Quick review on 2018 F56 Cooper
Discussion
Well I am not sure how everyone else has found them but thought I would pen a few words on our 'new' purchase.
Firstly we have come from a 2006 r53 Mini Park Lane that we also bought as approved used and owned for thirteen plus years. Both this and its predecessor are my wife's and I have been mainly the 'Chief Financial Officer'. That said I have driven it plenty of times and have a r53 GP Mk I, so am fairly up to speed as well as being a big fan of the old one.
I have to say straight off the bat I have not really gelled with the new F56. There is a complete disconnect for me beween the road and driver. It feels a lot bigger and the bonnet front seems out of sight but just general visibility seems poor compared to r53. I would not mind but I am 6ft so it's not like I am a midget. Apparently it is only 6" (15cm) longer and 1" 2.5cm wider but it feels a LOT bigger than that. I suspect the loss of tactility is down to the electric steering.
We opted for 17" wheels but really wanted 16" wheels as we had before on the old r53. The GP runs the OEM 18" (too big) wheels with 17" for the winter set up. Unfortunatley there doesn't seem to be a 16" option on the 'Exclusive' Mini range. I do not feel that the new wheels are particularly practical, They remind me of the e46 M3 diamond cut wheels. They will not last 5 minutes in the real world and will soon be badly scratched or at least in time the lacquer will bubble. Hey ho.
There is also far too much tech on the car. It feels like there are buttons everywhere. Fine perhaps if it is your only car but we have four cars between the two of us although my wife will not drive two of them. Five if you include the old r53 Cooper which is yet to be given to a family member. So I think it will be a while before I am Iau fait with all of them, if ever. To be fair if I can switch the radio on, answer the phone and make a call that will be enough. The old banger did not have a phone BT system (or Nav et cetera)
Fortunately the horn has returned to a normal 'push the middle' of the steering wheel which is great. The Mini Park Lane had two little buttons 'somewhere' on the central steering wheel dish. Not ideal when you have so many clueless drivers on the road so tied up in their car tech they are not concentrating on what is most important.
Pedal offset is very poor for any heel and toe stuff which is a great shame if you want to enjoy a 'hoon'. My wife's biggest complaint (although even she mentioned it did not feel very tactile when driving) is the window switches. These have gone from the centre of the dash which was easy once you got used to it. They are now on the door but even if you are unfortunate enough to have really short arms they are far from ergonomic ie still too far back.
The centre armrest is also a major bane for me. It may possibly be fine for an auto (the lazy driver's car) but it just gets in the way for slick and quick gear changes. I have not got round to swapping it out yet. You would like to think a blanking plate would fix that but oh no... you need to get a replacement centre section without the hole for the armrest section. This can be summed up in three words blue blundering ars#holes !!!
Last small niggle (another big one below), the handle to fold the front seat down for occupants in the rear seems to be slightly more difficult to get to. Perhaps this is just as the old one was perfectly placed and therefore very easy to find and use.
Upside is the car has a smaller engine and so road tax is cheaper (than the r53). It is now turbocharged and so is really quite pokey. My wife has already found herself doing 90 in 3rd apparently. Her old jalopy (the one with plenty of feeling and sound ie r53) only had 5 gears so this is a big plus. The downside seems to be the 'helpful' hint at what gear you should be in. Maybe it is because it is difficult to hear the engine and so the 'find' the change points. You can be in 3rd and it is indicating 5th. Go to 5th and it sounds (as I said it is difficult to really tell) as if it is lumbering. I think I need to ask other experts and other owner's opinions here. Is this system from the Bermuda Triangle ie a fantasy??
Anyway my wife says the car is growing on her as she loves Apple Car Play and wanted Nav (just in case..... hmmm
). For me it marks the ever increasing number of non driver's cars.
Apologies for the piffle and waffle but thought it may be of interest to someone.
Pip
Ps she also very much dislikes the indicators - I am not a big fan (automation f#cks it all up again)
Firstly we have come from a 2006 r53 Mini Park Lane that we also bought as approved used and owned for thirteen plus years. Both this and its predecessor are my wife's and I have been mainly the 'Chief Financial Officer'. That said I have driven it plenty of times and have a r53 GP Mk I, so am fairly up to speed as well as being a big fan of the old one.
