Hi there! Just got my Mini 09 after to have driving a Mini 05 for 4 years. I have been in love with my Mini 05 however I have been forced to get a new one following an accident :( (for which I am not responsible)
After 3 weeks driving the Gen 2, I still don't enjoy driving it as I used to with my Mini 05. The Quality decreased a lot and I really miss my Xenon lights and the Boost Radio from the previous model. Some people were complaining about the radio in the Gen 1, well Gen 2 Radio is a disaster.Plus you no longer can replace it with after market. While I try to see the possibility to retrofit to Xenon and to Hifi, I still wonder a lot on the performance.
I wonder if other drivers who moved from Gen 1 to Gen 2 get the same felling than me on the following or is it only me. When I press the accelerator, the RPM go up slow slowly... it is really boring to drive. Now if I shift down to get some power, the engine goes higher on RPM, get noisy but doesn't seem to give any more power.... It is like driving with breaks on...
Is that a Gen 2 thing, is that a problem on the car or is that me :confused:
Before to go to the dealership who is still telling me that Gen 2 is much better, I try to get feedback from people who really enjoy the Gen 1 before to move the Gen 2.
It is the 1st time that after 3 weeks I have in mind that I may trade-in a new car I just got... Audi A3 is in my mind a lot since Mini Gen 2 seems to have lost the special effect of Gen 1. Mini Gen 1 really had something unique in term of fun and pleasure to drive. This disappeared with Gen 2 which is more like all other car.
:frown:

http://www.mini2.com/galleries/data/521/can-of-worms.gif

Oh boy.......
Seriously - the R53 and the R56 are very different cars, I love my R53 & can't realistically think of anything I'd rather own right now.

That said some people absolutely love the R56.......others will just be happy in whatever model is the most current when they do their "every 2 years" car swap..

Life is too short to own a car you don't like, so if the R56 isn't floating your boat get the dealer to find you a mint 1st Gen (still plenty available, you haven't stated Cooper or S btw) & get back to owning what you really want to be driving.

Sorry, I am talking about Cooper (not S).
I agree, they are really different cars. I couldn't imagine to drive anything else than my Mini 05... Even if the reliability was an issue, the fun to drive had nothing to do with any other car.
I may consider to go to a used Gen1 even if I don't used to buy used car. I just think that nothing can replace a Mini Gen 1

Hello,

I had an 05, and then got an 08 clubby, both were coopers. I found the power in the clubby to be 'different' then my 05 cooper for sure. I wouldn't say it has less power, just different power. With the added 6th gear, which I love for the improved fuel economy, the gearing seems different then before, and I need to go down a gear or two before the power is the same. Not less power, just in a different place. The one thing I did like more about the 05 was the stiffer, more responsive steering (this is now moved the 'sport' button, which I don't have).

Other then that, I generally like the other improvements to the car, and now, after 34000 km on mine, I am very happy with it, and still find it really fun to drive!

Can't really comment on the MC in terms of ride and engine performance. Not driven an R53 or R56 Cooper version.

There are a number of posts on the differences in the two generations. Various pros and cons.

I do believe that the overall, i stress that word, quality has been improved on the GEN2 Minis. It feels a little more held together IMO and the various MPG and CO2 improvements make it a very economical car to run in a country like the UK where road tax and fuel costs are not cheap.

I have made the switch from an R53 JCW to an R56 Factory JCW and the improvements are quite vast. I know this is a very different car to a MC but in terms of GEN1 vs GEN2, the new car is huge step forward IMO. I do however like the retro nature of the GEN1 interiors which i think has been lost on the new car.

As a matter of interest, are you running the car on Sport mode? Again, i haven't driven a Cooper but if i press the Sport button in my JCW.....whoa!!! Very different car. I'll put it this way....my JCW in normal mode feels just a smidgen quicker than an MCS.

If i have the Sport mode engaged its like a little Mini engineer has jumped out the boot, popped the hood up and fitted a much bigger turbo, ran round the back and decatted the car and then to finish it off give the car a big push...all in the space of 2 seconds!! :D Imagine...amazing!!:biggrin:

Sorry, I am talking about Cooper (not S).
I agree, they are really different cars. I couldn't imagine to drive anything else than my Mini 05... Even if the reliability was an issue, the fun to drive had nothing to do with any other car.
I may consider to go to a used Gen1 even if I don't used to buy used car. I just think that nothing can replace a Mini Gen 1

Ok, well you should be able to still easily get a high-spec 06 Cooper with low miles in mint cond' and it will still have some factory warranty.

Having owned an 05 Cooper, I'll say this.
Do not run it with S-Spokes, look good but way too heavy and totally kill the car's moderate power, it will be much zippier and handle better on 16's or 15's (pref with conventional tyres....again they weigh less......and they have grip :nice:).

Get the JCW sound-kit - it's a minor improvement but the stainless exhaust looks and sounds great & the engine revs more freely with a tiny bit more power & torque which is definitely noticeable. IMO the JCW sound-kit should have been standard on the car from the factory.

Cheers..

