Does anyone have any good reviews for the 2016 models coming out or long-term reviews for the 2015 models (especially the Hardtop 4 Door non-S)?

Edmunds has a long-term review for the 2014 Hardtop, though the individual stories are really light and most other reviews I've found are rolling in the S, which is very nice, but some people like the base Justa.

I'm just interested in reading as much about MINIs as I can and those would be the most directly applicable to my MINI.

 

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-rev...m-test-review/

The link is to a UK long-term review of a MINI 5-door. The car reviewed is powered by the 1.5 liter turbo with a manual transmission, so much of this review should be relevant to the corresponding US MINI.

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mini/mini

Another UK review at this link that may be relevant to the corresponding US MINI.

 

Awesome, thanks!

I'd be interested in any other great resources to read general info about the MINI, too, not just reviews.

 

I dont have any links to reviews, but I can give you my review if you want.
AWESOME!!
And if you want to read my take on general info I can give that also.
GET ONE!!

 

Well, I'll go ahead and post my review. I have had my 2016 F55 for just over a month and 2,700 miles now. I am not a quintessential "car guy".

My first cars were all used hand-downs from family - '91 Dodge Daytona (in awful shape), '92 Mitsubishi Montero, '92 Mazda Protege sedan (unbelievably solid little car, was perfect for college), '96 Acura Integra coupe - and my first new car, a 2009 Subaru Forester, was bought as the single most practical option available to us as a single car family (decent MPG, room for cargo / dogs / family, and AWD for snow driving).

I can change oil and could probably figure out some other basic maintenance like replacing brakes via YouTube videos, but I prefer to pay an expert to take care of my car.

I did spend a few months working as a porter at an Audi / Porsche dealership and while that was tremendously fun (somehow every delivery to a customer's home required a path across the University of Maryland campus, go figure), I don't need a car with insane acceleration or a high top speed, because I'll never be on a race track and I don't drive like that around town.

My wife and I settled on a MINI as our second car after briefly considering the Subaru Impreza Hatchback and the VW Beetle for a few reasons. We love the distinctiveness of the MINI and the "youification" while staying around $30,000. We wanted something with better MPG for our daily driver (my commute in DMV traffic was crushing my Forester down to ~18 MPG) while maintaining some semblance of a good drive (we test drove a Prius before buying the Forester and it was awful, like driving through mush). The 4 door hatch is what made a MINI possible for us, giving us a usable back seat and separate doors for when / if we need to put child seats back there in the near future.

I'm not going to lie, being able to get a beautiful red with black features (and stripes), customizable with bursts of yellow and white (go Maryland!) was a factor.

So, with that background, here goes:

Exterior Appearance



I don't have much experience with the original pre-BMW MINI. However, the redesign in 2001 always caught my eye and when we moved back from China in 2007, my wife also fell in love with the new styling (she's had a blue MINI convertible model on her nightstand for years now).

In researching the new 4 door, I saw many comments on how "ugly" it is and how it had "ruined" everything about being a MINI. I absolutely disagree.

I find that the extended lines give the MINI 4 door a much more aggressive look than the first generation redesign of the early 2000s (also feel the same way about the new generation of VW Beetle compared to the late '90s redesign). To me, the side profile is gorgeous, with the small distance from the wheels to the front and rear bumpers far more of a visual impact than the distance between the wheels.

I love the contrast of the body paint with the black of windows and pillars, as well as the roof / mirror options (though we did go body color, for temperature reasons). The black rims also add beautiful contrast.

I do agree with the critics that the rear tail lights are a bit on the over-sized side. However, that's something I'm absolutely willing to put up with because I'm now in a very small car and I very much like not being rear-ended. If larger tail lights increase the chances that some idiot behind me sees me and doesn't slam into my rear, that's a trade I'll make every day. Maybe in the future, MINI will come up with something much more creative and unusual (full LED ring around the entire rear?), but until then, super-size me.

I'm ambivalent on the front grille. I can see what some think it's too much, though maybe it's more subtle with a black car. I don't love it, but I also don't hate it.