I have to say straight off the bat I have not really gelled with the new F56. There is a complete disconnect for me beween the road and driver. It feels a lot bigger and the bonnet front seems out of sight but just general visibility seems poor compared to r53. I would not mind but I am 6ft so it's not like I am a midget. Apparently it is only 6" (15cm) longer and 1" 2.5cm wider but it feels a LOT bigger than that. I suspect the loss of tactility is down to the electric steering.
We opted for 17" wheels but really wanted 16" wheels as we had before on the old r53. The GP runs the OEM 18" (too big) wheels with 17" for the winter set up. Unfortunatley there doesn't seem to be a 16" option on the 'Exclusive' Mini range. I do not feel that the new wheels are particularly practical, They remind me of the e46 M3 diamond cut wheels. They will not last 5 minutes in the real world and will soon be badly scratched or at least in time the lacquer will bubble. Hey ho.
There is also far too much tech on the car. It feels like there are buttons everywhere. Fine perhaps if it is your only car but we have four cars between the two of us although my wife will not drive two of them. Five if you include the old r53 Cooper which is yet to be given to a family member. So I think it will be a while before I am Iau fait with all of them, if ever. To be fair if I can switch the radio on, answer the phone and make a call that will be enough. The old banger did not have a phone BT system (or Nav et cetera)
Fortunately the horn has returned to a normal 'push the middle' of the steering wheel which is great. The Mini Park Lane had two little buttons 'somewhere' on the central steering wheel dish. Not ideal when you have so many clueless drivers on the road so tied up in their car tech they are not concentrating on what is most important.
Pedal offset is very poor for any heel and toe stuff which is a great shame if you want to enjoy a 'hoon'. My wife's biggest complaint (although even she mentioned it did not feel very tactile when driving) is the window switches. These have gone from the centre of the dash which was easy once you got used to it. They are now on the door but even if you are unfortunate enough to have really short arms they are far from ergonomic ie still too far back.
The centre armrest is also a major bane for me. It may possibly be fine for an auto (the lazy driver's car) but it just gets in the way for slick and quick gear changes. I have not got round to swapping it out yet. You would like to think a blanking plate would fix that but oh no... you need to get a replacement centre section without the hole for the armrest section. This can be summed up in three words blue blundering ars#holes !!!
Last small niggle (another big one below), the handle to fold the front seat down for occupants in the rear seems to be slightly more difficult to get to. Perhaps this is just as the old one was perfectly placed and therefore very easy to find and use.
Upside is the car has a smaller engine and so road tax is cheaper (than the r53). It is now turbocharged and so is really quite pokey. My wife has already found herself doing 90 in 3rd apparently. Her old jalopy (the one with plenty of feeling and sound ie r53) only had 5 gears so this is a big plus. The downside seems to be the 'helpful' hint at what gear you should be in. Maybe it is because it is difficult to hear the engine and so the 'find' the change points. You can be in 3rd and it is indicating 5th. Go to 5th and it sounds (as I said it is difficult to really tell) as if it is lumbering. I think I need to ask other experts and other owner's opinions here. Is this system from the Bermuda Triangle ie a fantasy??
Anyway my wife says the car is growing on her as she loves Apple Car Play and wanted Nav (just in case..... hmmm
). For me it marks the ever increasing number of non driver's cars.Apologies for the piffle and waffle but thought it may be of interest to someone.
Pip
Ps she also very much dislikes the indicators - I am not a big fan (automation f#cks it all up again)
A few of the niggles you mention I agree on, like the arm rest being in the way, the front seat release catches me out all the time as go at it from the wrong direction and you can't grab the handle.
Mines an auto so peddle offset isn't an issue, I did test drive a manual though and it's better then that off a manual M140i which use to be way off to the side.
Even on 18" runflats mine feels pretty hooked up, especially the front end. You feel all the grip and weight in the front, was literally talking and comparing this the other day with my partner as I was driving her All4 JCW Clubman which feels less connected with the road and lighter at the front end. The F56 has better front end grip and turn in then the F54.
I love driving my JCW, it reminds me of the old school FWD hot hatches, makes lots of noise and a laugh to drive without breaking the speed limits.
