Hahaha The center speedo is awesome! There is actually a digital display for speed on the tachometer, so is really more for show. It does display other indicators/fuel gauge/radio, so it isn't too bad. I'm wasn't sure about it at first either, but I had been trying to find a used one for the last few months. After test driving a bunch of them, the initial shock wears off. Only having the tach in the center is actually the cool part. The little display shows everything from headlights, ebrake, wipers on/off, sport mode on/off, traction control on/off, mileage, fuel economy. There is a one button to toggle between avg speed, distance to empty, instantaneous mpg, and outside temp. And of course the vehicle mileage and trip mileage. It is alot of stuff crammed into one 4" gauge!
I wanted to get an 'S' but they are a few grand more than the Cooper, and I had already made the jump from used to new. Due to my commute, I wanted to avoid holding onto my Subaru through the winter into next summer. It would require some serious expenses for me to do the upkeep(timing belt, water pump, new tires by the spring) on the Subaru and build up a larger down payment for a Cooper 'S'. Plus if I had that large of a chunk of change sitting around, I would knick off a semester worth of loans! And the mileage different from the Cooper to Cooper 'S' is about 3-5mpg. It would come out to ~ an extra 1-1.5 gallons a week. And the insurance would have been more a month too! lol When I did the number's the cost basic cost difference would be enough for me to get classic car insurance on the TR7!