Morris' New Brother

Morris has a new brother! I'm taking suggestions for a name if anyone has any ideas . . .

Sam vs. the Shoe

How about a little BLING for your MINI???

Introducing the new 17" Chrome S-Lites! And they can be yours for a mere $450 a piece! OMG, what is MINI thinking!?!?!?

Sam's New Toy

Upgrades

Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Morris finally got his first round of performance upgrades. It's not much, but it is a start. My first round of mods include a DDM cold air intake from m7Tuning, a silicone inlet hose from Alta, and the m7 strut tower brace (I painted the "m7" red). I can't decide wether to do the supercharger pulley or the brake system next. Hmmm . . .

This about sums it up.

Another Pic of Sam

She's so photogenic . . .

Playing with Sam

Newest Addition to the Hair Family

No name yet, but she's about 3-4 weeks old and 10.5 oz. She's going to be spoiled rotten!

July 1st Monthly Motoring

It is time once again for a haul to Savannah. We will meet in the KMart/Sears parking lot across the street from MINI of Charleston at 7:45 on Sunday, July 1st. Ideally we would leave no later than 8:15. We will meet the Savannah group at about 10:00 at our usual spot at the Starbucks in the 12 Oaks Shopping Center on Abercorn. We are not totally sure where we are going yet . . . Jekyll Island is on the list. If you have any suggestions, please let me know via E-MAIL.

Hope to see you there!

In Memorandum: Justin Cope

Most people do not know just how much they can affect a person's life. It may take no more than a smile to completely turn someone's life around, but with someone like Justin, that was all it took.

I never really knew Justin that well honestly. We were in New Vision and Concert Choir together at CSU, but that was about it. We didn't hang-out, we didn't play basketball together (that's the one where they throw it, right?), and we weren't really that close. Even still, being around him made you feel like you were one of his best friends. He just had this glow about him, and anyone who knew him could tell you the same. His smile and laugh were enough to clear any clouds raining on someone's day.

Justin Cope was a very special person to many people, and I know he will be missed greatly.

We will never forget . . .

My Classy Friend

So what would you do if you came home from work one Friday night to this on your door step? Just ask one of my classy friends; he knows.

Morris' R56 Twin

Look what we received yesterday . . . look familiar??? (for those of you that don't know, Morris is on the right)

Electric MINI???

We all know alternative fuels are becoming more and more popular, but in the MINI? In the US? Maybe . . .

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4215495.html


No more stopping for a spot of petrol, gents.

I Did It!

Well guys and gals, I did it! I finnished the 30th Annual Cooper River Bridge run, all running, no walking. I came in 8,333 place, finnishing the 10k in 1:00:06. To think that with a little more effort and I would have had a time of less than an hour! Oh, well - next year perhaps.

Check that goal off my list for the year!

My First 6 Miles!

I hit a new record yesterday - for the first time in my life I ran six miles! This past December I made it one of my New Year's resolutions to participate in the Cooper River Bridge Run on March 31st. I have never really been much of a runner and as of early December I could only run 1/4 mile before I had to stop and walk. With the support and encouragement of my friends I am well on my way to checking that goal off my list this year - thanks Marcus and Carolee. The race is this Saturday . . . I can't wait!

Monthly Motoring Time, No Joke

It' time again, time to trek down to Savannah for our monthly gather of the MINI masses. This month we find ourselves in bloomers with pom-poms in hand, cheering Heather on as she competes in an autocross at Armstrong Atlantic State University. The autocross is hosted by the Buccaneer Regional SCCA - Coastal Empire Chapter. Find more info here.

We'll have lunch some time in there, somewhere. Meeting time will be as usual, 10:00AM at the Starbuck's on Abercorn. See you there!

MINI Wind-Up

No thanks, I'll keep the supercharged 1598cc . . .

Silicone Sister and the Hilton Head St. Patty's Day Parade

This past Sunday Courtney, Marcus, and myself traveled to Hilton Head to take part in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. We had the privilege of carrying members of the band Silicone Sister. Good times and great fun!

R56 Thoughts . . .

So I have now been exposed to the R56 for, oh, two weeks, and I am very overdue for a review. Thanks to Heather for the reminder . . .

Geez, where do we start? I want one, but I want it with most of the bells-and-whistles. This translates into a $30,000 hardtop! If you count the wheels I want it will be another $2,500 or so. $32,500 for a non-JCW hardtop S!?!?!?

So I have a Cooper S and love the Cooper S, so most of this is about the Cooper S. Sorry Cooper owners.

