So, since she was late to port, late to VDC and late to the dealer I figured Lady Tardy was as good as any name for my Coupe.

So, I've had the car since Sunday afternoon. Most of the day was spent adding (or not as in the case of the stubby aerial) mods to her beautiful form. Monday being a work day I took the opportunity to drive her to Pomona and Riverside after tinting, front strut and scuttles. Today I spent at the home office, but took her out for an hour after 5pm to play. Here are my thoughts:

1. As Darth Sidious said... "Unlimited POWER!" Still taken over 4k RPMs, but damn there seems to be a lot more on tap than my R56. I am wondering what the dyne numbers will be when the Borla exhaust is fitted

2. Rules the Bends - The grip is amazing. The work that MINI put into the suspension has paid off. The front strut probably helps, but damn! I'll have to be careful. The backend is definitely sitting on a knife edge sometimes. Whereas the R56 felt... flat sometimes, the R58 feels like a race car. One wrong move and it could be "Hello tree".

3. Polish - Fit and finish is as expected... Excellent. No noises, rattles, ticks, etc (so far). I think the seat is lower. I can't compare because the wife has the R56 setup for her... finally. But, it certainly feel that my bum is closer to the pavement.

4. Manual - I haven't driven a manual for 15 years. I learned to drive in the UK and took the Advanced Pursuit Course at Hendon (Police Training School). I am not finding the process difficult, just strange. It will take me a while to get used to the "feel" of the car. That feeling you get that tells you when to up or downshift. I happy I went manual although I am sure the first traffic jam and I amy not be so happy. Time will tell.

5 Advice - This is solely based on two days driving,m so take with a pinch of salt. Get a K&N filter. Better noise and response. Don't be so down on the run-flats. The R56 has new shoes and they are not RFs and to compare the two the R58 is a touch harsher, but I'd spend the money other mods first.

Well, I have rambled on, so I'll head off for now.

 

My thoughts exactly. I think your hind end is lower to the pavement. The car is lower than the R56. It also seems the seat is sitting lower in the chassis but I assume that is just the fact that the car is lower.

That VVT engine is sweet. I wish it were in the JCW, but the JCW has plenty of power so I am not complaining. Do you agree the exhaust note is sweet. Wait until you get some more mileage on the engine. The exhaust note will sweeten considerably. At least that has been my experience.

Glad you got the car. Mine is rapidly turning into my most favorite ride by far.

Motor On

 

Nice note on the K&N filter. I may do that.