Hey all!

So this post is a bit late – I picked up my 2015 Cooper S F55 about a month ago, but since I just got it back from the paint shop, I thought it was about time to post pictures and my review of the different features I opted for so that other people can reference when ordering or buying their own.
A little background on me, I've driven all the MINIs from the R56 and up and MINI #1 for me was a 2011 Countryman so most of my impressions are comparing it to that:

Park Assist: While I did it get it mostly for the front parking sensors, I've had the chance to use the auto park feature on a non-busy side street. Pretty impressive, but the real test will be in Seattle where parallel parker newbies will sweat buckets. I'm an ok parallel parker myself, I can park the same as any other Seattlite, but it may take me a few more points than others... Eager to see if the Park Assist can do better. It's pretty easy to use once you know how it works. You toggle the Park Assist switch and the MINI will begin scanning for a space big enough. The screen will show its status while it's doing this. Once it finds a spot big enough, you'll see a giant "P" to let you know - you have to pull forward far enough ahead of the spot to back in and you have to have your signal on to initiate the sequence. Once these are done, it will instruct you to stop, then shift into reverse. It handles the steering and you handle the throttle/brake. Parking sensors will beep to let you know if you're too close and it tells you when to stop and drive forward as many times as you need to until you're parked. On my quiet side street, a 3-point park was cake.

JCW Interior: Steering wheel has a nice grip to it and the red stitching is pretty sweet. The shifter looks nice too with the brushed metal.
Leather Cross Punch Black: Love moving to leather from leatherette - breathes much better and it's a little softer. Bolstering is just right for me. Plus, that smell of leather...mmm....leather...

JCW Exterior: The body kit looks AWESOME in Pepper White (not biased at all.. ) I was worried how it would look on the 4-door, but it looks just as badass as the 2-door.

17" JCW Track Spoke Black: Coming from white wheels, I'm really happy I don't have to clean my wheels so much now lol
Cold Weather: For my wife and I, heated seats are a must. They are not as toasty as my CMs (not a bad thing...I don’t think I ever went past low, it was so hot), but they're pretty warm. Powerfold mirrors also come with this package and are also a must, especially when I park in Seattle. Less chance of getting them clipped.

-- Premium Package --

Comfort Access: a must IMO, especially since there is no key slot inside anymore. Without CA, you would have to take your key out to unlock then either put it back or leave it out and end up putting it in the cupholder or something. Lame. Key stays in my pocket - I have no reason to take it out now. I do like the firmer buttons on the door handles now too. The Rxx MINIs' buttons were always too squishy for me - these feel more high-end
Panoramic moonroof: Better sun shades = yay! Will be very welcome in the summer! Don't miss the back window tilting. Also, the switch is finally automatic! No more having to hold it down to open/close. I had rectified this by coding in my CM, but I'm glad it's standard now.

Storage Package: Also a must - The flat load floor lets me throw all my junk in the boot like jumper cables, emergency kits, etc without taking up space above. It's like a closet for your car. Also makes loading bigger items 100x easier.
harmon/kardon Sound: As a listener of music, another must. The stock stereo is pretty weak IMO. The h/k stereo is noticably crisper and I can crank it up to my desired rocking out level without distorting. Better than the h/k system I had in my CM, which I always thought was too bassy. The center channel speaker is great for podcasts too.

-- Wired Pack --

Navigation: Didn't have it on my CM - probably won't use it too much on my F55. I usually know where I'm going. BUT, it is a much nicer system though. Honestly, the only reason I have it is because it came with the XL screen, which I really wanted. The "Take me home" command will be useful though.

Connected XL: A worthwhile upgrade for me. The built in hard drive will be used, the video support is cool, the extra screen real estate is not only more functional, but looks nicer in the dash too. When playing music, I can have album art AND the song info shown at once or I can use split screen to see two different sets of info at once. The split screen is really nice in that I can always have my music info displayed at all times. The touchpad makes text input ridiculously easy and I found out it works for making adjustments in the Settings also.

Real Time Traffic: Useful for nav, but I haven't tested it yet. It's Seattle though...if there's traffic (which there usually is), there's usually not a way around it. Helps for ETAs so you know HOW late you're going to be, I guess...

Center Armrest: Not as ergonomic as on my CM, but welcome anyway. Angling it down makes it much more comfortable and makes using the iDrive controller much easier without having to do the "eagle claw" method.

