Butkus

Hi,

Has anyone driven one of these? What do you think of them?

I drove the standard Cooper a couple of weeks ago which was great apart from the engine, hence trying the 'S'. The handling etc was fantastic.

Butkus

Sorry, wrong forum. I meant to put this in 'Other Marques' - could someone move it for me please? Thanks.

bootsy

i have didnt think much of it all hype handling ok but nothing special.engines still gutless as well.the seats mark really easy as well on the back(when kids put their feet on them) i brought a civic type r instead

monkeysan

the new Cooper S has a Peugeot engine - ENOUGH SAID

miss*scoobygav555*

good choice!! I wouldn't swap my type-r for any other hot hatch!!

r32

The new Mini has a BMW engine produced at the Hams Hall engine plant, it was a joint development between BMW and PSA.

Last time I looked didnt a driver in a PSA car win the World Rally championship?

monkeysan

the older new mini's had a much more relyable Chrysler engine

i know, i had a mini one and never had a pick of bother, the gearbox however was a COMPLETELY different story

Leslie

The Mini is a very good car all round. Of course the Cooper does not set the world alight on sheer performance but it will get across country remarkably quickly because of the excellent handling. It is only a 1600 cc engine after all. It is quiet and comfortable for a long distance cruise. It is pretty economical as well.

The Cooper S of course is a powerful machine with the supercharger and is great fun to drive. It will munch up the fuel of course when you wind it up but what else can you expect.

I really enjoy my Mini even though I still miss my classic STi with a well tweaked engine. Trouble is, where can you use the performance these days on our grossly overcrowded roads except on a track day.

Les

Flatcapdriver

Flaming hell - keep up, he's talking about the new Mini not that tub of lard with that anaemic supercharged engine.

I couldn't stand the old 'new' Mini which was seriously flawed in the engine, handling, steering and ride department and was determined not to like the latest incarnation.

We needed a runabout to keep the miles off my other car, so I booked a test drive and was pleasantly surprised. The new engine is an excellent unit with plenty of low down torque, which is something Subaru could learn from, with a decent spread of power although it gets a bit breathless past 6000rpm.

The ride is much improved and has lost that bounciness but BMW are still insisting on the RFTs which I'll ditch as soon they need replacing - you have to ask yourself why the M Division ditched them on the Z4M and yet the rest of the range is still using them?

Handling wise, its good for a FWD and is very entertaining with some fun to be had with lift off oversteer but having said that if you leave the ASC on it will get you out of trouble if you overdo it. Gearbox is excellent, as are the brakes although they can suffer from fade when you cane it but I'm sure there are some decent pads that could be bolted on when the time comes. Ditto the steering, which is informative and direct but it has to be said that it does suffer from torque steer (the forthcoming slippy diff should help here) and tramlining but again the replacement of the RFTs should help eradicate this.

The downsides are that its very easy to hit the options list and end up north of £20k which is a lot for a small car. Some of the interior detailing is overly fussy and is very much a case of form over function - suggest they get rid of that ridiculous speedo in the middle which is at best, distracting and at worst a waste of time so you end up squinting at the digital readout on the thrashmeter binnacle. Some of the plastics used are a bit questionable too, although the overall level of quality inside is much better than other cars in this segment. They may have changed every body panel on the car over the old one but the packaging is crap for a small car and really needs addressing over the coming years - fortunately we don't need the space but with someone of my size its effectively a two seater.

Subjectively, the looks are a bit awkward from some angles especially the front and it rides a bit high over the front wheel arches but this does settle after a few thousand miles.

At the end of the day, everyone has their own opinion but Evo rated this above the Clio and I have to say I agreed with them and for a FWD, point to point car its not only entertaining but pretty rapid.

r32

I have driven one of the new MCS's for 700 plus miles. The new car (R56) has changed considerably from the old version (R53). As the car was only released just before Xmas there is obviously no data about reliability. The new engine which is designed and built in the UK by BMW is a turbo unit unlike the Brazilian built Chrysler supercharged lump in the R53. For a small car its prety good. My wife has an R53 Cooper and the interior is considerably improved in the new car. Its a case of you pays your money and choose what to spend it on. It can be expensive as like all Beemers the option list just goes on and on. The engine is supposed to be 175 brake but rolling road tests have shown that the new car is putting out nearer 200. Thats why the new standard S is as quick as the old John Cooper Works cars. The fuel consumption on the turbo car is greatly improved as is the emissions, something that might mean after the next budget the car becomes less of a liability.

r32

For more info ...........

