I bought my R50 one year ago. I have had creeping S envy from time to time (although never when driving, only on forums.) so I do keep an eye out for a nicely priced S. I test drove an R56 S a few months ago and was not impressed enough to make the trade.

Today I went down to MINI to ask the parts dept a few questions and spotted a clean looking blue '04 S very nicely priced, with about 80,000KM (55,000mi?) on the clock. It was all stock with 17" RF tires. I decided to take it for a spin. The dealer took me for a drive around the neighbourhood while making his pitch and then gave me the keys and told me to take it for an hour or so.

Again I was disappointed. It is a great car, the supercharger whine IS very cool, and frankly I am tempted to buy it for the Sport Seats alone! However, overall it did not feel dramatically quicker than my R50. In raw numbers I'm sure it would roast any Non-S out there, however, my butt dyno was left wanting. First gear still felt too short, and low-end was only marginally better than I am used to. Just like my R50, it comes to life at ~3800RPM. I know the mod possibilities are endless with the S, and I'm sure with a few upgrades I could be quite satisfied. However, driving mine home with my foot in it, I had a lot more fun than I did on the test drive.

Salesman was with a client when I got back to the dealership, so I left the keys with the receptionist and left him a thanks but no thanks voicemail. He called back and was very nice, thanked me for test driving it, etc. I told him my reasons for passing and he understood.. I said, "Call me when you get in the Coupe":

 

Thanks for sharing your story. I too suffer from "S" envy after 13 months with my R50. I did test an '05 MCS before buying my base. At the time, I didn't think I wanted a ride that stiff. But now I'd be into it.

Your post however is a welcome reality check, because like you, I find something special happens when i get my little Brazillian motor up around 3,800 rpm. It pulls my **** up to speed quite nicely. And my R50 isn't exactly a marshmallow when it comes to holding a line through a corner.

I'll enjoy my R50 while it lasts. Pretty sure my next Mini will be an "S" though.

Thanks again for the report

 

Really? My '11 MCS is the first MINI I've owned and I've been commuting to work in it for the last 6 months. I got a new Justa as a loaner a few weeks ago when mine was in for a new fuel pump and, although I felt it was adequate and serviceable as a daily driver, I missed my MCS sorely due to the lack of thrust I'm used to. I don't get that feeling so much when I compare my MCS to my 500 HP Vette even though it can shred my MINI's numbers easily. Not sure why that is.

 

I just bought a 2004 MCS about a month ago. I was actually looking for a "Justa" but the MCS came available for a couple grand less than the regular MCs I'd been test driving and I got sucked into it. My first inkling I had made a mistake was the super-tight suspension. The ride is really rough in my car. Okay, I'm used to that now. But now I'm having the exact problem I was hoping to avoid: I can't help romping on the go-faster pedal! My gas mileage suffers and I'm afraid I'm going to get a ticket for aggressive driving. The sound and feel of the supercharger pulling me up to speed is seductive. (Heck, I usually hit the speed limit in 3rd gear). I was just looking for a sporty, fun-to-drive, good-gas-mileage car. Dang.

 

Oddly enough, I had an '09 Justa loaner auto recently and it really felt like a dog, I hated it! My R50 has a few mods which really improve the driving feel even if the actual power gains are minimal: CAI and lighter wheels, better tires, and the SB. As I said, on paper it made no sense that the R53 didn't feel like a whole different driving experience, but it just didn't.

 

No problem! Although I was keen on getting an R53 today, my bank account and I were a little relieved at the revelation, I suppose! I think I'll mod my R50 a little further and see what I can squeeze out of it. I'm more inclined to do that now that I'm not thinking about trading it in anytime soon. There's something attractive about the R50's simplicity and the fact that it's the "first run" of the BMW MINI.

 

my first impressions of an R53 were:
clutch is soft. throttle is slow to respond... OH, SUPERCHARGER NOISE!
sold.

I had a mitsubishi eclipse with quite a bit of toys under the hood. one blip of the throttle was 3krpm and it wanted to be shifted at 5k and enjoyed 7250 (although my neck didn't). Still, it was dying and I thought the R53 wouldn't be better based on the numbers and butt dyno. I bought the car mostly based on the supercharger whine

 

I thought the clutch felt soft as well. The clutch on my R50 is soft, too, so I'm used to it. The r56 I drove a few months back had a much more pleasant clutch feel. Did they change it up for the second gen?

 

Relax, over time the desire to stick the accelerator to the floor each and every time you drive will fade a bit. It will never go away completely, but it will fade a bit. Now, the need to take a corner at speed when some idiot is right on your ***....that will NEVER go away.

 

I love slowing down to aggravate a tailgater, dropping a gear and blasting out of the apex, and waving goodbye in the rearview.

