[patch]

Hi all,

I drove my wife's R56 this morning and it confirmed they lost a bit of what I call the Mr Bean effect with the F56.

I feel the R56 is quite raw. You feel the road, all the small bumps. You turn the wheel and you feel the car turning. You brake and you really feel it. Everything connects you so much with the road.

The new F56 is much more refined and classy. You don't feel that much the road and its imperfections. The interior finish is an enormous step above the R56, very polished and technologically advanced. But in the F56 I am farther from the front of the car, further from the road and feeling less immersed.

In my opinion the R56 and F56 are two very different cars.

Even though I own a F56 which I love, I still really enjoy very much driving the R56. I have that Mr Bean grin everytime I drive it.

 

[lawrothegreat]

That's a great summary.


The R50/R53 models were even more raw than the R56 as well. I'll never forget my R50 Cooper with sports suspension plus running on 16" rims. Steering feedback and handling were MINI perfection. I loved it.


The F56 is definitely a more all-together refined drive but inevitably you do potentially lose some 'feel' in the process.


I don't think MINI has done the wrong thing - in reality I actually think MINI have done a good job with the F56. Nowadays we demand so much more technologically, environmentally and safety wise. And they all take their toll. I've always argued that nothing stops an enthusiast buying an R53 or a GP model anyway.


My F56 MCS with variable damper control on sport mode though is sharper than my old R56 MCS with non-sports suspension, but I agree some 'feel' has been traded for refinement in the process.


I also find the F56 MCS engine less urgent (and by that I mean turbo lag, or time to spool up - unless at the right engine speed) than the R56 MCS, but overall the F56 MCS delivers a greater punch and for me the engine has a greater character than that in the R56 MCS. There are some positives!


None of the MINIs are probably quite as raw as a TVR though.... ;-)

 

[patch]

I don't either think Mini has done the wrong thing. It's a very nice car they made! I come from the Audi world and was not disappointed at all by the overall quality.

LOL, the TVR was an untamed stallion (sorry Ferrari for the analogy)

 

[olires]

I'm intending to keep my R50 One for a month or two before I sell it, just so I can compare the two.