[adams]

Hey people i currently have a Mini cooper Chili Red on a 55 plate. Must say i love it!! I went along to the launch of the new Mini and while being impressed it didn't make me instantly want to change mine. While shopping the other day i spotted a Chili red Cooper s (the brand new shape) and it looked a little jacked up and "obese"!

I know its all a matter of opinion and I'm sure its a cracking car , but there was a D/S next to it and i still prefer the "old" shape. Was thinking summer or earlier next year trading mine in for a supercharged S? Would i be missing out if i never got to here the whine of the supercharger?

After looking at nearly new S models i saw the speck you could get for 14-15 k was great! I was previously going to buy some 17S for my cooper and the JCW sound Kit. Now I'm wondering if that 1kish should go towards a S? I cant even do my job properly for thinking about this LOL! Plus does the exhaust crack and pop on normal S models or just JCW?

At least Ive still got a mini in the time being, rather than my 1.0 litre corsa lol!!

[Richard Crofts]

It popples on the standard car. Get a JCW exhaust or aftermarket one and its even more fun on over-run yes the whine from the charger is very addictive and many folks would miss that on the R56 MCS...Pity they went don't the 'normal' performance car route, especially as the main reason folks were looking forward to the turbo version was for tuning...and BMW say that the R56 turbo engine is almost at its limits at 200-210! So the fact of a turbo wont help folks get big power easy like they hoped...and they have missed to charger whine

Get a late plated supercharged S or Works ... You will love it...but the Cooper is great fun too...The S is just faster but it costs more in fuel and insurance so you have to question if the extra pace is really justified for you. For me it was and i love my S even more than my Cooper but its not the case with all.

[adams]

Great news about the poppling! I was at croft race circuit in Darlington a couple of months ago with other Preston Hall mini owners and it was a fantastic day! Saw some stunning minis both cooper and cooper s but the S just seems to do it for me, its not about the speed really although that will be nice, its just the look of it and the fact i can then save up for things like the areo kit and the JCW kit!

Thats suprising news about the turbo version i must say! I mean the new shape one is by no means awful but the current one seems to have more character at the moment! Does the S (the "old shape") Chili pack include xenons? How much is the JCW for cooper s (its around 3k to 4k new isnt it?). Another thing that put me off the new S is the price of the packages (which now include air con i suppose) but i simply cant afford 20k plus especially when i prefer my shape Mini :-)

[Richard Crofts]

Quote: Originally Posted by adams (original)

Great news about the poppling! I was at croft race circuit in Darlington a couple of months ago with other Preston Hall mini owners and it was a fantastic day! Saw some stunning minis both cooper and cooper s but the S just seems to do it for me, its not about the speed really although that will be nice, its just the look of it and the fact i can then save up for things like the areo kit and the JCW kit!

Thats suprising news about the turbo version i must say! I mean the new shape one is by no means awful but the current one seems to have more character at the moment! Does the S (the "old shape") Chili pack include xenons? How much is the JCW for cooper s (its around 3k to 4k new isnt it?). Another thing that put me off the new S is the price of the packages (which now include air con i suppose) but i simply cant afford 20k plus especially when i prefer my shape Mini :-)

You need to have a sports exhaust to get the poppling and crackling really loud, but its noticable on the standard exhaust too.

The chilli pack gives the S aircon but not xenons. To get xenons you need to buy the visability pack (Xenons, heated washers and mirrors, lamp washers and other stuff I guess) or spec them as an individual option. JCW kit is about £3500 as a dealer fit option. If your patient you can pick up various JCW bits via ebay and the mini sites secondhand for good prices. For £1000 you can get more than JCW power (220 instead of JCW 210) from someone such as GTT or Lohen using similar parts but without the mark-up. JCW seem also to have a bit of an issue on many cars of not hitting the 210bhp claimed figures.

[Richard Crofts]

PS. I paid 12500 for an 52plated August 2003 S with 20k miles on the clock. The car had Visability pack, Chilli, Climate control, TLC, Sunroof, Full leather interior, optional colour dash, multifunction steering wheel with cruise control, CD + other stuff. I was really pleased with it and the car is a fantastic runner (rolled out at way above stock power when I took it rolling road about 3 weeks after i bought it). Theres a few squeeks and rattles but over time I'm tracking them down and a bit of felt tape here and there soon stops them. My from factory new Cooper had just as many rattles so I'm quite pleased that a 3 year old car is no worse and as resilent as this seems.

[Adrian_T]

My 55 Plate S has Xenons as part of the Chilli Pack - would not have had the car without them as they look great!

I personally find the fuel consumption too high - so much so I am thinking of selling up.
Otherwise I could not be happier with my S - popps, gurgles and whines - just like it should!!!

[adams]

Cheers for the advice guys! The Xenons do look great, my from factory cooper has the odd rattle but i dont really care its still a quality product! I read the review on the new S in Autocar (again somebodys opinion) they said it was fast but had lost some visual appeal. I sure it will grow on me but i think i might sneak a cheeky year or two out of the whiney s as they said the engine was "dull"!! on the new car. I like the note on my cooper i would hate to go to a dull engine lol!