[rwhodson]

I have been a member for a while but have not posted much!

The Mrs and I are looking to get a R56 Cooper-S and are more or less ready to put pen to paper.

We just have a few questions that I hope some of you guys/gals may be able to help me with?

1. What are the new cooper S cars returning in MPG? Economic Driving & Real Driving? (I know it should not be a concern but i do a huge amount of miles and this is a personal car so it would be good to know what damage i should expect)

2. Is the sports suspension worth specing on the new cooper-s. Is it too firm or is it a total must - why?

3. Which seems to be better the 16" or 17" for performance as the felt the smaller wheels on the old cooper-s provided a better ride (personal opinion)

4. are there any MUSTS / MUST NOTS when specing the car?

5. Can the Aero kit be retro fitted? How much will this cost (including the kit?)

Anything else you believe i should know?

Thanks in advance for all the help chaps.

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by rwhodson (original)

I have been a member for a while but have not posted much!

The Mrs and I are looking to get a R56 Cooper-S and are more or less ready to put pen to paper.

We just have a few questions that I hope some of you guys/gals may be able to help me with?

1. What are the new cooper S cars returning in MPG? Economic Driving & Real Driving? (I know it should not be a concern but i do a huge amount of miles and this is a personal car so it would be good to know what damage i should expect)

its better than the last MCS on fuel, but its all down the style of driving and the type of roads, i.e. city verses motorway. Its great on the motorways, but city stop start is not good for fuel on any car.

Quote:

2. Is the sports suspension worth specing on the new cooper-s. Is it too firm or is it a total must - why?

Personal preference, I'd always go with SS, and its a standard issue on the MCS I believe. Just makes the car feel more planted and its not too hard to be a bone shaker IMO

Quote:

3. Which seems to be better the 16" or 17" for performance as the felt the smaller wheels on the old cooper-s provided a better ride (personal opinion)

The car is designed best to perform on 16's, although visually it looks better on 17's as otherwise the arches look too large and empty. The 17's don't effect the ride quality as much on the new MCS as they did on the old one you'll be pleased to hear.

Quote:

4. are there any MUSTS / MUST NOTS when specing the car?

MFSW is always a must for me, but a lot of other options are too, if you mean in a future trade in way then I'd go with Chili and MFSW only, keep it low and loose less. But thats enjoying the fun part of speccin a MINI, you can make it yours and very personal with all those boxes to tick

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5. Can the Aero kit be retro fitted? How much will this cost (including the kit?)

The aero kit is dealer fit option, so yes, you could add this whenever you like.

The best price is £1000 fitted by Derek Woodmans MINI, check out the Group Buy and special offers forum for this deal

Quote:

Anything else you believe i should know?

Thanks in advance for all the help chaps.

MINI will change your driving and life, get it ordered and prepare for the fun to begin

[lofter]

Re MPG: This was a major concern for me too, as I commute upwards of 16K miles a year. Fortunately most of that is motorway or dual carriageway. After a week and 1000 miles my MCS for this 36 mile journey, twice a day, is averaging around 39mpg, as reported by the OBC. Hope that helps.

[rwhodson]

It does.

The only reason I ask is that I currently run a 306 HDI Dturbo which has been a great car on MPG and a stunning commuter car averaging about 57mpg. I know that more or less what ever i go for will return a lower figure than the 306 but its about time i had something exciting.

I was just well aware that the old cooper-s could be rather thirsty when 'driven'

I have no illusions that the current car will be thirsty when driven hard but its reassuring to know that it can do the old commuter thing as well.


Thanks also to Rakey. Good info there especially about the group buy on aero kits (is this a regular thing?). I think that the new R56 is a much better looking car than its predecessor however I am not sure about the rear end however having seen the R56+Aero it looks stunning.

[Rakey]

As far as I know the aero kit offer is an on going offer, Woodmans offer loads of great deals like this to MINI2 users, so always check them out first, speak to Chris

They also are who I would order a new MINI from if they aren't that far from you, great service, speak to Alison in sales

[tiger333888]

Mine is returning 37.5 mpg after 450 miles from collection - mixture of mways and town driving. I can see this rise to the claimed 40mpg if I resist the temptation to give it the 'beans' when the road opens up

[craigd]

My MPG is currently sitting at 35mpg. I mostly travel in town to work (15 miles per day) and do the rest of my driving out in the country at weekends. I have to say that I am driving this car the same as my "old" 05 Cooper and I'm getting better mileage out of my new "S".

as for the Aero Kit, 2 dealers in Scotland are doing it fitted for £950. That's Menzies in Stirling and Eastern in Edinburgh. Don't know where you are located, but it may not be too far from you...

