I'm still saving up for mine, but when I tested the 07 MC and 07 MCS, I was totally convinced that the extra $3k is well worth it. After all, since I'm making an emotional rather than a practical choice (Honda Accord for the last 8 years, and my kids aren't all grown yet), I might as well go the whole way with the fun factor! Still, each to his/her own, and you'll doubtless by happy either way, since it's still a wonderful MINI after all.

 

I went from an R53 MCS to a R56 MC.I wanted an MCS but the color I was dead set on(oxygen blue) only came in the MC.The 2nd Gen MC does have alot more pep than the R50.Now after 25k in 5 months I have no complaints about the lack of power.Although I did buy a '07 MCS motor to put in my MC.

 

Wowza! Now that's mileage. At the rate I drive, I rack up about 25k in 5 YEARS!

 

For what it's worth, I'm driving my still new MCS pretty hard, I think, and on the last fill-up I was at 33.5 MPG. I could probably be driving it harder from a stop, but still... it has to be the highest "most fun to best MPG" rate around!

 

Well, I've read the whole thread, and it appears that people lean towards "Juuuuustaaaa Cooper." But that was, of course, given your original question, which was not "Which is better?", but "Was the power loss that big a deal?" And frankly, given that you want to save some gas and possibly save on speeding tickets, I would think that the choice is obvious. Admittedly, I am 61, and admittedly, I am a rev, but my MC CR has a lot more power than I really ever get to use as completely as I would like.

 

Thanks for weighing in, RevRay. I find your response most meaningful. I'm several years your elder and chompin' at the bit to place an order for a new Mini. I'm considering auto transmission only. Is that what you have? Also, do you ever wish for more power when entering expressways? -- Vim

 

Going from a first gen R53 to an R50 Cooper is one thing, but going from an R53 to a second gen Cooper is a whole other matter, imo. Fuel economy will jump significantly...it's fairly common to get 39-40 mpg (city) in a manual Cooper. The added low-end torque and 6th gear will be welcome. Will you miss the hp??? That is a matter of personal preference...but you'll still have plenty of motoring fun while still being able to pull awesome mpg #s. The Cooper overall is a fine, fine MINI...I think many who opted for an MCS in the first gen car might have been quite happy w/ a 2nd gen Cooper....except for the crazy ones and they know who they are. To me the combination of fine motoring performance and efficiency is a huge part of what Mini/MINIs are all about.

 

I don't have an automatic, I have the standard 5-speed R50 MC. Normally I always buys standard shift cars, though my wife has gotten to the point where she likes an automatic. For where I drive, the expressways are not soooo congested that I have trouble entering into traffic. But then with my standard I can wind it out and almost redline it in order to get the power I need on the rare occasion when I do have to force my way into traffic. Other than a serious test ride under real conditions, I don't know how you could really answer that question for yourself.

 

I have a modded Honda S2000 which out-powers and out-handles my R50. I call it my motorcycle on 4 wheels.

BUT, I now wear the exact same grin behind the wheel of the R50. The grin may even be wider when I see its fuel gauge had barely moved after such spirited runs. Compared to watching the gauge drop with every millisecond I'm in V-tec land on the S, it's a welcome sight!

Best,
T.

 

I'm coming from an '06 MCS to an MC. When the Clubmen (Clubmans?) first came in, I went to my dealer for a test drive. Their S demo was out so I took the Cooper Clubman for a spin. Long story short, I loved it. A few weeks later I took my wife with me and I drove the Cooper again. To my pleasant surprise, I enjoyed it even more the second time. It's really responsive and with the 6 speed there's plenty of pep. True, I didn't even let myself drive the S version, but I'm completely sold on the MC. I'll save $$ up front and on gas down the road.

 

Vaper, appreciate your comments. Just to clarify, was it the MC or the Clubman you drove at dealership? And, by 6-speed, were you referring to M or A transmission? Thanks for the post! --Vim

 

It was a six-speed M on a Cooper Clubman.

 

Wait! You bought a MC for the oxy blue THEN paid for a MCS engine? Wow! You must reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeealy like that blue! Wouldn't someone paint a MCS for you?

 

But that would be too easy!!

 

I've been a MINI salesperson for over 6 years, I've sold close to 1,000 MINI's. I've driven every type of car from a base r50 cooper, to a GP, to a Helix turbo-compressor setup on a R53 MCS (300-ish HP), to everything else MINI related. For my own cars, I've had a 2002 MCS, then a 2005 MCS, now a 2006 MC with a JCW sound kit. The current car is my favorite of the three I've owned. I'm fully aware of the difference in straight line speed, fuel mileage, ride quality, price, and mindset. I'm 32 years old and I could not be happier with the car that I drive now. If straight line speed is what you're after, go for a Cooper S. I love driving a car that is responsive, and I think that you can have every bit as much fun in a cooper as you can a cooper S.

 

-drive harder...
-I'm gettin' 20mpg!
lower miles per gallon....but higher grins per mile!

 

-ya....superchargers are sooo icky
like omg

 

Dude, you're rockin' and automatic?!

 

Hey now I'm rockin' an automatic too!

 

. Quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever read on here.

