http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

Enjoy!

 

I think the mini fared well. If only they had a fun factor in the determining factor
I agree that the Fiesta handles better. But it fell flat in the fun category. The Abarth is very very fun with it's shouting and slamming of the gears.

 

FYI fun to drive is where it actually lost the most points to the fiesta st

 

Oh I see it now. I missed it while looking. That's about the only one I disagree with after seeing it. I think that the Abarth is the most fun but I believe the car is too small. Then mini. Then fiesta. Just my opinion though.

 

wouldn't be surprised if the outcome for fun to drive changed had the mini been on summer tires

 

Agreed. It would have been nice since the other two both had performance tires. If nothing else, it would have been a bit more accurate comparison. Silly of MINI to ship a test vehicle with all season tires...

 

yeah, it's not fare to do a comparo using crappy runflat all seasons.

 

I just couldn't own a car called a Ford Fiesta sorry. I reminds me of those original POS enconoboxes. The Abarth I could drive. I'll stick with what I got.

 

Quote from my wife just a second ago:

"It's a Fiesta. It still looks like a f'n Fiesta."

 

lol. Exactly! I read nothing but good stuff about the Fiesta's drive... but... it looks like that! To each their own I guess.

Also, I guess all that Fiesta praise must only apply to the ST trim? My girlfriend test drove a Fiesta before she bought her car, and hated it so much. She said it felt like it had no power at all... and she was coming from a '02 Hyundai Accent, and eventually settled on a base Chevy Sonic.

 

I drove a Fiesta ST recently, and while I loved the way it drove, I couldn't accept the interior. I've been too spoiled by my GTI.

I think the Mini with summers would've fared much better against the Fiesta.

 

Magazine articles are always very subjective. I'm always cautious as far as how much of a review I accept as absolute fact. Some facts there. Some opinions there.

 

While the Fiesta may be slightly superior in certain areas, put a MINI and a Fiesta in a full parking lot and which would stand out and be distinctive? The Fiesta would get lost in the crowd.

 

Seriously? I notice ST Fords, especially in the bright green, blue or red long before a white, silver or black Mini. If it wasn't for the interior, I'd probably have a Fiesta ST. You could call it the Pink Ferry Boat, if it's a good car, I'll drive it.

 

The Fiesta's economics by and large suck. It's what drew me back to the MINI in the first place. Where would you rather spend your driving time?

It's good that the Fiesta and now has the SYNC system but from what I've seen and read, it's positioning and controls make for very poor usability.

 

For me it was between the Focus ST, GTI and the Mini. While the Focus ST drove great, the interior just didnt feel premium compared to the Mini.

However the Focus St was $24,500 fully loaded. It was hard to pass up but still rather have a Mini with a few options as it felt more solid.

 

I'm pretty sure everyone on this forum that bought a new Cooper could have gone with an ST or an Abarth. It's like a movie review that was skewered by a "professional" that you actually loved. Screw the ST, we all know what car we would rather drive.

 

For me, the Ford was never in the running, and I would tire of the Fiat quickly. A no brainer for me.

 

These 3 cars are really all in different classes. C&D lumped them together but they really are set up for 3 different demographic groups of people. Let's face it, the Mini has grown up to be more BMW like. Not a bad thing but it is different from the 2003 mini.
Also the fact that Mini provided a car with those junk tires is unbelievable. If you are providing a car for a sporty road test why would you choose all season.

All in, it is the car I would pick of these 3. The other 2 are not close to what I am looking for.

 

There's just something that the MINI has that the Fiesta doesn't. It's something that car magazines often glaze over and don't give thought, and that is, the character of the car, how it makes you feel, and what entails owning the car. MINI's are happy little English Bulldogs, perky and happy. Just something about them makes you smile every time you see them. And not only that, I don't think Fiesta owners have too many clubs or get-togethers. I don't think they wave to each other on the road. To me, that makes a difference. I don't know about you guys.

 

I spent a year looking at other cars before ordering my F56. My son owns a Fiesta. I test drove an Arbarth -- they were no where near a Mini. The Arbarth was the closest I could get to considering changing, but it just lacked the "it".

 

And THAT is why after looking at a number of different cars I chose my MINI. Fiesta ST? Not for this driver.

 

Those who prefer the Mini Cooper are drawn to them for their distinct looks ( cute little things ) and after driving one fall in love with the " go cart" feel of their handling and that is the "fun factor" we all tend to refer to.
The fact that the test car had those run flats on it only reflects the reality of how the Mini's are delivered from the factory to the customer and is accurate. To expect aftermarket tires (or after market anything) would not be an accurate test as stock comparisons.
All else aside the, the article was pretty accurate and un biased.

 

It's not the run-flats alone that caused the low test scores and driving impressions, it's the all-season run-flats.

The car is available with summer-only run-flats, and should've been equipped as such for this test.

 

What's frustrating about those tires is that Mini just arbitrarily applies them to your order. I did not ask for the all season, but thats what they threw on my car. I am wondering if I have any grounds to make the dealer swap them out?