Mines an auto so peddle offset isn't an issue, I did test drive a manual though and it's better then that off a manual M140i which use to be way off to the side.
Even on 18" runflats mine feels pretty hooked up, especially the front end. You feel all the grip and weight in the front, was literally talking and comparing this the other day with my partner as I was driving her All4 JCW Clubman which feels less connected with the road and lighter at the front end. The F56 has better front end grip and turn in then the F54.
I love driving my JCW, it reminds me of the old school FWD hot hatches, makes lots of noise and a laugh to drive without breaking the speed limits.
We picked up an F56 Cooper back in April to be used predominantly by my wife.
Overall we are both really enjoying the car (our first MINI).
Size - Really happy with the overall size. I'm over 6ft and my wife just over 5ft and we are both able to find a good driving position. Also space for the dog in the boot with the adjustable back rests.
Wheels - Our car is on 17" alloys. Switched away from runflats within the first few weeks and it completely transformed the car for the better. Great feel and handling, no complaints in this area.
Tech/Interior - One of the reasons it took us so long to find the right MINI was due to the variation in specs. We managed to find a high spec one and we both enjoy the tech on offer. As for the armrest, I actually retrofitted one to increase the interior storage. With the adjustability of it, I don't find it gets in the way.
My only real niggles with the car are as follows;
Long Gearing - The gearing in the car is far too long. 2nd tops out at 70mph. Yes, I know its for emissions but it really detracts from the overall enjoyment of driving.
Rev Hang/Large Flywheel - Being really picky here, but I hate the way it holds onto revs between gear changes. Can make the car really difficult to drive smoothly at times.
Noise - Or lack thereof. It would be nice of the engine/exhaust was a but more vocal when driving.
Apart for these few things, we are really enjoying MINI ownership.
Overall we are both really enjoying the car (our first MINI).
Size - Really happy with the overall size. I'm over 6ft and my wife just over 5ft and we are both able to find a good driving position. Also space for the dog in the boot with the adjustable back rests.
Wheels - Our car is on 17" alloys. Switched away from runflats within the first few weeks and it completely transformed the car for the better. Great feel and handling, no complaints in this area.
Tech/Interior - One of the reasons it took us so long to find the right MINI was due to the variation in specs. We managed to find a high spec one and we both enjoy the tech on offer. As for the armrest, I actually retrofitted one to increase the interior storage. With the adjustability of it, I don't find it gets in the way.
My only real niggles with the car are as follows;
Long Gearing - The gearing in the car is far too long. 2nd tops out at 70mph. Yes, I know its for emissions but it really detracts from the overall enjoyment of driving.
Rev Hang/Large Flywheel - Being really picky here, but I hate the way it holds onto revs between gear changes. Can make the car really difficult to drive smoothly at times.
Noise - Or lack thereof. It would be nice of the engine/exhaust was a but more vocal when driving.
Apart for these few things, we are really enjoying MINI ownership.
Interesting comparison, thank you. I've got an F56 Cooper auto which I bought in May. The last time I drove a Mini before this was when I had an R53 Cooper S back in 2005. I love my F56, although that is probably because it comes after a decade of mostly boring VAG group cars.
I have this week also put a deposit on a 2006 R50 Mini One as a "modern classic " which I'm really looking forward to getting and from what you've said it should be a hoot to drive.
I have this week also put a deposit on a 2006 R50 Mini One as a "modern classic " which I'm really looking forward to getting and from what you've said it should be a hoot to drive.
Silenoz said:
I have this week also put a deposit on a 2006 R50 Mini One as a "modern classic " which I'm really looking forward to getting and from what you've said it should be a hoot to drive.
Not sure if it will quite reach the heady heights of "hoot to drive" the One is the lowest engine spec at (IIRC) 90 bhp rather than the better Cooper which is more like 115 ish for the same engine.I seem to remember hearing or seeing somewhere that upgrading the Mini One power specification to a Mini Cooper level was easy. So presumably he can get that sorted. Anyway sometimes thrashing a low powered car and driving it to its limits can be more fun than something with 400bhp.
Pip
Pip
I've had my F56 for 4 months and have really gelled with it.
The one thing that does annoy me about the car though, are the volume and track change controls on the steering wheel, they're the wrong way round!
