[Adventure_Man]

Ok - so i've almost decided on a fab Chilli Red MC (with white bits of course) but Im just checking what the general concensus is over the performance of the Cooper - especially by those who have lived with the car for a while now.

Is the 115bhp enough to live with in the long term?

Are many of you MC owners hankering for the 163bhp of the MCS?

How many of you have felt the need to have the car chipped and/or added exhausts + induction kits etc ?

Honest opinions greatly appreciated.

[Restyle]

I bought a Chilli Red/white MC in 2001...Brilliant !!
I placed Deposit on an MCS as soon as it was introduced.

Basically, If your Budget can Stretch, get the MCS.

[Martin L]

I had a Cooper before my MCS and IMO the Cooper is underpowered
When the engine is "on song" it's great but for everyday use I found it lacked the low down grunt.
I'm really pleased with the performance of my MCS, but I guess it really depends what you are used to and what your expectations are...

[GregF]

As my daily driver, in the city, my MINI is usually stuck in traffic, so it rarely gets an opportunity to get in open space, but when it's first in line at a traffic stop it usually leaves the pack in the dust. If you keep the revs up, it is more than adequate. However, if you can afford the S, go for it. I wanted the economy of the Cooper, short and long term.
The 115HP is a conservative rating and is probably actually more like 123. The car doesn't feel like a mere 115. Just take a test drive and make sure you wind it out. There is no real power below 3500RPM.

[paul g]

I test drove a Cooper, S (twice) and John Cooper Works Cooper. By far the most enjoyable was the JCW, but too expensive. I was underwhelmed by the S. You still need to rev the nuts off it to get anywhere, and that awful supercharger whine. Also too expensive with all the bits.
Ended up with a Cooper. Only starts to shift above 3500(as they all do), and even more now I've changed the air filter and exhaust. Sounds better than a standard S now too.
Around our wonderful London streets, a Cooper is fine.

[Roscoe76]

I love my Cooper. As mentioned previously, 115 is fine for the traffic I run into daily, and when I need it (with the revs high enough) it'll give me enough to get somewhere quickly. I also personally prefer the Cooper's bonnet and sound compared to the scoop and whine of the 'S' - granted you can't argue with 163bhp if you can find somewhere to use it.

[paul g]

Meant to mention another problem that afflicts all of them which is the gearing. It's sooo high. I often find myself driving around in a gear lower than I've ever done in all other cars I've owned.

[R1]

Very pleased with my Cooper. Don't feel the need to change it for an "S" as the "S" didn't feel different enough!! I also prefer the look of the Cooper.

A Hartge "S" though could be a different thing entirely!! I could even be swayed on the looks for 200+ BHP.

Mind you. I probably couldn't get from A to B any faster in a Hartge "S" than I can in my Cooper, as I drive mainly on A and B roads and not dual tracks.

[GAJ]

I would agree with everything that has been said. I went for a good blast today and if you keep the revs up over 4K then it is a brilliant drive. Under that it does feel a bit gutless at times. It just takes getting used to though - I think it makes you work a bit harder sometimes but pulling out of a corner at 6K really is a laff!

I'm thinking of sticking a Piercross Viper on mine soon for a wee bit more grunt.

[tip]

I live in Toronto, the MC is good enough. When it is time to stretch its leg it has plenty of get up and go. I have taken on and beat MCS drivers. Its not always the car but the driver and their ability to drive.

Charles

[Lumspeed]

I covered your query in a previous thread ( car loan ).

The Guy's are righ't , Cooper comes into it's own further up the Rev band than the one , but as I have said in my previous thread I think that for the extra money you pay for the Cooper you should have the performance of the One which is much quicker from rest AND the extra performance of the Cooper !.

My Cooper is 'Sluggish ' away from res't , but rapid further up the rev band .

Since most of us spend 50% of our motoring in heavy traffic I would prefer the performance at the lower end of the rev band !.

The ' S ' has this ability ( At a fuel cost ! .)and for that reason I am seriously considering an ' S ' for next year.

An ideal situation would be to run a ' ONE ' for general run around , go to work , get the shopping in , and have an ' S ' for ' Time out ' motoring !.

Iv'e driven all three and know the difference .

Didn't hear a whine from the Supercharger on the ' S ' , only a lovely exhaust note !!.

Lumspeed.

[Adventure_Man]

Some great replies so far - thanks Guys and Gals

I will go on a few more test runs to make absolutely sure - but uptill now I've been more impressed with the MC - as the MCS seems to need me to 'floor it' to get it to really move - even more so than the (very fun) MC.

