My R56 is my first and last new mini...too bad it has been my favorite new car to date, but I have been trying to like the new one but can't get around the scared toad look.

 

I found a thread about the F56 on a Russian forum: http://translate.google.com/translat...Fpage__st__360

That has an interesting comparison of the dimensions of the R56 and F56:



It looks like there's more information in one of the posts, but you need a login to get to it.

 

I've heard that there's going to be an F56 at the San Jose Auto Show next weekend. We're going to have a look.

http://www.motortrendautoshows.com/sanjose/

 

There are some interesting options......

I think three settings for driving comfort. Rear collision detector, helps you park too. I Drive.

I would have to drive it too see what I think. But it is change no question.

Will be interested to see what they do to the convertibles and R58 two seater.

 

Looks like Mini's will get a 9 speed auto in 2015.

http://www.motoringfile.com/2013/10/...matic-in-2015/

 

Because 10 gears would just be too many.

 

The new MINI Cooper S will not have a variant of the N20. It is a totally new engine derived from the N54 / N55. these have been very solid engines for BMW - other than the HPFP issue on early N54 models (not engine related)

 

From what I've read from various insider sources, the B48 and N20 both are developed from the N55. They follow the .5L/cylinder displacement, and have similar head designs. The B48 is supposed to be an evolution of the N20.

 

You do realize the new transmission will be upgraded by 100x with 8 speeds? Which means, MINI is going to try and compete with the DSG that VW uses(VW still wins in that department). I would love a manual but they'll eventually be extinct in the U.S.

 

I couldn't EVER OWN an automatic MINI. I can't even imagine owning an automatic 7-series lol. Manuals FTW

 

I'm right there with you. Even if the automatics and DSG's are faster, I still think the 3 pedal is the only way to own any car. Why do I want to pay $1250 bucks more for something that takes away from the overall driving experience?

 

I honestly could care less about if my car is an automatic or manual. They both have their own advantages depending on the car. I don't know why so many people hate on MINIs automatics, I've seen worse automatics perform when owning two Chryslers and a Ford. But each to their own.

 

I don't just hate MINI Automatics, I hate ALL automatics. The only advantage of an automatic is that some of the new ones can shift slightly faster than manuals; the catch is that sometimes they choose to shift on their own, get stumbled when asked to down or up shift multiple gears at once. You also usually have to pay extra for them too. It takes away the pure connection with the car, and I love being in control of as many aspects of driving as I can be. On a side note, I heard the new "GPS" shifting is a huge dud. Read about how it can't predict elevation changes, etc...on a C&D review of the RR Wraith.

 

Totally understand. Like I said each to their own.

 

I sat in the new orange/black F56S making the auto show circuit at the San Diego auto show. They didn't have the non-S.

I think it will be fine.

I recall when I ordered my R56 back in early 2007 there were lots of negative forum comments about that new body style and engine.

The sky didn't fall. Life continued. The R56 series was accepted by the MINI community. So it will be with the F56.

I will seriously look into getting one in about a year and half or so. Probably a non-S version similar to what what I have now.

If anybody happens to see the non-S F56 making the auto show circuit maybe you could fill in a couple things I haven't found in my research:

1. I was very pleasantly surprised that when I got my 2007 R56 that the US Spec version came with a larger 13.8 gal fuel tank instead of the 10 gal tank (European spec) that was being advertised. I'd be interested in knowing the US spec tank size on the non-S F56.

2. Does the the non-S F56 has a spare tire?

 

Everyone can have their own opinion on whether an automatic is better than a manual transmission. BUT, you cannot argue with the truth of the sports car industry - specifically Porsche and Ferrari. These are 2 brands which are moving away from a manual transmission and investing heavily in their DCT versions.

Once the Ferrari California is phased out, there will no longer be a Ferrari with a manual transmission. Also, the Porsche GT3 has seen the option of a manual being removed from it's option list.

Reason: Automatic transmission offers better performance (faster 0-60), provides improved fuel efficiency and better emmissions.

I know that the end of the manual transmission is coming, but we all need to have an open mind and adapt to the changes. Read reviews on the GT3 or Ferrari 458, there is very few comments made about the lack of driver feel and involvement with the lack of physical gear changes.

 

The reason they are phasing out the manual transmissions is because the American population doesn't know how to drive them. In England, 75% of new cars were sold with manual transmissions, opposed to the US market is less than 10%. I'll give up one mpg and a 10th of a second to sixty to have a direct connection with the car. If the day comes that you can't buy a sports car with a good ol' row your own gearbox, it shows how single minded people are that they can't learn how to drive with three pedals, or that an extra millisecond is more important than the true connection and joy you get from being firmly connected to the car. I will go nuts if that happens anytime soon. Thankfully, Europeans are still buying their cars with manual's and MINI produces the majority of their cars with manuals. I seriously won't buy anything that has two pedals, unless I wind up in a wheelchair and have a leg amputation.

 

You also have to realize that the average Ferrari and Porsche owner is pushing the later end of life. 99% of owners never use their car for anything more than going to get their groceries, riding around their mail-order brides to the country club, and taking their car to weekend exotic car shows to impress the locals. You hardly ever see anyone really pushing these kinds of cars. They are built for the 60-75 age bracket that could care less about having a true connection to their car, and just care about having a Ferrari sitting in their garage.

 

That is true for the North American population. The Porsche and Ferrari ownership is very much a car for taking to the country club....but when you see the car bought in Europe, they are taken to the track regularly and are driven in a spirited manner.

Maybe that is why we will never see a car like the Noble or Caterham in North America

 

Hold the presses!

Just published yesterday
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/ca...united-states/

 

I grew up at the country club and saw all the old men with their Ferrari's and Lamborghini's that drove 15 under the speed limit. The US makes up most of the global sales for luxury and performance brands. They are simply catering the cars for their largest buyers. In Europe, you can buy Mercedes with manuals. Here, they don't have the demand so they don't ship them over here. I don't think in manual friendly Europe, they will ever eliminate the manual transmission. Hopefully more Americans will learn how to drive a stick and keep the joy alive.

 

No matter what the reviewers say i just can't agree with this. They can rationalize it however they want, try to convince us by using much revered supercars as their examples, still driving a manual transmission is a totally different experience from driving an automatic, including paddle shifters.

I wonder how often the paddle shifters get used, even in the Ferraris and Porsches. My bet is not very often.

 

EXACTLY!! 98.9% of buyers of those super cars probably don't even know what paddle shifters are, even when included on their cars. A couple of my friends in Beverly Hills had ridiculous cars like 599X and MP4-12C's but they just got the cars to say they had one. We had more fun in MINI's on Mulholland than in their super cars.

 

I've been fortunate enough to drive a 911, 458, R8 and Gallardo with automatic-manual trannies on the track. After being a manual guy for many years I can tell you that the new auto-manuals are far better than any manual. On the track the tranny was always in the gear I wanted and shifted far faster than any human is capable of. Saying you will never drive an auto of any sort is kind of like those people that said they would never own a cell phone, or a computer, or an iPad, or an iPod, etc..... Technology moves forward. Not sure how a stick in your hand makes you more connected to the car....it's simply a gear selector.

 

No it's totally different. I embrace technology, I appreciate your opinion on the matter, but for a true enthusiast, there is no replacement for a manual gearbox. It might be quicker around a track, but for the other 99.9% I'm not on the track, I'll take a manual, and the fractions of a second penalty that comes with it.