[cleverzippy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Washy (original)

I do hope so. I started a whole new waiting list at my dealer for one of these

What date is the 'works' due? I'm number 7 on the list at Wollaston for the new 'un but might be tempted hang on to my convertible a bit longer and the get the works instead.

[Washy]

Quote: Originally Posted by cleverzippy (original)

What date is the 'works' due? I'm number 7 on the list at Wollaston for the new 'un but might be tempted hang on to my convertible a bit longer and the get the works instead.

Don't know for sure....rumours about late next year or spring 2008.....I am just hopeful

[Root Ginger]

Quote: Originally Posted by Washy (original)

I do hope so. I started a whole new waiting list at my dealer for one of these

So did I

When did you place yours?

[Washy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Root Ginger (original)

So did I

When did you place yours?

I placed my original R56 order over a year ago, but decided to wait for the works.

[JG.26]

Well as the replacement S is now turbocharged the Golf GTI would win hands down for me for real world driving, granted it's more expensive but it's roomier, better looking, (BMW have spoit the design now), classier and probably has a better quality interior. It might not handle quite as well as the MINI, but as I said real world driving. If BMW had stuck with a supercharged engine and one that wasn't French then I would still choose the S, new looks aside, but why bother with the S now that it's lost it's character and when other manufacturers are producing turbocharged cars that are roomier and just as good to drive.

[Olly.]

Quote: Originally Posted by JG.26 (original)

Well as the replacement S is now turbocharged the Golf GTI would win hands down for me for real world driving, granted it's more expensive but it's roomier, better looking, (BMW have spoit the design now), classier and probably has a better quality interior. It might not handle quite as well as the MINI, but as I said real world driving. If BMW had stuck with a supercharged engine and one that wasn't French then I would still choose the S, new looks aside, but why bother with the S now that it's lost it's character and when other manufacturers are producing turbocharged cars that are roomier and just as good to drive.

The engine isn't French, its built in England

I don't understand why loosing the supercharger suddenly makes the golf faster real world? The new car is faster than the old one

Its a bit unfair slating a car for loosing its character when you haven't even sat in it or drove it.

[JG.26]

Quote: Originally Posted by ollymale (original)

The engine isn't French, its built in England

I don't understand why loosing the supercharger suddenly makes the golf faster real world? The new car is faster than the old one

Its a bit unfair slating a car for loosing its character when you haven't even sat in it or drove it.

I thought the new powerplant is in colaboration with Peugeot / Citroen? and found in the new Peugeot 207 GTI? .............correct me if I'm wrong? doesn't matter where its built, its the origin.

I'm not saying the Golf is faster, it's the overall buying package that would temp me to part with my cash and the new model doesn't do that for me, sorry to say.

I'm not slating the New MINI, of course it won't have the wow factor compared to the original and it will drive and handle as good and hopefully better than the current outgoing model, but I'am sure for many and what has already been said by motoring journalists it's lost some of the S original traits, supercharger whine, power steering whine which makes the the original S so endearing, on the flipside the handling is better, so not all doom and gloom . Turbocharging is ummmm so dull, I would rather say mmmmm I have a supercharged S It just sounds sooooooo much better. One thing I have noticed on the new MINI which I think looks awful is the gap between the front arch and the bonnet, looks almost as if the bonnet is permanently open.

Your quite right in saying I'm unfair to say the new model has lost it's character etc, but character is in the looks of the car too, which like I said before, in my eyes have been spoit too much. Sorry.

[DaveyC]

Wonder if Peugeot drivers are worried that the engine in the 207 GTI is the same as the one in the MINI?

[Root Ginger]

Quote: Originally Posted by JG.26 (original)

I thought the new powerplant is in colaboration with Peugeot / Citroen? and found in the new Peugeot 207 GTI? .............correct me if I'm wrong? doesn't matter where its built, its the origin.

I'm not saying the Golf is faster, it's the overall buying package that would temp me to part with my cash and the new model doesn't do that for me, sorry to say.

I'm not slating the New MINI, of course it won't have the wow factor compared to the original and it will drive and handle as good and hopefully better than the current outgoing model, but I'am sure for many and what has already been said by motoring journalists it's lost some of the S original traits, supercharger whine, power steering whine which makes the the original S so endearing, on the flipside the handling is better, so not all doom and gloom . Turbocharging is ummmm so dull, I would rather say mmmmm I have a supercharged S It just sounds sooooooo much better. One thing I have noticed on the new MINI which I think looks awful is the gap between the front arch and the bonnet, looks almost as if the bonnet is permanently open.

Your quite right in saying I'm unfair to say the new model has lost it's character etc, but character is in the looks of the car too, which like I said before, in my eyes have been spoit too much. Sorry.

It is built in collaboration with PSA yes but from the many things I've read BMW have very much called pretty much all the shots with this engine. So using your engine logic it is German with a little French flair. The current car has an American engine.

[Olly.]

Quote: Originally Posted by JG.26

I thought the new powerplant is in colaboration with Peugeot / Citroen? and found in the new Peugeot 207 GTI? .............correct me if I'm wrong? doesn't matter where its built, its the origin.

Your quite right the engine has been a joint venture with BMW & Peugeot / Citroen. Although as I hear BMW had more say in what went into it than Peugeot. Peugeot put theres together in France and MINI's is put together in the UK. I would imagine the engine will be very different to drive between a MINI & Peugeot due to different engine mappings etc. Besides the current engine is from Chysler and is put together in Brazil so that hardly screams racing heritage

Quote: Originally Posted by JG.26

I'm not saying the Golf is faster, it's the overall buying package that would temp me to part with my cash and the new model doesn't do that for me, sorry to say.