In my brain (and I hope I'm not alone here!), volume should be up and down and track change should be left and right. Even after 4 months, I still get it wrong and find myself skipping to the next track when trying to turn the volume down.
The one thing that does annoy me about the car though, are the volume and track change controls on the steering wheel, they're the wrong way round!
In my brain (and I hope I'm not alone here!), volume should be up and down and track change should be left and right. Even after 4 months, I still get it wrong and find myself skipping to the next track when trying to turn the volume down.
FWIW - my twopenneth....
Purchase a 2018 Cooper poverty spec in August to use as a station car & share with kids as 2nd runaround. My first new-style Mini I've been impressed with the performance and chukability with tiny wheels and notably the gearbox which has a great snack-snack to it. No armrest, but could see how this could be an obtructive pain - and mine doesn't have NAV, but the standard radio works well enough for me.
Only issues I've found so far:-
1) Rust on the b-pillar door jam
2) Tyre noise
3) it has a plastic steering wheel which is quite hateful. so much so that I'm going to change it for an OEM leather jobbie when I find the time.
I'd certainly recommend one as a fun car at reasonable cost so to my mind, fills its remit perfectly.
Purchase a 2018 Cooper poverty spec in August to use as a station car & share with kids as 2nd runaround. My first new-style Mini I've been impressed with the performance and chukability with tiny wheels and notably the gearbox which has a great snack-snack to it. No armrest, but could see how this could be an obtructive pain - and mine doesn't have NAV, but the standard radio works well enough for me.
Only issues I've found so far:-
1) Rust on the b-pillar door jam
2) Tyre noise
3) it has a plastic steering wheel which is quite hateful. so much so that I'm going to change it for an OEM leather jobbie when I find the time.
I'd certainly recommend one as a fun car at reasonable cost so to my mind, fills its remit perfectly.
Thanks to all those owners who have posted on this thread. We're currently debating a bit of a change in the OldSkool household and an F56 Mini Cooper is a possibility on two counts for us:
Either a newer one, with auto to replace my wife's Mercedes C200 auto that we bought in a bit of a rush after I retired. We now find we don't often drive it partly due to size/risk of damage when parked and poor mpg on short trips*.
Or possibly an older/higher mileage manual R56 to replace my current 'shed' 2009 Ford Ka with something perhaps more capable of longer motorway journeys (not it's main use, but would come in handy occasionally).
I don't really care about the gizmos and buttons, though the steering wheel functions do seem a bit counterintuitive. I actually like the idea of a car that is very quite, especially the auto version as that would literally be a Mini replacement for her very quiet Mercedes.
I started a thread on the 'buying cars' section about these Minis and got great feedback there too; doesn't seem to be any major things to watch out for (at least so far). Compared to some horror stories about some other cars with timing chain issues, sudden coolant leaks/head gasket failures, etc.
My wife had a 56 plate R50 Mini One until 4 years ago and did mention getting another Mini before we bought the C200...I should have listened to her.
* It just turns out that we don't tend to do very many longer trips that the C200 excels at, so go nearly everywhere in the ancient Ka instead.
Either a newer one, with auto to replace my wife's Mercedes C200 auto that we bought in a bit of a rush after I retired. We now find we don't often drive it partly due to size/risk of damage when parked and poor mpg on short trips*.
Or possibly an older/higher mileage manual R56 to replace my current 'shed' 2009 Ford Ka with something perhaps more capable of longer motorway journeys (not it's main use, but would come in handy occasionally).
I don't really care about the gizmos and buttons, though the steering wheel functions do seem a bit counterintuitive. I actually like the idea of a car that is very quite, especially the auto version as that would literally be a Mini replacement for her very quiet Mercedes.
I started a thread on the 'buying cars' section about these Minis and got great feedback there too; doesn't seem to be any major things to watch out for (at least so far). Compared to some horror stories about some other cars with timing chain issues, sudden coolant leaks/head gasket failures, etc.
My wife had a 56 plate R50 Mini One until 4 years ago and did mention getting another Mini before we bought the C200...I should have listened to her.
* It just turns out that we don't tend to do very many longer trips that the C200 excels at, so go nearly everywhere in the ancient Ka instead.
