So here's my problem. I'm trading in my 2007 S ragtop stick with 109,000 miles that i adore. It kills me to do it but I need a new toy and I'm afraid of mechanical breakdown at some point. Drove both manual Coopers the other day. Loved the S but i think I could tool around in the standard Cooper and have a ball. I felt there was enough torque and guts in the standard Coop with the Sports package that I might not need the S. Anyone else feel this way also?

 

I agree. I enjoy spirited driving, but I felt the standard Cooper was perfectly adequate for my daily use. Plenty of excitement during the many test drives. I was also on a budget, so a nicely equipped Justa was more appealing than a base S.

 

I think a Justa this time around will be a much more personable car than in the past. Simply due to it having a turbo. It's only.1L less than the outgoing N18 engine so future tunability should be quite a bit better than the R50 and R56 Justa's. They already have 30% torque increase over the R56 and thats where the fun is! I think there will be more people happy with the Justa models this time around than before. Thats all just an opinion formulated from review and paper data reports. The best way to find out of course to get out there and drive one. Then you'll know, or maybe get even more confused.

 

I started out playing w/ the Justa in the Configurator and did so for a week or so. However, I decided that unless I got an S, I'd always be wondering what I was missing by not having that additional power.

Also, with interest rates so absurdly low, spreading the higher price of an S over 6 years, meant it wasn't too much more each month.

 

All of that is true but just suppose that you would have MORE fun in a Justa pushing the limits on a smaller engine and enjoying it more! i personally might enjoy that more. It's not even a question of money. It's what I would enjoy more on my daily ride.

As an aside, does anyone know if the spoiler is an option on the Justa?

 

That's what happened with me. I went in expecting to get an S, but drove the 3 banger just for kicks. To me, it was more fun than the S, so that's what I ended up with. I also prefer the Justa front end this time around. The extra $3k or so in my pocket didn't hurt either, but it wasn't a determining factor.

 

You can take that extra $3 grand and really put it to use with upgrades and not miss a thing. Might actually enjoy your ride much more without spending a dime. That's what I'm thinking also.

 

Another Justa buyer here!
When I bought a Golf - it "had to be" the GTI.
When I bought a TT it "had to be" the TTS.
With the Mini I went to the dealership and it "had to be the Cooper S"

Then I drove the base Cooper!
Main points influencing the decision:
- predominantly city driving
- do not like the Cooper S front end (at all, it's a design flaw)
- love the sound of the 3 cylinder turbo, will be awesome with an aftermarket pipe
- able to add dynamic chassis control for less than perfect roads
- money in my pocket means I can spec to the max
- torque torque torque

And to boot, some auto journos do prefer it
Win win situation on all levels.....

 

Just remember, it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow. My '13 Justa does me just fine.

 

Lots of vids on YouTube extolling the praise of the 3 cylinder turbo. I would own a loaded to the gills Cooper because of the $3600 savings over the S. BMW/MINI did well with this "upgrade" on the base model. Good luck!!

 

Just to add some light(and extra confusion)this is what "European Car"magazine had to say about the two.

 

Just a note of possible interest that the sport package doesn't add any "torque and guts." In fact I'd wager the 16" silverloop spoke wheels and 16" tires will slow you down a bit due to increased unsprung weight.

I've had a Cooper and now have a Roadster S. If I was getting a new hardtop it would be the Cooper. What's with the Coupe in your sigge?

 

Not sure if I'll get a MINI but it is an interesting comparison for someone like me who is bringing negative equity from another car so I'd be trying to limit the cost of the new car.

I think I'd still get the base cooper due to more features I could add... however if you're used to having a quicker car, I really do think the S is enticing - you can get into an S for not too much if you only get the important stuff (for example saying no to the led headlights and maybe no to a sunroof). Theres so many avenues you could go down, its hard.

Unfortunately I only drove the auto cooper which just didn't provide enough excitement for me. I think there was enough power to be there to have fun, but you'd definitely need a manual to raise the hooligan level

 

I ordered and cancelled the Coupe. Decided to keep my ragtop and wait for the new model hardtop. Never took the coupe off my sig.

