I have a mid-2014 Cooper (1.5 litre) manual, UK 3-door, absolutely no issues other than a minor 'rough plastic-rubbing' noise from the steering wheel easliy corrected by the dealer at 12 months.
Interior trim and seats fine with nothing loose or rattling.
Same with suspension and steering - fault free.
The engine is a joy - a real plus point for the model (I had doubts about the three cylinder but its far better than I hoped for and a main reason for buying this model).
Transmission (manual) good and precise if a bit 'tight' when new.
Paint finish is excellent, the best I have found, if a little lacking in thickness for my preference.
Regarding the long term-test issues: No arm-rest or run-flat tyres on my car and I also selected the opitions carefully as the cost can soon escalate to worrying levels. Also in my area the road conditions are fairly bad with many pot-holes and rough surfaces; the MINI Cooper deals with them with no problem. If the 'Car and Driver' experiences were actually common-place then I guess there would be a lot more exposure in the press generally. From some other comments I have read, I guess run-flats are a lot stiffer particularly in the larger wheel sizes.
Interior trim and seats fine with nothing loose or rattling.
Same with suspension and steering - fault free.
The engine is a joy - a real plus point for the model (I had doubts about the three cylinder but its far better than I hoped for and a main reason for buying this model).
Transmission (manual) good and precise if a bit 'tight' when new.
Paint finish is excellent, the best I have found, if a little lacking in thickness for my preference.
Regarding the long term-test issues: No arm-rest or run-flat tyres on my car and I also selected the opitions carefully as the cost can soon escalate to worrying levels. Also in my area the road conditions are fairly bad with many pot-holes and rough surfaces; the MINI Cooper deals with them with no problem. If the 'Car and Driver' experiences were actually common-place then I guess there would be a lot more exposure in the press generally. From some other comments I have read, I guess run-flats are a lot stiffer particularly in the larger wheel sizes.
