mini changed the name when BMW bought it to MINI. With all caps. found it on wiki....

 

did y'all know that non-R56 drivers refer to the R56 as the Motard??

 

mostly only on that other website.. you know. the nutty one. I check it out for laughs sometimes. They are so full of themselves LoL

 

I'm not so sure about that. It doesn't appear as if there is a switch/button on the end of the stalk to use to activate it, at least not on my week 26 build.

What I am hoping for is that a software update will change the FTM system to the new style (where it will display the individual tires on the NAV display).

 

Yes, they are, those bastards. How dare they laugh and have a good time and not have any hang ups.

 

Strange. I have a week 3 build, and the button is there.

 

Which one?? www.ihartmymotard.com ??

 

I didn't realize I'd end up spending all my money on mods (good thing I'm saving on gas though)

 

I didn't realize I'd become so accustomed to the feel of the controls/ride of my R56 Cooper that I'd feel awkward and out-of-place in my R50 (which my daughter drives all the time fortunately).

 

I know what you mean! I hate driving someone's car now. I always volunteer to drive but no one likes to take me up on it because I can usually only bring along one person!!! Maybe two others IF they are under the age of 4!

 

I had a similar experience going back to my 1990 Acura Integra (keeping it as a garbage scow). It needed some exercise, so I took it for a drive. Wow, the steering felt like a 1962 Buick Electra, and man is this thing gutless.

 

That was my first car! I remember running over a curb from under-steering. That was a quick and costly lesson. It would be fun to drive one again just to compare.

 

When in regular automatic mode (D), you can use the paddle shifter to change gears. This is handy to see if your mini is in 6th on the freeway. It will not stay in that gear if the tranny wants to go back down. For that, you need to move the stick over to the M/S slot and use the paddle shifter.

There is no apparent dip stick for the Auto Transmission. I cannot even find a reference in the manual to check the fluid...

 

I didn't know R56 was so darn good!!! It's a great, well-behaved MINI for daily driving w/ ample attitude when conditions called for it. However, now that the JCW kits are coming out and the additional R56 capabilities are being dialed-in and exploited, one wonders if R56 wasn't designed from the start to absolutely sizzle on the track car. The dynamics that make this car so easy to live with are apparently also the ones that, when bumped up a good bit, also make the JCW sibling something of a beast!! To me this is so Mini....that the benign yet capable commuter car have such a serious track persona. It's not for everybody, nor even for most, but it is there in the hidden genetics of the car. Previously, I always lamented that MINIs had become less the commuter car (as the classic was) and more the tuner/enthusiast car. With R56 though, I see the entire range of performance expanded...more livable/friendly for the daily errands, and even more startling in it's performance on the track. Very cool.

 

I noticed that when I configured my car on the website, it appeared that the PDC sensors were in the middle of the yellow part of my bumper. When I looked at my new mini, the PDC sensors were at the bottom of the bumper in the black plastic area. Almost as if the whole part of that bumper is added on or replaceable...

Also found out that there are no sensitivity settings in the nav system for the auto on headlights like the manual states. I have the auto switch on the stalk and they work well. The owners manual states there is a sensitivity setting. It wasn't in the menu where indicated nor could I locate it.

 

gokartride, that means a lot coming from you.

As much as I want to go ahead and order my 2008 tomorrow, I just have to wait to see what the stage II factory JCW kit is going to really be.

 

I just heard the digital 'beep' noise when I turn the temperature wheel. Everything is digital and computer controlled.

 

It's a mail slot to get the mail out easier once you put it in the door!

 

Pogue, why don't you have your dealer pass the question along through the MINI channels? The time I did (to ask about the sunroof weight), my MA promptly got an answer directly from the MINI engineers.

Do it--it would make a lot of us sleep at night!

 

Apparently the later model R56 Coopers no longer have the hidden compartment above the glove box.

 

No, say it ain't so. :( :( Do you have a reference or link for this information?

~Neal

 

^^ This was something I heard at the MINI dealership, I have yet to find confirmation on this though.

From what I head they said it rattled to often and to much, so they were planning on sealing them off so they wouldn't rattle.

 

The later models DO have the hidden compartment. The ones on the early models are sealed.

 

My car was a production week 40 car and the secret compartment is intact!

 

Everything old is new again.

I hope this isn't the case, but thanks for sharing what you heard with us either way.

~Neal