My gas mileage has been really freaking good. So I'm pretty estatic. I think a full tank of gas will last me weeks which is great.

I also like how the rear doesn't get nearly as dirty in rain (but I guess this may be due to my color choice but also because the rear window will never eat the dirty water from the tail end. I haven't had a need for a rear windshield wiper during rain yet. Air seems to flow pretty well back there to clean it off.

I'm still playing around with seating position as well but I think I found it. I am sitting a bit low and a bit farther back but it is comfortable. Trucks in the lanes to the side of me and SUVs at red lights is weird because I can't actually see them.. just their cars. Their damn trucks/suvs are too high :P

Oh and tonight at a red light.. a car pulled up to the side and asked me to roll my window down. He asked if this was the new "Coupe". I said yep and he gushed about it for a good 15-20 seconds while we waited. That was awesome :D

 

That orange/black combo is the best color combination that I have seen on the coupe. Best of luck with it!

 

mph.....NO. Mph hasn't come close to disappointing me.

mpg.....YES.

 

Sweet -- I'm totally one of those people who yells at people in cars next to me to compliment them on their cars (or stops them in a parking lot, whatever), good to know people do appreciate this vs. getting a restraining order

 

A few first impressions from me, about 220 miles into ownership...

1- Unlike Pez, I find the engine to be extremely quiet. Mind you, I'm driving around with windows up, as it's still warm here in Tampa. I think an open intake might help to let some of the turbo whine out.

2- Also unlike Pez, my run-flat tires seem quiet, smooth, and relatively grippy. But I am also on the no-charge 16" wheels & Bridgestones. And I am a tire snob- I was expecting to hate these tires as much as the runflats on my R53's, but now I think I might be able to live with them until the rubber burns off. I'll update this impression after I hit the Dragon in a few weeks with by Porsche-driving buddies. (One week after MSSD, unfortunately)

3- Like Herby, I wish I had a rear window wiper. Alas...

4- Who the hell decided that the FOG LIGHT switch should default to off every time you shut off the ignition? I knew they'd never let the Sport & DSC Off buttons stay on, but the fog light switch??? WTF, MINI? (Hey, does anyone make a doo-dad like the old Ian Cull circuit to fix these issues?)

5- I never drove an R56, and only even rode in one for 1 hour-long round trip to the movies in New Orleans. So my recent driving comparisons are my '09 Mazdaspeed3, and 2 R53's. Even compared to the Mazdaspeed3, this R58 seems to have a rather civilized ride. It's quiet, smooth, and strong. Not the brute acceleration of the Speed3, but much of the Speed3's power was wasted in commuting. I'm not sure if I like the level of civility in the R58, though. My R53's were louder & the ride was rougher, but this translated into a very visceral, connected feel on the road. Mind you, the R58 will probably not leave my buttocks as numb after a long road trip, so there is a trade-off. The good thing is, after having purposely taken a number of corners, off-ramps, etc. with gusto, I can say that even though it feels smooth & soft, it handles like a MINI. It's a strange combination of sensations to get used to. I may begin to miss the road feel. Maybe 17" lightweight wheels & some S-Drives or Kooks (and a good set of coilovers) will increase road feel. All are in my future, which is why I did not get the factory suspension/wheel upgrades.

6- There is no denying that rear visibility is compromised. I'm sitting as low as possible in the driver's seat, and it's just not possible to adjust the rear view mirror to see the horizon. However, the outside mirrors provide a great view of things further behind. The center mirror does fine for the nearby traffic. In the end, the view is actually fine, but I find that I am learning to always check both center & left or right mirrors when scanning traffic behind me.

7- I've already caught 2 people taking pics in parking lots, 2 came up to ask about the car, and numerous others stopped to look, or slowed down in traffic to stare, etc. Went into Auto Zone to get a Torx driver socket & as I left, the clerk closest to the window waved the others overs & they all stared out the window & pointed. I haven't noticed anyone making sour faces, etc. yet, but I'm sure I will. So far, seems to be a very positive reception in the real world.

8- First bona fide glitch, I think. There is a setting in the on-board computer for auto door locks on or off. Seems like it doesn't matter which setting I choose- they do not work. Need to check that out more closely & then take it in for a once over if I am correct. They will lock manually, but I like the auto-lock feature. All of the other user settings seem to work as advertised.

9- Wind buffeting, wind noise are all but entirely non-existent at highway speeds with the windows up. I expected some of the usual turbulence noise, but you almost have to strain to hear it. That, I like.