I know what your saying, I have one of the new MCS's on order and before I put my deposit down I went car hunting and looked round all the possibilities. The Golf GTI was top of the list, but it was too expensive, the lack of TLC meant servicing costs were an issue and the MPG wasn't really good enough for my commute into work. I came to the conclusion that the GTI was probably a league above in terms of expense.

Quote: Originally Posted by JG.26

I'm not slating the New MINI, of course it won't have the wow factor compared to the original and it will drive and handle as good and hopefully better than the current outgoing model, but I'am sure for many and what has already been said by motoring journalists it's lost some of the S original traits, supercharger whine, power steering whine which makes the the original S so endearing, on the flipside the handling is better, so not all doom and gloom . Turbocharging is ummmm so dull, I would rather say mmmmm I have a supercharged S It just sounds sooooooo much better. One thing I have noticed on the new MINI which I think looks awful is the gap between the front arch and the bonnet, looks almost as if the bonnet is permanently open.

Styling is a very personal, thing if you don't like it then fair enough.

I haven't owned an S so the supercharger whine has never been part of the character for me. When i've driven them it does sound good, but the handling and the way it wants to be driven define the character of the car more for me.

Quote: Originally Posted by JG.26

Your quite right in saying I'm unfair to say the new model has lost it's character etc, but character is in the looks of the car too, which like I said before, in my eyes have been spoit too much. Sorry.

Out of interest are you going to take a test drive in the new one?

[JG.26]

Hi Ollymale,

I guess if I hadn't owned a MINI before and was looking to buy one then I would probably go with the new model. Will definitely book a test drive if anything so I can moan on here how terrible it is against the old S....lol.....only joking, will be interesting to compare. Bummer is even if I wanted the new model my dealer is upping sticks and moving some 25 miles away from my home next year which would be too much of a pain. At the moment I can see them from my living room window, will be nice to see all the new models arriving on the transporter

Cheers

[Bayliner]

I think Mini should send it to the M devision of BMW. And let them make an engine, maybee a 2,0l 4cyclinder n/a high revving one...... . It's really time for cc's if you ask me. Once JCW has tuned it up to the max it will probably exceed the 200+bhp mark. A n/a engine gives a different kind of driving pleasure, in my opinion a n/a engine is more exciting. So I'm hope the M divison may give it a try .

[Root Ginger]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bayliner (original)

I think Mini should send it to the M devision of BMW. And let them make an engine, maybee a 2,0l 4cyclinder n/a high revving one...... . It's really time for cc's if you ask me. Once JCW has tuned it up to the max it will probably exceed the 200+bhp mark. A n/a engine gives a different kind of driving pleasure, in my opinion a n/a engine is more exciting. So I'm hope the M divison may give it a try .

Seeing as BMW do their best to have MINI as a brand in it's own right this will never happen. Also BMW's are rear wheel drive and have a longitudinally mounted engine so the M division are hardly going to be experts on a front wheel drive, transverse engined car are they?

Much better to let the Works team who know what they're doing sort out the MINI.

As for being n/a. That's all fine when you have a big car with room for a large engine but much better to have forced induction on a small car if you can do it without lag. Means you can get a lot of power and still retain the small engine bay.

[Bayliner]

The M division can do anything! Surely a front wheel drive car will not be a problem for them. A front wheel driven car is not that complicated, especially not for BMW engineers who belong to the best of the world (engine awards ).

And by the way a Mini is 1.69m wide and a Honda Civic(TypeR, 2000cc) is 1.70m wide. I'm pretty sure a 2000cc will fit . A mate of mine has fitted a 2200cc (H22) engine in a civic('96), now that's a wide engine .

Obviously super-/turbocharging will give you more power from a smaller engine. But as I said before, a n/a engine gives me more pleasure and excitement. Kind of what's BMW done with the new 3 series coup, a 335i and later on the M3 (which probably will not be a lot faster).

N/A rulezzzzz

[ttocs]

The R32 is just a car though (a nice car, but just a car), it doesn't have the X factor of the mini in my opinion.

[scone]

I could be wrong but i thought the new BMW 335i was a twin turbo engine.

[Washy]

Quote: Originally Posted by scone (original)

I could be wrong but i thought the new BMW 335i was a twin turbo engine.

It is and a very good one too. Drove one last week and was most impressed.

[Bayliner]

Yes you're wright, that's my point. I wanted to give a comparison between a turbocharged engine and a N/A engine. The 335i has a twin turbo system indeed, and direct fuel injection. It has 306bhp and 400Nm and the new M3 will not have a lot more, mostlikely 400bhp and +-420Nm.

Sound's great too that 335i, doesn't it!

[Washy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bayliner (original)

Yes you're wright, that's my point. I wanted to give a comparison between a turbocharged engine and a N/A engine. The 335i has a twin turbo system indeed, and direct fuel injection. It has 306bhp and 400Nm and the new M3 will not have a lot more, mostlikely 400bhp and +-420Nm.

Sound's great too that 335i, doesn't it!

It does, quite gruff for a BMW straight six I though. Interstingly I am on the lisst for a new M3 and I wonder if it will be much quicker than the 335

[Bayliner]

You're getting the new M3
NICE!