My mum is about to buy a new Mini2. Due to my dad being in the Military he gets quite a discount (well, all the taxes) off the purchase price of the car.

My Mum is after a Mini Cooper Chilly pack, 3 door. The question currently is the 1.6 petrol or 2.0 diesel. For reasons I dont quite understand the dealership they have to go for has quoted £15,825 for the 2.0 Diesel Chilly Cooper and £15,048 for the 1.6 Petrol Chilly Cooper.

She wants auto, leather and a few toys and has specc'd accordingly. From looking at the quotes the diesel has the auto standard (petrol does not) which seems to be a chunk of the cost difference.

All the same, for the sake of £700 is the diesel the one to go for? She does want a 'nippy' car, but will only be doing average mileage, on average roads (motorway to town).

Any advice guys? Cheers :)

Unless you are going to do serious mileage I wouldn't choose the diesel as you won't get any major benefits.

Personally I would go petrol......much much more fun!!!

Unless you are going to do serious mileage I wouldn't choose the diesel as you won't get any major benefits.

Personally I would go petrol......much much more fun!!!

I would agree, for someone doing average mileage petrol is the way to go in a mini.

Iain

Petrol. No contest. Unless the car does over 15k a year the petrol will be cheaper overall and a better drive

I would personally go diesel, the petrol is quicker off the line but the mid range torque in the diesel makes the diesel pull alot harder, look at the figures from 50 to 70 mph on the mini website. My new One D is quicker mid range than my old Cooper petrol and when it comes to overtaking I was surprised how easy it was with the One D (and mines the bigger Clubman) where my Cooper needed a good thrashing. Everybody says buy the diesel if you do big mileage but for me the mileage is only a small part of it, the increase cost for the diesel virtually stays with the car in its risidual value, the engines are far more robust and last a lot longer, mid range they wipe the floor with petrol and I've had plenty of both, they cruise better on the motorway, the new N47 block diesel from the BMW's sounds better in the Mini than the piezo electric fuel injectors on the petrol engines which just sound tappety. Yeah the Cooper S and especially the JCW are awesome don't get me wrong but on a car doing low mileage there are many reports of the high powered petrol engines getting coked up behind the injectors and people had to have their engines rebuilt, in the states people use sea foam to clean them (check it out on youtube).

To be honest all Mini's are awesome and you will love which ever you get and maybe in general I just prefer the way diesel engines drive but after having a Cooper Petrol and now owning a One Petrol and One Diesel (both brand new) my vote gets the diesel!

Get your old girl to drive both and get the one she likes best.
Both have pros and cons.

This will be a car she keeps for a very long time, so will be sold after fairly high value/it becomes un-economical to run.

Usually I agree with the principle of petrol unless very high mileage, but when they are only £800 a part, diesel seems quicker on paper and more expensive brand new (before Dad's military discount) I find myself hesitating.


Can anyone comment on what the price of servicing is for the 1.6 and 2.0diesel? What about the different MPG - real world that is!

Thanks for the help guys :)

if you answer NO to all the criteria questions in my sig then petrol is the fuel type that is needed..

all modern diesels DON'T like short trips or being driven like miss daisy,if short/urban journeys is all this car will be doing it will more than likely clog up the emmission systems requiring dealer visits to force a regen on the dpf..

Thanks guys, I will pass this on! :)

OMG guys, have you even thought of the residual value the Diesel will give you!!

I'm a car trader and let me tell you, FACT the diesel is ALWAYS the better seller these days.

If your mother was to change her mind one day they I can guarantee the diesel after 3-5 years will be worth 20% more.

I remap ALL dfp (Particulate Filters) off my diesel cars as they are POINTLESS and problematic.
So a remapped Mini is A) Better on Fuel by far than the Petrol Model & B) Faster through ALL gears.

If your parents can get a discount that put both cars at the same value then Diesel is a no brainer!!! (The winner, for u yanks lol)

Wife drive Focus diesel (short journeys) and gets 37mpg)
I drive it (longer journeys) 52 MPG

Diesels dont like short journeys, the need to warm up to best best out of them.

OMG guys, have you even thought of the residual value the Diesel will give you!!
Indeed - there are quite a few cars where it makes financial sense to buy the diesel version even if they used more fuel, not less. As one forum member has indicated a Cooper S Countryman is a bad choice compared to a SD Countryman if you ever want to trade it in.

Diesel for me too.

I much prefer the newer BMW-engined Dooper over the comparable petrol Cooper... much better drive, feels more gutsy and capable (and that's based on the 1.6, not the 2.0). :)

OMG guys, have you even thought of the residual value the Diesel will give you!!