I wish the Mini Cooper had the Sport Switch like the S version. It sounds like the difference between Gen 1 and Gen 2 is much bigger on the Cooper than Cooper S. The Cooper S kept a bit of the sport side with the Sport switch. But the Cooper lost all the Sport character.
I also realize that the 6 speeds transmission vs the 5 speeds transmission of the 2005 is part of the change. It is maybe better on the gas and CO2 but the setup on the Cooper doesn't fit the engine.
Regarding the tires, I agree that regular tires are much better with more grip. Especially on wet road, I have the feeling to drive on a road with soap.
On the Cooper version the improvements are good if you talk about easier to drive, more electronic, more gadgets, more BMW. However in term of fun to drive, comfort and quality, I really believe that it went down a lot.
Hopefully the reliability is much better... it is to see with the time.
If I was not driving much I would trade it for a gen 1, but with 40000kms/yr and the Canadian winters, a used car is not a good move for me.
Well, I try to do not rush on my decisions.
Mini Cooper 2005 was the best car I never had in my life even with all the reliability issue I got. Mini Gen 1 definitively is making history in the car industry.
Too bad there is no more British car company to save Mini from the BMW marketing and money industry. I also think the rumor with Fiat doesn't sound any better... it just sounds profits profits and profits.

Too bad there is no more British car company to save Mini from the BMW marketing and money industry.

Hmmm, I'd say that's the exact opposite of the reality. Please don't forget that the 'new mini' launched in 2001 is a car designed and launched thanks to BMW!

On the other hand, I tend to agree with you on one issue: I prefer the gen 1 to the gen 2 (we're talking MO/MC not MCS).
My biggest issue with the R56 is the way it looks..... The rear light clusters seem too big, the front lost it's appeal..... the interiors look plain boring... Saying that, others probably find it better. Maybe I'm just conservative!
Having driven the gen 2 I believe I know what you mean, it feels a bit like it's suffering with obesity and finding it difficult to cope with it ;-)

I have never driven a previous model, my wife simply loves her new cooper coming from a long line of Golfs , she did want an A3 initially but felt it was a little dull by comparison , plus the dealer aftercare in northern ireland is woeful. One thing that does annoy me from gen1 to gen2 is the oversized side vent where he indicator is , it is way to big the gen 1 model was nice and neat . ---gripe over

ive driven both i own a gen 1 cooper s test drove a gen 2 cooper s and just didnt like it and also still cant stand how they look but to be fair its every 1 to their own . GEN 1 ALL THE WAY .:D

We've had a clubman D for 15 months and I thought it was a great little car.Econmical, nippy and good fun to drive.
Last week we got a 55 plate cooper (as well as the clubby) with all the toys AND a JCW sound kit too.
I have to say the cooper is not as well built as the clubman, but it is an absolute hoot to drive and I wouldn't swap it for a 2nd gen equivalent

Thought long and hard wanted a cooper s and the Gen 1 is the only one for me. Most like the original the Gen 2 has moved away too much for me.

Thought long and hard wanted a cooper s and the Gen 1 is the only one for me. Most like the original the Gen 2 has moved away too much for me.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think the r56 is just too far removed from the original. It may not be a problem for some I guess. Haven't driven or even sat in an r56 but I quite like what I've seen of the interior.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think the r56 is just too far removed from the original. It may not be a problem for some I guess. Haven't driven or even sat in an r56 but I quite like what I've seen of the interior.

In many ways the second gen could be seen as MORE like the original. And if you haven't sat in let alone driven one, you should give it a go, you never know, you might like it... ;) :D

In many ways the second gen could be seen as MORE like the original. And if you haven't sat in let alone driven one, you should give it a go, you never know, you might like it... ;) :D

You never know I may!! :D you really think the r56 is more like the original? I'm happy to be convinced!! :p

Hi there! I finally start to enjoy my R56 and decided to keep it and not trade it for an A3.
I don't know if I used to it or if something changed with the time, after 1400kms I stopped to get this feeling to drive with breaks on. (I am sure I always release the handbrake...hehehe). I found that on my R53 I could shift gears around 2500rpm and still have a good acceleration. On the R56 Cooper I need to push it at 4000rpm to get a good acceleration. Also I start to used to the 6 speeds transmission which make me play the stick a lot of more (I am sure women love it...hehehe)
I just installed the Rally lights, they are bigger than on the 1st gen but still have some vibration. While I was putting apart the car to install the wiring for the Rally lights, I can definitively confirm that the R56 assembly is really cheap to compare to the 1st gen. I even found some plastic clip broken from the Factory assembly... I don't want to be the one who assembly the 2nd gen all day long as it must be a pain to put together. I have to say that the 1st gen was an amazing assembly design, very strong and very easy to put apart and re-assembly again and again.
But I want to say that even if there is some deception of the 2nd Gen when I compare to the 1st Gen, it is still a fun car to drive.

You never know I may!! :D you really think the r56 is more like the original? I'm happy to be convinced!! :p

If you think about the design and way it's put together, the 1st gen had a lot of features never seen on any MINI, the clamshell bonnet, raising grille and lights and so on.

I don't think it should be too much of a concern to be "like the original" anyway, the original Mini was, way back when, very much about innovation, the Cooper was about transformation and taking things forward and speed, so if any versions of the "new MINI" carry over these intentions, then they've surely "got the Mini spirit".