I drove the non-s before buying my mini and the first thing I thought was ovbiously the lack of power.... a lot..

upon my request, I floored it from 1st to 2nd. When I shifted into the third gear after 10 minutes,( )I was doing something like 50-55 miles an hour.

and i thought.. wow, this thing is slooooooooow...

but I think MC is nimbler than my S... feels more tossable..

 

Call your insurance agent -- they can run numbers for each car you're thinking about buying. That way, you get an apples to apples comparison between your rates now and what they'd be with a different car.

I called up my Allstate agent and priced a difference between an Clubman and a Clubman S -- an S would cost me less than $10/mo more to insure. I get good driver discounts, no tickets, am out of my 20s, etc., so that might factor into your equation.

 

I went from driving mainly an 05 S (Quentin) for 2 years to mainly driving an 07 MC (Tristan) for the last year. I could live with just one MC quite happily, however the power of the S is quite addicting, so if we've got 2 we'll have one S. I was thinking about trading in the 05S for an 08 MC, but that was unappealing. We got a new MCS instead.

The problem with the S is its just too fast. You can't use its full potential on the road (not if you want to keep a facade of driving sanely). I worried about getting tickets in the S, but I never did (I did get one in the old MC).

 

There are certainly plenty of vehicles slower than a regular MC, so it's not as if you'll have your doors blown off on a regular basis. If you're not someone who regularly indulges in the boost portion of your throttle position, then you could certainly accept the MC for your daily needs without noticing much difference. Acceleration is just a one small portion of the overall driving experience anyway, but some of us place it a little bit higher on the priority list.

Good luck with the decision that best suits your needs.

 

I did in 2007, but I really didn't like it that much, I was trying to save money and try a lease, but then decided I did not like the lease, now I am back with an S and a semblence of a trunk space with the Clubman!

 

WAT?

 

2 words.
Supercharger Whine.

I wouldnt be able to drive without it. it makes me smile EVERY day.