I picked up our MCS 2 weeks ago and we’ve been nothing but happy. It’s a great car and the only fun thing I’ve ever had to drive.

I've seen one other R56 on NAM with a car seat. We use 1 car seat and a booster seat for our two daughters. I know a lot of you talk about the padded package compartment behind the driver, but we can actually put our all 4 of us in it. We won’t do it much – we have a bigger car for that – but it’s fun on occasion and could also be necessary at times.

The most practical one in the family is our 3 year old. When we drive home in our Jetta Wagon after placing the order, she said, “Why we gonna get a different car? Our stuff fits in this one.” Smarter than me, but she does love the MINI now. And I don’t miss that Jetta’s auto transmission searching for a gear going up our mountains.

We haven’t had any problems and everything is great. We went with the rooster red colorline with brushed alloy. I like how it adds fun to the interior. We test drove one with a base interior, and it almost made me forget what a fun car we were in.

My wife’s favorite thing is that I have washed more cars in the last 2 weeks than in the last 6 years. Even washed our CR-V because I felt guilty.

More photos in my gallery.

Sport button!

 

This is great. How tall are you and your wife?

 

The Graco Turbo is a great seat for our 3 year old , its got a thin back so his feet dont touch my seat .Our kids choose the Mini over our Accord if they get a choice .The 3 year old has a hard time staying awake ,the bumpy ride in the back seems to soothe him.

 

I use my back set to transport my adult-sized kids and their friends all...the....time. Make no apologies for a MINI...it rocks!!! I might also add that having a blast motoring together (stuff or no stuff) will most likely be a highly treasured memory for your girls, so get out and have fun motoring together!!!

 

I'm 6-1 so that's a tight squeeze, but I don't have the seat all the way back even when I'm by myself. My wife is 5-5 so she has a good deal more room.

The kids are 3 and 5 and they spent a chunk of yesterday afternoon riding their bikes around the MINI and "petting it."

 

My 5yo son has the same booster seat! I have a Chili Red/Black on order and I thought about adding the red colorline and brushed aluminum... but I just bought a new bike and decided to drop those to compensate. Oh well.

 

How cute!! Kids and MINIs.....always a great combo!!

 

Yep. I'm a big fan of the Graco (removable backed) Turbobooster in the R56. Way more solid that I thought it would be. Removable back, so I keep the booster in the trunk for short trips (with a towel to drape over the seat for feat). For longer day trips, I'll put the whole back on so my kids (3 and 5) have a head rest if they fall asleep. Not that it happes too much. They're usually yelling to "Go Faster!!!" and when the fun squiggley road signs come up, my boy now yells "Twisties! YES!!!". I have no idea where he got that.

 

My 4.5 year old son rides around in a Britax Parkway Express booster and loves it. I had a 6' guy in the backseat and a 6'1" guy in the front the other day, both were just fine riding around. I cant even count the number of people who Ive taken for a ride who tell me they cant believe how much room there actually is in the car.

 

Your picture of the rear seat with a full-size carseat and booster side by side is encouraging. I have a 5 month old and a 3 year old, so when I get my MINI in early '08, my back seat will look very similar. It is good to see that both fit in the back with plenty of room. I was afraid they would be a little cramped.

Thanks for posting the pictures of your new MINI!!

 

Nice car..I love DS with stripe

I drop my 1 years old off everyday in the Mini. Just for the heck of it, I tried both car seat and convertible seat - both fit. Mini is quite roomy comparing to other small car.

Enjoy motoring,

Mack

 

Looks like we have a decent number of car seat users. I've been trying to think of installing a seat as a mod, but it isn't quite as cool as lowering the suspension. These little cars are super versatile.

 

I've got a 5 year old and 3 year old with the same basic seat setup you have. The kids love to ride in the Mini and complain about the CR-V. My 5 year old daughter told me she really prefers minivans (she likes the power side doors), but the Mini is a close second. Of course she's always out in the garage helping with any car project and telling me to go faster when we drive.

Now if I could just get my 3 year old son to quit leaving "pin stripes" on the side of my car. I think the last one was yogurt...

-JL

 

We have an 03 CR-V as our other option in the garage. The 5 year old likes to read the spedometer, which at first I thought was cool and I could make it into a math lesson. But she can also read the speed limit signs and that's a lesson I don't want to get into.

The 3 year old continually says, "go really, really fast." Of course that's pronounced "wheely, wheely fast." And she loves to help wash the cars.

Who know this would be such a bonding experience for our family?