More Cooper S Evaluation...why the hell not.

[ficcion]

Ok I've got about 700 miles on her now. Majority of these miles have been city driving. Enjoying every minute of it!

PROS:

Suspension is starting to feel better. It is acutally feeling more fluid and smooth with time as the car gets broken in. Handling in a sense is better (and I'm sure I'm getting more proficient at using it).


Engine and transmisson are also feeling smoother. The tranny is better with time, positively. Getting through the six gears was more choppy in the intitial stages (again, probably some proficiency on my side also). I still try to keep her under 4500 rpm but sometimes before you know it your at 5200-5500 rpm and you say to yourself, "Oops".
This sucker tends to run hot. After a nice run through the hills you could cook your dinner on a skewer over the engine after opennig the bonnet. No drawbacks to this because the cooling system keeps it all in check, just an observation.

Tires,tires,tires: The runflats are good road holders (euforias). I was a skeptic at first but they have proven me wrong. YOU MUST GET THEM WARM to muster all their performance. I AM RUNNING THEM AT 40PSI. I find this ideal...try it for yourself. 17 inch wheels are a dream.


Brakes are solid. Have not noticed any fading with some of the mountain driving I have been doing. They stop this car very fast and confidently. The computer controlled systems ASC+T, ABS, CBC, and EBD work nicely (I don't have DSC but would have taken it if I had the option). I have made each of them function on purpose. They do their job nicely.


Smile factor continues to increase. Extremely fun to drive!!


CONS:

The "cold start" problem is annoying but there is hope on the horizon, they say it just needs a software fix.


There is lag...don't kid yourself. Turn the A/C on and drive at Denver, CO altitudes and you will really see my point. With time you learn to manipulate the lag and it is a fleeting problem that is quickly overcome by maintaining Rpm's. Every once and a while you forget at a stoplight and take off at a snails pace. It is simply a learnig curve. No major problem.
My tech tells me sea level driving is quite a big difference as far as overall power is concerned. SO ENJOY ALL YOU BEACH GOERS! (I'm originally from So. Cal so I can understand the difference).


Gearing is perplexing to me. Why not have six close ratio gears leaning toward the quicker acceleration and controling speeds from the 0-90mph range? I am guessing gas mileage had to come into play. 1st gear is what I would consider "1st and 1/2 gear" and 6th gear is "overdrive". Some closer ratios would have been best but the supercharger and rpm manipulation do seem to extend the range of each gear making the driving experience very exciting and fun.


The last con is just the fact that this is a new car so your always hoping the bugs have been worked out at this point and time (or at least that they were worked out on the test subects in England...just kiddin guys...go England football).
I call this the mental factor.




Anyway there you have it. All things considered, I definitely love this car!

[Gary Tate]

Thanks for the review. Mine will be just like yours except i added the sports and premium packs.
You say it runs hot? Does the mini come with the thermo fan? Fan stays on after the engine shuts off.

great pic.....glad I chose the the chili red with white

[ficcion]

Yes, there is a fan which does the job nicely. Interesting to note, it has only come on once after shutting down the engine and ran for about 4 min. then shut off.

This happened about 100 mi on the odometer on a 80 F day. Ever since then it only runs when the engine is running.

This is kind of odd because I would think it would be more consistent. Other people on the forum have mentioned the same occurence (only running once by itself).

Does not seem to be a problem though just kind of wierd.

[noahe]

Do you have more pics of your car like the one above?

[ficcion]

Ask and you shall receive...

[ficcion]

More...

[Gary Tate]

Quote:

Originally posted by ficcion
More...

Has anyone found a replacement source for the run flat tires? Cost?

love that car....looking forward to mine

[ficcion]

and last one...

[noahe]

Fantastic pics. Mine cannot get here soon enough... It's now 8 days late. It takes two days to dealer-prep it, so I don't think I'll even get it monday anymore, unless they call today sometime.

[12000rpm]

nice car ficcion

i love america