What I love the most is that I have yet to park in public and not thought that my car was the most unique car in the lot and that's before I've even gone into customizations I want to do, like Maryland flag mirrors or a roof wrap. As small as my car is, when I see it sitting across the lot, my heart races. When it's tucked between larger cars and I come around a corner so it pops into sight, my heart races. I wish I could drive next to a truck with a giant mirror, so I could see it going down the road and I'm looking forward to the spring, when I'll have my wife do some videos of me driving on winding back roads. This is a car that I want to show off and when I leave it in my driveway for a few hours before putting it to bed in the garage, I know people are driving by and thinking, "That's an awesome car."

Interior Appearance and Comfort



Again, unique is the most important word to describe our MINI. We went relatively light, doing the mid-tier upgrade for the infotainment system (not XL) and not upgrading the seats (I loved the high-end leather options, but we opted to save the cost and have less maintenance with the leatherette). Another option I'm kind of regretting not getting is the anthracite headliner, but I'll live.

What we did get, I love. The red color line adds such an awesome burst of color. The LED accent lighting brings it out even more. I find the radio controls below the LCD screen a bit redundant to the steering wheel and the control wheel taken from BMW, but the airplane toggle switches are exactly the type of feature that screams MINI to me.

The steering wheel is very comfortable to hold. I usually drove my Forester with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the shifter, but the "thumb rests" (or whatever they're called) at 10 and 2 beg me to hold the wheel with two hands in full "Let's Motor Hard!" position.

Visibility is less than in the Forester, but it's nothing that couldn't be overcome. I am always aware of the cars around me anyway, because I assume they're going to do something incredibly stupid to try and kill me, and the mirrors provide solid coverage. The pillar to my immediate left is the only thing that really bothers me, as it's even with my head.

It took me a few weeks to find the exact seating position I wanted, coming from the high H-point of the Forester to the more reclined position of the MINI. I'm pretty comfortable with where I have the seat now and I chalk up any discomfort to the back pain I've had for over a decade. I'd even venture to say that the sport seats and the inviting nature of the steering wheel are encouraging better posture when driving. I do wish that the 2016 F55 had power memory seats.

So far, everyone who has sat in my MINI has commented on how surprisingly roomy it is. I've had four people in there several times. Last night, I was driving (5'10") and a 5'4" passenger was behind me. In the passenger seat, my 5'6" wife was riding shotgun while my 5'8" dad sat behind her with plenty of legroom for all. Last week, my 6'5" colleague sat in the passenger seat in front of a 5'2" colleague and both were comfortable. If everyone in your life is over 6', skip the MINI, but if you've got a more average size group of friends and family, I think you'll be fine.

The rear doors are what allowed us to even consider getting a MINI, because it seems like we won't have much of a hassle with child seats or kids. My German Shepherd would fit, especially with the seats down, but she will never be in the MINI; she's a constant fur bomb.

Speaking of cargo room, we had a large luggage bag and two suit / dress bags in the boot this past weekend without having to put anything in the back seat or put the seats down. For groceries and weekend trips, it's perfectly fine. For longer trips or going to Lowe's, that's what the Forester is for. It's a MINI, not a pickup.

The double moonroof is awesome, making the interior so bright. It is a bit on the noisy side, either in pop-up or open mode. There's also more road noise than in other cars. I guess the question is, did you get a MINI to be in touch with the road or to be isolated? If the latter, grab a proper sedan with soft tires and shocks. If the former, open it up and crank your music.

Two minor complaints: (1) I don't like the gas gauge. I think it would have looked so much better if it were a traditional round gauge (or arc, like the tachometer) to the right of the speedometer). (2) I wish that the interior lighting colors could also be applied to the gauges. It would be perfect if I could have my gauges the same red as my center display and accent lighting.

Driving Experience



Top. Notch.

No, I don't pull off the line at a green light like I'm drag racing and no, I don't hit triple digits on the highway.

What I have done is drive to Atlanta from Maryland, setting the cruise at 75 mph on the interstate and relaxed, because even without flooring it, the F55 Justa will get up to that speed comfortably and quickly and has even surprised me with hitting 80 while I felt like I was doing 55.

I have also taken my MINI over on country roads for Sunday drivin' twice. The first included a run starting in Urbana along MD 80 to MD 85, down Whites Ferry Road and then River Road to Seneca. I wasn't pushing the car hard, because I was still under 1,000 miles on the odometer, but taking "35 mph" turns at 60 felt incredible and scooting along tiny backroads sending fall leaves in my wake was awesome. I can't describe it, but when I passed another MINI driver that day, we gave each other knowing nods.

