[MCjunkie]

I don't understand why people would be cheap enough to settle for just a Mini Cooper and not the Mini Cooper S. Sure it's about $3,000 cheaper, but seriously, when it comes to performance, options, and style, getting the S is a no brainer. No offense to anyone who has the Cooper (non S), but why, why? I'm sure everyone has their stories for getting just the cooper, but it's just something to ponder.

[ZAMIRZ]

Some people just like the look and don't care about performance. To a lot, not paying the extra 3 grand for basically the engine and dumping on options/extras is worth it if they don't care about going fast.

[Prav]

Perhaps because of insurance (£500/$700 Cooper, £1000/$1200) Cooper S for me.

[MarkW19]

Let's get this into perspective. The cooper is still "fast", the S is just a bit "faster". Insurance much higher (double the insurance group). More of a turbo-like kick-back in the cooper when you hit 4.5k. Not advertising by having a bonnet scoop, it's the stealth performance/handling car.

Accept that there's a place for the ONE, Cooper, and S. They're all MINI's :-)

[snuffy]

Like PRAV said, for me it's down to insurance.

[AprilWhine]

I chose the MC over the MCS because of style. The MC is plenty fast enough and has much more classic lines.

[MarkW19]

Yeah, driving at 70mph in 3rd, between 4.5 and 7k, during extremely twisty roads, I was just thinking "who needs an S??". Sure, you don't have to change down as much, the power's there in more gears at more speeds, and of course it's faster, but it's not that much faster as some people believe :-)

[AidenL]

Quote: Originally Posted by AprilWhine

I chose the MC over the MCS because of style. The MC is plenty fast enough and has much more classic lines.

Agreed..........

I like the look of the S, but the Cooper is 'purer'..............

[AprilWhine]

Agree Aiden. Both the MC and the MCS are beautiful. Another reason for me was that the MCS had such limited color choices.

[Jeep-2-mini]

In my case it was a simply down to the fact that there is no way to legally fit a towbar to the S in the UK

So Cooper it was for me

Mark

[ZAMIRZ]

No way is the Cooper as fast as the S, the Cooper is a dog. I test drove them both back to back with my father and the sales person in the car and my dad kept asking me if I was flooring it and I kept telling him "I am, I am", the car wasn't moving and never really pulled. In the S on the other hand, when the blower starts huffin and puffin the car just keeps pulling 'til redline.

[Lumspeed]

Consumption , Insurance , and no gaping ' HOLE ' in the front.

[MINIALEX]

Ive driven both a Cooper and an S and there is not a massive difference in outright pace however they have very different characteristics IMO. I found the S to be much more responsive and pull much stronger all through the range whereas the Cooper has to be revved - but when revved it really shifts.

By your logic - why doesnt everyone drive round in a top of the range car, live in a bigger house, have a bigger TV, have a longer holiday, have a better looking wife???
People look for different things and have different criteria, price, performance, looks, ins, VED etc.

If everyone drove round in S's it wouldn't be as special would it, just my thoughts!

[OctaneGuy]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZAMIRZ

No way is the Cooper as fast as the S, the Cooper is a dog. I test drove them both back to back with my father and the sales person in the car and my dad kept asking me if I was flooring it and I kept telling him "I am, I am", the car wasn't moving and never really pulled. In the S on the other hand, when the blower starts huffin and puffin the car just keeps pulling 'til redline.

You MUST have been doing something wrong. The 0-60 speeds and the top speeds are NOT that much different between the 2. An extra 50hp isn't that significant. It's a known fact that neither the MC nor MCS have much bottom end power. I'd say it was very likely that you were in too tall a gear for the speed, especially with 3 people in the car.

I mean did you honestly leave it in 3rd gear up til 70mph? I doubt it. When I test drove both cars, I didn't let them hit 5K, though I should have!

[MarkW19]

Yeah, the main difference is the S pulls better in more gears without changing down, but once you rev the cooper and get the revs up, it keeps on going and going and doesn't want to stop! That's another reason, the Cooper has a split personality. Shift early and you get very good fuel consumption, and a quiet, relaxing drive.

Push it, and you get a very special fast car.

[dcfkan]

Don't care about the performance of the S being better than the Cooper - I do not like the look of the S - Mr DK calls it the Westbrook model! Hence I shall not get one

Besides, I am happy with the performance of a Cooper, may be it is a girl thing

DK :apple:

[ZAMIRZ]

Richard, I redlined both of the cars and beat them up pretty hard. The salesman told me to throw whatever I could at it, so I did a clutch drop from a dead stop and at that point there isn't much of a difference but rolling away from stop signs in 2nd gear and just using throttle the S would just pick up whereas the Cooper I'd have to drop it down into 1st and slip it while bringing the revs up pretty high. Dropping the gas in the Cooper in higher gears is useless unless you have the RPMs up to where the damn motor is screaming for dear life. Oh well, a Mini's a Mini, I just happen to need the extra grunt.

[mikkol]

All car manufacturers create different models to fit most of the people's needs. It's no difference from asking people "why would you get a 4-cylinder instead of a V6?" Back to the question, to me $3000USD is heck a lot of difference. I want the style and handling, not mainly concerned w/ performance. If I want performance w/ a cheaper price tag I would get a Integra Type-R instead (it costs about the same as Cooper in Canada) but of coz that's not the case.

[NEMINI]

Not everyone worships the almighty HP . Some people don't want the higher insurance. Some people like the better gas mileage. Some prefer the looks of a Cooper to an MCS. To some people $3,000 can be the difference between getting a MINI and not getting one. $3,000 to you may not seem like much but it represents an 18.18% increase in base model price. Some would prefer to have a Cooper with options then a base MCS. Some, like myself, didn't want to wait another SIX MONTHS to get an MCS. (Three months wait was quite difficult enough but NINE MONTHS would have been unbearable.)
Just because the MCS is what YOU chose please don't deride those of us who chose differently. Both are wonderful cars suited to different personalities and different needs.
You should be happy so many people have choosen Coopers, imagine how long the waiting lists would be if we all wanted MCS's

[KJ_daGreenMini]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZAMIRZ

No way is the Cooper as fast as the S, the Cooper is a dog. I test drove them both back to back with my father and the sales person in the car and my dad kept asking me if I was flooring it and I kept telling him "I am, I am", the car wasn't moving and never really pulled. In the S on the other hand, when the blower starts huffin and puffin the car just keeps pulling 'til redline.

No one is saying its as fast as the S.

I bought a Cooper cos the insurance wouldnt insure me, so i'm hoping to trade it in for a Cooper S when i turn 25. I love the cooper. I dont need it to go fast. sure, i'd love to have an S and think its an awsome machine, but my current situation dictates that i cannot have one