Just picked ours yesterday! Agree with most of the comments here. The drivability, rawness, braking power and handling are tremendous. She is definitely special and can't wait to get her broken in and see what she can really do.

It's fairly loud inside the cabin. To me, the exhaust doesn't seem much louder, if any, than our '09 JCW. I do think it's due to tire noise. I'll be curious to see what people report back when they get different tires. Surprisingly enough, after one day and 100 miles, I actually missed things I didn't necessarily think I would and that I've gotten used to on our other cars. The steering wheel button controls are handy and it was a little irritating and distracting to reach over to change volume and/or station/songs, etc. Then again, maybe they figured you can't hear it well anyway so turn it off when you're driving . Also, having had comfort access since '07 on all our cars, having no comfort access was different. Stop/started the car several times and had to remind myself to push the lock/unlock button on the remote and insert key into the slot before pushing button. Anyway, love love love the car just didn't realize how soft technology was making me! It just reminds me this car is about driving and not a rolling living room or computer on wheels!

Now, need to get out and put some miles on her so we can really have some fun!

Congratulations everyone! We did well!

 

sound's like what a John Cooper Works car should have been all along! But then again I like all my gadgets too

 

I think the GP is less noisy inside than my 2011 MCS with the seats down.

Exhaust note is also soft unless I am really on it or have the door open.

I am really impressed with the ride so far.

 

Also just replaced my Bilsteins with H&R RSS coilovers and noticed that the stock GP springs are made by H&R... pretty cool.

 

any one notice that the front of the car has chrome trim line at the bottom of the hood when closed but the upper portion is blacked out?

 

ah, yours is the first that I seen like that...

 

guess I will have to get the dealer to fix that!

 

I know it's "stripped down" to save weight (no back seat, sunroof, etc.). Is auto A/C included? I know that wasn't available on the original GP, and Xenon headlights weren't either. Weird that there are no steering wheel controls or cruise. Can't imagine that would make much of a difference in weight.

With regard to the "secret compartment", my understanding is that there was an issue with the compartment staying closed, and that ALL R56 models no longer have one that opens.

 

I think this has more to do with the thickness of the leather dash giving the compartment interference when opening and closing.

 

-yeah I think you are exactly right. I have retrofitted one in my car and can confirm that it does open and close- albeit with a little assistance on my end- no different from my '12 FJCW R55. I press it in and have to push down on the knee pad to "thin it out" and then it opens. I had no idea all the 2013 R56's stopped incorporating them.

I am also looking into whether or not a rear window replacement is needed to fit our rear spoilers. I think this has more to do with the rear wiper delete (no hole) than with the fitting of the spoiler itself. I would be willing to take mine off and trial fit it on a non GP R56... if anyone reading this is local to PNW, hit me up.

 

I know there is a compartment toward the boot that opens with a twist kn0b. There are two small compartments under the lid. Is there another compartment right behind the front seats where the rear seats used to be?

 

Toyopet,
No, the twist open compartment is the only compartment besides the tool kit/air compressor that is further back in the rear. Once you untwist the cover there is a piece of grey styrofoam that splits the compartment in two... BMW/Mini could have come up with a better design in my opinion...

 

I am surprise they did not put the JCW Challenge Exhaust on the GP.

 

Essentially a 2.75" straightpipe with a muffler? Yeah, like that'll get through the ports of America.

 

Is the rear still wired for speakers? I know there are no rear speakers, but the stock head unit can still run them, correct?

 

I partially removed the rear plastic sides and did not see any wiring there- it seems logical that they are there, I just didnt see them. they may be tucked up away. It will tough for me to investigate the sides now that the roll cage is installed but I can check the rear- there is a spot in the center that looks like a speaker "should" go there.. I can see what it looks like under there this weekend

 

there was the question of whether or not the rear spoiler would need the rear glass replaced for it to work. I think this stemmed from Mini parts dept showing the GP specific "rear wiper delete" glass... I confirmed that the glass has nothing to do with the spoiler. I removed my spoiler to get the facts.

The spoiler supports mount to the glass using a removable "C" channel bracket. The top secures to the roof just as a standard spoiler would mount- to the hatch using 5 10mm nuts.

Pictures are worth a thousand words so here we go:

removed these 4 torx nuts first- two per side:


remove the rubber caps to get to the 10mm nuts




here it is off the car:



side/upright support brackets



part numbers for reference:

 

Nope. Other "garden variety" R56s have had the compartment sealed off for some time now. Even those without the leather dash option.

 

what's weird is that I just (yesterday)got a 2013 loaner R56 Cooper while my paint protection was being installed and it had the storage compartment there... so I am not sure what the logic is for cars that have them and cars that do not...

 

My 2013 Clubman (built in January) was ordered with the JCW leather dash, and it has the secret compartment.

 

Is it true that the Euro versions got 218hp? I know we have 211. If the Euro version has 218hp wonder wif it is possible to get that extra 7hp in the US cars?

 

My DE GP has 160kW in reg. certificate.
According to Google "160 kilowatts = 214.563534 hp" So it's just in the middle between your 211 and 218..

Update: Just found out it's "mechanical horsepower". And if we're talking about "metric horsepower" it has to be 218...

 

thanks

 

Rum4,
did you ever get the lower chrome grille replaced with black?

 

Yes got it fixed the same day. It was a screw up from the factory.