 

Going to need to drive both models again but I'm leaning toward the base Justa loaded up. Sports package with 17 inchers will work for me.

 

I've never really looked at the S. At first it was because of the lesser MPG and the stiffer suspension, but now I've just grown to love the base Cooper. I'd rather load up my base Cooper with lots of stuff than have a standard equipment Cooper S for the same price! :D

 

Just like Smokey the Bear says, "Only you can fight wildfires and decide which Mini is best for you" (ok, so maybe I added a bit there)

 

I am very seriously considering the F model Cooper convertible coming out, rather than a HT S. The rumors are pretty much in agreement that it should be out before winter. (late summer or fall perhaps) I'd been wanting a convertible for ages, but the new model was so compelling-- corrected a lot of the issues that had kept me from buying in earlier. Well, a new model convertible is even better!

 

If you have been waiting for the right ragtop to surface, this might be your car. I love my vert but I'm looking for a change and I always admired the HT look. I can get by with the sunroof. My wife is starting to freak out about "sun damage" to her skin and I guess she has a point.

 

I agree with you - I'm also thinking that the base Cooper is more than enough for me. Granted, I'm coming from a 2011 Chevy Cruze and so the horsepower between that car and the new base F56 is just about the same (the Cooper has more torque though, I think). I went to test drive the new hardtop last weekend and told the dealer that I couldn't decide between the two and that I wanted to test drive the base first. I didn't even drive the S because I felt like the base was more than enough for me.

I say go for the base, and add some sporty options!

 

I'd go for the S if you have any reservations at all. The biggest argument in previous generations for the Justa is the normally aspirated motor. No turbo, no worries! Since the base model now has a turbo, you're taking the same gamble as you previously were with a Cooper S. Might as well get the power, too!

 

My wife and I drove both cars at the dealer event. The car would be for my wife, not for me. Going in we only planned on driving the Justa due to the lower starting price. It really surprised us. Neither of us had driven a Mini before but the pickup and fun handling was a nice surprise. But then we made a mistake.... we drove the S. The S was a thrill to drive. The car had a lot of get up and go, I was surprised and it put a grin on my face. It handled really well. Both cars have even more pep when you switch the auto-trans over to Sport mode. The test drive didn't leave enough time to really test out the various drive options.

But one thing I did notice, the Justa had more road noise than the S. The S had the sport package and larger wheels and tires. I think that was the difference. We'd really have to drive a Justa with the sport package and larger wheels to be sure of this.

But I think the Justa will have enough performance for a daily driving commuter, and the lower price means you can really get this car very well equipped. I think she will get more value from the options than the bigger engine. Spending a lot of time on the configurator and she seems to like this car fully loaded. So trying to keep it under $30K is hard, it will be impossible with the S.

So my suggestion.... if you are on a budget (and who isn't) and want to maximize your features, the Justa would be a really nice overall package. If you have more to spend the S is a blast to drive.... but hopefully you have some open roads and not racing from one red light to the next. If you test drive the S and don't really want to afford it, you are going to feel really tempted. So don't go there if you are on a budget!

 

Here's an update from my previous post. We went to a different dealer tonight that had a Justa with the sport package and the 17" wheels and I can confirm that the road noise is less than the non-sport 15" wheel car. And the 1.5L engine will fit our needs nicely. So we are dropping the S from consideration.

Some other things we learned that may be mentioned elsewhere on this site.

- Orders for cars with contrasting roofs are delayed due to work being done at the factory. So if you order now and want immediate production you can only order a body color roof. A contrasting roof would be scheduled for Jun production.
- If we order in Jun for July production we'd get a 2015 model. Probably not many differences, but it would be a 2015 MY and several years from now the car would be '1 year younger' so we will probably wait and save up for a down payment..
- He mentioned the JCW would also be available for Jul production and this option is needed if you want the Chili Red.

 

The difference in road noise is more likely attributable to the tire tread patterns rather than the wheel sizes.

 

Tread pattern might have something to do with it, but I'm not sure what the difference is in the tires (other than size) between the two. I think it is more than just the tread. Test them yourself, back to back and you can hear and feel a significant difference. I assumed the sport package would ride harder and louder, it seemed almost the opposite.