[juliantay]

Ok its only a One, but I think they could have done better with the engine management to make the MINI a bit more responsive at low revs. As I am not the first owner (bought it as an unwanted prize) I could not choose the specs otherwise I would have gone for the Sport button.

Just feels to me that they could have made the gearing or at least 2nd gear a bit lower because its easy to labour it in slow corners in 2nd gear (Wellington has a lot of hills), and I've never had a car before that I felt I needed to drop into 1st gear so much, when the wheels are already rolling. So the gearing, combined with the engine management really seems to deprive the engine of its full potential - I see there were some early posts from Cooper owners that complained about the same thing.

Can the sport button option be fitted afterwards by dealers? Hate to think what they would charge though. Maybe one day there will be a chip out for the One.

I did previously own a Suzuki Swift Sport (my first new car). We sold it because at the time we felt we didnt need two cars, but now we do. I am undecided whether the One is a better option than the Swift Sport. The swift really impressed on my test drive, and a lot of this I'm sure was due to its low gearing - it flew up hills in 2nd gear, whereas the One has absolutely nothing there until the revs get up - and around town the revs just dont get up that often. The downside with the Swift was is it really needed a 6th gear and I hated the high seating position. Whilst the MINI has a better quality feel and driving postion, it is miles away from the seat of the paints grunt of the Swift Sport and I also think the Swift has less reliability issues - I have read some long-term ownership reviews and they have had zero problems.

At $25,000 for a Swift Sport versus $31,000 for a MINI One, and $37,000 for a Cooper, you can understand why in NZ you see hundreds of Swifts, but MINIs of any generation of Cooper or S or One, if you see one, its like - ooh look theres a MINI - most days I dont see any.

Don't get me wrong, I've always thought the MINI looked cool and I like having it, but the price disparity frustrates me, as does not getting the full potential out of the engine due to the long gearing and perhaps the engine management.

[mister.t]

I know how you feel - I learnt how to drive in an R56 One, and the throttle delay IMO is totally un-acceptable. I lost count of how many times that I got bogged down in the middle of roundabouts in 2nd gear, so frustrating. Some would say stick it into 1st gear, but, your still doing about 15-25 mph, and at those revs, all the car would do is jump and jolt, and it would be revving like mad. Not to mention what the gearbox would be like If I were in the market for a Mini One, I would defo try get one with the sport button - However, I don't think the Sport button can be retro-fitted, because it covers more than just the throttle response.

"The new EPAS (Electric Power-Assisted Steering) makes a significant contribution
to the pin-point behaviour of the new MINI. Speed-related power
assistance guarantees low steering forces when parking and, at the same time,
precise responses at high speeds on the motorway.
The electric system offers the driver a choice of two different steering control
maps. The standard set-up ensures a well-balanced steering response in all
speed ranges. The second map is activated when the Sport button is pressed
and the power steering becomes even more direct. The electronic map for the
accelerator is also modified by the Sport button to give a more instant response"

If it was able to be retro-fitted, then I think it would very very expensive. There must be some other sort of throttle sharpening method out there!!!

[rochie]

Why don't you try fitting a "sprint booster", which is pretty much the same as the sport button if not a bit more affective. It constantly monitors the acceleration and ecu to give a fast throttle response i think they are £200, but don't affect the insurance or your engine (that much), this is all what i have heard but I plan to get one in a few months when i have the cash.

[Lawrothegreat]

I can't see why the sport button would make the car any quicker.

The sport button increases the throttle sensitivity, it doesn't change the torque curve. Hence if sport mode is off and you press the accelerator pedal 30% for example, you get 30% throttle. With sport mode on, if you press the accelerator pedal 30%, you might get say 50% throttle. However if you press the accelerator pedal 100%, you'll get 100% throttle regardless of whether the sport mode is on or off. Presumably if you are finding the car too slow, you are pressing the accelerator pedal 100% anyway.

Unfortunately the One isn't a massively quick car, but surely there shouldn't be flat spot as high as 2000rpm? Have you driven another One in comparison, or had it checked by the dealer?

[juliantay]

From memory of a test drive of another One, the response was about the same. I dont think I'll bother with the dealer - their response will be something along the lines of "thats normal" I'm sure.

I probably exagerated the extent of the issue - its definitely flat in the 1000-2000rpm range but then pick up is quite good a 1400cc car after that. I'm sure its the tall gearing mainly at fault. Just have to adapt my driving style to avoid bogging the engine whenever possible.