And it wasn't even close... ouch.

 

It doesn't really surprise me. The Mazaspeed3 is faster, more powerful, bigger and cheaper. But it isn't a Mini, which is why I am waiting for my Clubman, instead of driving a Mazda off the lot.

 

Sure, the MS3 is a bit faster, but it also gets much worse gas mileage, and it's booooring compared to the MINI.

 

Honestly, they're two very different cars with completely different purposes. My buddy's got an MS3 (I was considering one in my short list before deciding on my MCS), and I'm happy to not have gone with that car.

It's devastatingly fast for what it costs and what it is. And there's always the juvenile exhilaration from straight line speed, but, honestly, that's all the car is - its engine. Fantastic engine, don't get me wrong, but it's all a bit one-dimensional.

The interior, while not bad by sub-$40k Japanese standards doesn't quite match the feel and quality of MINI's. The Cooper/Clubman is a compromise (please, don't hang me just yet for saying so!). It compromises sheer power for gas mileage, customizability for price, space for fun, etc etc etc. The Mazda's suspension is, again, fine, but quite thumpy and you get a feeling of too much damping, or not enough spring.... just something is off. Germans, and BMW in particular, always seem to get the suspension 'just right'. Solid, yet compliant, yet so entirely sporty as to remove all signs of body roll. As an overall package (interior, exterior, fun-to-own-factor, driving), I still think the MINI is a better car (I suppose it's preaching to the choir, as we're all here for that reason), but I can understand why reviewers and consumers could be taken by the fury of Mazda's 2.3L turbo motor.

Let them have their paper victory - we still know which one is 'better'

 

yeah..odd they would try and compare the two...very different indeed and probably an even more different customer base. seems the mazdaspeed3 is for the younger male/tuner crowd and the clubman for people with kids (making generalizations of course).

for me, it boiled down to the mazda3 (previously owned and loved) or mazdaspeed3 and the mcs....both have their pros and cons but the mcs is such a different beast altogether.

 

I read the entire article and I don't think they "killed" the mini. There were more "positive" things than negative things about the mini than the mazda.

They basically said that if you want a mundane average car reasonably priced with more horsies, then the mazda would win. It was rattling and squeeking at the end of their tests.

The three complaints about the mini were...

Cost.... well, you get what you pay for, I'd gladly pay 3K extra for the quality of the mini compared to any mazda. (not dissin' the mazda, just really like the quality of the mini) Not to mention all the cool options you can personalize on the mini and not the mazda.

Road noise... That's just the runflats. I have no problems with the noise level and if it bothered me that much, I'd change to nonrunflats.

Ergonomics... I have to admit the ergonomics are wierd... Having said that, once you get used to it, I have a problem locating stuff in my other vehicles. I get in my H2 and try to roll up the windows on the bottom of the console. I hated the BIG speedometer in the center but now that I'm used to it, I like it.

So, though they gave a thumbs up to Mazda, I think if they were actually buying one for themselves, they'd probably still pick the mini because the mazda is so mundane (ie. accord, camry, blah, blah, blah)

To each their own I guess....

Mark

 

One thing that Winding Road mentioned that I agree with is the sensitive throttle....they mentioned at tip-in, but I think that BMW's thinking has gone wrong ever since they went to drive by wire. The throttle mapping is wrong - to me it seems as if nothing happens for the first bit and then all of a sudden it comes on too strong. This makes heeling and toeing more difficult. Also, the throttle pedal is just too easy to push toward the floor....makes it more difficult to drive smoothly and on long drives at a constant speed it gets a little painful. I admit that I'm old-school, having owned six pre-DBW BMW's and three post-DBW BMW's/Mini's, but this seems just wrong to me.....

 

I'm a very persnickety driver (maybe I'm just bad), but I can't just seamlessly jump from one manual car to another without an adjustment period, but I found the MINI really easy to just hop in and drive, whereas hopping into my friend's MS3, it was very very hard. The clutch only travels a couple inches, and I find the throttle tip-in on THAT car over sensitive. It may just be the massive power, but in either case, I just find it more difficult to drive than the MINI (including an R53 that I drove, which was still pickier than my R56).

What I didn't get used to immediately in the BMW/MINIs is the bottom hinged gas pedal.

 

My wife drives a Lexus IS 250 with the NAV. Sticker is close to $40K and still an entry level car for its class. Although very smooth and a ton of extras, its not a mini. Boring IMO. The Mazda is a nice car but its not a Mini.

 

Did I miss it or did these guys actually do a comparison article without metioning the Mini's MPG advantage?

 

Screw Winding Road

 

How about now? One of the most informative reviews of the Clubman and generally quite positive.

 

Have you even driven a MS3?

 

Yeah, I mean, it's by no means 'booooring'... maybe not as sharp, but definitely not boring by any stretch of the imagination.

 

I had a tough time deciding on the MS3 & R56S..what won me over is I got out of the MS3 smiling, I got out of the R56S laughing..there is my answer right there.

 

Sorry, I meant that it's boring in terms of styling and whatnot. I know it's fun.