[realevil]

Hi,

I am thinking about arranging to go see a new Cooper S and wanted to just get some feedback from you all first.

Last summer I test drove a Mini Cooper S - a demo car from my local dealer.
I wanted to *love* the car - more so than any other car I have ever driven. But I didnt...
Basically I thought the car had the following problems:

1. Performance... not much torque, had to really work the gears (which is fine, but it seemd pretty gutless at low revs).
2. Interior - I loved the design, but a lot of it felt very plasticy - especially the indicator stalks and door handles.
3. rear leg room - enough said I guess.
4. Boot space - ditto
5. Fuel economy.

Also the car i drove had a lot of rattles and creaks and it was only 6 months old! I am sure this isnt standard across all Mini's but I did read quite a few comments that my experience wasnt unique.
Ok, so based on my research and reading this forum, I *think* the new Mini solves most of these problems? The engine is more economic and has more torque, the boot is bigger and there is more rear leg room. A lot of you seem to have owned the old Cooper S too - are all the differences really noticable? What about the interior, do some of the controls still feel a little cheap?

I ended up buying a BMW 120D, which is a great car but not much 'fun'. Id be trading that in and id like to know that the Mini is both fun and a 'quality' car.

Thanks,


Neil

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Neil,

Hello and welcome to Mini2

Don't expect there to be anything other than miniscule changes to rear leg room and boot space. Most of the extra 10 litres of boot space has been "gained" by removing the side storage bins in the boot!

I did a 20 mile test drive in the old model and new model Cooper S over exactly the same route and at exactly the same speeds, both engines driven from cold. The old car returned 32mpg, the new one 36mpg.

One thing I did notice when I drove several examples of the old model Cooper S was that some of them were nice and torquey low down and some needed to be revved to perform properly.

Tigger.

[ScottyBoy]

Hello and welcome to MINI2,

first off all i guess the feedback you are going to get will all be biased sayin bascially what are you waiting for otherwise we wouldnt own and MCS!

Performance - I find the performance to be great, even though some owners do modify ther car for more power but this is only to be expected in the long run. Theres not many other cars with a 1.6L NA engine that can keep up IMO

Interior - i find the stalks to be fine but i do agree with the door handles looking a bit plasticky but with the whole MINI experience everythin is compensated!

Leg room - I bought the car for me and my driving spirit, so unless you have a 3rd passenger such as a young one or someone who needs the leg room then thats the only reason i would consider it to be a problem! otherwise i wouldnt as i never sit in the back.

Boot Space - I dont have my own place so i dont regulary need the boot space for shopping etc but when i do it fits everything i need in there!

Fuel Economy - As with most cars with high BHP these days if you take it steady everywere you go then you will have a MPG that wont be to bad, if you bought the MINI for being a MINI and love the spirited driving that most of the "S" owners do then that wont be a problem either.

from this it all depend on your situation and if you really want it you will get it,

if you have young ones etc and other things like that to think off then maybe its not the car for you but as some members have done, they have changed there baby products to fit in the MINI and not the CAR to fit everything in!

If you want a car that will put a smile on your face everytime you drive it then its for you! if it doesnt then its not!

Good Luck!

[drbsheffield]

I did the same, traded in my 120d SE for the MINI, well.... here are my thoughts.

I think that you will find that the new MINI, I had two of the previous models too are very much a 'baby BMW' they are much less raw and much more refined, an every day car. I would say though, I would maybe hang on a while while they get the quality sorted, I got mine in January and had quite a few troubles, and it seems that I am not alone.
I think that the 120 is in a different league when it comes to engineering depth and quality. The MINI is great fun and really quick too.

At the end of the day it is up to you (obviously) but I would really think long and hard about changing, I sold my MINI because of the problems I was having with it and am going back to BMW, got a new Z4 on order (got compensation from the dealer and MINI). I have had to hire a car and have had a couple of courtesy cars due to my MINI being off the road for a month(Nissan X trail, Astra twin top, Ford Fusion) and have just been given a 118d SE as a loan car until my z4 comes. I have to say I forgot just how good they are, they are just so amazingly well engineered and to me have a real depth and substance about them lacking in so many other cars including I am afraid, in my experience, the MINI!