-- Wired Upgrade --

Rear View Camera: Still not used to using it. I'm so used to looking back with my eyes, like a caveman. Time to be a futureperson... Joking aside, it makes backing into a parking spot a touch easier, without the guess work and if I'm really close to something behind me I can now see HOW close I am.

Head Up Display: OMG, I will never get a car without this again! I like having my speed in front my line of sight (mostly because it's harder now to gauge how fast I'm going), I do use my phone and it's nice to have my phone numbers pop up in my HUD. Same for changing songs via my HD or BT Audio. No more having to look over and see what's playing or who's calling me. REALLY useful for navigation as all the info is right in front of me.

Dynamic Damper Control: So the DDC makes the suspension 10% softer than stock in MID/GREEN, which is nice for when I'm commuting or if I have my wife in the car, but being able to flick it into SPORT mode and have it go 10% stiffer than stock and have that tautness on demand is EXCELLENT! No compromises - softer ride when I want and I can just as easily go for MINI handling for those times when the road is clear! LOVE IT.

Sport Automatic Transmission : so the new F5x has three transmissions and the Sport auto gives you paddle shifters (which I like better than the old ones), as well as sportier shifting (supposedly it shifts a bit faster than the standard auto.) Launch Control is also new, but the car has to be broken in first before it will let you use it and then it's only 100 launches it will allow you to do. You can bet at Mile #1201 on my odometer, I'm testing it! Shifts in general are much smoother and faster and of course fuel economy is improved by the new gearing as well.

Alarm System : Didn't have it on my R60, but I do like having the beeping now lol It's really the only reason I ordered it this time.. I was like, "$250?....sure..."

Universal Garage Door Opener: It opens my garage...yay. Less clutter in my car! Also, I was unaware it now includes the digital compass too. Not that it's terribly useful - I have nav and streets here are seldom straight, much less follow compass points...

Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror : I'm lazy - if I had to twist that stupid **** anytime an SUV pulled up behind me at night... I just can't even....

Interior Surface Piano Black : My only regret... too plain for me and impossible to keep clean. You just have to look at it and BAM! Fingerprint... I wanted the Fiber Alloy, but thought the extra lighting was too distracting. I may end up wrapping it in carbon fiber...

LED Headlights w/ Cornering : My last 3 cars have had HIDs, so LEDs were a must. My R60 had adaptive lights, which I liked and didn't want to lose. I knew the cornering lights were different, but I didn't know how they actually performed, so I opted for them anyway. THEY. ARE. AWESOME. They project light out at 90 degrees which is much farther than the adaptive lights did and they work great for turning corners at night so you can make sure there are no pedestrians or debris in the way. They come on at speeds below 40mph when driving though curves, putting your turn signal on will activate them at intersections (which I've noticed weirds some people out), and they both turn on while reversing. Very cool.

Rear Fog Light : I'll never use this, but I have no self control....had to have it lol

DRIVING: So much smoother then my CM, and the power is aplenty! So much pep and I feel like I can always push it more! It's like it WANTS me to! Definitely makes the commute to work a little nicer and my wife appreciates it the smoother ride when she's the passenger. I have the run flats of course, but they are much more tolerable than the RFs I had on my R60. I was always worried I was going to chip a tooth with those... Handles like it's on rails with much less lean than my R60 (hardly surprising). I do miss having my AWD though - accelerating around corners, my tires will skip a bit. I don't think my CM ever had a tire skip...I could take a ramp at 50+ and it would laugh.

MODS:
- Blackline headlight/tail light rings: The front ones are easy to install, since you can see the clips once the hood is raised. There are separate clip pieces though that attach to the clips molded into the rings and they can fly off, so if you do yourself, don't lose them! The tail lights were trickier, but ended up being easy since I had a pry tool (a must have for anyone who likes to do even the most basic of modding.) Open up the boot, I used my plastic crowbar to undo the top clip (at the 11:55 position) then worked my way around undoing the small clips around both sides until I reached the bottom where two bigger clips sat. Once you reach those, just pull from the top - they are kind of like hinges. Reverse order for installing - bottom hinges first, push the clips on the sides and the top clip is pushed last. Took less than a minutes once I figured it out.

- LED bulbs: While most of the bulbs on the car are already LEDs, the brake lights, turn signals (F/R), side scuttles, reverse lights, boot light, and glove box lights are all incandescent. While all the exterior lights are easy to access, regular LED bulbs will throw up warning lights and even CANBUS lights will strobe when turning on the car and occasionally while driving. Unfortunately, there's no way to code that out that I've found yet, so I've switched back to the stock bulbs. Honestly, they're fine as is.