10- HD Radio rocks. VERY nice upgrade over standard radio, especially on AM stations. (I listen to a lot of talk radio)

11- I've never had satellite radio, as I just couldn't bring myself to pay for it. I've only found 2-3 channels that turn my crank thus far, but if there are a few more, I might be willing to pay for it once my 1-year freebie is up. So much more variety, even within a particular genre. Listening to "80's on 8," I bet I heard a dozen songs in 2-3 hours that I haven't heard on the radio since the 80's. Good tunes, too.

Oh, and today, I installed my arm rest. Finally, a place for my elbow!

 

Just to clarify I didn't say the engine was loud. I just said the whine was great. I can hear it very clearly when accelerating and was reminiscent of a SC whine. Steady speeds the car is freakishly quiet which is nice. I actually love it.

Another thing I didn't mean to say the run flats were terribly loud. I find them smooth and find them much smoother than my R56 run flats as they have been improved. I do have 17" wheels and when driving over fair sized cracks or disproportions on the ground, I will feel quite a jut. More so than your standard sedan of course. So that is where I feel the tossing a bit.

 

I read that the rear wiper was deleted because of the first spoiler on the roof negated the need for the rear wiper. The rain was to be pushed off the window by the air flow from the spoiler. Am I hearing that this is not the case? I dislike rear wipers and was hoping that this feature actually did work.

Are you guys saying there is the need for the rear wiper???

 

YES. Today when it rained there was an accumulation of droplets all over the rear window which compromised the view. I'll make do without a wiper, but the coupe would be better off WITH one.

 

Bummer. I was hoping it worked as advertised. My Goat get the water droplets all over it as well but I can still see ok. So it's not the end of the world I am used to it.

I wonder if at highway speeds if it clears?

 

It did on mine. Seems like air flow pushes it all of so I never had an issue.

 

OL site finally says that the car is at the VDC. It has been since Tuesday. Hopefully it will be on a truck soon.

 

Hope I find the same. Haven't been rained on at highway speeds yet.

But even so, I want a rear wiper because it's so G.D humid down here, the windows fog over all the time. Using the rear defogger takes well over 5 minutes to clear the fog, leaving me 100% blind for the first couple of minutes after starting the car.

Overall, a minor annoyance, but I think it was a mistake not to at least offer a rear wiper. Oh, how I wish I was a fabricator/electrician/mechanical engineer...

 

For those who miss the rear wiper I would say apply some RainX to the rear window. I have had it since day one on my MCS and unless tis pouring on the freeway I really dont need to use the wipers at all. On the normal roads its an occasional wipe.

That reminds me I need to apply it again this weekend and get some new wipers.

 

That's a good tip.

 

Something is not right. With the AC on and the windows closed the fog should clear in a matter of a minute or less. It does in my MCS, my goat, really any car with AC. The AC takes the moisture out of the air in seconds.

If your trying to de-fog without the AC on that can be a lesson in futility. Takes forever. I quit having fog problems as soon as I could afford cars with AC.

Something don't smell right.

 

Just got an email from my MA. Brewster is loaded on a truck and is scheduled for delivery to the dealership on Monday the 17th.

They Invisishield has to be installed and the front strut and then I am ready to go. He seems to think that if the car arrives on time I can take delivery on Thursday afternoon.

Yeeeeeee Hawwwwwwwwwwww

I'm pumped.

 

That's great news Pat. Congrats!

We're looking to get our Coupe just a few days after yours... It should arrive in PH on the 19/20 with us picking it up from the dealership on the following Monday if all goes well. Whohoo!

 

Sweet

Motor On

 

Referring to condensation on the outside. Common in FL for a car to be covered in a layer of condensation at night or in the morning. A/C won't clear that. Wipers clear the front, gotta use the electric defogger to slowly clear the back.

As small as this car is, the A/C certainly clears interior fog next to instantly.

 

Donuts in a parking lot. Get that water moving sideways! :P

 

Ahhhhhh I'm with you now. I got the perfect solution. Small squegeee and off you go. Problem solved.

 

Yeah, I used to carry a small squeegee, but I rarely used it. Guess I'm going to have to start creating a routine of looking at the rear window before I get into the Coupé in evening/early morning hours & grabbing that small squeegee (which I'll probably pick up this weekend) if needed.

 

Was driving down the Dallas North Tollway at around 70-75mph and some Honda Accord pulled up to the side of me.. carried the same speed for about 10-15 secs honking his horn and giving me a thumbs up

 

You never can find a cop when you want one !

 

Well that isn't really illegal seeing how the speed limit on the Dallas North Tollway is 70mph.

We drive fast in Texas