I have a 2015 F56 with Sport Package, I really like the car other than the few quirks that keep making me visit the dealership.

I probably don't drive like most of the MINI long timers here (they usually go by Engine start -> Sport Mode -> dust left behind), more like a green machine mixed with occasional Green Mode, but I like to use the reserve oomph to speed up the ramps and catch traffic. I really like that the torque kicks in very early thanks to the turbo, it feels like a much faster car. My Mazda CX-5 2.5L feels like a truck compared to the MINI.

However, now I have a 9 month old baby and it's going to be hard to keep this car especially since it's a 2 door. I tried the 4 door F55 loaner and those were nice, except the weird afterthought looking door frames, and the same quirks as the F56 since they share a lot.

So I've been thinking about what kind of car I should look for, MINI's are too expensive for the money and comes with too many quirks, so Prius came in mind. Prius 3 or 4. I think that's the normal version of Prius and it's been completely redesigned for 2016 models. Reviews on car magazines says a lot of praises. Having the electric motor, I'm thinking that would provide enough torque so it doesn't feel sluggish at low rpm, but that may be just my wishful thoughts. Does anyone have experience with Prius? Prius 5 looks like it's too long and read reviews about rattles inside.

 

I haven't had any but have you considered the new Clubman? This is the car I ended up leasing after finding out my sister was pregnant and for some reason I feel the need to be the cool uncle in the MINI (besides the fact of working there) but I get compliments on it all the time and it seems like it is definitely a step up from the F56/55. They are also coming out with the All4 model which looks very promising.

Your next visit to the dealership may be worth it to take a spin in one, I know they are doing some special until the 24th with test drives that donates money to Feeding America too. Just my 2¢

 

Can't imagine going from a Mini to a Prius, you will be coming back shortly. Test drove one and wouldn't want to own it. I'm very adaptable to almost any car, but not a Prius. Would rather have a Suburu!

 

+1 on that. I think that was the main reason why I went with the F56 S. I couldn't stand the look of the door frames on the F55.

I agree with the person that said you'll regret the Prius. I know people who have them and say it feels like a tin can on wheels. Have you given any thought to the clubman? The rear doors are much larger than the F55 and you'll be able to get a car seat in there much easier. Plus the extra cargo room in the back for a stroller.

 

0-60mph times / mpg of cars owned:

Cars owned:
2010 Prius 10.2 seconds 56mpg
2010 MINI base 8.5 36
2013 VW Jetta hybrid 7.8 43
2014 MINI Roadster S 6.7 32

reference:
F56 auto 7.3
2016 Prius 9.6

 

I'm guessing this isn't an option

F56 SD, 300lbs ft tq and 55 uk mpg average after 20000 miles

Kids are just tiny people,
it's all the extra stuff you think you need, that can make life difficult in a small car

 

My daughter has a Prius that's about six years old and she loves it. She just took it on a 2000 mile spring break trip with four other people in the car...she did a similar trip last year with camping gear tied onto the top of the car. It has to be a pretty bullet-proof car since my daughter is not really into car care or maintenance. I know my Mini could not stand up to her abuse.

 

Two very different types of cars. A MINI is a performance oriented driver's car. A Prius is a transportation appliance.

 

Agreed. A Prius is the automotive equivalent of a toaster. If you're going to spend time in your car, get something with some soul. First car that comes to mind is a Mazda3 hatch.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Just went from a 2014 Prius to a 2013 GP2. I know, I know. Prius is solid, does its job and was no problem. But good luck staying awake while driving it. You have to whip it to get it to move--just wasn't my thing with all the electrical sounds and noises. Now, the GP2...Oh Yeah!

 

We haven't driven the newer Prius, but if cars can have a soul the Prius has absolutely none judging by the one we test drove. It is the polar opposite of the MINI.

 

toaster! Love it!

I agree, look into a Mazda. Before my mini I drove a 99 Mazda protege which was the prequel to the Mazda 3. It was a fun car and handled pretty well. The new mazda3 hatch is pretty nice. I almost bought one but then I discovered the F56 and never looked back.

 

You'll regret the Prius.

It's the automotive equivalent of a Dementor. Sucks the soul right out of you.

 

I've had a couple as rentals over the years....
The term "soul sucking" comes to mind....
And I usually drive my mini in a pretty relaxed manner...getting 30mpg out of a modded gen1 car, quite an accomplishment according to some...yeah...my front brake pads lasted almost 100,000 miles too....
IMO there are other good mpg "family" cars if the mini no longer meets your needs and you want good mpg....
Just as the MINI is at one end of the usability and size curve, so is the Prius on the economy scale...
Me, I went with a VW TDI jetta...50 mpg on the highway at 75 with the AC on..
Sure, there is the emissions scandal, but I already got $1000 back from VW, and can expect another $5,000 according to reports.... And on a $22,000 car...so no complaints since bought it new about a year ago.
Would I do it again if I knew about the emissions scandal, most likely not, but the car is solid, and more middle of the road for a few years while I do more highway driving...hoping to like the gen3 MINI's, but not sure I will be back anymore...some of the same stuff you have noted as the op...mostly reliability.

