There is another thread here about the rearview mirror being larger than it needs to be, and obstructing vision out the front. After 3900 miles I'm still having trouble getting used to what I consider limited vision out the rear, in particular over my left shoulder. I'm coming off of eight years of driving an Altima which had a ton of vision looking back, whether over my left or right shoulder. I just don't like having to rely so much on my mirrors to see what's behind me. I'm keeping the rear seats down just because the added headrest height takes away that tiny bit of vision. **NO, not interested in going back to an Altima, but don't want to blindly praise something I'm not happy with. Anyone else feeling this?
=====
MCS . LiB/B . 6 spd . Premium . Leatherette . Pacific Blue . Brushed Alloy . Sunroof Tint

 

Yea, the front view is also somewhat like looking out the slit of a tank -- exacerbated by my using the lowest seat position. I was used to a much lower car, so the MINI felt like driving in an SUV. To minimize this I put the seat in its lowest position.

This high-waisted fashion has really changed the view out of cars. I first noticed this trend when a friend was looking at getting an Audi (TT I think).

In comparison, my 1990 Integra is like driving in a greenhouse.

I'm glad I got the Park Distance Control.

 

The view out could be worse....

 

Like Robin stated, it is the high waist design of most new cars which is causing this. My Lexus IS (Isis) is worse than than Romi in this regard. So when I get into Romi, she feels like a greenhouse.

I am not sure how the hieght of the seat would matter. I am 6'3" tall and have the seat at its lowest setting in Romi as well, just so I have sufficient head room. Same in the Lexus.

I have to crane my neck when at stop lights to look under the front edge of the roof to see the lights. I do not mind the trade off in this. It means I cannot reach the windshield with my hand. Putting that far forward opens up the interior space of the Mini making it feel larger than it really is. In the Lexus, the top of the windshield is nearly at my forehead, making it feel more cramped.

Mini has plenty of room to slope the windshield more, but then it would not look like a Mini.

 

Hey Skuzzy have you seen this product?
http://www.lightinsight.com/our_product.htm

At 5'6" I don't really need it. But I know a good idea when I see it.

BTW, has anyone ever driven a Pacer?

 

MiniMoMir-The rear head rest comes off ,I took the one off were my kids car seat is he's not tall enough to need it.

 

This is an excellent product. I got mine last week. Makes a huge difference in seeing the stop lights and it is fairly unobtrusive.

 

I don't see the problem, no pun intended. Lightinsight fixes the traffic light problem. You should not be actually turning your head to look out the rear --- that is dangerous. You should be using your mirrors. I was driving, most recently, a 1996 Protege. I find the visibility in the MINI at least on par with it and probably better.

Is the auto-dimming mirror different than the standard one? I have it and it sure doesn't seem large to me.

 

I respectfully disagree. Almost all cars have a blind spot. I have taught my daughter that she has to do a visual sweep of the next lane before changing. First it's blinker, rearview, side mirror, then peripheal vision out the side window. We shortened it to blink, mirror, mirror, shoulder. And it's a glance, not a stare.
We aint put anybody in the ditch yet, but she has had to kill the blinker and wait because someone was there.

 

I dunt(tm) find the auto-dimming mirror to be that big either. Overall, blind spots seem pretty small, once the mirrors are adjusted. But there are blind spots. I do a quick turn to catch them in peripheral. No need to look over my sholder. About a 45 degree rotation is all I need to catch the blind spot.

Yep, I know about that product LynnEl posted about it when he got it. I just have not gotten around to ordering it yet.

 

Remember Raul Julia in the first Cannonball movie?

As he ripped off the rear view mirror in the Ferrari.........."What's behind me is not important!"

 

Someone didn't take driver's ed. Or forgot about SMOG.

Signal, Mirror, Over the shoulder, Go.

You can see a lot more looking over your shoulder, including your blind spot. Relying on mirrors is fine if you've been watching a lane for a while and know it's clear but if you make a quick lane change then you really should do a quick "over the shoulder" check for your blindspot first. I used to do a lot of driving on very crowded city roads and I remember a few situations where, had I gone by mirrors only, I would have hit someone.

 

I disagree. I am 6'1" Visibility is very good from the MINI. In fact much better than the 3 series Bimmer my wife drives. I like the seat up as much as posible and am not really bothered by traffic light observation problems. The older model was much worse in that respect.

 

It shows more than is useful, such as the pillars on the side of the rear window, and part of the driver's head. So, it is bigger than it needs to be.

Anyone gotten Multivex Blind Spot Mirrors for an R56?

 

Actually, there IS a way to set the mirrors such that you almost never need to look over your shoulders when changing lanes. Check this web page at National Motorists Association: http://www.motorists.org/other/home/...-your-mirrors/ . At the worst, I only turn my head maybe no more than 45 degrees, if that, to make sure there isn't any car next to me, when changing lanes. It has worked out very well for me in my Saturn coupe. I don't know if it'll work for the MINI Coopers, but I think it will. So give it a shot and see if it works.

 

Must be seating position related. No part of my head shows up in the rear view mirror and I only see the edge of the passenger side C pillar as I position the mirror to favor the passenger side of the vehicle.

 

I have my MINI and Integra set that way. Works fairly well, but a wider view would give me more confidence.

 

Over the shoulder is for parking or before you are moving. While moving you should NEVER look away from the direction you are travelling. NEVER.

 

If you would have hit someone by using your mirrors, they aren't adjusted right.

 

I'm not talking about a glance out the side window. I'm talking about the "turning your head around Exorcist style, as if you don't have a rearview mirror.

 

I have never owned a car that didn't show more than just the rear glass. I've never seen my head in the mirror either.

 

Agreed.

 

For years and years and years I drove with a sliver of the side of my car showing in my outside mirrors. Then one fine day I read this same information in a Click and Clack article. I tried it. It has worked miracles. Who sez you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I still turn my head a little to double check before changing lanes cause that's what I learned in Driver's Ed.

 

Tell that to well, very nearly every driving school and driver's handbook author ever. Disagree if you like but to be clear: virtually no driving safety experts agree with you (and I only say "virtually" to cover extreme cases, not because I've ever read one). Looking over your shoulder before changing lanes is a very clear and ubiquitious guideline for driving. In fact, one commonly used criterion for determining whether an elderly or otherwise disabled person is able to drive is considering whether they have full range of motion to look over their shoulder.

If you disagree with me on this point then I'd love to see some driving safety literature that says otherwise.

The "blind spot" of most car/mirror combos is not to the direct side of the car so this does nothing.

 

If your mirrors are adjusted properly, there is no blind spot. To adjust:

Drivers side. Normal view with head positioned against the drivers side window.

Center mirror - Normal View

Pass Side. Sit with your head in the center of the car and adjust for a normal view.

Now you should see cars "leave" your side mirror and appear in your center mirror. Absolutely no blind spot and MUCH safer than glancing away from the direction you are traveling in.