[ian yuen]

newbie here,

i've just sold my bmw120d and ordered a mcs!! hope i've made the right decision! the 120d had a squeaky dash but not all the time.i made the mistake of gettin the sport version.it was way too stiff for me,ok if you drive on a race track everyday. the handling was ok rather than smile inducing. the mini cooper is fun as we owned one a few years ago.
well touch wood that my mcs delivers what it promises otherwise my missus will kill me as the 120d was only 7 months old when i sold it! It lost quite a bit.

[realevil]

Thats some good feedback from everyone - especially the BMW 120 owners. To be honest, my biggest worry is that my BMW might be a bit boring, but its well made and well refined. It sounds like there are some dud-Mini's - just the luck of the draw maybe - or do you guys think there are more 'lemon' Minis than there should be?

Id like to think that if I get a 'good' mini, the build quality etc is comparable? A mini is no longer a cheap car - to get a Cooper S with the (all but) manadatory Chilli Pack is £18,000. Thats a lot of cash and should buy you a lot of car.


Neil

[mikescoopers]

Neil,

Imho I think the new Mini's Build quality is superb I have had several of the new R56 Mcs out over different weekends and cannot wait to get my new car, (Build week 16) have had previously Bmw's From 323i to 330ci's and currently drive a 54 plate Mcs, Which I absolutely love, just brilliant fun to drive.

I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Welcome to mini2.

[realevil]

Thanks for all the info guys - I have just arranged a test drive of a MCS tomorrow at my local dealer in Reading.

I dont know what spec it is, and from reading around here it seems I should check whether or not it has a LSD and Sport suspension - is there any other extra which might change the way one mini handles over another?


Also, is it possible to get discounts? If you cant get money off the car, do they ever throw in extras? I guess its all down to bargaining skill and how desperate the dealer is to make up their sales figures, but is there any common freebies you guys know of?

Thanks,

Neil

[mikescoopers]

Neil,

You near enough hit the nail on the head with discounts etc, You may well get the odd bit thrown in but in general I have found I tend to more for the car I am part exxing rather that discount.

It all depends on how well you know the dealer as well, and playing one dealer off against another.

M.

[tiger333888]

Quote: Originally Posted by realevil (original)

Thanks for all the info guys - I have just arranged a test drive of a MCS tomorrow at my local dealer in Reading.

I dont know what spec it is, and from reading around here it seems I should check whether or not it has a LSD and Sport suspension - is there any other extra which might change the way one mini handles over another?


Also, is it possible to get discounts? If you cant get money off the car, do they ever throw in extras? I guess its all down to bargaining skill and how desperate the dealer is to make up their sales figures, but is there any common freebies you guys know of?

Thanks,

Neil

HI Neil, between me and my family, and a some others I know, we have now purchased about 5 MCS from a dealer in London. Suffice to say, I have a bit of bargaining power, and they know me very well. For my car, they really delivered a good deal (about £700 of goodwill thrown in - which amounts to a discount).

If you are serious about buying and if you get no joy from Reading, drop me a thread and I'm happy to put you in touch with the dealer - happy for you to name drop me - so they can look after you properly.

Tiger sharing the mini love!

[realevil]

I finished the test drive about an hour ago - I have now had some time to reflect.

Positive first impressions:

- It has a much etter quality interior than previous generation
- great performance
- just great fun
- Nice gearbox/clutch/steering. Sport button fun too!

Negative first impressions:

- Boot is pathetic
- Rear leg room still really bad
- I felt a little 'cramped' in the cabin. When i was driving it was fine, but when I was stopped at traffic id find that just by looking out of the drivers window I would (nearly) bang my head on the side sun visor.
- Quite a bit of road noise when driving. Not too intrusive, but certainly worse than I was expecting

I had an awesome time driving this car, but I have a real problem with the boot space (less so the rear leg room). My girlfriend's sister is disabled, and I sometimes need to get a wheelchair in the car. I am just not sure it will fit - especially if I cant put the seats down. And even if it does just fit, i dont think id be able to get anything else back there!

I feel really conflicted. I need another test drive, but I might have to pass because of the boot!

[CooperS4us]

Maybe you should wait for the R55 Clubman that will have a rear suicide door and considerable more rear legroom and boot space than the R56 coupe. It will be released in the UK in November and here in the US in February 2008:

MotoringFile | MINI Cooper news, reviews and opinion.

I think this car will be a much better option for those of us who need a little more rear passenger and cargo room, but still want to have a MINI.