They don't ship MINIs in enclosed trucks in Canada? Dayum that thing is dirty.

 

Boat across the ocean. Train across the country. Truck from railyard to dealership. No VDC in Canada.

 

What was damaged on the car?

 

Front clip looked like it bumped up against whatever was in front of it. Nothing structural, but enough to crack the plastic in a few places...

 

I don't think I can sleep. I'm pumped about the test drive of the JCW Coupe tomorrow.

Never even seen one in the flesh yet so this should be a hoot. I hope it's everything that everyone has been saying. I suppose I should hit the hay. The time will get here even quicker If I can close my eyes.

Report coming tomorrow.

 

Looking forward to your report!

 

That was my thought. I sat in one at Desert MINI in Vegas and the blind spots concern me. Especially with the spoiler deployed (which it wasn't in the show room).

 

Well I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that I was able to drive the Coupe S model only. The JCW was on the showroom floor and just asking to be driven but..................

I was told on the sly that several people had driven the car on Thursday and Friday but that the owner of the dealership told them to put it on the showroom floor with no test drives until further notice. I was told that several people that test drove the car were driving it like maniacs and in fact that someone had called the Dealership principal and complained that the person driving the vehicle cut them off on the freeway and were driving in an erratic and careless way.

Whether or not this is all true I really don't care. The fact of the matter is that I WANT to drive the car that I bought and they should provide that opportunity. I was told on the side that the arrangements would be made to drive the car on Tuesday. Why then I'm not sure. I can tell you I'm not very happy. I will be on the phone first thing on Tuesday to make sure this gets done. But enough of that.

On to my impressions of the S Coupe.

I really like the car and I fit in it just perfectly. I did not get any sense of excessively blocked vision at all. (I also think that I can wear a helmet in the car and have an 1/8 between the helmet and roof top.) Nor did the side windows seem low to me. I could see out each side window just fine with no blockage at all. I ran down the freeway several times and then drove some real rough roads as well. I drove it at every imaginable speed, (except real fast) and tried to change lanes as much as possible paying attention to blind spots etc. Looking through the mirror on the freeway my ability to see out was not an issue. With the spoiler up I don't think the view was blocked very much at all. The spoiler is pretty flat and still allows for a decent view. Certainly to see other cars easily enough. There are significant blind areas on each side of the car. In the usual spots but once you are used to those and have your mirrors adjusted properly I just don't think it will be an issue. Certainly not enough to disqualify the car to purchase. (I thought the 370Z car was much worse.) It's like any car you have to understand it and get used to it and be cautious when you make lane changes. It's what we should all do anyway.

One thing I did notice on the Couple was that the auto Up window feature did not work. It went down with the one touch very nicely but going up it would not work. I had to keep my hand on the button in order to raise the window. I'm not sure if this was just a programming issue or what? But I think the car is supposed to have that feature. UPDATE Nope I just got a call back from the MA that helped me today and he said that this car does not have the one touch up feature because the car is based on the convertible chassis and the convertible does not have that feature. I don't like that at all frankly. Also the spoiler up/down switch works the same way the hatch button works for the sliding roof. You have to hold the button until the spoiler is up/down. I also noticed that the spoiler does not go up at exactly 50 mph not did it come down at exactly 50 mph. Sometimes it would go up at 55 to 58 mph and then go down at 40 or 45. It varied quite a bit but I don't think it's that big of a deal.

This car was amazingly quiet and with little road noise at all. It had the all season run flats on it and I was quite frankly surprised at how quiet the cabin was. Even at freeway speeds. Compared to my 09 MCS this car was like driving a Cadillac. I could just barely hear the engine when at idle. The exhaust was sweet and that's what I could hear at idle. Very Very Very nice. My wife made mention that she thought something was rattling but it wasn't it was actually the pop and burble from the exhaust. Swwweeeeettttttt.

This is also my point for wanting to drive the JCW. The S Coupe has the updated motor with the VVT and other enhancements and the JCW has the older engine. I would think there is a pretty big difference between the two. I'm concerned that the JCW will not be as quiet and refined as the S Coupe.

The ride was something else. I went down some of the same roads that I drive every Sunday on my way to church. These roads are pretty rough and in my current MCS you know it. It bounces and moves about a bit even with non run flats on my car. But the S Coupe was a joy to drive over those same roads. Solid as a rock, quiet and contained, and a joy to drive. Also during the test drive I got no hint of torque steer at all. It really was quite amazing. This car also accelerated faster that my MCS and felt a little quicker overall. Not hugely so but of course it also has the VVT engine and has a few more HP compared to mine.