The interior lights however, are not tied into the computer and can be replaced pretty easy. The glove box light prys out (again using my plastic tool set) and the bulb twists out. My LED bulb I took from my CM worked and now I get a nicer, bright white light in the glove box. The boot light is too dim for my taste, so I definitely wanted to replace that too. The assembly is easily pried off - there's a notch that makes it easy - but the bulb is enclosed in a metal housing that probably works as a heat sink because that bulb is HOT! After carefully prying off the housing (which is a little tricky without bending the metal to the point of deformity) I also replaced this with an LED. Result: brighter, whiter lighting!
My thread on LED replacement: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...se-lights.html

TINT: Ceramic tint at legal limits - 30%

PAINT:
I painted over all my chrome – the grill, beltline and gas cap got painted black and I color matched the door handles. I also decided to add a little flair and painted the grill lip red, like the fJCW. I love the way it all turned out.

CODING via ESYS:
What is coding? There are plenty of threads on this, including one I've linked to here. Read.
I did a lot of coding on my R60 using NCS Expert which fixed a lot of small irritations I had with the car, so I was eager to do the same on my F55. Check out my post below on what I've accomplished by coding.

My post on the coding thread: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4059829
the TL;DR version: ESYS is much easier to code with, did all I wanted and more. Shared BMW components let you do fun things like have the BMWi interface and Rolls Royce sounds instead of the MINI ones.

 

Interior pictures

 

Looks good!

 

Looks very nice!!

 

I wanna do the black rings on the headlights and the taillights as well. I'll have to read your thread on the LED bulbs for the interior because that sounds like something I'd like to do as well. I'm just not very good at doing stuff like that, to worried I'll tear something or scratch something up. I'm interesting in the coding but will that mess up or void any warranty or make MINI mad whenever I get it serviced? I thought all the exterior lighting was LED (brake lights, taillights, side scuttles).

 

VERY NICE - I really like how swapping the chrome trim for black looks on a white/black MINI.

 

Great post!

Love the LED cornering function too. It's really amazing! I didn't realize they activate when backing-up.

We still have those pesky visor incandescent lamps to figure out (not that I use them, but they're there!).

Coding was the best thing I ever did. I enjoy the changes daily, and I'm sticking with my BMW gongs. I like them a lot better. I love comfort access power-folding the mirrors. Why this was inactivated from stock is baffling! Why wouldn't you want to do this? I live in Philadelphia, where folding the mirrors is a REQUIREMENT, every time. Otherwise, bye-bye mirrors!

As for auto-parking? It does a brilliant job, but in cutthroat parking situations, it cannot always be used. If there are cars up your butt, you cannot always have the luxury of the extra space it requires (to pull ahead). Also, on some of our narrow streets, of which we have many, it will hop the opposite curb in the process, and that won't do.

I wish we could swap our crappy, comically huge FOBs for BMW ones. Our FOB's buttons are horrible!! HATE our FOB!!!!

 

Thanks for the comments guys!

Coding can cause some issues, but I haven't run into any one mine yet. How your MINI dealer reacts to it (if they even notice) will depend on your dealer. Worst case is you do something that bricks something and the dealer has to reprogram it and they would charge you for the reprogram.

Yeah, when you shift into reverse, both cornering lights come on.

I haven't swapped out my visor lights, mostly because I never use them and besides, LED lights are NOT flattering at all compared to warm incandescents

I decided to stick with the BMWi sounds myself

I do wish the fob was smaller, especially coming from the smaller R60 fobs..

 

Congrats! You definitely didn't leave anything to chance.

Nice garage too

 

Nice Car. Any options you didn't get? I like the painting of headlight and door handles. If I get another or lets say my own as the one we have is my wife's I would paint the mirrors, headlight trim and any other trim body color. I like the second color on the roof but don't like the mirrors the same color as the roof. Just me. Being from the 50's and 60's car scene I am not fond of black wheels, just my era. If a copy of your car was on the lot and I was ready to buy I would take it. Wheels are easy to change... Enjoy. Will be up your way this summer Niece live in Ballard and we love Bainbridge, this year we will bring the Clubman and live the big Expedition home, be cheaper on the Ferry.


Tom

 

Thanks!