MINI2 - Fuel For Your MINI Obsession - MINI Cooper - S - One - Diesel - Works - Cabrio

Flatcapdriver

I've thrashed this one mercilessly from day and its now got 3k on it with no problems, so I'll stick my neck out and say the unit is reliable. Interesting what you're saying about the power output as it doesn't feel like 175bhp, particularly when accelerating with a seat of the pants sensation that's saying its not taking 7.5 seconds to hit 60.

The Trooper 1815

iTrader: (31)

Which is like comparing a skip to a jet fighter PMSL at that one

Leslie

Thank you for your very polite interjection. You must be awfully gung ho about the whole thing!

I'll stick to my original comments anyway.

Les

stilover

Must admit, I really like the GP edition Mini.

Entered 5th Gears competition to win one, and out of all the competition cars, thats the one I really wanted to win. Stupid money to buy though.

Flatcapdriver

That's alright. Politeness is my middle name. You can stick to your comments given that they aren't relevant to the original poster's question.

wall

Had a CooperS (old version) after an STI V and an Elise 111S. Frankly didn't feel disappointing at all; reasonable power (about in line with the Elise above 50, a little slower below), very good handling and balance (better than STI, not quite Elise like but more exploitable in bumpy or wet conditions), good grip for a front driver (of course cannot put the power down as early as the STI).
Overall no troubles for 2.5 years, fun motoring, good space (usually 2 people, no kids), quality options (fancy sound system, DVD sat-nav, etc), and good resale value. Went for all black to avoid slight feminine image

Going at the end of April when my long awaited R32 DSG arrives! Cannot wait of course, but CooperS was a very good car.

Wall

Butkus

Thanks for all the comments.

Just to clear up, it is the new New Mini I am referring to - so in the case of the Cooper S, the 1.6 with the turbo engine, not the supercharged one.

Whoever mentioned the options list is spot on. It's very easy to top 20k, and one the Mini2 forum there are many people posting specs over 25k!!

I wanted to ask on this forum though for some unbiased(ish) opinions as opposed to the Mini forum.

Looking forward to my test drive now......my current car is a Polo TDI with 75bhp so it's going to be a bit different!

Flatcapdriver

I'm pretty sure that the slippy diff option is available from March so you may want to spec this option - obviously try before you buy.

Andy M3

I love the old 1.4 VW TDI. I still fancy one as a commuter, but not this year. As for the Mini, great car! It will be nothing like a 207 GT 150 petrol 3-dr @ £14,345 - but will the economy not hurt compared to your frugal polo?

Butkus

Yes, the economy will be a bit different (40mpg so they say, against 61 on mine). But I have a bit more coming in now so I'm not too worried.

Mike123

That's what I heard (March with the intro of the JCW stuff )when I test drove the new one. We have the old model (55 plate )with a LSD and I wouldn't buy a new one till I could have it similarly equipped.

The brakes and ride (and fuel consumption) were what I noticed as improvements. I thought the mid section of the dash looked more plasticcy on new car. Handling seemed about the same to me but I noticed the torque steer more on the new one which is why I'd want one with a LSD personally.
The new car felt a little less "raw" than our old one but this generally happens with cars as they engineer out the gruffness and rough edges ( witness 205 to 206 Gti ) - seesm to lose a bitof the character as well though but it's all taste and fancy at the end of the day.
Also felt like you were lower in the new car as the scuttle line is higher

Flatcapdriver

Yep. Some of the plastics are dire. The centre round the heating controls which you've mentioned and the stuff they've used on the cruise/bluetooth controls on the steering wheel beggar belief especially when the rest of the car is so well constructed using far superior materials.

Leslie

Thanks for clearing that up, I did make the mistake over that as FCD was so quick to point out in such a friendly way. Honesty is my middle name!

I may well have a look at the latest one as well. If it is an improvememnt on the one I have got then I am sure you will like it anyway.

Let us know what you find out

Les

Butkus

Just as an update, I drove the 'S' last weekend. It is much better than the standard Cooper - it feels quick as opposed to 'nippy'. There was a bit of torque steer when under full acceleration, but nothing crazy I didn't think.

The problem is that I don't think I can afford it at the moment. Or more that I can't really justify it, so I am putting it on hold for the time being.

Flatcapdriver

Have you looked at PCP deals? 20k annual mileage will cost around £450 per month and that's from BMW, without shopping round. Of course, if you're having a hard time justifying spending £20k + on a supermini then I understand where you're coming from.