This car also had the H&K sound system and quite frankly I don't have any idea why people would complain about this stereo. I thought it was just fine and frankly didn't make any adjustments at all. The treble and bass settings etc were all flat and it sounded great. Not a hint of too much of anything. I liked the sound and think it much much better than the stereo in my MCS. No comparison. This car did not have the Auto AC or any of that so I didn't mess with the heater or AC. One thing my wife noticed right away and that I didn't was that the visors do not have lighted mirrors. I think that is pretty cheesy for a car costing this much. The visors in our current cars both have lighted mirrors, passenger and driver. Why they didn't put those in this car is beyond me. Someone missed the boat in my opinion. It's certainly not a deal breaker but my wife thought it was kind of lame. UPDATE I asked about this just a few minutes ago when the MA called me back. Same reason for no lighted mirrors the Coupe is based off the convertible thus no lighted mirrors.

I also noticed and my wife did as well was that the seats seem more comfortable and the leather softer. The cushioning seemed much better not as hard and uncomfortable as the seating in our current cars. I had to get the Lounge leather in my MCS because my wife's seats were very uncomfortable for me. I actually think that this would be a car that you CAN take on a long trip, and get luggage in it to be able to do so, and still have some sense of sensation on your backside when you get to your destination. I don't think it would require getting out and stretching every 100 miles like you would have to in our current cars.

Overall I think that for the money Mini has the best Coupe on the market right now. Time will tell how it will hold up but based on the quietness and smooth drivability of this car I think it's a heck of a buy.

Is it something that I would trade my MCS in on. Well maybe. I think I need to sleep on it.

I still have a lot of unanswered questions as far as the JCW. How does it sound and ride compared to the S Coupe? That's a huge question mark in my mind especially since it does does not have the updated power-plant like the S Coupe. That could make a huge difference in my mind.

In conclusion I have no conclusion. I really need to drive the JCW before I make my decision. If there was no JCW available would I trade up to the S Coupe. You know I probably would just to get the added drivability and uniqueness that the Coupe S affords.

But I also have to say that there is a chance that I will bail on this deal. I have to say that the difference between the updated engine and the older engine in our current cars is very apparent and noticeable. It may be worth waiting for the 2013 model with the updated engine and supposed HP increase. I will make my decision once I can drive the JCW Coupe.

I hope I didn't leave anyone wanting. I was very disappointed that I could not drive the JCW. While I don't have all my questions answered I do think I got my answers as far as a direct comparison to our current S series.

If you have any questions please ask.

Regards,

Pat

Motor On

 

Cool, thanks for the thorough review! I look forward to test driving one, even though it will be awhile before I can justify trading in my R50.

 

Thanks for the report Pat, particularly interesting to me because I am getting a S and lot of reports are for the JCW.

The one you drove didn't have the Sport suspension? When you say it was solid on the rough roads you mean stable? The ride was still comfortable, not harsh?

That's good news about the runflats, I should be able to wear them out before putting on regular tires lol.

 

I don't think it had the Sport suspension. Very stable. Not only stable but it actually masked some of the bumps and bruises quite effectively. Especially when you compare it to my 09 MCS.

But I plan to be back at the dealership on Tuesday so I will make it a point to look at the window sticker on this car and make note of the feature list. I will report back and add to this thread. (Should have done this today. Dang it!)

It really felt good. I was really surprised at how stable and secure it felt. I had to look to make sure I was driving a Mini.

You should be able to use the run flats easily. At least in my opinion. We actually left the run flats on my wife's MCS. We got 37,000 miles on them. They were the Continental run flats. I discovered the key to long mileage on the run flats is to rotate like clockwork every 5K miles and keep the TP dead on. Check weekly and you will get a lot of miles out of those tires. I thought 37K on my wife's car was great for RF.

I will double check the specs on the Coupe S my next trip to the dealer. (Should be Tuesday.)

 

I finally got to see a JCW Coupe today. It was in the same LB/B combination as so many other dealer demos. I probably could have driven it, but I think I'll wait to drive mine when it eventually gets built and delivered.

 

Sorry to hear that Pat, you are going to love the difference with the JCW. I already have my autoup circuit on order personally. Still have to say that over the years one thing I have learned is waiting for the next and greatest is a never ending drama. The next generation JCW motor will come out and it will be bright and shinny with a tiny bit more power, then a few more months will go by and the rumors of a upgrade will hit the market. This happens again and again. Find the car that you want and jump in with both feet.

