One of the worst things about having ordered a MINI that has not gone into production yet is the ability to over think the configuration and doubt your choices.

At the moment I am comfortable with all of the selections I have made, except for one, the sunroof. I have a sunroof in the car I drive now and use it infrequently ...but I do enjoy it when I use it. I've been lucky that it has never developed any rattles or squeaks, as they have in other cars I've owned and have been in. Can any R56 owners weigh in on this? Is the sun roof squeak and rattle free? Or, is it too soon to tell?

I've also heard that a car without a sunroof can have more structural integrity; in some instances making it handle better and safer in a crash. Is there any creedence to this?

Thanks in advance for your time.

dean.

 

Sunroofs add weight. Weight kills speed so the sunroof won't be on my spec. Also I had one in a rental once in Southern CA. First time it rained in like a month I left it open over night. Riding in a soaked seat back to the airport was not fun. There have been some rumblings on mini2 about rattles from the sunroof.

 

Sunroofs add weight and can arrive with, or develope problems over time (drainage, leaking, rattles, rust). There were problems with the R53 sunroof and a few issues with the R56 reported on MINI2 as well. MINI has made efforts to fix these issues if and when they develope.

That said, I'm getting a sunroof. I've allways loved the dual pane panoramic roof in the MINI and couldn't imagine owning one without that distinctive key feature.

 

A sunroof will add about 55 lbs in the worst place possible if you think about doing autoX or track type events . The Mini sun roof is quite large and for all its complexities has fairly good performance and reliability . For the rite buyer it might mean more resale wise if that is of any concern.

 

You have to figure in your own mind how much you enjoy the sun, how often you open the roof and your need for natural sunlight.

If you're ok without all those aspects and are intending to auto-x - then by all means go without the roof. It won't hinder the value as much as say a high-end BMW without a roof.

 

I decided against the sunroof because in the end I didn't think I'd miss it because I don't have one now.
My previous car to the current one had one and althougth I initially missed it I haven't even thought about it for quite awhile.
I had a tight budget so the sunroof wasn't important enough to give up something else. Tough choice though -- I also was rethinking and rethinking but thankfully my baby's in production now so my rethinking has ended. Wait long enough and you'll have your answer made for you.

 

I went back and forth on the sunroof as well. All the cards that I have owned over the year have had sunroofs and I seldom use them. In the end, I did order one. My car will be build next week with a sunroof.

 

Being tall, especially from the waist up, I don't appreciate sunroofs. They take up space where the top of my head would rather be. In most cars, including the R53, it's necessary, with sunroof, to tilt the seat back somewhat to be comfortable heighth wise. On tilting the seat back it's necessary to drive with arms outstretched, taking on a Frankenstein's monster pose. Now with the R56, the steering wheel telescopes, maybe even enough to allow someone with my handicap to drive more comfortably. We'll see. But be that as it may, my car won't have a sunroof. After all, sitting up straight is a nice thing to be able to do when the mood arises.

 

Resale value is greatly improved with a sunroof!

 

I had a 03 MC with sunroof and I do miss it. I wish my GP had one but not enough to dump the GP!!

 

I didn't want one... but glad that its there now!

 

Given a simple choice of having a sunroof or not, I'd rather have one. But, as I said at the outset, I'm not fond of squeaks and/or rattles.

I've had sunroofs in my last three cars (all Hondas) and the sunroofs have been dead silent, but the one in my wifes Lexus has a tiny squeak in it that can't be gotten out. It doesn't bother her at all ...but it makes me nuts. The one in my partners M3 makes so much noise its ridiculous ...I don't know how he puts up with it.

Resale shouldn't be an issue as I keep all of my cars over 150K miles ...or put another way, until they aren't worth very much anymore.

When ordering my R56 I test drove an R53 and didn't even notice if it had a sunroof. Maybe that's a good sign?

 

I'm getting sunroof for sure. Night drives when the moon is right above you are awesome with it. I guess I should have my eyes looking forward but I might be parked at a secluded beach

 

At a secluded beach your eyes shouldn't be on the moon either

 

I've had sunroofs in my cars for (literally) decades! I think they help resale value, and they're an absolute dream on sunny autumn and spring days. Here in Houston I use mine well into winter on good days. I've never had a rattle on my other cars; I hope my MCS won't rattle either.

 

Doesn't help resale with me - I won't buy a car with one.

 

hers will be

 

When you live here in Oregon, where the solid gray skies last way too long during the fall, winter and part of spring, any way to get a little more light inside is disirable. That's why I would not want a car without a sun roof.

 

Mine has never leaked or malfunctioned......
OH WAIT, I don't have one!!!!!
The last thing I need here in TX is an additional access point for the summer sun!

 

Wont buy a car without one, thats why a MazdaSpeed3 is not in my
driveway at this moment and why a STI isnt in my driveway in place
of the Tc (the limited wasnt available in 2004 :( )

Tim Plessing
Columbia, MD

1990 celica turbo alltrac - blue/blue cloth - 152K - Under restoration
1993 MR2 turbo - blue/black leather - 57K
2005 Scion Tc - 5 spd, SAB

 

Even though I'm in Texas, I'm getting the sunroof. Mine will be a daily driver, and won't see any track days.

I've driven MINIs with and without them (my wife's car has one) and the daily-drive experience for me is better, day and especially at night. I'm a large person (6'2", mumble-something pounds) and without the sunroof, I feel more confined, like I'm in a small car.

That being said, in many cars, I've had to specifically avoid sunroofs, because they add thickness to the roof, which decreases headroom. In the MINI however, they've managed to not decrease the headroom nearly as much as with some other cars. When I went shopping for my current car, I tried an Accord. I could only fit into the base model. The ones with the sunroof I couldn't fit into. And an Infiniti G Coupe? Granted, the one I tried had the seat all the way up, but my head stuck through the sunroof.

Needless to say, my fingers are crossed that the R56 hasn't lost any headroom due to the new seats. Yeah, the specs are OK, but I've learned headroom and legroom specs are very rough guides to the actual experience.

 

My first two MINIs did have sunroofs. I no longer have these cars. When I was shopping for my current MC, I absolutely did not want a sunroof. I can't report any problems with the sunroofs on the cars that I had, but I just didn't like them. A cabrio is one thing, but I'm just not crazy about sunroofs.

Chuck

 

Exactly! I'm just north of you in Washington... any additional light/brightness is a welcome thing! I like to take advantage when I can.

I figure if there's a point when I dislike it, I'll cover it with the white decal, so it looks like a solid white roof, but still lets some light through.

 

I've got the sunroof in my '03. As you said, when the time is good to use it, I love it. Problem is, I find that I have it open less and less. Even when the weather is nice and sunny, I just have the windows down more often - less sun bake-age that way. I haven't had any serious problems with the sunroof (did have the tracks replaced under warrantly a while back though), but I notice it does rattle/squeek over rough pavement.

Much as I love being able to open darn near the entire roof, if I were doing it again I'd probably save the money and weight and pass on it.

 

I'm definitely getting the sunroof. I think what makes the MINI even more distinctive from other cars is the sunroof. THe sunroof in my Infiniti right now is so small compared to the MINI.