Errrrm, I did!

the increase cost for the diesel virtually stays with the car in its risidual value,

see lol lol lol lol

I've a Mini Cooper SD and the engine is awesome. It pulls like a train from tickover.

I had a petrol mini ONE for a day when my Cooper SD was having its door lock replaced and there seemed to be nothing in its petrol engine.

Fuel economy - I do about 2x17 mile journeys to work 4 times a week and it gets between 50 and 55MPG - and I like using its overtaking power on most journeys - it can get past most things easily.

But if this car is for really short urban journeys, where it won't even get to its normal operating temp, I'm not sure if the diesel engine will be that good for you.

But I'm so glad I got the Cooper SD - it's quick and economical, and has a great sound rig and 17" wheels.

Hope this helps.

I've a Mini Cooper SD and the engine is awesome. It pulls like a train from tickover.

I had a petrol mini ONE for a day when my Cooper SD was having its door lock replaced and there seemed to be nothing in its petrol engine.

Kinda off topic, as the discussion is about the Cooper D, not the SD.

That said, I've driven the SD and it is fantastic, but the regular D is certainly not to be sniffed at either! :)

Also, was the loaner you had a One, or a One First? I got lumbered with a First (1.4) when I took my car in a while back... so gutless! The regular 1.6 One isn't bad, nor is the Cooper (which I will always argue is better in diesel guise), but you can't really compare them to either the turbocharged Cooper S or SD.

Kinda off topic, as the discussion is about the Cooper D, not the SD.

I thought the 2.0 diesel being considered in the first post was a Cooper SD.

My Mum is after a Mini Cooper Chilly pack, 3 door. The question currently is the 1.6 petrol or 2.0 diesel. For reasons I dont quite understand the dealership they have to go for has quoted £15,825 for the 2.0 Diesel Chilly Cooper and £15,048 for the 1.6 Petrol Chilly Cooper.

I thought the 2.0 diesel being considered in the first post was a Cooper SD.

The regular Cooper D is available as both 1.6 and 2.0 (112bhp), in addition to the 2.0 SD (143bhp). :)

diesel is great for larger vehicles, eg my Landrover is a diesel, and gives the low down torque, better economy, etc

but for a mini petrol is best, especially if you enjoy driving it properly !!

get a life and buy a petrol :)

Iain

Do the MINI diesel engines have a subsiduary heater for the winter time, as some VW models do? I drive a diesel Vauxhall Combo van at work, and with the short journeys I do the heater hardly ever comes through in the cold weather. I've considered a diesel MINI myself, but I think my 5 mile commute to work will just result in me having freezing feet all the time!

My Cooper SD doesn't have an extra heater - which makes winter driving a bit cool for the first 10mins of your journey.

I'm sure it's only a problem to people way south of Leeds mind ;)

I have gone from a diesel Corsa to a Cooper D. The Corsa took ages to start pumping out vaguely warm air, however I find that the Mini warms up really quick.

or just get a mini cooper s petrol :) you know it makes sense!

Just swapped a cooper s clubman for a cooper sd hatch and I prefer the sd. I loved the s but the sd is easily as much fun to drive, cheaper to insure by almost £100, cheaper to tax by over £100 and better economy. Plus it will be worth more when I sell it

I've ran a Clubman SD for 9 months now; 14k miles from new. runs greats. running costs are low in comparison to petrol, previously had 2 petrol mini's (Cooper and Cooper S).

I'd stick with the diesel option.

"diesel is great" for larger vehicles,
get a life and buy a petrol :)

Iain

Tractors?
I often wonder why if diesel are supposed to be equal or as good as petrol these days, as I keep being told, why we dont see Aston Martins, Ferrari's etc or even come to that Formula 1 diesels?
Or is it just the fact they would sound uncool?

Deisel engines have a higher centre of gravity, which is not so good in a very low slung F1 car. Also until recently deisel engines were always much heavier Audi have now made a deisel engine that weighs the same as the petrol equivalent. It still has a higher cg though. The other problem is the narrow power band.

It could well happen though. Not many would have predicted le mans being dominated by diesels 10 years ago. Maserati are using a deisel in their new 4x4 a first for a true super car brand. They are thinking of using a fake engine noise, but we will see whether they actually do.

I looked at petrol and diesel but went for diesel in the end even though I don't do high mileage:

I figure residuals will be better when I come to change and with the cost of fuel going up and up I will save along the way:D

Forgot to mention the free road tax as well:D