FrenchBoy

Work have one in on test.

Pretty quick but the handling was a surprising dissapointment. Felt really skittish and tramlined like a b1tch, it was all over the road and never felt really planted - not really confidence inspiring. It had the 18" JC rims on it. I suspect things may have been a bit more friendly with the standard 17".

The supercharger sounds like a small child is trapped under the bonnet. Pretty amusing when pressing on.

Nice exhaust aswell.

Moray

Does the owner know you thrashed the nuts off it ?

FrenchBoy

My company fleet manager has it on test from BMW for a couple of days. Their only comment was "Don't scratch the alloys, they're a bit expensive."

As a test car I assume they know it'll be more abused than a ginger step-child.

Nevetas

FPMSL

Moray

Yeh, true its like hire cars. I have no respect for them whatsover.

archie g

My lady wife had a JCW S for a while. It ain't actually as fast as it feels, (a CTR will eat it for breakfast) understeers abd skitters around like a pig even on standard 17s, has joke brakes and you'd be amazed how irritating that supercharger whine can get on a journey.Seats are unsupportive, there's no boot space, build quality is iffy, it drank oil, the gearchange managed to be rubbery and notchy at the same time. Traction control was intrusive, but if you switched it off it couldn't get the power down and with 7000 miles on the clock it had more rattles than Mothercare.

Touch up paint matched a treat though and mother in law didn't fit in the back. God knows how they sell so many of the things.

gregjd

Was it a new one? I'd heard with the LSD they handled a bit better now?
It's still on my "fun car" shortlist but at the moment I'm veering towards a new Golf GTI.

ROTFLMFAO at the ginger stepchild crack by the way

wilf

I was impressed with the two examples that I have driven (on 16s and 17s) and found them a big improvement over the std MCS. Only real gripes were the price and the brakes werent that good. VFM as a replacement for a Clio 172 it just didnt stack up.

Andy M3

Golf GTI 5 i have heard nothing but great things about - and AMD's demo was at croft and that was very brisk !

It is on my short list of what car i should have next - but i am waiting to see what the 130i BMW is going to be like.......

CrisPDuk

Never seen what all the fuss is about, just another cheaply built beemer IMO.


PS Moray, I HAVE a ginger stepchild, and if you can thrash a hire car as much as I thrash him, you are indeed worthy of respect

Moray

Cant be chinese then ?

wall

I have one on standard 16" with better tires. I actually find the handling and feedback great, better than any car I had except for the Elise (better than my STI5 and Evo3), the grip ok (less than the 4wd cars I've had), the power plenty and very usable in the dry especially.
The brakes are fine for normal use, a change of pads is required for substantial road use (eg fast back-roads driving), whilst for track use you should change the whole set-up (there are various kits by the usual brands).
Might be lucky or might have got one of the newer = better made ones, but my may-2004 delivery is to date (june-2005, 26000km) pretty much rattle free.

So, a happy customer

Wall

FrenchBoy

I'm a bit surprised by the comments about the brakes. I thought they were pretty good but then I do drive an 03WRX so I'm used to being able to stop as quickly as the Exxon Valdez.

I definitely think the car would handle a lot better on the standard wheels. Why people put oversized wheels on cars never fails to amuse me.

Patt@firstime

FPMSL

Moray

You are a bit slow

Patt@firstime

Nope

Hol

iTrader: (1)

Interesting comment.

The wife wants a replacement year/two old car and the shortlist includes both a standard Cooper S and a 182 Clio.

The Clio is obviously cheaper too.

andy99turbo

The thing thats always shocked me about the new mini cooper s is how little performance 163bhp gives it.

Think of 163bhp in the old style mini ? Like a rocket springs to mind.

I am sure the new mini weighs more than a classic impreza

The interior design is very good though, just not sure if I would part with the best of 20K for a decent spec'd cooper s.

Mike123

The recent Cooper S is 170bhp but the older ones are 163bhp. The Mini weighs 1215kg and an older classic UK turbo Impreza weighs 1235kg so there is not a lot of difference.

When they got the extra 7bhp they re-did the gear ratios and they make much better use of the available power. 0-100 in a smidge under 20seconds instead of 21.9 for the 163bhp version. A bit quicker than an ST170 Focus (not much more weight) or a 206 Gti 180 (which weighs a 100kg less)
However the weight obviously takes its toll as a Clio 182 weighs 1084 kg and gets to a 100 in 17 seconds.

I'd say looking at other hot hatches of round 170bhp ( excepting the Clio ) that the Mini is pretty much the performance I'd expect for the power/weight.

gregjd

I'm now considering a pre-facelift Works Cooper S as a 2nd car for around 15K.. 2004, 12000 miles, bodykit, Chili Pack, leather (I think).. Sounds well looked after. What do you reckon? Am I mad?

wilf

Its a serious price to pay over a Clio Cup for better quality materials and finish and inferior braking - but as a Clio Cup owner I can still see where you're coming from - 15k is much better value than 20k+ new and those BBR conversions look tempting.

I would personally drive both the Clio and MCS Works on an extended test. Seeing as you can pick a 172 Cup up for 8k nowadays its a big premium to pay for the mini.

FrenchBoy

2nd Car to what?

gregjd

E Class Estate... hence I'm missing something fun to drive

Saw the Mini yesterday.. Nice to drive, very well looked after.. Was nearly £22K new only a year ago!

FrenchBoy

I'm sure you'll love it then. Just make sure it has the standard wheels.
Personally I'd prefer a Clio Trophy - dynamically one of the best sorted fun cars I've ever driven.

gregjd

Agreed the Clio Trophy is no doubt the better drive.. Our 2nd car at the mo' is a cooking model current shape Clio that we've had nothing but trouble with though. It's put me off Renault as a result!

The Mini has the 17" S spoke wheels that come with the Chili pack. I wouldn't go any bigger than this but I do prefer the look of the BBS style R90 wheels. Might be tempted to swap them.

FrenchBoy

Don't blame you really - renault are rubbish even if their cars are good.
I know the 17"s look good but I think the 's' drives better on 16" rims.

MY97_Toy

My wifes has 17's and it seems OK.

IMO i have a suspision that the run flat tyres cause a very jolty(?) kind of ride. Any one changed to normal tyres?

PhilA

The 17's are a harsh ride but they look cool and the handling is awesome, just a little noisy.

gregjd

Also found a 2003 one with the nicer BBS style 17's.. Was build quality much improved between 03 and (pre-facelift) 04 model year do you think? Mileage and price is similar so it's down to condition, colour and spec... Hmm.. The 2003 one is Black with blue/black leather and the panoramic glass roof. The 2004 is grey/black with blue/black half leather..

MY97_Toy

Dont forget the Harmon Kardon HiFi Upgrade and Multi Function Steering Wheel. These are a must, have for me.