I (like Rakey) always have MFSW (just for the cruise control in 30's for speed cameras). I would say the anthracite headlining is a must on dark coloured interiors, but if your going for a lighter interior it's not so needed. In Scotland, the Visibility pack for me is a must

Hope this info helps, best of luck and GET THE CAR ORDERED!!

[drbsheffield]

I am thrilled with the consumption of my new S. I am running in at present but it is easy to get well into the 40's if you take it easy and your journey includes open roads.

[steeve]

Currently running at just over 40 mpg but thats running in ....................
Sports suspension and 17"'s a bit harsh if you have poor quality roads to drive on. But it feels very planted and sits flat on the road even under hard cornering. A matter of choice I suppose, it is a non cost option with the Chilli pack I think.
All in all its a nice little car and more likely to put a smile on your face than a 306 HDi

[simplekid15]

haha everyones getting good gas.
My GP is getting 22mpg

[Lordy]

You lucky lucky people !!!!!
i think my right foot has gone dead, or its just too heavy !!
im getting an average of 29.2 after 1950 miles in a MCS, most of this is around town and the odd trip up the motorway for 100 miles ( when on motorway its about 36 ) but thats not doing 70 , when running the car in , they suggest not to run the engine over 4500 revs, but in 6th gear , this equates to 105 mph , mmmmm , bet they never thought of that one, im happy with the MPG of the car in all cases, its just that the car begs to be driven hard, oh and i am use to getting 18mpg out of the other car

[supercharged]

Quote: Originally Posted by Lordy (original)

You lucky lucky people !!!!!
i think my right foot has gone dead, or its just too heavy !!
im getting an average of 29.2 after 1950 miles in a MCS, most of this is around town and the odd trip up the motorway for 100 miles ( when on motorway its about 36 ) but thats not doing 70 , when running the car in , they suggest not to run the engine over 4500 revs, but in 6th gear , this equates to 105 mph , mmmmm , bet they never thought of that one, im happy with the MPG of the car in all cases, its just that the car begs to be driven hard, oh and i am use to getting 18mpg out of the other car

Have you ever taken notice of the engine RPM at 75 and 80 MPH?

[steeve]

For non sporting driving try without the Sport button, it can apparently make quite a difference to mpg.

[thrud]

I've been getting an average of more than 39Mpg, which is better than the 52 Cooper I had previously.

I would definately spec the sport suspension. It's much more comfortable than the old SS+ even with the 17" wheels.

I too would always go for the MFSW, it's good value for money as you get cruise control thrown in. With hindsight I would also go for one of the full-leather trim options. The half-leather seats are a bit disappointing. The heated washers and mirrors is worth doing for £40 as well. The standard BOOST stereo is not that great, so the Hi-fi upgrade may be a good idea. Although several people have said that they don't rate that either!

Good luck with your spec.

Paul

[djtex]

I would also never be without the visibility pack. That heated screen is something I never want to be without. Also compared to the old R53 the Auto Wipers really work properly now, very rarely have to alter what they are doing now. And for £220 with the auto lights and mirror its a bargain.

[Griffer]

In my old MCSC I averaged 23 to 28 MPG on my weekend trips on motorway to Birmingham around 130 each way. With R56 MCS I got 40.4 MPG at around 75+ MPH for the first journey and still get 36 to 37 MPG since. The red fill light came on at 359 miles and indicated another 70 to 80 till empty. My old car the red fill light came on at 200 to 260 miles max and rarely got over 300 miles from a whole tank full. The new one is more comfortable, more powerfull, better built, faster, especially the in gear over taking times, even in 6th gear as the max 260NM torque comes in at 1700 which is less than the diesel! Also the bi-xenons are leaps and bounds better than even the old xenons and the standard brakes actually work now. Test drive the new and old cars back to back to see what I mean! Buy one, I have been converted. The only downside is the lack of supercharger howl and the non stop pop popping from the exhaust though the R56 does sound throatier and it does pop on the over run.