Topic: Picked up my wife's new car and took it for an 850 km drive

[OliverD]

A nifty feature I've never seen before: To pop the hood, you pull the hood release lever twice and then simply lift the hood – no need to search for the a latch under the hood. Neat!

[OliverD]

Replaced the headlight bulbs. Haven't tested them at night yet but they are definitely whiter/brighter.

Before:



After:

[dirtyjeffer]

A nifty feature I've never seen before: To pop the hood, you pull the hood release lever twice and then simply lift the hood – no need to search for the a latch under the hood. Neat!

hmm...i thought that was a safety feature that was mandated (so the hood doesn't go flying up while you're driving)...of course, not needed for hoods that open in reverse (like a Corvette), but i thought it was mandatory for all regular style hoods.

[OliverD]

A nifty feature I've never seen before: To pop the hood, you pull the hood release lever twice and then simply lift the hood – no need to search for the a latch under the hood. Neat!

hmm...i thought that was a safety feature that was mandated (so the hood doesn't go flying up while you're driving)...of course, not needed for hoods that open in reverse (like a Corvette), but i thought it was mandatory for all regular style hoods.

Right, but every other car I've had you have to release the latch from under the hood. In the Mini you just pull the lever inside the car twice.

[sailor723]

A nifty feature I've never seen before: To pop the hood, you pull the hood release lever twice and then simply lift the hood – no need to search for the a latch under the hood. Neat!

hmm...i thought that was a safety feature that was mandated (so the hood doesn't go flying up while you're driving)...of course, not needed for hoods that open in reverse (like a Corvette), but i thought it was mandatory for all regular style hoods.

Right, but every other car I've had you have to release the latch from under the hood. In the Mini you just pull the lever inside the car twice.

I suspect the first pull releases the main latch and the second a safety catch.  Neat feature. I hate fumbling around trying to release a hood safety catch and they're all different.....some side to side, some push, some pull....

[dirtyjeffer]

A nifty feature I've never seen before: To pop the hood, you pull the hood release lever twice and then simply lift the hood – no need to search for the a latch under the hood. Neat!

hmm...i thought that was a safety feature that was mandated (so the hood doesn't go flying up while you're driving)...of course, not needed for hoods that open in reverse (like a Corvette), but i thought it was mandatory for all regular style hoods.

Right, but every other car I've had you have to release the latch from under the hood. In the Mini you just pull the lever inside the car twice.

I suspect the first pull releases the main latch and the second a safety catch.  Neat feature. I hate fumbling around trying to release a hood safety catch and they're all different.....some side to side, some push, some pull....

there are a few options there, but having worked at gas stations in my younger years, it isn't that hard to figure them out...also, if it's your car, you'll know which way it goes...i'm curious about the double pull mechanism...seems like a solution to a problem i've never heard about.

[OliverD]

A few thoughts after having it for almost a week:

- First of all, and most importantly, my wife loves it.
- Biggest annoyance, I think, are the steering wheel controls. They aren't as comprehensive as the GTI's. I can live with that, but one thing that is super annoying is that the up/down arrows don't actually seem to skip tracks. Supposedly they do work if you load music onto the car's hard drive but I'd rather use Spotify.
- Having said that, the Spotify integration is otherwise great.
- I wish that BMW/MINI would do what some others do (Audi and Alfa Romeo come to mind) and put a small volume knob next to the iDrive controller. It's a minor thing but it would be an improvement.
- The clutch is extremely light. Jumped into the GTI yesterday immediately after driving the MINI and was surprised by how heavy it was in comparison.
- Still impressed with the power this car has. Just need to downshift more to access it but that's fun.
- MINI should offer a proper sport package on the base Cooper. They did such a good job with this motor in that it appeals to enthusiasts in a way that old base Cooper didn't. Slap some sticky tires, a sport suspension, and perhaps a slightly more aggressive exhaust on and it would be an amazing driver's car. But I guess that might limit the appeal of the more expensive S.

[draghon]

A few thoughts after having it for almost a week:

- First of all, and most importantly, my wife loves it.
- Biggest annoyance, I think, are the steering wheel controls. They aren't as comprehensive as the GTI's. I can live with that, but one thing that is super annoying is that the up/down arrows don't actually seem to skip tracks. Supposedly they do work if you load music onto the car's hard drive but I'd rather use Spotify.
- Having said that, the Spotify integration is otherwise great.
- I wish that BMW/MINI would do what some others do (Audi and Alfa Romeo come to mind) and put a small volume knob next to the iDrive controller. It's a minor thing but it would be an improvement.
- The clutch is extremely light. Jumped into the GTI yesterday immediately after driving the MINI and was surprised by how heavy it was in comparison.
- Still impressed with the power this car has. Just need to downshift more to access it but that's fun.
- MINI should offer a proper sport package on the base Cooper. They did such a good job with this motor in that it appeals to enthusiasts in a way that old base Cooper didn't. Slap some sticky tires, a sport suspension, and perhaps a slightly more aggressive exhaust on and it would be an amazing driver's car. But I guess that might limit the appeal of the more expensive S.

Great to hear you are enjoying the car. Are these things available from mini after the fact? If not, surely the aftermarket should have some options to consider. These things would be easy to bolt on and then remove when the lease is up.

[OliverD]

I'm sure they are. But I don't think my wife would appreciate these enhancements as much as I would. 

[ktm525]

I noticed you commented about the parking brake in your mustang thread as well and that you didn't like it in the Camaro. I'm just wondering why it's as issue for you? I hated the electric parking brake in concept (probably because I'm a Luddite) and now that I own a car with one I find it so much better. There's really no need for an manual brake and it saves so much space.

All FWD cars need a proper mechanical e-brake. How else do get around tight hairpins?  A proper e-brake adds so much fun to a FWD that I can't believe the question was asked.

[draghon]

I'm sure they are. But I don't think my wife would appreciate these enhancements as much as I would. 

Would she notice if you installed these parts and didn't tell her?

[OliverD]

I'm sure they are. But I don't think my wife would appreciate these enhancements as much as I would. 

Would she notice if you installed these parts and didn't tell her?

Haha, I'm not sure.

[JG20]

Congrats on this and the other new Mini.  My wife and I have always like the look of Minis and I'm sure they're fun to drive but just can't get over the reliability issues.  Smart of you to do the lease this time but we prefer to purchase and keep our cars for a while.

[OliverD]

Congrats on this and the other new Mini.  My wife and I have always like the look of Minis and I'm sure they're fun to drive but just can't get over the reliability issues.  Smart of you to do the lease this time but we prefer to purchase and keep our cars for a while.

The reliability is a valid concern. Late R56s are supposed to be pretty good though. I drove our old one to work today and it's a really fun car. Had me thinking that picking up a '12-'13 model might be a good idea. 

I know that early F56s had some issues but supposedly the three cylinder is a very solid engine. So I guess we'll see.

[Barton]

I noticed you commented about the parking brake in your mustang thread as well and that you didn't like it in the Camaro. I'm just wondering why it's as issue for you? I hated the electric parking brake in concept (probably because I'm a Luddite) and now that I own a car with one I find it so much better. There's really no need for an manual brake and it saves so much space.

All FWD cars need a proper mechanical e-brake. How else do get around tight hairpins?  A proper e-brake adds so much fun to a FWD that I can't believe the question was asked.