[5String43]

Great looking car. I'm on my second MCS. I had a 2005 coupe - I guess Mini calls this model the Hardtop - with the sport suspension and 17-inch wheels/tires that I just had to get rid of because the thing's ride was just so freakin' harsh. My new one, a '13 Clubman, is terrific in every way - standard suspension and 16-inch wheels/tires, so it does not feel as though it's going to break in half every time it encounters one of the Brobdingnagian potholes on Interstate 5 or around town here in Lost Angeles.

Seems to me that the later car is a good deal more refined than the early one, and I do miss the whine of the supercharger, which I always thought was kind of cool. But I sure like the more civilized ride of the later car, and I really like the additional space the Clubman brings.

As for the direct-injection deal, the early Gen 2 cars used what BMW calls the N14 (I think it is) Prince engine, while the later ones use the updated N18. Supposedly many of the N14's problems were rectified in the N18. I certainly hope so.

In any case, my car is leased - so is our BMW. Seems to me the best way, for us, at least, to get around the horrific expense of parts and service on these things is to ditch them before they go off warranty. (We previously had an E39 wagon that was very instructive in this regard - absolutely wonderful car, but very expensive over the 10 years and 145,000 miles we drove it.)