The second trip started in Martinsburg, taking backroads to Shepherdstown and then Harpers Ferry Road from Sharspburg to Harpers Ferry finishing with backroads to Gaithersburg. My wife was in the car and our Papillon was in the back seat, so turns and hills had to be taken a bit more carefully. What's that you say, a MINI meetup this weekend? I'll drive to that one solo...

Still, even on my daily commute, it's just an entirely different feeling to take circular onramps at full speed and know that when I need to have the power to get to a safe place on the road, it's there.

I alternate between the different driving modes as the situation dictates, going sport (with the suspension control) for zipping around and mid or green for maximizing mileage. I'm currently running 30 mpg or so for my daily commute, compared to 18 for the Forester. It's stoplights and slow traffic with random braking from people who don't know how to drive or who change lanes on a whim without signalling. 30 mpg is very doable for me, though. On the other hand, a tank of gas got me from Staunton, VA to Lavonia, GA at 41 mpg and I was pushing 45 mpg from Lavonia to Atlanta before city driving knocked that down. Even heading up into the mountains of northern Georgia and western North Carolina, I managed 36 mpg. I'm very happy with those numbers, giving me the option to take it easy and tease out mpgs or let it go and have fun.



Final Impressions

At a month and 2,700 miles in, the only regrets I have are not dropping more options in (a dangerous game that I'm sure many MINI owner has played and then gotten the bill for). They'd be nice, but everything I do have is damn near perfect.

Through suburban commutes, highways, downtowns, mountains, and country roads, my MINI has been happy and made me happy. I can't wait to customize it even more and spend next spring and summer piling up miles of fun. I don't see us having any issues with moving to a smaller car for daily use (maintaining a larger SUV for heavy lifting).

I have never driven a car that is this fun in this many different settings. Other cars may be faster, more posh, or more nimble, but the MINI has a unique combination that works.

It's comfortable, it's fun, and it makes me smile. What more could I ask for?

 

Great review and in depth. You can always add options and retrofit item down the road. I did that with my R52 .

 

Thanks for the review, LOL at the last picture!

 

Its likes hugs at the end of the day also.

 

Really good review with lots of details. I agree about loving the looks. I think it's beautiful and badass at the same time.

 

I agree with southern Maylander, I have had a my F56 2dr S for just over a week, I love the new looks and in every respect that the s differs from the justa, the S is overkill. I test drove the 4 dr s and it was just as crazy. Also, I am positive bmw must be underrating the output of these engines.

 

Thanks for your review! I am waiting on my F55 to be delivered and stuff like this makes the wait go by faster.

I'm also shocked with the number of people commenting on YouTube videos saying that this car is ugly. I also agree with you that it looks awesome and is clearly a Mini. It isn't like anything else on the road. Not even close. Most people who dislike it seem to be into the Ford Fiesta and VW GTI, neither of which are great looking cars in my opinion (I just find them very bland and generic stylistically), so to each his own I guess. Also I might add that the 4-door Mini is still smaller than the 4-door Fiesta and the 4-door GTI so those who complain it isn't small enough and then suggest you buy one of those cars instead aren't making sense.

 

Here is Car & Driver magazines experience.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...m-test-wrap-up

 

Wow those guys at Car and Driver (and all of the people in the comments section but one) REALLY hate MINI. What's with all the hate? I've seen a lot of overwhelmingly positive reviews of new Minis but usually the comments section is filled with a lot of hate. And the GTI/Fiesta/Fiat seem to get a lot of love in the Mini's comments section for some reason. I've heard bad things about the Fiat in terms of reliability and I don't think any of those three look nearly as nice as a Mini.

 

I was just wondering what kind of gas mileage u guys are getting. I've had my mini 4 door for 3 weeks.. And mostly city driving in mid mode and I am only getting 20 mpg!!! I do accelerate quickly from stops.. But would that cause me to lose 6 miles to the gallon!!

 

As I understand it you can only use high octane gas in minis. Generally the most expensive of the 3 they offer you at the pump. Check your owners manual!