 

I owned a 2012 Prius v (wagon) Five with the Advanced Tech Package. For A to B, it was a great car and even charming in that it does exactly what you expect of it every day. The thing was as reliable as the sun rising and returned the combined rating just as consistently. It has great packaging, too. My biggest complaints were the 1.8HSD was a little overmatched by the big prius chassis over WV mountains and the torsion beam rear suspension really didn't scale well with the larger v. Toyota's 2.5HSD w/ a double wishbone rear suspension would have made the v one of the best cars on the road. We ultimately got rid of it because I had to have an FR-S and we consolidated the 4Runner and Prius into a Rav4 as the family car. Neither of my complaints were issues with the 3rd gen Prius that I've driven, though. The 4th gen seems to be getting much better driver experience reviews.

I'd consider checking out a Rav4 Hybrid if you are looking at the new Prius. The 2.5HSD is a real peach, it has tons of space for a young family, is reasonably quick, and reviewers are seeing over 30mpg real world that isn't the downhill, 55mph with a tailwind nonsense.

My wife has an F54 Clubman S All4 on order, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared to death that it will turn out the be a basket case. Our R53 has generally been very reliable (other than a small under hood fire!), so I'm hoping that there is some element of babying that we tend to give cars that will spare us, but there are certainly a lot of horror stories here on the forums. We also have 2 other vehicles that we can drive should the MINI give us trouble, so I'm OK with taking the chance because that is what my wife really wants.

My final bit of advice is don't change your car unless kid 2 comes along or the reliability is getting to you. When we had our daughter, we went overkill thinking that we needed at least 2 vehicles that would comfortably fit the whole family and needed to be future proofed for more kids. We took the Prius almost all the time and my 4Runner and the MINI basically sat in the garage. You don't have to fit everything into every car. We also expected to have more than 1 kid going into the whole parenthood thing, but before my daughter turned 3, I was at the doc getting a vasectomy because we had no desire for more kids after the first one. Don't get me wrong. My daughter is bright, makes me laugh every day, and is the best thing in my life. She challenges me in ways that I've never experienced and makes my heart ache with joy. My wife and I simply don't want multiple children and we never expected that to be the case. Plus, the first year is the hardest as far as the stuff you have to drag around. My daughter is 3 now and we use the MINI and FR-S daily with her. The 4Runner gets hauled out in bad weather or when we do a weekend trip (or when my old bones don't feel like climbing down into the FR-S). At 9 months, you don't have too much longer until you aren't dragging too much special stuff with you.

 

Definitely agree with the every car being "family". Got tired of not driving my car very much on family outings so I traded for a Subaru Forrester. Hated driving it and we still didn't drive it for family stuff because it was too much work to change the child seat.

 

Prius?! Really?! And you're asking on a MINI forum...haha!
This post is offensive and ridiculous!

 

Ha! I knew there was another reason I hated following a Prius! The PC crowd loves them....think they are saving the planet! A car should get you from point a to point b, but arriving at your destination without your soul isn't worth the drive! Saving energy doesn't have to mean creating a lifeless box on wheels! Any MINI is way better than a Prius!

 

The OP sounds a lot like me. He's a car enthusiast who, at the time, happens to be driving a Mini. I've always adhered to the rule: So many cars so little time. Only once in my life, and it's been a long one, have I ever bought the same model of car at two different times and that was the Mazda Miata.

I only drove a Prius once and that was a rental. It's true that it's quite sterile but one thing it's got going for it is it's made by Toyota and it's pretty hard to find a more reliable manufacturer and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

I would go for a KIA Soul over a Prius.

 

I read this entire thread and almost responded................ then decided not to.

 

I've been reading the thread, and appreciate everyone's feedbacks!

In my current situation, I only take the car to a 10 minute distance mall/transit center then get on a bus for 40 minutes to work. Sometimes I just leave the car and walk 25 minutes and then get on the bus from a closer stop from home. But this might all change once I find another job.

One other benefit of owning a hybrid would be that it's good for super short distances - my garage is tandem parking and switching two cars would cause less wear on a cold engine.


KIA Soul? Gas mileage is bad and it's not my taste nor has performance.

MINI Clubman looks nice and all, but it's too expensive for what you get. Adding Automatic transmission adds 1k, they want $$$ for BT audio stream capability (this was the case for F56), and add just couple more things it'll easily reach 30k. My CX-5 has blind spot monitoring and rear camera standard, and so does a lot of other cars in 25k range. I think MINI is charging luxury pricing even though it's not a luxury brand.

Mazda 3 - would have been a great candidate if I hadn't had a CX-5. Interior is too similar making it too boring.

Sonata/Camry/Accord Hybrid - Don't know much about how they drive, but it looks like they also get pretty good gas mileage and has a lot of interior space. Are these also considered soul-less like a Prius?


I really like my F56, but I would like it more if it didn't have the quirks (software issues, jerkiness, rattles) and was like a dead tomb silent in the inside.

I don't know, I'll probably keep the F56 until the lease is up and then have another thought when the time comes.

 

Absolutely!

 

You nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought I might have overlooked that Bluetooth audio streaming wasn't standard on the Clubman. On the 2017 Clubman S with All4, which is what we ordered, Connect is standard.

Not so funny story: when my wife ordered her 2005 S, she said that the steering wheel audio controls were superfluous. I agreed. Then when she took delivery, she noticed that it didn't have cruise control because the cruise control was bundled with the audio controls on the multifunction steering wheel.