Well Im currently looking at purchasing a new Mini. Before I do I have a few questions. I currently own a 2005 Saturn Ion Redline w/ comp package. I love the car. Its alot of fun to drive but it sucks gas down like theres no tomorrow. About 20-25 mpg. Ive been looking at getting a Mini to replace it because of the 80 mile trip I make a day to work. I like to auto-x so I dont want to slack at the track. My main question is what gas mileage are you all getting. Cooper vs. Cooper S. Also how do both models compare at the track. What kind of aftermarket support do the different models have. Is there any suspension upgrades available. Thanks for the help, Adam.

 

I'm getting 26mpg with MCS with JCW over the 4 weeks since it was delivered. I'm still in the break in period so it has not been that spirited of driving. Well, as spirited as you can get and stay mostly under 4k rpms

 

You can get around 33-35 mpg in a Cooper. They can also be surprisingly competitive at the track....you may have to pick your battles though. Suspension upgrades are readily available for both models, but it's difficult to squeeze more performance out of the Cooper engine...much easier w/ an MCS. The biggest competitive edge for both, it seems, comes from a competent driver.

 

you won't save any $ at the pump. I get about 24 day in day out. But if I'm soft on the pedal, set the CC at 70, then the milage was much better (up to about 30).

For an AutoX, the S may not do too much better than a base cooper. The S does better when you can use the power. The longer the straight, the better the S will be.

Tons of parts, but they're not cheap!

Matt

 

Cruising at about 65-70 mph nets me around 23 mpg. I need a mod to git rid of a repost thread. Appearantly there is some lag between when I submit and it pops up in the threads. So putting a intake and exhaust wont help the Cooper.

 

is that better efficiency also gives more power. More power tends to get the go-peddle pressed farther, so you burn more gas with more efficiency!

Also, the car runs really, really rich from the factory. An ECU tune actually helps power, and saves some gas.

But don't look to an S to really save you tons of gas. A base Cooper will do much better.

FWIW, I get about 22-24 at 90 on the freeway.

Matt

 

MIB has came in at just under 34 on the last two tanks. This is mostly in town driving with lots of stop and go. We average just under 50 miles between MrsDiff taking MIB to work and then I take MIB to work after she gets home. I haven't been on a road trip with MIB yet. Supposedly it goes up when you run for long distances.