 

To me it all comes down to highway passing power. I think the S gives you more car for the money, better power delivery, better mechanicals and eventually better resale value. Out of the 4 MINIs I have owned, one was a Cooper CVT (2002). It was a great car around town and it served us well for nearly 6 years. We took it on several roadtrips and the car was generally fun, but noisy compared to a R53 S stock.

I think the Cooper is a very good car, but when it comes to the second gen MINI, I am not sure if it is such a good value. Case in point: At first we placed an order for a Cooper Clubman auto with just a few options. Final bill came out to $24K and change. A couple of weeks later my wife and I started to debate the wisdom of spending that much money on a car with just 118HP, considering, that the Clubman was going to be the main highway cruiser. I went back to the online configurator and built a Cooper S Clubman as close as possible to the Cooper we had just ordered. Lo and behold the net difference between the two was $2K even. I shoot up an email to my MA and promptly changed the order to the S.

Also, the fuel economy savings between the R56 MC/MCS and R55 MC and R55 MCS is very marginal in my honest opinion. But the difference in power delivery, especially in the mid to upper range, is significantly different. The Cooper has more than enough power for around town driving but for highway cruising, the S is a much better suited car for the job, hands down. The forte of the Cooper S is smooth/effortless power delivery at highway speeds.
We took the Clubman S last weekend on a 600 mile roadtrip. The car averaged between 37-39 MPG with the cruise control pegged @75MPH. Keep in mind this is an automatic. Perhaps the same drive on a Cooper Clubman would have yielded 40-41MPG. To me those extra 2-3 gallons are not enough reason to sway me over to the Cooper.

I recently drove a Cooper Clubman automatic (Dealer loaner) and the car was pleasant enough around town. Good torque and responsiveness. But once I took out the car into I-95 that is where the differences between this loaner and my Clubman S became blatantly obvious. The Cooper simply demands to be driven harder to deliver power. This may be fun around town, but gets old quickly on the highway. With the Sport Button on, fuel economy in the Cooper began to suffer as a result. On the Clubman S, all you have to do is tap the gas pedal and the Turbocharger does the rest. Effortless power delivery = More stable fuel economy.

The above is, of course, just my personal opinion and unscientific observations. I think that the criteria to buy a Cooper (aside from budget considerations) is if the car will be driven mostly around town with the occasional highway trip here and there, then the car makes better sense. But if you are planning on doing long road trips, drive the car at the track and still reap very good fuel economy, to me the S is a no brainer.

I too, drove many samples of the R50 Cooper 5-speed. The car was fun to drive around town but in the highway was annoying. That car screamed for a 6th gear and that was the reason why I went to the CVT. The CVT had better gearing IMHO than the 5-speed models and nearly equal fuel economy. But the performance and drive differences between the R50 Cooper and R53 S supercharged were substantial. Those were essentially 2 different cars built for different purposes.

But I can't complain about the fuel mileage on my '05 R53 S. I am pulling 28MPG on city driving or nearly 400 miles to the tank. I am filling it up every week and a half. By comparison, the Clubman S gives me a 450+ range in the city. I would say the net MPG difference between the R53 S and the R56 S in terms of mileage is like 5MPG more efficient on the turbocharged cars.

 

I have both and they both have their pros & cons.

I get better gas mileage in my S than in my CVT.

S: more shifting, fun but can get old in heavy city traffic
CVT: easier to drive around town in traffic because of less shifting

S: nobody passes me
CVT: everybody passes me starting off, but it's surprising and pretty cool how quickly that little CVT can catch up.

CVT: great on long interstate stretches... no problems keeping up with traffic flow, you'll be going 90mph before you realize it... mine seems to really like that 85-90 mph spot on the interstate.

If I had to choose only one, I'm not sure if I could... my tendency would be to pick the S, just 'cause I'm a guy and I can't help it, I guess.

But then I get in the CVT and scoot around town in it and still get out with a pretty big smile on my face... it's a cool little car, no doubt, and loads of fun.

 

I feel great! Just got back from a Grand Canyon trip with the wife and two kids in our Just a Cooper and got 42+ miles per gallon!

 

Yes, I know many R56 Coopers (including my own) that surpass 45 mpg on highway excursions...but it's true there are tons of variables to that whole thing.

I think an MCS owner would miss the power generally...the Cooper is just a different car, dialed-in for certain driving environs and styles. Although it can easily handle U.S. highways....the MCS is probably more properly at home there.

If you want the best mpg, though, R56 manual Coopers can't be beat (unless we get the Copper D, that is....I know, I'm not holding my breath). Just be prepared to relearn a different approach to MINI motoring. You could love it...or it could frustrate you.

 

Hey all!

I'm new to the mini world here--and thus far this community seems to be bucket loads of info. I'm sorta in this dilemma as well.

History: I currently drive a Saabaru. (a redone subaru impreza wrx by SAAB) and I love the car but recently have felt the pinch at the pump as well as the raise in my insurance cost after my first ticket. I'm paying roughly $800/ month for this car which is entirely to much for this car imo.

Which brings me to my question, (I know there is a bazillion variables for insurance rates but) for those of you with both mc and mcs or for those going from one model to the other, can you post your cost difference in insurance cost?

My ulimate goal is to have something great in mpg, sporty, different, fun, while keeping the cost down.

I don't have any disposable income at the moment for maintaince etc. I am considering selling my saab, taking that money and putting it into a used 2005 manual mc, or buying a brand new honda fit.

Thoughts?