http://www.miniusa.com/content/miniu...-editions.html

Has anyone driven one or any owners on here that can comment on it? Does the extra length and curb weight really slow down the fun factor compared to the 2 door hardtop? My local dealer has a Carbon automatic that I may take out for a test drive after the East Coast snow storm, but I would want them to find me manual version.

I had no idea this car even existed and saw it at my local dealership while in for service. I had been wishing the online con-figurer would allow a JCW 4 door and here it is.

Now for the subjective part and I realize this is NAM, so go gentle on me. I presently have a 2016/7 Ford Focus RS on order with delivery scheduled for the "Spring". The RS will be roughly $5,000 more than the MINI. It's 350hp/350tq and all wheel drive, power to weight should be close to 10:1. Plus Ford has my $1,000 deposit that I would need to ask to be returned.

I am used to bigger cars with V8's and manual transmission, but I am loving the fun of lightweight toss able machines.

What would you do and why?

 

If you have a deposit on an allocation and are not paying over msrp, you are one of the lucky future 2016 RS owners.

I would get the RS as it is will be limited for 2016, and it's also made in Germany. It will be a great daily driver and will kick serious butt on the track with an awd system that can send 70% of the power to the rear wheels.

 

LOL
You are correct about the allocation and MSRP comment. Actually I have a deal for slightly less than MSRP and my allocation has already moved to Selected for Scheduling meaning it is in the mix to be built soon.
I have always wanted a MINI but my job required a larger vehicle and now I am in a position that I can drive a MINI.
My random thought was to get the RS as it will be limited production for maybe a year or two and get the next greatest MINI in a few years, since I don't think MINI is going anywhere. But it might gain some weight, and I thrilled they finally added a 2 liter motor.

 

The new st is pretty awesome...

 

Keep the Ford ..........a far more exclusive and better designed car.

 

Owned/Driven many cars over the last 40 years including Jags, 2 GTi's of different vintage, few other VW's including a KG, a Chevy, some Fords, and even a Toyota. Not one of those vehicles was ever the reason for a perfect stranger to strike up a conversation with me, either at the gas pumps or a store parking lot.

And while that Ford has some impressive HP numbers which will probably provide a few seconds of premature ejaculation here and there, most folks wont even know what it is.

The MINI is a car which brings people together, even when they are perfect strangers and the only car I know of that comes with it's own family.

 

We have a manual one. If you want to come up to north jersey for a test drive, send me a private message.

Of course I am partial to MINI, but the ford RS is pretty sweet.

 

I love my Mini but strangers at the pump will not pay the repair bills no matter how cute my Mini is. Mini is not a social status in any way.

The RS HP figure has nothing to do in the equation. Service quality is the main factor .... you can find a Ford dealer anywhere.

 

Not supposed to talk to strangers, at least that's what momma said.

Ford vs mini strictly a personal preference deal.

 

Keep in mind the Carbon edition is a normal F55 Cooper S with a bunch of accessories thrown on from the factory, including the JCW tuning kit, which only adds 15hp, which is still short of the output of a real JCW. The only thing it has that you normally couldn't get from the factory are the Carbon edition stripes, which you can probably get from a custom vinyl place or even from the parts department after the fact.

Adds:
- JCW Tuning Kit (+15hp re-tune, bi-modal bluetooth exhaust)
- Carbon fiber mirror caps and hood scoop
- JCW body kit
- JCW Pro front splitter and rear spoiler add-ons

You can take any F55 Cooper S and add these things on yourself, at the dealer, or as accessories installed at the port.

It is nice that everything is already done in a package from MINI, but don't think that it's anything super special or exclusive. Sadly, there will never be a "true" JCW F55 and this is kind of the consolation prize :p

 

Can be a love hate relationship and costly for those who drive it until things break with total disregard for warning signs or preventative maintenance. And I beg to differ the cars popularity which crosses all social classes....I can name / see more celebrities who drive MINI's than Fords ( Fix Often Repair Daily ) even on the east coast...


GL.

 

There is no escaping repair issues with the modern day car....
Here are some Issues reported on the RS, some even sound familiar with some MINI models:


Rear light clustets boot hinges and spoiler seal all leak tell tale signs is a damp or wet boot process of elimination though its best to use quality sealant and seal all 3 suspected areas.

Power steering hose just behind the radiator and at the join to the pump are prone to leaks from corrosion recommend every 6 months applying grease to the area such as vaseline to prevent this.

Noisy aircon pumps can be from either the bearing or the system needing regassed since the regass is cheap its best trying this first also the ti vct uses a different aircon pump a vss pump which varies the gas so it does not click on and off regularly like older pumps but runs continously.

The heated windscreen can fail on one side either its a simple fuse issue to which there are 2 1 for each side or some cars under the scuttle panel have the electrical ribbon loose which gets rubbed by the wipers when in motion causing it to fail.

Rear hatch gathers water so when it rains and the boots opened water pours in ford sell 2 self adhesive plastic strips which is supposed to address this issue it helps but doesnt prevent it happening.

