R56 Mini One Experience

[jesejoe]

Took the R56 2007 Mini One AT for a couple of days. Total mileage spend on the car is approximately 500km. First impression is that this car will be underpower. This is due to my experience with the previos model of R50 mini one. I was wrong.The car can pickup quite fast (when push hard) and easily keep up with any 1.6L japanese car up to 160kph. After which you will need more environmental help (like decenting from a hill) to pick up more speed.The interior is very basic but have the same interior light package as the more expensive Cooper S. This is a plus point. Even the front seat is not the sport seat but it is acceptable as i provide good support for 30min to 1 hour journey. Never tried to drive further as i used it to commute to/from work.Ride comfort rating is very high as it uses smaller wheel which mean more rubber for cushioning. This is also due to the non sport suspension which is not recommended to take sharp corner without preparing for the body roll. This setup is most welcome by the rear passemgers. Steering wise is the normal 2 spoke steering without the leather wrap. It is fine but less desirable. The steering column have the same telescopic functionality as the rest of the mini.The gear box is quite respsonsive especially when you depressed the "sport" button but it will get a little loud once the RPM surpassed 5K. Fuel consupmtion wise is very economical if you are driving at a constant speed of 90kph. With 10litre of petrol (non V-power) i can cover approx 175km which is equivalent to 17.5km/L. No bad considering the weight of the car is more than 1.1 ton!The ICE rating is acceptable as compare to a entry level model but with the price that we are paying in malaysia, it is consider lousy.My overall experience with this car is very positive if you want to have a fun car (not from the speed pespective) and yet enjoy the economical of the fuel consumption. In my opinion a simple upgrade of the wheel, interior clothes to leather, some roof and side mirorr artwork will definate turn heads.For the detail spec you can check it out at http://www.mini.myHappy Mini ing ...:top:

 

[AlexNg]

nice review! thank you!

 

[ngeetj]

HOw about the mini couple s fuel comsuption?

 

[aermyn]

Took the R56 2007 Mini One AT for a couple of days. Total mileage spend on the car is approximately 500km. First impression is that this car will be underpower. This is due to my experience with the previos model of R50 mini one. I was wrong.

The car can pickup quite fast (when push hard) and easily keep up with any 1.6L japanese car up to 160kph. After which you will need more environmental help (like decenting from a hill) to pick up more speed.

The interior is very basic but have the same interior light package as the more expensive Cooper S. This is a plus point. Even the front seat is not the sport seat but it is acceptable as i provide good support for 30min to 1 hour journey. Never tried to drive further as i used it to commute to/from work.

Ride comfort rating is very high as it uses smaller wheel which mean more rubber for cushioning. This is also due to the non sport suspension which is not recommended to take sharp corner without preparing for the body roll. This setup is most welcome by the rear passemgers.

Steering wise is the normal 2 spoke steering without the leather wrap. It is fine but less desirable. The steering column have the same telescopic functionality as the rest of the mini.

The gear box is quite respsonsive especially when you depressed the "sport" button but it will get a little loud once the RPM surpassed 5K. Fuel consupmtion wise is very economical if you are driving at a constant speed of 90kph. With 10litre of petrol (non V-power) i can cover approx 175km which is equivalent to 17.5km/L. No bad considering the weight of the car is more than 1.1 ton!

The ICE rating is acceptable as compare to a entry level model but with the price that we are paying in malaysia, it is consider lousy.

My overall experience with this car is very positive if you want to have a fun car (not from the speed pespective) and yet enjoy the economical of the fuel consumption. In my opinion a simple upgrade of the wheel, interior clothes to leather, some roof and side mirorr artwork will definate turn heads.

For the detail spec you can check it out at http://www.mini.my

Happy Mini ing ...:top:

Agree with you, but when u drive the MCS u have the different feels. I tried it before. Nice and fun vehicles to drive.

Cheers !!!

 

[alpina b5]

the boot is very small, but better than savvy, gen-2, persona, perdana etc

 

[AndrewKOON]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a Mini Cooper S 03 or 04 model, preferably Manual. Anyone willing to sell?

Colour preference: Grey, Black, Red, White.

Hope to hear good news :-D

 

[Traveler]

Been driving my friend's new MINI One AT over the weekend. Generally I agree with comments by jesejoe. Have taken it to 130km/h briefly, and it was smooth all the way. Pickup was noticeable more responsive around 40-50km/h to 120-130km/h, versus when starting from zero, when driving with a light-medium touch. Pressing hard on the accelerator when car is stopped, will see the car shooting off, but after a lag. On the highway, the car can easily keep up with most cars.

General driving sensation is quite good. Handles easily, very nice to drive (despite the starting lag).

Ride is a bit noisy on the highway when cruising >90km/h. Using the iPod interface (optional accessory) takes some getting used to (I suppose this is where having an iDrive LCD screen really helps).

Fuel consumption seemed pretty good, am doing a proper test of it over the next couple of weeks, comparing it with my E90 325i's FC. Pending results in a couple of weeks time, I expect to see it around 10-12km/L for 100% city driving averaging 30km/h (vs 7.0km/L for the 325i), using the same fuel, same routes, same driver, and generally similar usage pattern.

Boot space was small but expected for a small car, and it came with 3 sets of cargo netting to hold small items from moving around. Back seat can be folded down and I noticed in the accesories catalogue that you can get a boot space tray divider that when flipped, will make the boot + folded rear seats into a completely flat surface (see the catalogue for pictures). Car came with Continental tyres (not RFT), and no spare tyre, but a tyre repair kit (plug into tyre air valve, pump in the sealant, drive off and get your tyre changed). Dry cell batteries like the E90 so never need to top off battery water.