Let's talk power. A measly three horsepower increase does not sound like much to most people, and really it's not. However, those that know better look beyond horsepower when judging the "power" of a vehicle. Torque. The new R56-S features an increase of 16 ft/lbs under normal acceleration, and an additional 15 ft/lbs under hard acceleration due to a 2psi "overboost" courtesy of the new twin-scroll turbocharger. That's 31 ft/lbs over the R53! And believe me, you can really feel it . . .


Fuel economy has also increased. The R56 stickers 4mpg over the R50/R53: 29/36 in the Cooper S and 32/40 in the Cooper! What's that? Over 400 miles on a tank of gas? Yes please!

Let's talk suspension: One common complaint from current MINI owners, especially those of the R53, is that the car has a rough, jarring ride. I'm not sure what these consumers expect from a sports car, honestly, but the people spoke and MINI listened. The new Cooper and Cooper S share the same standard suspension, which features a much softer ride without compromising handling. The upgraded Sport Suspension is now an option on both models for $500. I have not driven a car with the upgrade as of yet; look for my thoughts on that later.

Let's talk toys: Now, as many of you know, I like gadgets, and the new MINI makes me feel like a kid in a toy shop! All cars have the option of Comfort Access which features a proximity key. What? You are too lazy to pull your keys out of your pocket to unlock the door? To crank the car? No problem. Just leave them in your pocket, press the button, and motor!



I was a little upset to hear that the new car's upgraded sound system would no longer be Harmon/Kardon branded. In fact, as far as I can tell it not branded at all; just simply the MINI 10-speaker Hi-Fi Sound System (as if 8 wasn't enough). After hearing the new system, it's OK that it doesn't say H/K anymore. The new system delivers clear highs and smooth lows: me likes. And, surprisingly, the new system has a lower power output than the previous system, but still sounds better. This just goes to show that bigger is not always better . . . it's MINI!

Hill Assist. Love the little things in life. Picture this: you are motoring along in your manual transmission MINI (as they ALL should be) and you come to a stop light at the top of a hill. Worried about rolling back into the person behind you? Of course you're not, because all R56 MINIs come standard with Hill Assist, which keeps the brakes applied for 2 seconds after you actually let go of the pedal. Brilliant!

Turn signal. Also love this. You now have the option to program the signal to flash three times when briefly tapped. BMW's have had this for a few years now - glad to see it in the MINI. If you prefer the single flash, that's OK, too, which leads me to my next topic . . .

Personal Profile. So this is really cool. These options are what we used to call the "MINI Vehicle Memory" and could only be modified by a MINI dealer (unless you are one of those computer-geekie-hacker types). This includes options such as auto locks, selective central unlocking, units of measurement, daytime driving lights, pathway lighting, and the turn signal activation. And what's better: each key has it's own profile, so if hubby his pathway lights on and wifey doesn't, no problem. Neat!

Telescoping Steering Wheel. Yes, it moves up-and-down, and in-and-out!

Cup Holders. Yes! You can finally use the two bottom cup holders! They are set further out from the console, so even an Cafe Americana fits! Hooray for American gluttony!



Push-Button Start. Very cool. No more tradition metal key . . . we now have a fob. Very fancy. Just push-in the key and press the button. I love toys!



Sunroof. Now both panes of glass vent, though the back glass still does not open. Oh well, we'll save that for the Clubman.



Seats. All the new seats are much more comfortable, featuring an extended seat bottom and larger side bolsters. Also, the new heated sets have three power levels and now heat not only your bottom and lower back but your upper back as well. Very luxe.



Ambient Lighting. This sounds a little hokey, but it's really quite nice. Choose between five colors (blue, pink, purple, red, and orange) to accent the cabin of your MINI. This is very useful in keeping you interested and awake at night, plus it makes for great conversation!

But, sadly, life is not always sugarplums and ferries. Here are the little things that I don't care for:

Exhaust Tips. I will have to say this is the first thing I noticed about the new car. If they modeled the R50/5R53 tips after a beer can, these new ones must have been from a cold 40oz! A bit too large for my taste, but at least there is no more awful exhaust "POP". Sorry to those of you that actually enjoyed this sound; it is no more.

Center Console. I don't really care for the way this whole setup looks, but the buttons do feel nice. Perhaps it will grow on me.



Side-mirror Switch. I'm waiting for this thing to break-off. It's a little flimsy and in a bad location: on the driver's side door. I will tear one-off, you wait and see.



Engine. Now, don't get me wrong, the new BMW-built engine is an awesome performer, coupling more power with better fuel economy, but darn if it doesn't sound like a diesel! I don't know what it is, but the ticking sound really bothers me. Maybe it will subside after break-in. On a positive note, you can only hear the sound at idle.

All-in-all the new car is refined. It's fast, it's fun, it's even more MINI! Now there's just one problem: what is Morris going to say about all this?

Cheers Y'all!