Finally! After months of speculation, spy shots, really bad renders and more press releases than we could shake a stick at, we get to see the F56! Full coverage of the F56 can be found at MotoringFile, including the latest photos and all of the most up-to-date information. Gabe will even be at the LA Auto Show later this week to get a chance to see the car face-to-face and possibly get some interviews with a few of our friends at MINI USA!
Fitting that we get to share this information with you today, which is Alec Issigonis birthday! He would have been 107 today. And, for those of you that don’t know what I’m on about (really?), click the link to read the Wikipedia entry for the man that, essentially, invented our car.
Woofcast 491:
Download | WRR @ iTunes | 29.5MB |1:04:11| Show Notes
SACRILEGE, The Global Superstar that Gabe is, he should have gotten on the plane with the super models and flew to England!.
Heck He should drive the first Production F56 of the assembly line!
Todd – correction – iPod connectivity was available since the beginning. Our 02/02 build R50 has the OEM iPod connector that uses the steering wheel controls. Car came with the dealer-installed CD changer. iPod connector used the same plug as the CD changer, so once we installed the iPod connector, the CD changer was useless.
Technically, the OEM iPod connector wasn’t released until November of 2004 so the AUX port was the only option and it was released in late 2003. And correct me if I’m wrong, but does the AUX port even work on a 2002 head unit? At first, I thought it didn’t but Db has a late 2002/early 2003 R50 and used an OEM AUX port. Either way, thanks for the clarification!
Thanks for the correction to my correction. I had to check our file to job my memory — we didn’t have the iPod interface installed until June ’05. And now that you mentioned it, I do recall that the iPod interface wasn’t available back in ’02.
We didn’t buy our first iPods until spring ’05, so we weren’t really paying attention to the iPod interface until then.
My apologies for doubting you.
I want to say the AUX port was available mid ’02. I have it on mine.
So I heard you guys talk about the auto start-stop feature. In my opinion this is done incorrectly. When at a stop light I always keep my car (R53 manual) in gear and the clutch depressed. I feel that that is safer, for example when it is icy and the guy behind me is coming in hot. Or maybe the guy behind is just not paying attention and steps on the brakes too late. If it is in gear, I could accelerate sooner then when I would have to depress the clutch and put it in gear and then accelerate.