Driving my wife's Honda Fit: at first, I couldn't tell if I had the clutch pedal depressed. Next, by habit, I jumped directly from fourth to sixth gear. Er, REVERSE

Oh, my....

 

Once or twice a year I have the opportunity to drive a Dodge 2500 6.7L Cummins turbo diesel. The clutch gives you a workout compared to the MINI.

 

I know that my dad has also had issues adjusting. For a short time, he went from driving his '05 MCS to driving my mom's Civic. When he got home from work that first day, I asked him how it went with the Civic. He had this really sad look on his face and said, "I got smoked at every light." I would say it depends on the car. Switching between the Mini and the Suburban is fairly easy, minus the difference in size, but switching between the Mini and the Civic is like a bullet to the ego.

 

Perhaps your Dad could encourage your mom to trade her Civic for a Civic Si. You can have a lot of fun with an 8000 rpm redline

 

You think that's tough? My mom's car had the foot pedal parking brake. I can't count how many times I mistook it for the clutch!

 

 

A pulley and a tune should do the trick for you.

 

I took my MINI to the dealer so they could install my GPS mount and sport stripes earlier this week on my new '10 MCS, and they gave me an '05 MCS they had for sale as my loaner; I ended up having it for four days. It was kind of funny driving it around, I thought people would think I stole it from the dealer…



When I picked up my MINI yesterday it felt so weird after driving the '05 around. Even though my first MINI was an '04 and I was used to the supercharger and all, this one just had a nice sound and it felt like it had so much more power than my new '10 does. I'm not sure if it was such a difference moving from one immediately to the other or it was the cold weather having anything to do with it or just having to get reacquainted with the way my '10 drives or what since I've driven that loaner about as long as my new one, but it just felt so much more powerful. Really weird! I almost wished that I had that '05 instead of my '10!

 

To a point, anyway. There's no replacement for sheer displacement!

But I will echo the suggestion to swap the supercharger pulley for a 15% reduction pulley; this puts significantly more air into the engine. Put in a higher flow airbox to help keep it fed. These are relatively cheap, easy mods that give a good power return.

 

Ditto on the mild mods to increase the fun; Sparky has a MiniMania CAI, 15%, one step colder plugs and a RMW tune and puts out nearly 200 hp and 175 ft-lb of torque. Cost was about 500 bucks

I switch betweem Sparky, a Colorado Crewcab, a Corvette, a HD StreetBob and my wife's Murano and have no problems at all.

 

My beloved '05 S is at Mini for some warranty work. But the thing is, my warranty isn't directly through Mini (bought the car at another dealership), so i can't get a Cooper as a rental. So here I sit staring at the keys of a Toyota Yaris boycotting the idea of driving it. It makes me angry, very angry.

I waved at a JCW Clubman this morning, he gave me an odd look. The I realized what I was driving, I stuck my head out the window and yelled "It's a loaner!" He laughed and waved. But yes, driving anything other than my Mini is pretty much the worst feeling possible.

 

I have a Traverse and while it handles well for the type of vehicle it is, I forget to take it easy on the turns...actually have to use the brakes.

 

Always a strange feeling at first, because the MINI is so unabashed that it takes a few minutes of driving the other car to get the right feel. This is a little long but it's the best way I can explain it...a car isn't just transportation, it becomes an extension of the driver...a MINI owner knows this best. Each vehicle has its own personality, some beg to be driven (like the MINI) and the harder the better -- while some don't like to be driven hard at all, you just have to navigate it.

I used to own a '98 Caddy DeVille, one of the greatest rides I've ever driven but don't take it hard into turns. The Caddy "drove itself", you just pointed it in the right direction and enjoyed the experience. After the Caddy I drove a '00 Ford F150 for 3 years, great truck that loved to be driven hard. My other car was an '04 PT Cruiser Turbo, also loved to be driven hard.

A year ago I traded in the Pickup for a Traverse, I hated it! Until I remembered that some cars don't like to be driven hard, I was TRYING to drive the Traverse like I drove the pickup. Now I love the way it drives and I find it to be very responsive...but it's no MINI! So now when I drive the 'other' car, it just takes one mash of the accelerator, then it bucks...and I remember where I am.

 

Ugh, I can't stand it. My husband has a Honda Element. To me, it seems like it has sloppy steering and extremely soft brakes...

