I just got my third S....1st gen, refreshed 1st gen and now 2nd gen. Here are some reactions:

-First of all, I'll miss the the supercharger whine and exhaust burble. First
gen feels and sounds sportier. However, second gen feels easier to live with on a daily basis

-While the first two had significant mods (GIAC, pulley, exhaust, air filter), the '09 low end torque pulls harder off the line (in Sport mode) and is very satisfying... no comparison

-This Mini has as much or more power without any mods. I intended to install a JCW kit, but
don't think I really need it to completely enjoy the car

-It has taken time to warm up to changes in the exterior styling, but I really
like the more aggressive stance

-The interior is much improved...seats, lighting, telescopic steering wheel,
OBC settings, secret compartment. Better quality hardware overall,
including the armrest...and I don't mind the size of the speedo.

-The anthracite headliner is fabulous and with my first dual pane sunroof
and shade the lighting is perfect....adds a richness to the interior.

-A softer suspension and with non-runflat tires (205/50/16) the ride is much, much smoother and more comfortable

-The audio isn't as good as the HK even with HiFI, but it's OK. Would like
to see this improved in the future

-Everything is tighter about this 2nd gen car and I don't expect it to
develop the creaks and noises of the 1st gen

-Glad to have a color combo (laser blue/white) that I really, really like....even more than my dark silver/dark silver

Over all, I think the 2nd gen is a better car for me and I hope that BMW/Mini continues this trend with the third gen (2012?) when my current lease will be up.

 

excellent comparison, very interesting, thanks for posting! Is there a reason mini didnt go with HK for the stereo in the 2nd gen?

 

Your guess is as good as mine. It's too bad. Why wouldn't they want to improve the sound in a new model. Glad you enjoyed the post!

 

Herby74,
Very nice write up and comparison between the first and second generations

Congrats and enjoy your new LB/W MCS

 

informative... thxs

 

bah~ we are all biased here.

 

Herby74, you mentioned that you have non-runflat tires. What are you doing for a spare?

 

I agree with pretty much everything you said. The R56 is much easier to live with daily, but at the expense of some visceral excitement. That's why I have both chassis! One for track and one for daily. I don't agree that the R56 is built better or feels tighter; the R56 uses significantly cheaper materials and assembly techniques, and it will start rattling, even if it's subtle stuff and not blaring design mistakes like the early R53's dash rattle issue. I do feel the car has a better interior aura, which does counter the cheaper materials significantly. I also don't like the front control arm pivot change of the R56. It contributes to better handling at the expense of adding torque-steer. I'll take the trade off of the R53's front suspension anyday for driving pleasure.

The stereos in the R50/53 were better than the stereos in the R56, which still isn't saying much. MINI apparently can't make a decent stereo to save its life, which is good since the main focus is the car. The base R53 stereo is almost as good as the R56 Hi-Fi, which is scary. So far the best R56 audio solution is to get the base stereo and immediately do a front/rear pin swap and then change out the loudspeakers and add a subwoofer.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

I'm only on my second cooper S I used to have an 04 and after I drove an 07 I knew that I wanted one!!!! the only thing's I miss from the previous gen are the supercharger whine and the HK system other than that I love my R56 plus the good ole R53 was out of warranty so why not upgrade