 

Bet a pulley might have helped the power....and a tune or sprint booster for throttle response......then again, with a used car, there could be a millions reasons it feels doggy....

 

I think you're right, likely an SB or another quick and easy mod would have made all the difference. Maybe it had a dirty air filter too, who knows? I still thought 60-odd HP would feel like a HUGE difference. I should note that the 2010 Clubbie S Auto felt much quicker. I'll likely still trade up to an S one of these days, but after driving everything but a JCW and never being blown away by the difference, I conclude that any S will need modding to feel like a dramatic upgrade over what I have now, so I may as well pay off my R50 before I do any more shopping around. A JCW Coupe might be the way to go.

 

Another vote for "the stock R53 didn't totally blow my mind compared to the R50." On that day, I drove a friends R50 to the dealer, drove the R53, and left in the R50, so I had quite the side by side comparison.

Speaking honestly, I would favor the S for a few reasons, but I was presented with the opportunity to by a 2002 R50 for $1,500 earlier this year, for reason of a
blown midlands. I've got the sport package, and sport suspension plus, however. And now an '05 6 speed with LSD. So other than the power, I've got a car pretty close. And my 30 mile commute has never been so enjoyable.

 

Interesting that some don't see that big a difference in the S. I wonder if altitude has something to do with it. I drove an MC in eastern Idaho (elevation about 4500 feet) on a warm day, with the air conditioner on, and while it was no slouch, I couldn't exactly call it peppy either. When I tried the MCS, there wasn't much of a comparison. I had a Turbo S Beetle (the 180 hp one) which was a little pocket rocket and felt somewhat stronger than the MCS, but the handling and driving position of the MCS make it a lot more fun. I still wonder if I wouldn't have been happier, even if slower, with the plain MC. I just don't feel like zooming all the time, and somehow I almost feel like I have to with the MCS. Crazy, I know.

 

You may be onto something with the elevation playing a role. I live pretty much right at sea level. When I had my R50 at some higher elevations in the mountains it did feel a little wheezy, perhaps some forced induction would have been just what the doctor ordered. However, I hardly ever go up that particular highway/pass. I had no trouble passing at 90MPH+ uphill on the rest of that trip. All the passing lanes from here to the north end of the province are on inclines, so I really had a chance to perfect my downshifting.

 

One thing to note....
the r50 does have higher compression pistons.....so it should have a bit more low end tourque/horse power till the SC in the S kicks in......initial off the line below about 2800 rpm or so, advantage r50....then when moving, if the local octane/fuel is iffy,or if the inlet temps from the intercooler is too hot (due to heat soak, lack or airflow, hot ambient temps, then aggravated by an overly agressive pulley install), the compurt in the s uses various coping strategeies....running rich or retarting timing to control detonation/ping...both come at the expense of power.....so again, in some situations, the r50 can have more zip....

 

That's interesting, makes a lot of sense when I think about the test drive. The combination of higher compression, SB, and lighter wheels/tires on my R50 explain why the low end torque and acceleration felt much peppier than the R53 with the lower CR, big 17's and runflats.

 

I don't know how the gear ratios in the R50 (five-speed?) compare to the R53 six-speed, but I do know that in 2005, the ratios for the six-speed were changed to give more "pep" in the lower gears. As such, I can see how a 2004 'S' might not seem much quicker off the line than a 2006 "Justa".

If you're wondering how much of a difference the 'S' engine makes, you'd probably have to drive a 2005 or 2006 'S' to make a fair comparison to your car.

 

The gearing seemed similar from my short comparison, meaning first gear is way too short on both! I didn't realize there had been a change, just when I thought I'd test driven everything! I have driven an '08 S and the gearing was more to my liking. Would it be the same in the late R53s? Maybe I'll keep an eye out for an 05/06 to take for a spin before I really rule it out.

 

My r53 was quick when it was stock. But when I got the caf back exhaust and super charger pulley. It was fast. Added a CAI not sure if it did much but that thing was a beast!!! Had a good set of light wheels and suspension set up when I wouldn't hit the gas it would say " yes please!" can't way to get some power mods on my r56 for that response.

 

I'm glad this thread has some intelligence to it, rather than the prideful disbelief I would expect (and maybe harbor, if I was on the other end). For the record, the R53 I compared was a 2004, with the unrevised ratios, and 16"s (the R50 I was comparing to was a 2002, all stock, save for dealer installed 17" with 205s). I was driving it in town, and probably did not get much past 4,500rpm. Now my own R50 has happens to have a 2005 "S" 6 speed in it. Perhaps that contributes to my enjoyment, although the Getrag is notchy, and has reverse in a bad location. Again, I'd trade my car for an R53 if I had the chance, but for a running, driving car with sport seats, sport suspension, tight as a drum with an LSD 6 speed (and the new clutch, starter, axles, shift cables, etc required) for $4,400 all in, I made the right choice.