Nice touch is the mood lighting in the car when the headlights are turned on. Bunch of LEDs in the car (2 on the roof switch panel, 1 on each door handle, door handle bars, and just above the seat belt holders) give off dim multi-coloured lighting (colour ranges from blue to red, set by a switch on the roof switch panel).

OBC can be programmed to keep parking lights on for a brief time after turning engine off (you can pick from several options). Daytime Running Lights possible, via setting on OBC.

Seatbelts are a bit hard to reach once you have sat in car and want to belt up. The optional seat belt holder would probably make this less of an issue.

 

[maxxsp]

Been driving my friend's new MINI One AT over the weekend. Generally I agree with comments by jesejoe. Have taken it to 130km/h briefly, and it was smooth all the way. Pickup was noticeable more responsive around 40-50km/h to 120-130km/h, versus when starting from zero, when driving with a light-medium touch. Pressing hard on the accelerator when car is stopped, will see the car shooting off, but after a lag. On the highway, the car can easily keep up with most cars.

General driving sensation is quite good. Handles easily, very nice to drive (despite the starting lag).

Ride is a bit noisy on the highway when cruising >90km/h. Using the iPod interface (optional accessory) takes some getting used to (I suppose this is where having an iDrive LCD screen really helps).

Fuel consumption seemed pretty good, am doing a proper test of it over the next couple of weeks, comparing it with my E90 325i's FC. Pending results in a couple of weeks time, I expect to see it around 10-12km/L for 100% city driving averaging 30km/h (vs 7.0km/L for the 325i), using the same fuel, same routes, same driver, and generally similar usage pattern.

Boot space was small but expected for a small car, and it came with 3 sets of cargo netting to hold small items from moving around. Back seat can be folded down and I noticed in the accesories catalogue that you can get a boot space tray divider that when flipped, will make the boot + folded rear seats into a completely flat surface (see the catalogue for pictures). Car came with Continental tyres (not RFT), and no spare tyre, but a tyre repair kit (plug into tyre air valve, pump in the sealant, drive off and get your tyre changed). Dry cell batteries like the E90 so never need to top off battery water.

Nice touch is the mood lighting in the car when the headlights are turned on. Bunch of LEDs in the car (2 on the roof switch panel, 1 on each door handle, door handle bars, and just above the seat belt holders) give off dim multi-coloured lighting (colour ranges from blue to red, set by a switch on the roof switch panel).

OBC can be programmed to keep parking lights on for a brief time after turning engine off (you can pick from several options). Daytime Running Lights possible, via setting on OBC.

Seatbelts are a bit hard to reach once you have sat in car and want to belt up. The optional seat belt holder would probably make this less of an issue.

The boot tray divider is $250USD not including shipping!
The mood lighting is really cool. Mine is permanently set on orange as it reminds me of my bimmer

Is the iPod interface responsive or does it lag? Im thinking of getting it fitted.

 

[Traveler]

The iPod interface takes a couple secs to activate when you switch from radio/CD to AUX, but I notice the lag time is longest (about 5-10 secs) during the initial use, than during subsequent usage (2-3 seconds). It wasn't so easy to use it due to the single line display on the MINI. But probably I just need to learn how to use it... (haven't had time to RTFM yet). I would presume for iDrive equipped cars, it would be easier to use, since the bigger LCD screen can display a lot more information.

 

[Traveler]

Btw, for those who think the MINI One's 1.4L engine is too small, I drove the car to Ulu Yam on our favourite windy and hilly road, and had no difficulties at all. Used DS mode when driving steep uphill, D mode otherwise. Not many cars, but overtook those in front, and only overtaken by a Camry that followed me all the way from Batu Caves but couldn't keep up unless I was held up by traffic. He finally overtook me when I slowed down upon getting held up by traffic at Kg Pasir (just before reaching Ulu Yam Bharu). I wasn't even pushing the MINI that hard (max RPM was about 4k-4.5k when going uphill, 2-3k otherwise).

Now imagine doing the same route with a Cooper or Cooper S..... well, some of you have done it already I am sure.

FC so far has been about 10.8-11.0km/L when driving in the city, average speed 30km/h (distance covered about 300km so far). Compare that with 7.0-7.4km/L for similar routes/same speed in the city for the E90 325i.

 

[affan66]

must be the driver lah, Traveler. Give you a kancil also people cannot tapao.

 

[Traveler]

must be the driver lah, Traveler. Give you a kancil also people cannot tapao.

Hahaha... no lah... usually it's the Kancil's with 7 people crammed aboard and senget to one side that will tapau me on the highways...(actually happened once, in my old Honda Accord, shortly after that, the Kancil got pulled over for speeding, heheh).

 

[Traveler]

Updating some fuel consumption figures under actual driving conditions:

100% highway (tested over distance of approximately 300km for each measurement)
1. 16.8km/L at average speed of 97km/h (90% of cruising was between 80-120km/h due to traffic and heavy rain)
2. 15.6km/L at average speed of 115km/h (90% of cruising was between 115-130km/h)

It appears max fuel efficiency is probably in the 90-110km/h range (based on the figures above and monitoring the instantaneous FC display.

Just like our UDMs, it was very easy for the speed to drift >110km/h on a highway, as the car was stable, smooth and the engine quite responsive. At 3k rpm on 6th gear, the car was going about 127km/h. Peak speed reached was 138km/h and the car wasn't even trying hard.

I keep getting pleasantly surprised by the "littlelest" MINI.