i don't really get the jist of the R32 v MCS comparison, personally, as an objective exercise. i thought it was more useful to bring up shortcomings, of which there are plenty to be had, in the MCS, which, by and large that edmunds blog is pretty fair.

basically the r32 entirely stands for everything that the MINI does not. grand touring. really nice interior. i think that plays through in the writeup, too. i just want Ponderosa Plaz to know that there are plenty of downsides (objectively writing) to the MCS that come up over time after the initial test drive.

I'm hyp. :)

I like the Mini and obviously since many enthusiast folks here currently have one (or had one previously) there must be something to them.

But regarding the R56 it just seems that I read and hear a lot of sound bites like the below which I copped from the recent MT COTY edition on-line.

"The second generation is more evolutionary than revolutionary. And in the time following the Mini's arrival, the GTI has arguably become king of this category, one we're not sure the new Mini can dethrone. Many judges also feel ergonomics have taken a step back: neither the center-stack controls nor the Mini's version of iDrive are intuitive. Offering go-kart fun in an incredibly charming package isn't enough for the Mini to earn the title of Car of the Year, especially when some aspects of the car aren't as good as those of the one it's replaced."

I think Plaz should also take the GTI for a spin for a good comparison.

Afterwards he may discover that the MCS only offers him a Plazebo effect. :rolleyes:

You lost me at MT. :rolleyes:

Alex

Perhaps he's having second thoughts, having already complained of the plazticy interior .... :dunno:

Ed

I did briefly mull over the GTI as a plazibility, but honestly, the car just holds no aesthetic appeal to me whatsoever.

Also, if I'm going to go small and light, I'd like the car to actually be small and light. The GTI is almost 500 lbs. heavier than the MINI.

I'm also very wary of VWAG products as they age... I've had several friends with old VWs and Audis, and read stories here and elsewhere about aging VWAG product, and not much of it is good.

:dunno:

:lol:

http://grenadefishing.com/storage/co...t%20amazon.jpg

:lol: :lol:

I figured you were the 5th Cartwright or something.

http://ponderosascenery.homestead.com/files/hjba.JPG

Plaz is off to the side holding the horses. :D

The GTI is a great car, but despite the price similarity it really is not the same category as the Mini. The GTI is real car; the Mini is (and I am going to get shit for this) a sports car, in the sense that it is a vehicle whose overall utility is vastly compromised in order to achieve its sporting mission. It's not as focused as a Cayman or Boxster, which are much more performance oriented. Superficially, it even resembles the GTI in layout. But it's so much smaller that it is not a substitute for a "real" car, any more than a Boxster or Cayman is.

I was very impressed with the strength of my superleggeras,. They seemed a lot stronger then they should be since they are a lightweight cast wheel. They claim they have some sort of process to make them stronger then normal cast wheels. Anyways, assuming the ultraleggas are the same I recommend them.

Good to hear. Thanks!