strange ergonomics, cloth seats seem the way to go, and the performance is nothing short of phenomenal for a fwd car. Will I buy? Not fully convinced but getting there.
I stopped by earlier in the day to look at the colors available and such. No sparkling silver in Denver, but they have 2 yellows and pure silver. I really like the new yellow--the paint looks thick and sort of makes the car look like a piece of candy. I sat in a car with the tuscan beige interior, which is what I thought I wanted originally, but I'm not sure I'm $1900 crazy for it. It's nice, but unecessary for my purposes. The cloth seats seem good enough. Of course the problem is that, like the Mazda cloth seats, they are made with racing in mind and are quite narrow. Definitely will need to sit on a pillow on long trips.
I went back for the test drive at night. The car already had some bugs with the key fob. If there's one thing I would say about the ergonomics, it would be "not intuitive." Fortunately I had a sales kid with me who showed me how some things worked like the seat back and the computer. I think whoever designed the HVAC/Radio system also did the iDrive. Nothing really worked the way you expected it to. I will definitely need to get the radio controls on the steering wheel to help with some of that. I need cruise control anyway. He did show me how to change the colors on the mood lights--ooh very romantic.
As for the styling--I can't tell much difference between this one and the '06. I've always thought the MINI looks a little ridiculous and am certainly not going to buy it based on how it looks. After owning two of the best looking cars in the world, IMO, I can handle not having the greatest looking car if it does what I want it to do. Yes it's cute, but it's also a fairly common car around here. I think with the right color scheme the car can really stand out. The one thing I thought when I got back was that the body kit might not be such a horrible investment on this car. I'm just not wild for the big black fenders. Otherwise the car is decent looking, but doesn't excite me due to the fact that the novelty has worn off.
The important part--the performance. The car had a bit of torque steer, but I got used to it quickly. The acceleration is very impressive. The turbo really helps in the mile high city. I had driven an older Cooper S a couple years ago and went away very unimpressed. This new car not only feels nicely refined, it also gets up and goes very similarly to my rotary. This car really gets up and goes without much effort. It encourages you to drive like a complete A-hole. The brakes are touchy and require a bit of finesse.
The best thing about this car is that it does exactly what you want, when you want it to. It goes right where you want it to go, and it really inspires confidence. It's a car that begs to be pushed, and then you realize the limits are a lot higher. This new turbo motor was the best thing BMW could have done. The handling is very miata-like. It doesn't feel like a wrong wheel drive car, except that you realize you don't have to worry about spinning it. Hit the corner and mash the gas and it doesn't push!
So to sum up: Styling so-so but irrelevant, paint looks great, interior fairly comfortable with strange ergonomics, cloth seats seem the way to go, and the performance is nothing short of phenomenal for a fwd car. Will I buy? Not fully convinced but getting there.
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 121
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Similar situation here. Happenstance has left me with an RX8 and a Miata and neither one is terribly practical for winter driving or moving TVs. So a Mini would be my utility vehicle to replace the Miata and then another Miata will eventually replace the 8. I love driving the 8 but I definitely don't want to own it after the warranty is up. :(
3rd Gear
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 203
Likes: 1
From: Katonah, NY
The MINI as utility vehicle
Anytime you hear someone contemplating buying a MINI because of its cargo-carrying capacity, it's a pretty good bet that their current ride is a Miata. Or similar. 
From a former Miata family...
From a former Miata family...
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