 

Who did you get your Auto Up circuit from? Let us know how the install goes... I've been spoiled by "new car" features, and that's one that I like having.

 

Well I get to show my ignorance now. I don't even know what an "auto up circuit" is. Someone will have to explain that one to me.

On another note I received a call from the Sales Manager today apologizing for the fact that I was not allowed to drive the JCW Coupe while I was there this past Saturday. He stated that a good customer (I guess he meant me LOL.) should have had the opportunity to drive it. I was driving down the road and so I told him I would call him back once I got to my office.

Anyway I will call him back in a bit and make another appointment to drive the car. I'll give another write up as well on this drive and then I will have a comparison between the S and the JCW. So stay tuned.

I'll post up when the drive time is set.

 

My dealership finally got a Coupe, S model in red with the silver roof. Frankly I think it is a terrible color scheme, but otherwise it looks pretty cool. It'll be ready for test driving next week, and I plan on taking it for a spin.

Interior looks VERY roomy, and the boot is huge!

 

Glad they worked that out with you.

Also 'Auto up' is auto up on the windows.. mod to install it :P

 

My auto up circuit is designed by a EE friend of mine, would say a one off but actually a two off as he built one for his 2010 JCW. Sadly he has no intention of taking it to market.

 

We'll the test drive is set for this Thursday at 2:00 pm. I purposefully picked this day because there is supposed to be no rain. Who wants to drive a JCW Coupe in the rain? I certainly don't. Off and on rain until then so the roads will be nice and clean.

I'm looking forward to it.

Ahhhh the auto up on the windows. Now I have ya. Yea I really don't mind that too much. Even if there were one to be had I probably would not do that mod. Simply cause I really don't care. It's not on my hot list of things to have.

I think my wife if more miffed because the mirror isn't lighted. I really don't care about that either since in two years of ownership I think I only used one once just to see if it worked.

I'll post up a report on Thursday evening after the drive.

Motor On all you guys that have your Coupes!!

 

The S I drove did have the Sport suspension and it was not bad at all. I think If I were to buy and S I would order it with the Sport. It seems like a better ride than my 09 S which does not have the Sport suspension. So go for it. And lets face it once you put regular tires on it the ride will get even better.

It was stable on all roads that I drove and I drove on smooth and pretty rough. I don't know what Mini has done with the suspension since 2009 but it sure seems to ride better than my car. I didn't think there were many changes to the suspension? Maybe it's just me or the fact that it is a new car not sure.

 

Thanks for checking what suspension the S had. Weren't you going to test drive the JCW today? Would like to hear what you think of it.

 

From reports I've read on MotoringFile, MINI put a whole lot of time and effort into fine tuning the Coupe's suspension. Thus, it doesn't surprise me that the Coupe's suspension is better than the hatch's (with or without the sport suspension option).

 

Well luck was with me it was nice and dry. I drove the S Coupe first, the same one I drove before and it did have the Sport suspension. My previous observations still stand. Smooth as silk, quiet and the suspension was not too harsh at all. It seems to me that Mini has changed the suspension or tuned it more as compared to my 2009. I would buy this car if I were not buying the JCW.

The JCW was a fun car to drive and the HP difference was notable. The car seemed just as quiet as the S at idle. But once you put your foot in it that was the end of that. You can hear the engine and it sounds sweet. There was some turbo lag but not much and once it spooled up the car ran really really sweet and sounded great. I'm thinking of the Motoring File review between the S and the JCW and I seem to remember the reviewer saying that if he had to drive the JCW in traffic it was harder to handle than the S but I did not feel that. I think the car will work just as well in traffic or on a twisty cranking it. It seemed no more work, (if you can call driving these cars work at all.) than the S. Just with a truckload more torque and it just felt and sounded more powerful. (Well it is.)

The clutch is different than the S for sure. i preferred the JCW clutch. It more closely resembled the clutch in my current car. I wouldn't have trouble using either so it's not a deal at all in my book.

I didn't notice any torque steer in this car either. I did not beat the hell out of the car in deference to the dealer, but I don't think it is an issue.

Visibility was not an issue as I stated previously and I still don't think it is. It's just a matter of getting used to it. I have a sneaking suspicion that this car is going to be the funniest and most favorite car I have ever driven or owned.

I can't wait to get my car, Brewster.

Not sure what else I can tell you but feel free to ask what you will and I will try and answer.

Pat

 

Guess you aren't waiting

 

You would guess right sir!!

The days are going to drag now. Shoot.