 

My mom just bought a 2010 Toyota Camry last week and she insisted that I take it out for a drive when I was going out Friday night. I drove it around for probably 30 miles while I was out. Man, what a boring car. The seats feel like you are sitting on a couch, they don't hug you like the MINI does. Steering feel in non-existent and wayyy to light (I can make a u-turn with my pinky!). The car is eerily quiet, you can barely hear the engine (my mom likes that, I don't).

I came back home to drop off her car and pick mine up to run a few errands. WOW what a difference. It really makes you appreciate the driving dynamics of the MINI after driving the Camry. I guess the MINI spoils me too much. I love that I can actually feel the road. I love that I can hear the engine. I love that the car goes exactly where I point the steering wheel. I love how I can take turns while pressing the accelerator and not the brake!

I love taking her car out for drives, just so I can fall in love with my MINI all over again every time!

 

I know just how you feel. I'm picking my Mini up later today after being almost a week without it. I'm so excited I could cry, haha.

 

When I drive my Mini after driving my Element, I almost go through the windshield the first time I hit the brakes, they're so much stronger. Takes a few times to get the right feel.

The Element's windshield wiper is set up opposite of Mini, push lever down to increase speed, push up for a single wipe. Rains a lot here in Oregon, always takes me a few minutes in either car to get it straight.

 

Reminds me of my friend's car… I forget what kind it was, but she described it as driving around while sitting in someone's living room.

 

I was going on a number of business trips for a while. I wasn't picky about what rental car I got and each time I'd get into my rental, cobalt, malibu, focus, grand prix whatever and right away I'd start out thinking that hey the ride is nice. I could enjoy this. They all would do fine on performance not necessarily fun but adequate. Then I turn the first corner and instantly miss my 06 MCS... I now NEED a car that handles like the mini. I don't know what I'll do when I need to get a practical family car...

PS the previous generation focus is the worst car I've ever driven. I flew out to a wedding in Detroit and asked a friend who works at ford to apologize for my rental. He asked "is it an old or new focus?" Old "well I am sincerely sorry for you"

 

Myla's Midlands 5 speed transmission went out and it took me a month and a half to swap out with a getrag 6 speed. (kept receiving the wrong parts) I had to drive my Dad's Jeep the whole time. I hated it. I used to love Jeeps until then.

 

Very difficult I have a F-150 quad cab that I am renting. I nicknamed it the Baby eater. It doesn't fit in my drive way.

 

I feel the same way when I switch back to my daily driver prior to getting the MINI; '99 F-350, dually, diesel, crew cab. It's name is The Red Beast.

I still have to carry my camper around and tow my fishing boat. For it's size and weight it handles nice. Even with the diesel it accelerates great. Not as well as the MINI though.

 

I do the exact same thing.

I've driven my best friend's New Beetle before. I can't even begin to stress how awful that thing was to drive in comparison to the MINI's. Especially the brakes. Same with my grandmother's Nissan Altima.
Driving my old Jeep Grand Cherokee just felt WRONG when I got used to my MINI. I dove for the nonexistent clutch and tried to shift from 'neutral' to 'first' (AKA drive to park) a few times. I couldn't figure out where the speedometer was and all that jazz -- and I had the car for two years before! Haha. It was so weird.

 

Our other car is a 2000 Chrysler Sebring limited convertible. I've been driving it for the past 10 years (88,000 miles) and thoughly enjoyed the driving experience, especially in warm weather with the top down. For the past 3 months I've been mostly driving our new MINI, and when I get into the Sebring it feels so strange. I keep engaging the phantom clutch, I'm constantly shifting my position in the seat, and fumbling with the window, wipers, and lighting controls. I never had any issues with the Sebring, now it feels terribly underpowered, and the turning and handling feels like it was borrowed from the Queen Mary. We're already talking about replacing the Sebring with a MINI convertible.

 

Some days I get to drive all 4 of our vehicles for various reasons, and it's always an interesting comparison experience. Our TrailBlazer SS has the Corvette engine, so it's a hoot to be in an SUV that can scoot (and corner pretty well, once we put high performance tires on it). The Corvette is great when I want a high horsepower fix (although nowadays "just 400" is not outrageous). The Porsche is a dream to drive, but the MINI is just always so much fun to drive. I miss my '05 MCS a lot, but I do love the GP. It's a keeper!