I have a feeling the MC will be enough for me.

I also want to keep hold of my (clean) licence for a while yet...lol....plus the MC seems ALOT cheaper to buy/own/run but is still great fun to drive.

I will probably get the Superchip/Pipercross/Magnaflow upgrades fitted though as I think these may put the 'cherry on the cake' - whilst solving a few of those low down power/grunt problems

Anyone out there done this yet?

Ill check with my dealer though regarding TLC and waranty cover if i upgrade.

Anyone had any similar issues with upgrades successfully resolved by the BMW dealer?

Anymore MC success stories or advice on ownership of the fab MC out there you care to share is greatly appreciated...

[HarryHBMCC]

I've had my MINI Cooper for eleven months now (over 13.5K miles) and it is a real blast. When new the engine is a bit sluggish (especially if you follow the break-in recommendations) but it opens up, and opens up more, and opens up even more as it breaks (runs) in. By 4000 miles it has most of its power but still not all of it, believe it or not.

To get the most out of it you do need to rev it but I find at 3000 RPMs it has some power, at 4000 RPM it has a reasonable amount, at 5000 RPM it has lots and if you take it up to redline in the first few gears it gets out of its own way admirably. I double downshift to pass and it feels like afterburners when you go from 5th to 3rd while doing 50 or 60MPH. You don't have to beat the snot out of it all the time but when you need to make a turn out into country traffic doing 60MPH, take 1st to redline and 2nd to redline and you're doing 64MPH in 9.5 seconds or better.

Do I wish I had an S? I can honestly say no. When I need it, the Cooper has enough power and when I don't need it, it gets better mileage and looks better (I hate the hood scope and "carry-handle" spoiler on the S).

As for speeding tickets, don't let the 11HP (or 123HP) number fool you. The Cooper handles so well, is geared so high and drives so solidly that 110-120MPH is absolutely no problem to maintain, effortless in fact. The license is not much safer with you in a Cooper (find some back roads for the way to work, more fun in the twisties anyways and no cops!).

I've thought about very minor stuff like a K&N drop in filter but really, it runs so well as it is that I don't see much of a need. The exhaust note is great too (also changes as it breaks in) so I don't see that as a deficiency either. Will probably get some driving/rally lights though.

Harry

[OZChris]

I have owned my CR/W Cooper for two months now, and although I initially did wished that I had stretched to a Cooper S, I am now glad to have saved the difference.

My Cooper is driven daily by my wife, and it is really on weekends that I get to it out an about. As it has been echoed earlier, the Cooper really needs >4000 rpm to get it going. But once going, it's great. Sometimes it is more about the driver than the number of kWs. However, I am looking at intake/filter and exhaust options for a little more power.

The simple thing is just enjoy it, whether it be a One, Cooper or Cooper S.

Chris

[TheBlackKnight]

I must be one of the only people not tempted by the S - I was at first, but to be honest I'm happy with what I've got. Means I can spend a bit of cash customising it (which I have done!); in terms of the power, I found the engine lacked just that little extra fizz it needed - so I've fitted a few mods (exhaust, downpipe, filter) which has given me all the oomph I need. Love my Cooper and wouldn't change it for the world!

For now, anyway...!

[Paul]

Quote:

Originally posted by Lumspeed
Didn't hear a whine from the Supercharger on the ' S ' , only a lovely exhaust note !!.

Lumspeed.

Hmmm, I hear the whine each day and I'm running in.

You just need to turn the radio off, and put your foot to (or near) the floor.

[Lumspeed]

BlackKnight.

Give us a clue what the cost was for the Bits that made the diference ?.

Cheer's

Lumspeed.

[paul g]

£90 for the air filter and £300 for the catback exhaust on my Coop.

[yukclee]

My experience with the MC for about a year is that quite a few things limited its performance. Changing the air filter and the exhaust makes a big difference. Replacing to Iridium spark plugs and spark plug cables (8.5mm) makes some more diference. Now from about 2500rpm, I can feel the power picking up. And once it is over 4500rpm, it can run really fast.
I'll never be as fast as MCS, but given the long term maintenance (without the supercharger) and the look (more chrome) and my wife wants a CVT, I am very happy with the Cooper. And an extra plus is my silk green color will become a collector's item!

[Jeep-2-mini]

I've gone for the Cooper over the S for a slightly different reason - you can fit a towbar to the Cooper , but not the S

So I never even test-drove the S, so I can't comment on its performance, but the Cooper seemed to have more than enough get up and go for me on the test drive it was more than capable of passing anything else, and crusing at well over the motorway limit.