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True running costs of R56 Cooper S?

12K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Bozzer 
#1 ·
hi all,

I've currently got an R53 Mini cooper (51 plate) that runs pretty well, have had no problems with it so far apart from a few things starting to rust away - so I've been saving up for an R56 Cooper S, its a car that I've wanted since before getting the cooper but have never been able to afford. I only work on minimum wage, but I've managed to save around 8-9k to buy a 07/08 plate R56 Cooper S (I prefer their look much more to the original). My biggest concern therefore is the overall running costs. I've priced up insurance, which isn't much too expensive... and tax is actually cheaper. My current cooper has been very reliable, with only a few rusted away parts needing replacing and it seems to get pretty reasonable MPG. I was really impressed when I first saw the MPG for the cooper S (48mpg combined!) but I've been reading a lot of forum posts saying it gets nowhere near that, which is really disheartening - I really loved the idea of a performance car that had the power when needed (my current cooper feels far to sluggish when overtaking - im touching cloth every time) but could also be very economical when driven steadily... is this really not the case? am i going to be looking at spending all my hard earned cash on this car? I also hear they drink oil like there's no tomorrow.
 
#2 ·
To be fair the running costs I think are reasonable for such a good performing car. The latter r56 engines are better on fuel but I have an 07 and have seen nearly 44 mpg driven with a light foot. Problem is they are hard to drive with a light foot as they are so much fun. They run slightly better with super unleaded fuel so I'd price up the using that on every full up. I expect about 32mpg on average. If you think that's unreasonable then I'd look at something else but life's to short to worry about fuel economy and I guarantee that you won't regret buying an MCS

Ry


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app
 
#3 ·
I'm more concerned about whether my wallet can keep up with the fuel costs when using it as a day-to-day running car more than anything! I'd be happy with anywhere in the 40mpg ballpark to be honest, 32 sounds a bit too low though for an everyday MPG (of course i'd expect it to be lower when having some fun, though) :(
 
#4 ·
The current brochure for the Cooper S states.
Urban 38.7mpg
Extra urban 56.5 mpg
Combined 48.7 mpg

Its usually quiet hard to get the higher figures but the lower ones should be regularly achievable.
But has as already been said the Cooper S wants to go and its hard not to let it :D
Perhaps you should save up a bit more for a Cooper SD? that will give you between 55 and 72 mpg, more what you where hoping for I expect.
 
#5 ·
I agree with all of the above. No one has mentioned the high oil consumption however. Having just traded my 07 MCS for an 11 plate JCW, I am not missing the checking and topping up of the engine oil on a regular basis. Castrol Edge is expensive at around £16 a pop. I used to check and normally top up every 2 weeks. It was within BMW/Mini guidelines (1 litre per 1000 miles). Towards the end, it was becoming tiresome.
 
#6 ·
Well as much as I love my cooper s clubman I have to say that the fuel consumption figures are way off. 2 weeks ago I drove all the way from Cardiff to Leeds (about 230 miles) at only 60-65 mph and got 45 mpg. Believe me when I say that a was very very careful and tried my very best to get good mpg. On the way back I went mostly between 70-80 mph and got 38 mpg so not much difference really. Around town I get about 28 mpg but I like to use my right foot a bit.
Good luck with your decision, but for me the performance and fun I get it's well worth the money.
 
#7 · (Edited)
My R56 MCS gets nowhere near the rated figures - average 20mpg urban driving (mixture of spirited and light foot), fortunately the the price of fuel here is half what it is in Europe!! Even when I reset the journey computer for a single journey and drive like the tank is alost empty the best I can manage is 22mpg.

Had it for 3,600km from new and so far not needed to top up the oil.

EDIT: 20mpg US, 25mpg UK.
 
#8 ·
Mini Cooper S 60 reg 184bhp engine

For those who are searching for info:

My car is more recent than the one mentioned above, but in case you can find a 184Bhp car at a price you can afford.....

This is the last incarnation of the R56 engine:

- it doesn't have the turbo water pump recall issue. Check that this has been done if you buy a pre aug 2010 car as a few unlucky people had engine fires caused by this faulty part.

- my car has really low oil consumption. I do check it as mini's have a reputation for consuming oil, but mine has consumed less than a litre of oil (apart from oil changes of course) in 39,000 miles.

- fuel consumption is very good, but as I drive enthusiastically, I average 38.6 mpg. It acheived 42 mpg on the drive home from the garage when I bought it and 44mpg on a long run (changing up through the gears quickly and travelling 50-70 according to motorway limits. However, I soon got used to the car and get too much enjoyment from it to keep the mpg higher than 38.6 these days. The book combined value of 48 or 49 or whatever it is is unrealistic in real driving. If you want to see realistic figures look at the American review sites. I think they must have different rules on what manufacturers can claim for their performance figures as they seem far more realistic.

I absolutely love my car. I drove 3.0 litre BMW Z3's (230 Bhp) for 9 years before buying this car and much as I loved driving them, I have to admit that my Mini Cooper S at 184bhp is genuinely more fun to drive on the country roads where I live.

Which ever car you buy, just make sure it's had all it's recalls and servicing - standard stuff which I'm sure you've already thought of.

Have fun All
 
#9 ·
My 2011 Cooper S R55

cupofjavaa

I have a Clubman S with the LCi engine.

It has used probably 1/2 litre of oil over 23K miles and according to the trip computer is averaging 43mpg so I reckon somewhere in the high 30's with mostly cross country driving.

It does seem to run a bit better on Super unleaded.

The LCi engine doesnt seem to suffer so much with the timing chain tensioner issues although its not unheard of.

I think its fair to say that the LCi engined version has a flatter, fatter torque curve than the pre LCi engine which although this makes it a much more flexible and economical engine, does take away some of the peakiness (and character) of the previous version.

Road fund licence is cheaper due to the lower CO2 and insurance is very reasonable.

'You pays your money and you takes your choice' I suppose.


Bozzer
 
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