[dinger]

That the arm rest is a pain and waste of money,because if you leave in the down position or what ever position other than bolt upright it gets in the way of the hand brake and seat belt lucky or unlucky it came free in the enhanced bluetooth pack.

Would I spec it again never .

 

[Bogus]

Agree.. it is a major pain especially when trying to get the seatbelt in..

 

[The_Dark_Passenger]

It seems a lot of people do complain about the armrests positions. I have the armrest, but I don't have any of these issues. I'm able to use my parking brake and access my seatbelt buckle without any issues. I also have my armrest pretty much dead straight.

 

[jeremybingham]

I just move mine up out the way for town driving then when settled(mmm uk) on the motorway shift it up out of the way. I can though manage gears and handbrake with it down.Really don't get what the problem is.

 

[johnan]

I love mine.
I find I can flick through the gears with my arm resting on the armrest without any trouble and if I need to use the handbrake it is easily accessible when required, although I only use it for parking.
At first it seems to get in the way, but the angle can be adjusted which helps to get it into an ergonomically suitable position, at least for me.

 

[MiniManiac]

Interesting subject, my salesman said the armrest was a must have option - he really liked it in his Mini. I didn't listen to him as I thought it got in the way on the test drive. Funny as he hardly pushed any other options that I said "no" to, obviously he had really got used to his so it must suit his driving position/style,

 

[tandberg]

when i sat in one i loved the arm rest,and i wanted one,and i got one as i like to look and feel chilled when driving and in the past id thought wish i had an arm rest.

 

[Sunster]

Hated it at first - the cooper doesn't have one, and always felt like I was missing something as previous cars all had them. Then when I got the cooper SD (which I specced with having it) I immediately pulled it out of the way as it really felt cramped particularly with the idrive controller.

However, after a couple of drives I began to like it and now it's there all the time. I no longer feel cramped and along with the anthracite headliner it all adds to the cocooned feel of the SD. Would I / Could I live without it? Sure, but after my initial disappointment I do really like it now.

 

[tandberg]

Hated it at first - the cooper doesn't have one, and always felt like I was missing something as previous cars all had them. Then when I got the cooper SD (which I specced with having it) I immediately pulled it out of the way as it really felt cramped particularly with the idrive controller.

However, after a couple of drives I began to like it and now it's there all the time. I no longer feel cramped and along with the anthracite headliner it all adds to the cocooned feel of the SD. Would I / Could I live without it? Sure, but after my initial disappointment I do really like it now.

I love dark interiors mate,and the anthracite and darkened rear was the first to be ticked on the option.

 

[TX1911fan]

I like it. I don't use my handbrake much as I have an automatic and park pretty much on level ground. I put it all the way down and it allows perfect access to the idrive controller. I've never noticed it interfering with the seatbelt.

 

[MINIgirl]

I love mine.
I find I can flick through the gears with my arm resting on the armrest without any trouble and if I need to use the handbrake it is easily accessible when required, although I only use it for parking.
At first it seems to get in the way, but the angle can be adjusted which helps to get it into an ergonomically suitable position, at least for me.

How do you adjust the angle? I want to try.

 

[johnan]

If I remember correctly (it's about 7 months since I fiddle around with it), the adjustment is done by pulling up the lever/bar underneath the front which allows the armrest to be angled down or up to a limited degree to suit yourself.
The car is not here at the moment so I can't check if I have got it right. Hope so!

 

[polarisboy385]

I personally like not having one. I have longer arms and I have nothing to get in the way of my elbows. I personally think it's just another thing to collect dirt, lint, and whatever else can get into crevices.

 

[TX1911fan]

If I remember correctly (it's about 7 months since I fiddle around with it), the adjustment is done by pulling up the lever/bar underneath the front which allows the armrest to be angled down or up to a limited degree to suit yourself.
The car is not here at the moment so I can't check if I have got it right. Hope so!

Correct. On the front there are two levers, one on the top that opens the arm rest. One below that to allow you to lift the arm rest up or to angle it all the way down. I have mine all the way down. I do not like cars without an armrest. I don't like just having my inside arm just laying around.

 

[Blazing Deb]

My new car will have the armrest fitted as is comes with one of the options I've chosen. I don't think I will be a fan. Pushed it out of the way on test drive. Watch this space...

 

[johnan]

My new car will have the armrest fitted as is comes with one of the options I've chosen. I don't think I will be a fan. Pushed it out of the way on test drive. Watch this space...

I thought that too, and for a week or two I had it folded up out of the way and even tried to find a way to remove it without stripping out half the interior...but gave up!
Then I put it down, as it looks daft up in the air, and now it has become a comfortable asset which looks good in the car, IMO, and can be used for storage of small items if not a phone.
It is certainly not difficult to live with as the handbrake is not essentially needed for hill starts etc with the hill start hold system built into the car.

 

[isleofbones]

Love the arm rest. Does not get in the way of my seat belt or hand brake at all. The salesman really pushed it during my test drive, and I am glad I bought it. Specifically, I love to have my arm resting on it as I shift my manual gearbox. Maybe, if I didn't have a manual, I wouldn't feel as strongly as I do. It is really functional for shifting.

 

[LindyMini]

I need mine for the Jack Russell to sit on while I'm driving.

 

[JazzAttila]

I'm still in the initial hate period.
Just got my F56 last week. But I trust that its comfort will reveal itself.

I like my seat all the way to the lower setting, so I have to bend it fairly down to not be in the way of shifting. But at the ideal position, does get in the way of the hand break. Or better yet, it just gets right where they touch each other, awkwardly, when parked.

But I'll noodle with it more!

 

[MAC99]

The armrest is not a problem folks.

On the test drive I did find it got in the way and I was a bit concerned.

However after owning the car for a few days, I found that the armrest has two positions.

Lift the arm rest up and lower until it locks into place, this is the highest position and in my opinion not very user friendly.

For the lower position, lift the front lever and very slightly lower the armrest a fraction. Then release the lever and push the armrest down further, it will then click into the lower position.
In this position (I suppose about 1" or 25mm approx lower?) it is more comfortable and does not get in the way of the handbrake operation.
If you adjust it and it touches the handbrake- you have gone too far.

It's a shame that the salesman didn't go through this adjustment when I picked the car up or even showed me on the demo car, as I did mention it after the test drive!