I checked all the boxes I could, but the only option I didn't get was the Active Driving Assist since it can't be specced with the JCW exterior pack. I don't miss it. My next one probably won't have the Park Assist or a sunroof (I used to be a sunroof guy, but I kind of like the dark enclosed feeling of this one - I haven't kept the screens open, much less open the roof.)

Ballard is awesome. My wife and I would love to live there, but houses were way too expensive there and a condo doesn't work for us.

 

Very nice!

 

I was looking for a special section in NAM for the F55 multi-door (4 or 5, whichever!) and only found this one thread so far, but what a good way to start.

Serious zero, your car is beautifully done and looks so different from all the typical models in orange, blue and red that I see in all the tests. I see the F55 as a likely replacement for my Clubman if that day ever comes, so I'm curious to see the insiders' take on it.

The Motoring File writer said something like 10% worse handling and 40% better space inside, vs. the Clubman.

Will this be the place where everyone comments on their F55 or are there more threads starting here in the Hardtop forum. Usually each model gets its own room, such as R58 vs. R55, etc.

I've built a few on the Mini web site, so your careful description of the options is most entertaining and appreciated.
I'm about to get a cuppa Joe and read the thread in detail :-)

 

I think what MF was trying to state is that the F55 4-door is to the F56, much like the R55 Clubman was to the R56

Although I disagree with the 10% less handling

 

I think that was the point. Mini has evolved into 3 sizes. The 3 door Hatch, the 4 door Hatch (little longer wheelbase, easier rear seat access, a little heavier), and the soon to be released updated Clubman, which takes over the Countryman's role as the bigger taller car that can seat 5. The smallest cars (Coupe, Roadster) died even though they had the lowest COG, 50/50 weight distribution, and stiffest frames. They were the best handling, the track cars, but didn't sell squat because buyers want that bigger car, the BMW like refinement and quietness and handling. The F56 line brings that to Mini and that's a good thing. It won'd be long before the R53 supercharged cars that people changed pullys on for power have the antique license plates on them!

 

Thanks for the compliments!

F55 comments are actually scattered throughout the F56 boards. I don't think they need another section because they are mostly the exact same as the F56, just two more doors and more room. The packages, equipment, pricing, tips and tricks are virtually the same. Since most of the info is the same, I think it's ideal to keep it on one board so F56/F55 owners see the same info.

I wouldn't say it has 10% worse handling, it is a little less darty than the F56 (but pretty close), but it makes up for it with a smoother ride, thanks to the longer wheelbase.

Agreed! May not corner as well as the F56, but it's damn close and as I mentioned above, the longer wheelbase gives it a smoother ride than the F56.

 

If you're in doubts as to the handling, take a look at this video of the F55 around a track in the UK:

 

I think the reviewer says the 4 door is 600 lbs heavier than the 2 door? Mini USA lists the 4 door as only 125 lbs heavier than the 2 door and the Countryman as 325 lbs heavier than the 2 door.

The wife and I both felt the gear box on the 6 gear manual transmissions on the 2015 models felt easier to use than our 2011-2012 Minis. We also found the noise level and and roughness in the suspensions to be superior for day to day driving. We both ordered Dynamic Damper Control, which seems like a great answer to the stiff driving machine vs a less jolting in city ride.

 

Siriuszero, I'm fairly new to the forum and the MINI world in general - I just saw this thread and wanted to thank you for the great post, it was really helpful!

I ordered my F56 3 weeks ago and it's currently awaiting transport to the states. I ordered most of the same options you did (with the exception of the alarm and the park assist) so I was really glad to get your feedback, particularly on the cornering headlights and HUD. The waiting game is the hard part

Thanks again!

 

Glad my post helped! That was my intent

As I mentioned, I could probably do without Park Assist on the next one, so I don't think you'll miss it.

The waiting IS hard! But as soon as you lay eyes on YOUR MINI, it makes it worth it (mostly)

 

I was briefly considering the Park Assist because I really wanted the adaptive cruise and the active driver assist (I think that's what it was called) that shows the current speed limit when navigating, but all of that really amounted to toys for me so I opted out.

Anyway, I'm sure it'll be well worth it when she finally arrives; until then I'll drive vicariously through all of you wonderful people

 

Very nice looking F55 you bought. Congratulations. I really like the mods you've done so far. I've door a bit of de-chroming on my '14 MCS but not to the extent you've done. I also replaced the shifter ball with the new Craven ball with brown cap to match my interior. My options are very close to yours. One thing that's identical between yours and mine.......the driving fun and excitement!