The design of the door seals means after or during rain once the doors opened water runs into the car there is no fix and its a common issue on the mk2

The aircon drain can get blocked or detatch allowing water into the dtlriver footwell the drain is found behind the plastic panel at the drivers left leg a poke through with a wire hanger usually clears it if loose its best to reattatch with silicone.

Dash displays stay lit after the car is locked for between 20-40 minutes the ecu remains live storing vehicle data for this period of time monitoring under bonnet temperatures once the ecu shuts down the display remains off displays which stay on for long periods such as overnight usually have pcm issues which bbereman can repair cheap.

Despite fords its galvanised claims the focus rusts particularly on the front and rear sills as well as front and rear arches therefore its imperative you deal with paint chips pretty quickly.

Rear bushes like the mk1 are prone to wear around the 5 year mark some are easy to change some are not.

The ti vct can go into limp mode with no power this can be either the ti vct timing relays on top of the engine or the cam itself the cam unit is not easy or cheap to repair so should be left to a dealer the cambelt will also need replaced during this average cost £500 minimum.

Worn or cheap brake pads and disks can cause a distinct click when braking.

A noise like a knock or thump between 10-15 mph is the abs test and is normal should happen only once usually when first using the car.

Poor idle can be due to the pcv valve needing replaced the springs weaken and can gunge up for the sake of £10 its best to replace this.

Rear drums prone to sticking in cold damp weather a clunk will be heard from the rear as it unsticks getting under the rear and spraying wd40 on the rear handbrake cables both sides before winter sets in can cure if not help this.

Paint removal on the sills lower doors front and rear is common a plastic protector should be attatched though this helps its advised to fit mudflaps even this will not stop road salt blasting paint away but reduces the effects dramatically.

Wind noise from the front windows is common often sounds like the window is open slightly when its not ford have no fix for this the mk2.5 recieved thicker door seals and glass to prevent this.

Rattles from under the car more often than not are loose heatshields or a broken rear or midfle exhaust hanger a new exhaust is not needed since the hanger detatches at the exhaust removing from the hanging rubber and buying a bracket clamp from ebay for £8 solves the issue and is easy to fit.

Rear washers not working can be a detatched hose inside the spoiler or a detatched hose in the car at the driver rear in the headlining where it stops at the boot

For winter a good screenwash used pure down to -10 -20 such as preston is needed as the screenwash bottle is under the wheel arch liner and will freeze heated washers wont defrost this.
leaky washer jets is common upgraded parts available but still leak only answer is to silicone them

Check all electrics work as they should let the car idle and sit in it any bad shudders could indicate the coil pack plugs and leads need replaced to solve misfires its best to do all 3 and use dielectric grease on the spark plug terminals at the plugs and coil pack.

Dpf failures are common and expensive however its possible to get companies to remove the dpf fault by removing the dpf altogether saving a small fortune and endless headache


Hoses from the intercooler to the turbo can split or collapse.

Dirty fuel filters bring up an engine fault light.

If the fuel filter seal is not replaced at the same time as a filter change it can cause air in the fuel line and problematic starting.

Original Ford fuel filters are a must.

Badly designed bonnet locks can cause problems with opening

 

Eurothrasher
thanks for the input on the issues with the RS but I believe you have the wrong car, as the 2016 RS hasn't even been delivered to any customers as of yet.

I have found a manual MINI Carbon, now it's weather or not I pull the trigger and deal with the negative equity of an early lease return, which I am not a fan of at all. Or possibly just riding out my current lease and ordering a MINI just as I want it once it's expired.

 

I agree....... the 2016 RS is not yet on the market but this is the same shell. A few real concerns.............

Good luck in your decision about the Mini. It seems nice. Maybe you should buy instead of a lease and sell the used car by yourself.

I never lease cars.

 

I really do believe that the idea of being able to find a Ford dealer anywhere making it a better choice is null and void.

I met someone at my dealership who had a 2013 JCW GP2 and he said he went to 3 different dealers trying to find an issue that was specific to the car and none of the dealers felt comfortable pulling the car apart to look, they all said they would need to call and get a specialist from mini to come down, causing a lot of problems.

I still feel that the new RS will be similar for Ford dealers, and it may even be worse because Ford does not treat it's customers the way my MINI dealer seems to treat them with respect to rental cars and doing things near out of warranty or out of warranty.

Meanwhile, the Carbon edition will be practically like hundreds of thousands cars out there and every MINI dealer will know how to fix it.

That being said, the RS is quite the car.

 

Just in for an update.
I am picking up my manual transmission Carbon 4 Door next Friday from my local MINI dealer. The overall cost of ownership and the $6000 price savings with the MIN were the deciding factors. I have a MINI dealer less than 10 minutes from my home so service is not an issue. Looking forward to driving the wheels off this thing.

 

No RS??? Is your "allocation" transferable?

 

Yup.....and it's already gone. I knew it wouldn't last.

 

Does it have the JCW Pro valved exhaust? That adds 7+ HP and great sound. Mini is more fun than the Ford, test drive one and discover it for yourself.