We too had an old KA - until rust got it. I'd say there are similarities between them in terms of fun - but the mini is not a quiet car - mainly road tyre noise (which might be addressable by different tyres) - It seems quite happy on a motorway but probably not it's core strength.
Good luck with the search!
Good luck with the search!
bridggar1 said:
We too had an old KA - until rust got it. I'd say there are similarities between them in terms of fun - but the mini is not a quiet car - mainly road tyre noise (which might be addressable by different tyres) - It seems quite happy on a motorway but probably not it's core strength.
Good luck with the search!
Thanks Bridggar. I guess it's comparative since in my (Mk2) Ka I tend to bimble along the local motorway at 60, so I'd imagine a Mini at 70 would be fine. I appreciate it won't be as quiet as the Mercedes, but I only notice this on the rare times I drive it...my hearing is shot but the C200 seems almost silent in comparison. Good luck with the search!
It's not as if we often do more than one junction along the M4 often these days anyway. I'm probably just getting soft in my old age as I used to drive back from Scotland in a Mk3 Escort that was 4 speed every weekend and thought it was fine when I was in my 20s.
bridggar1 said:
FWIW - my twopenneth....
Only issues I've found so far:-
1) Rust on the b-pillar door jam
2) Tyre noise
3) it has a plastic steering wheel which is quite hateful. so much so that I'm going to change it for an OEM leather jobbie when I find the time.
I am sure there is a thread on here (PH) with a link to a protective film you can buy for the B pillar issue. Tyre noise seems to be mainly caused by the runflats so if you have those look to change them. We kept RFs as my wife likes potholes and driving with a puncture. Her reset of the TPMS on the old r53 basically involved turning it off and driving with RFs on 20 PSI. She thought the system reinflated the tyres (Ha ha ha - gawd help us).Only issues I've found so far:-
1) Rust on the b-pillar door jam
2) Tyre noise
3) it has a plastic steering wheel which is quite hateful. so much so that I'm going to change it for an OEM leather jobbie when I find the time.
OldSkoolRS said:
I started a thread on the 'buying cars' section about these Minis and got great feedback there too; doesn't seem to be any major things to watch out for (at least so far). Compared to some horror stories about some other cars with timing chain issues, sudden coolant leaks/head gasket failures, etc.
My wife had a 56 plate R50 Mini One until 4 years ago and did mention getting another Mini before we bought the C200...I should have listened to her.
* It just turns out that we don't tend to do very many longer trips that the C200 excels at, so go nearly everywhere in the ancient Ka instead.
Go for it. If you are happy with a 'vanilla' driving experience then they are good cars. I think post 2013 is best as apparently there was some sort of ongoing issue with the F56 prior to this but has now been sorted. I cannot update you on noise as my other cars are sports cars and my r53 GP is not quiet on account of no back seats. Anyway on the M25 Junctions 9 to 7 (?) even my M5 was noisy - bloomin' concrete slabs like a runaway Soviet republic.My wife had a 56 plate R50 Mini One until 4 years ago and did mention getting another Mini before we bought the C200...I should have listened to her.
* It just turns out that we don't tend to do very many longer trips that the C200 excels at, so go nearly everywhere in the ancient Ka instead.
Pip
Edited by Pip1968 on Saturday 5th November 19:55
Pip1968 said:
Go for it. If you are happy with a 'vanilla' driving experience then they are good cars. I think post 2013 is best as apparently there was some sort of ongoing issue with the F56 prior to this but has now been sorted. I cannot update you on noise as my other cars are sports cars and my r53 GP is not quiet on account of no back seats. Anyway on the M25 Junctions 9 to 7 (?) even my M5 was noisy - bloomin' concrete slabs like a runaway Soviet republic.
Pip
It's not intended to be a car to be exciting to drive, just hopefully something small enough to be used more often than her C200 but capable of going on a motorway on the odd occasion it's needed. I know exactly what you mean about the M25 too: Every time I got a new company car and thought how nicely refined it was, that section would roar in my ears. Pip
Still looking at various options of the 'main car/second car' but one train of thought is for my to replace my old Ka with the similar underneath Fiat 500, but the Abarth version. I think that's a bit less 'vanilla' though possibly 'marmite' I suppose. A Mini would seem huge against that and comparatively refined and almost bargelike.
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